and does boveda make sense?
Peace All. I have recently been considering a better method of storage since I have not had any methods other than keep them dry and dark. I have had beans in whatever temps I have lived in over the years…at least 10+. So my question for all of U is how do I start now with the old stock? I dont have freezer space but fridge is big. Can I just put them in the fridge in the packs they came in (maybe add a gram bag of silica beans each)? Haven’t had many issues with germination but I wanna save these beans for my kids when I’m gone. So I have a question of am I better off repacking the beans and adding the small silica packs or can I get away with just toss in fridge in a airtight dark container? Thanks for any and all responses as I have not seen any1 really answer how to start the process after over 10 years of not doing anything special. I have sent beans to a few here but haven’t had any1 tell me if they had any issues.
Be safe All 
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Are you looking to save those particular beans, or just save the strain? If it’s the strain, you could grow a few plants out and get new beans, depending on how many strains you’re talking about…
Lob
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this is where i keep my seeds in which i have over 200 strains! 
MVC-198S|375x500 
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I put my seed packs in a Ball Mason Jar.
Along with a Bayer Aspirin bottle Dessicant.
Then put into a seldom used drawer in my nightstand.
Any suggestions/problems there?
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Seeds want to be about 10% moisture that is very dry. Store them in rice after desiccants are unpredictable. Keep a closer eye on large fast germinating seed than small 5+ day hardshells.
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Put the mason jar in the sun. Crank up the blowdry on the ring. Seal and the fridge should be enough to suck it in and confirm seal. That’s enough
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hope it is not a freezer
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talking about freezer make sure there is no humidity
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Why?
I have some of my seeds in the fridge with some dissicant balls in eppendorf tubes.
But read that freezing goes well, so I take some and made a test freezing then.
I only frozen it for about a month at -18ºC .
Tried them one week ago, all sprouted without problems.
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This is encouraging. I’ve read many with success freezing seeds but have yet to take the leap from the fridge. I like the idea of having a sort of diversified portfolio when it comes to seed saving techniques. When freezing, it seems advantageous to store them in usable quantities so that when accessing them for use in the future there is minimal disruption to the dormancy of seeds that will remain in storage. Awesome to read of your success! It’s inspirational to see others hone in on their preferred methods of seed storage. Thank you for sharing your experience and results. Much love
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I read here people that freeze them, and I never did that, so I choose some bulk feminised and cheap seeds and do a test. They were cheap, so if they die I will not cry around the corners.
I only have it ONE month in the freezer. Taked out of the eppendorf and went directly in “floating mode” sprout. (That is: leave it floating in water and not sinking them). After 2 days roots where showed.
I don’t know how it will be with longer storage times, I am keeping other seeds frozen to make a test some more months later. But it survived the “cristalization”.
I stored then in eppendorf tubes. I made a sandwich with seed, a little cotton, a pair of balls of silica gel, little cotton, more seed… etc… so When opened to take away a seed I don’t worry about humidity.
Was the first time I tried, and worked.
Anyway, I’m of the thinking of not putting all eggs in the same sack. I keep some seeds freezed, BUT others in fridge (with silica and all blablabla).
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The only guidelines I have for freezer storage are:
- condition the seeds first to get the water content down
- be ready to use them when defrosting
Cheers
G
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What’s the general consensus for long term seed storage?
I have a bunch of strains I’d like to keep for long term future use (years), as a genetic backup of sorts.
What’s the best way of storing them for that long? Refrigerator? Freezer? Jars?
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I’m sure many will chime in with great suggestions, but in my experience, for longevity, I like to use a separate extra fridge in my garage, I only open it to get seeds out to start a grow, that way, the temp and humidity stay pretty consistent.
Also I put the seeds in their breeder packs, inside airtight containers like good quality Tupperware or similar, with little desiccant packs.
I also prefer to light proof the Tupperware containers in case the breeder packs aren’t 100% lightproof.
This method has kept seeds from 5-7 years old to pop successfully with 80-90% germination often even 100%, but, I haven’t tried seeds that are older, say maybe over 10 years kept in this storage method, but I’m pretty sure it would be similar.
I wouldn’t freeze personally, but that’s just me.
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In the world of seed science applications they’re frozen for long term storage.
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Would you guys consider rice to be a good desiccant for long term storage? Any issue with rice in direct contact with the seeds?
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That’s 'old school alright!
For refrigerator storage, conditioning the seed for 3 weeks at RH <= 50% is sufficient. For freezer storage you need to get the internal moisture content lower so desiccated rice would help there.
You can get good results with refrigerator storage (upwards of 10 years)
I understand freezer storage is best for the long term (10+ years) but they are trickier to handle as you need to use them soon after defrosting etc.
I have an academic paper describing this but it is on a busted computer…
Cheers
G
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Thanks for the info there @Gpaw !
Really need to up my seed storage, currently doing rice with the seeds, and keep them in a cold room with the farms veggie seeds.
I can see how freezing them would be a little tricky… If you wanted to get just a few seeds out of a pack, might end up messing with the temperature of the other seeds. Also, if you have to use them right away after taking them out, it would make trading/gifting pretty difficult. Thinking I’ll freeze the bulk seed stock but also keep a little bit of everything in the cold room.
Thanks again 
-Greenbeans
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My understanding is it’s all about minimising ice crystal damage when freezing them. You lose a few every time you freeze or refreeze even under the best conditions.
I stick to the refrigerator, it’s simpler and 5~10 years is good for me.
…You know you have a problem (a seedaholic) when your seed collection gets its own bar fridge… 
Cheers
G
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