On Mon, 3 Feb 2003 21:12:45 -0000, "snafu steve"
wrote:

It doesn't by any chance say "growers pack" on the packet? I fell for this
with Autumn king carrots last year, and I reckon they should do for an awful
lot of autumns. In this vein, does anyone know how long they're likely to be
viable? Or any tips to make them last the maximum time? Would freezing them
help?

Yes. Freezing them will, to all intents and purposes, make them stay
viable indefinitely . (For most seeds I believe).

There is some debate as to whether seeds in the fridge should be kept
in the cold or the freezer compartment. It is pronounced in favour of
the former; but only for the simple reason that condensation occurs
more abundantly when the door to the freezer is repeatedly opened and
closed. Moisture, however cold it may be, is the other big no-no along
with high ambient temperature.

I put mine into a self seal, zip-up, or otherwise relatively air
tight freezer bag. Then I sling in a teaspoon full of those silicate
grains which absorb moisture and turn colour when time has come to dry
them out in a low oven, seal the bag and put it in ... the freezer.

Isn't it goldfish which can simply swim out of a thawing block of
ice? I pondered last night whether their ageing processes are slowed
down dramatically under sun zero temperatures. But then I laughed out
loud with the thought that even if their lifetime had been thus
prolonged it wouldn't be much of a bonus spending the exra time with
numb brain all fruzzed up in a block of ice.

Grow a little garden

Huss