vacuum packing seeds

Does it hurt the seeds to vacuum pack them? I have a foodsaver and I thought that using the bags to save my seeds would be a good idea. Wouldn't let them get moisture etc, but wasn't sure if anyone else had tried this or if it would hurt the seeds.

I saw in a thread something about plastic not being good for the seeds for longtime storage. Didn't get to read what they were basing their comments on though. Maybe someone else can shed some light here. ~ Suzi :)

Thanks Suzi..It was just an idea...*G* seems a bad one but...

Hey araness!
Fancy seeing you here, can't wait for the 12 month swap! Just a comment on vacuum sealing seeds. In 1998 I saved TONS of seeds. Each type was stored in a film canister with silica gel crystals just to ensure complete drying. I had them in those film canisters till 2000. That year my mother bought a food saver and I HAD to play with it and packed several types of seeds. Before sealing up the seeds I poured in some of those silica gel crystals (I use the flower drying crystals that are smaller than the cat litter crystals) and vacuum sealed them all up.

We just moved to VA and I dug out these seeds that I never really got around to planting in CO and thought I would at least try them out to see if they were viable. There were snapdragon, lamb's ears, candy lily, jacob's ladder, poppys, agastache, salvia, and columbine. I don't know if these seeds just naturaly have long viability but I couldn't believe that every pot (all except one of the pots of jacob's ladder and agatache) were full of seedlings. I had planted just a little extra in each one just in case but I endded up having to thin them out into more pots! Aside from the 2 pots that had nothing, I still had 9 each of both agastache and jacob's ladder with a few more potted up from thinned out seedlings.

I have been trying to find a website that lists seed viability for different plants just to see if the vacuum packing had something to do with it or not. Until I do (I have since bought my own foodsaver...love it!) I save all of the small leftover pieces I cut from the big bags when I open them and make them into little seed packets, throw in some silica gel and seeds and seal it all up! Since I'm using scraps, I figure what is there to loose? I would really like to know what the usual time limit is on those above seeds though.

-Garity

Garity,
I think I have a site of seed viability that someone posted saved on my computer at home (it's lunchtime at work). I'll try to remember to add it here tonight, if I can find it among all the others. Might help if you reply so it will show up on my watched list. ~ Suzi :)

I'd be interested to know that too. I also have a food saver I love! Wouldn't it be great to put it to use for the garden in that way too?

Where do you get your silica gel?

My apologies: I had info on seed germination: http://backyardgardener.com/tm.html with lots of info on how to.

So, I went looking for you... found this 120-yr experiment on seed viability: http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/89/8/1285
Additionally, I found: Good quiz on seed viability at: http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/2000_October_November/A_Seed__146_s_Life
and here are a few more things found for you: http://magazines.ivillage.com/countryliving/garden/expert/qas/0,,549756_630491,00.html http://tomclothier.hort.net/page16.html

Have a great day! ~ Suzi :)
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I got the silica gel at Michaels or Hobby Lobby (both are craft/hobby type stores). It's usually in the flower drying section. I sometimes use the larger crystal silica gel (the cat litter kind) if I am just putting some in film canisters and not vacuum sealing seeds since the larger crystal could puncture the plastic. (I do a lot of photography so I always have a steady supply of film canisters but you could always use a bit inside plastic baggies or whatever you use, keeps things nice and dry)

BriarRose74: thanks for the websites!