Storing Seeds
Clean, dry & labeled
Processing at Home
Preparatory steps: Empty your collection bags into a clean bowl or tray, ensuring any bugs remain outside.
Clean your seeds: Remove as much non-seed plant matter as possible to reduce drying time, save space, and prevent mold or spoilage. Use gloves and a mask or N-95 respirator as needed. Discard chaff and seeds that appear undeveloped or damaged by insects. Some resilient seeds may sprout regardless, offering an interesting opportunity to scatter this material in the yard and observe what grows.
Special considerations: Seed pods or flowerheads can be kept in a well-ventilated place and left to dry. Most can then be shaken or broken out of their seed pods and the heavier seed can be separated from the chaff by shaking it to the bottom of a container, filtering through screens and sieves, using wind, or sometimes being placed in water and dried back out after the floating debris is removed from the top. Tiny or lightweight seeds and their seedpods should be broken very carefully, creating as little chaff as possible. Moist fruits such as berries can be soaked in water, mashed up, and the seed separated out with colanders or screens. Using a blender (designated for non-food use unless you’re positive the seeds are not dangerous) can remove seeds from fruit like lemonade berries very quickly.
Store Until Sowing
Dry: Place seeds in paper bags or envelopes in a low humidity environment until completely dried. Store cleaned and dry seeds in plastic bags, preferably in a cool, dark place. Ensure accurate labeling, including species, collection date, and location, especially if considering donation to CNPS San Diego Seeds & Bulbs.
Seed shelf life: Seeds vary in longevity. While some remain dormant for years until suitable conditions arise (like “fire followers”), others have a short lifespan, such as acorns.
Beware germination needs: Many seeds mature in the fall and start to grow in the following spring. Some need a simulated winter to get ready to germinate, others need fire. Always check the instructions for each species to know how its seeds need to be prepared for germination.