Seed Hoarders Anonymous

[baymule]

I feel all warm and fuzzy......I am among FRIENDS who share my affliction! My dining table is 112 inches long and it is covered with seed packets spread all over it. I also have many seed packets from past years. The ghosts of past seeds unplanted..... I have the new seeds I ordered and am still perusing the seed catalogs. NO! NO! I can't order anymore!

 

[HotPepperQueen]

I am right there with all of ya! I have a big plastic bin full of seeds......and I just ordered a bunch more. If I could turn all 3 acres of my property into a garden, I would. So far I have only tilled about 1/2 an acre haha.

 

[ducks4you]

Ya know what's fun about this--we all figure out our OWN way to store the mass quantities. I clean out all sorts and sizes of jars, then rip out the paper on the seed packet that identifies what it is, THEN I roll it inside the jar before I empty the contents.
I recently bought 10,000 black eyed susan seeds on clearance--$3.12
and they are going in a former jar of spaghetti sauce. I store in former jars of garlic, former herb and spice jars, plastic and glass, even save the shaker holes part, former jars of grated parmesean. I can see through the glass/plastic so I know what seeds are there, and when it's empty I never have to clean off an outside, glued label, plus they are always reusable.
Btw, the black eyed susans are gonna help fill in a patch with 7 pine trees, where I raised their crowns and the weeds have rushed in!

 

[Lavender2]

@digitS' ... I like to refer those longevity charts when I buy seed. Over-buying types of seeds that have a very short shelf life might amount to that lost season.
Here's a link that has some common flowers as well ... Hill Gardens of Main

In January, when I was pretending it was not winter , after about 8 years of organized chaos of my collection, I DID IT! I have a sorta large container now labeled 'test or throw' (it's so hard to throw) But if my plan actually works, many seeds will get the chance to live or die next month.

@ducks4you ... there's nothing more stunning than masses of black-eyed susans in August here, when everything else starts fading! And so low maintenance, I love them!

 

[mothergoose]

I too am a seedaholic! I have been making my list from several of my favorite seed catalogs and have them ready too mail...more seeds I just have to have. I inventoried what I currently have and it took 12 pages (8x11 sheets) of paper. We do garden on a large scale, so hopefully I will use a lot up this year. My husband is tilling me up a large area for flowers to broadcast...I have a lot of flower seeds that are getting some age on them, so figured I would just mix and sow them all and see what happens.
Lookin forward to the seed train getting fired back up too!

 

[journey11]

That will be pretty! You'll have to take a pic of the new flowerbed to show us.

 

[canesisters]

Yep, what So Lucky said.

Main thing to help seeds last is to KEEP THEM DRY.
Next most important is KEEP THEM COOL, not too much hot.
After that is TREAT THEM AS FRAGILE.

... or just stuff coffee cans full and put them in your sock drawer...

 

[Carol Dee]

DH has bigger problem than I do, I just enable. @journey11 your collection is VERY organized by our standards. Seeds here and there. Some in drawers, closets, basement, some in envelopes , some in coffee cans. Do we have any of these? NO can't find them... so order more, then find 'em. That is how the collection grows!

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I'll see you all and raise you triple!

And the tomato seed file (filled to about 3x maximum capacity)

And bear in mind that 1. This is after I spend two weeks going through and throwing out seed that had spoiled or had fallen out of it's packets and I couldn't identify and 2. This isn't anywhere NEAR all of what is left (I doubt it's a fifth. Actually I doubt it's a tenth.)

 

[journey11]