Hi,

Last summer I grew some Chinese Hot Peppers that were simply the best
peppers I've ever tasted. I kept a bunch of the seeds and would like to
store them for future use - 4-5 years from now. What's the best way to
store them?

TIA,
NRJ

Navin R. Johnson wrote in message . ..
Hi,

Last summer I grew some Chinese Hot Peppers that were simply the best
peppers I've ever tasted. I kept a bunch of the seeds and would like to
store them for future use - 4-5 years from now. What's the best way to
store them?

TIA,
NRJ

In a ziploc (or other airtight container) in the freezer. I have five
year old seeds in there and this year, for example, I bought none. One
of the door shelves is all seeds all the time.

I keep my seeds in a test tube sealed with a cork, in the freezer.

I keep my seeds in separate paper sacks, a little bit smaller than a lunch sack
and leave them on the shelf in the garage. They freeze in the winter and get
very warm in the summer. They have always germinated the following year. I've
used my dill seed for the past 3yrs.
Sue in Mi. (zone 5)

We've kept seed in original pkts, glassine envelopes, or medicine bottles
sealed in a small Tupperware container in the refrig for many years with
excellent results. We get some of the dessicants (usually silica) in pkts or
capsules that you frequently find packages with electronics and other
equipment from the local pharmacist (usually for free) and throw them in the
container to reduce the humidity. Do not freeze. While this may not harm
many hardy seeds, it will shorten the lives of others unless done in a
laboratory. Peppers generally do not like to freeze. After all, they are
tropical. All of our seed is in an extra frig in the shop used for extra
purchases and produce.
Gary

"Navin R. Johnson" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Last summer I grew some Chinese Hot Peppers that were simply the best
peppers I've ever tasted. I kept a bunch of the seeds and would like to
store them for future use - 4-5 years from now. What's the best way to
store them?

TIA,
NRJ

On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 11:26:17 -0500, Navin R. Johnson
wrote:

Last summer I grew some Chinese Hot Peppers that were simply the best
peppers I've ever tasted. I kept a bunch of the seeds and would like to
store them for future use - 4-5 years from now. What's the best way to
store them?

Just curious. Why 4-5 years? While many chile seeds will grow after
long storage, germination rates *do* drop off in time. As for
storing, your greatest enemy is moisture. Whether at room temperature,
in the 'fridge, or in the freezer, making sure they're thoroughly dry
and storing in a sealed container (jar or ziplock plastic) is
recommended. Stored in the dark is better, too.

Frogleg wrote in
:

On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 11:26:17 -0500, Navin R. Johnson
wrote:

Last summer I grew some Chinese Hot Peppers that were simply the best
peppers I've ever tasted. I kept a bunch of the seeds and would like to
store them for future use - 4-5 years from now. What's the best way to
store them?

Just curious. Why 4-5 years? While many chile seeds will grow after
long storage, germination rates *do* drop off in time. As for
storing, your greatest enemy is moisture. Whether at room temperature,
in the 'fridge, or in the freezer, making sure they're thoroughly dry
and storing in a sealed container (jar or ziplock plastic) is
recommended. Stored in the dark is better, too.


I don't know about Navin, but personally I don't have access to ginormous
acreages and I'd be hard pressed to go through a packet of pepper seeds in
10 years, let alone 5. Besides what are you going to do when NEPND or
ROSSNS comes around and everybody goes Kookoo for cocoa puffs?

Personally I just stuck mine in a pickle jar with some computer weenie
dessicant in a cool, dark corner of the garage.

*NEPND = not enough phone number digits, ROSSNS = ran out of social
security numbers

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 15:42:46 GMT, Frogleg wrote:

On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 11:26:17 -0500, Navin R. Johnson
wrote:

Last summer I grew some Chinese Hot Peppers that were simply the best
peppers I've ever tasted. I kept a bunch of the seeds and would like to
store them for future use - 4-5 years from now. What's the best way to
store them?

Just curious. Why 4-5 years? While many chile seeds will grow after
long storage, germination rates *do* drop off in time. As for
storing, your greatest enemy is moisture. Whether at room temperature,
in the 'fridge, or in the freezer, making sure they're thoroughly dry
and storing in a sealed container (jar or ziplock plastic) is
recommended. Stored in the dark is better, too.

First, thanx for all the responses. I'm thinkin' that I'll probably
vacuum pack them along with a dessicant and keep them in the fridge in a
brown paper bag to keep out the light. That ought to do it.

The reason I want to keep them for five or so years - I have a small
garden and usually grow lots of herbs and a few cherry tomatoes. Last
year one of my gardening buddies gave me some 'special' Chinese Hot
Pepper seeds to try out. She actually got them from an old guy while she
was in China and then had to 'smuggle' them out. I didn't have much room
so only planted a couple of plants. Those two plants were prolific and
the peppers were fantastic so I kept a lot of the seeds and then planted
30 more plants this past summer. I ended up with a ton of peppers and
after drying now have at least a four or five year supply - and that's
after giving lots to my friends and family. I won't need any more
peppers for awhile and just wanted to be sure that I have at least a few
live seeds for the next time. Thanks again for all the info.

NRJ

On 04 Jan 2004 23:35:36 GMT, (SAS567) wrote:

I keep my seeds in separate paper sacks, a little bit smaller than a lunch sack
and leave them on the shelf in the garage. They freeze in the winter and get
very warm in the summer. They have always germinated the following year. I've
used my dill seed for the past 3yrs.
Sue in Mi. (zone 5)

Thanks Sue

FYI, I've had 10-year-old dill seeds germinate without fail. A couple of
years ago I found an old plastic bag full of dill seeds that had fallen
behind a chest in the garage. They were dated 11-90! I thought, what
the hell, and planted them - thickly. To my surprise at least half of
them came up.

When I do plant peppers, I usually only put in a few plants so a pack of
pepper seeds could theoretically last me for the rest of my life. Only
problem is I've had fairly poor results germinating pepper seeds that
are only a couple of years old. The Chinese seeds I have now are
basically irreplaceable - the friend who originally gave me the seeds
has moved to another state and we've lost contact. I want to put away a
whole bunch for the next time I grow a large amount of plants - maybe
four or five years from now. Thanx again.

NRJ

Navin R. Johnson wrote in
:

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 15:42:46 GMT, Frogleg wrote:

On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 11:26:17 -0500, Navin R. Johnson
wrote:

Last summer I grew some Chinese Hot Peppers that were simply the best
peppers I've ever tasted. I kept a bunch of the seeds and would like
to store them for future use - 4-5 years from now. What's the best
way to store them?

Just curious. Why 4-5 years? While many chile seeds will grow after
long storage, germination rates *do* drop off in time. As for
storing, your greatest enemy is moisture. Whether at room temperature,
in the 'fridge, or in the freezer, making sure they're thoroughly dry
and storing in a sealed container (jar or ziplock plastic) is
recommended. Stored in the dark is better, too.

First, thanx for all the responses. I'm thinkin' that I'll probably
vacuum pack them along with a dessicant and keep them in the fridge in
a brown paper bag to keep out the light. That ought to do it.

The reason I want to keep them for five or so years - I have a small
garden and usually grow lots of herbs and a few cherry tomatoes. Last
year one of my gardening buddies gave me some 'special' Chinese Hot
Pepper seeds to try out. She actually got them from an old guy while
she was in China and then had to 'smuggle' them out. I didn't have
much room so only planted a couple of plants. Those two plants were
prolific and the peppers were fantastic so I kept a lot of the seeds
and then planted 30 more plants this past summer. I ended up with a
ton of peppers and after drying now have at least a four or five year
supply - and that's after giving lots to my friends and family. I
won't need any more peppers for awhile and just wanted to be sure that
I have at least a few live seeds for the next time. Thanks again for
all the info.

NRJ


in that case, the best way to save them is to stick them in the ground
and when they come back up, share them with your friends

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 19:22:05 -0500, Navin R. Johnson
wrote:

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 15:42:46 GMT, Frogleg wrote:

On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 11:26:17 -0500, Navin R. Johnson
wrote:

Last summer I grew some Chinese Hot Peppers that were simply the best
peppers I've ever tasted. I kept a bunch of the seeds and would like to
store them for future use - 4-5 years from now. What's the best way to
store them?

Just curious. Why 4-5 years?

The reason I want to keep them for five or so years - I have a small
garden and usually grow lots of herbs and a few cherry tomatoes. Last
year one of my gardening buddies gave me some 'special' Chinese Hot
Pepper seeds to try out. She actually got them from an old guy while she
was in China and then had to 'smuggle' them out. I didn't have much room
so only planted a couple of plants. Those two plants were prolific and
the peppers were fantastic so I kept a lot of the seeds and then planted
30 more plants this past summer. I ended up with a ton of peppers and
after drying now have at least a four or five year supply - and that's
after giving lots to my friends and family. I won't need any more
peppers for awhile and just wanted to be sure that I have at least a few
live seeds for the next time. Thanks again for all the info.

If possible, I would keep growing a couple of plants each year as
insurance. There's nothing like planting a bunch of older seeds and
having *none* germinate! Been there; done that. No fun.