How To Store Seeds: 7 Creative Solutions

Have you ever really thought about how to store seeds after you harvest your garden?  Have you ever thought about how good it is to store your seeds year to year?  Buying seeds in a store isn't something our grandparents did.  Instead, they stored seeds from their harvests each year to use in the next year crop. So let's go back to the good old days with these great tips on how to store seeds. 

As you learn more about gardening, knowing how to store seeds is important to understand.  Not only are you learning to provide for yourself in times of need, you may begin cultivating healthier crops by eliminating many of the chemical preservatives found in non-organic seeds year to year without paying extra for them – anything that saves me money is a plus in my book!

7 Creative Answers For How To Store Seeds

We've pulled together some fun and creative ways for you to store seeds year to year.  These tips will help you to always know where your seeds are and to learn more about the way gardening works from the ground up.  It's a great chance to teach your kids, so don't hesitate to get them involved in the process.

1. Make refrigerator magnets.
Add a piece of magnet (hot glue it on) to the back of a clothespin. You can then clip the seed packet right into the clothespin and attach it to any metal surface. If you want, you can even write the name of the seed/plant on the clothespin.

2. Make an easy upcycled hanging system.
Take a piece of scrap wood and glue clothespins to it. Glue some ribbon or add some wire to the wood for hanging. Then, just clip the seed packets to the clothespins for easy storage. This would look great hanging in your garden shed, and provides easy access.  Who knew learning how to store seeds could also be such a fun DIY craft?

3. Use file folders.
These folders are great for keeping bills organized, and can be great for keeping seeds organized too! Just label the folders and place the seed packets right in. Then you can store them anywhere you store important home information.  I recommend using a simple expanding file folder to keep them separate.  You can also use this to store your Almanac and other notes about what did well in your garden year to year.

4. Try a coupon organizer.
Coupon organizers, found at most dollar stores, are perfect for holding seed packets. You can add labels and drop the packets in for easy storage and so you can identify them easily. Plus with the caddy being small, you can just slip it into a kitchen drawer until you need it.

5. Give mason jars a try.
Who doesn’t love mason jars? Place the seed packets into a clear mason jar and add a chalkboard label if you wish. The see through glass makes it easy to look in and see exactly what you have so you can easily grab what you need.

6. Try egg cartons.
If you have seeds but no packets, drop them into egg carton compartments. You can just write directly on the carton what each seed is, and then close the lid to keep all items secure. This is an easy way to store seeds without a packet and not get them mixed up. Just make sure it's put somewhere secure and no one shakes it up if you used each egg spot for a different seed.  Kids love the sound it makes, but sorting them isn't fun!

7. Use old medicine containers.
Take your old prescription containers and use them to store dried seeds that you have saved or don’t have an envelope for. It will keep them dry which is important, and all you need to do is label the bottle so you know what you have.  Just make sure to rinse them out extremely well to remove medication residue, and to remove the original label before adding your own.

Whether you are saving seeds from the produce you eat at home, or just want to keep the seeds you have purchased from the store safe, these methods are all worth trying and sure to get the job done. Remember, knowing how to store seeds is just the beginning of growing beautiful healthy crops in the future.

More Gardening Tips:

• 30 Ways To Save Money On Gardening
• Organic Gardening Tips
• 10 Items Perfect For Composting Bins
• Natural Pest Control Spray For Your Garden

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