Thanks
Thank You
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I just looked up this thread. Iâm fishing for information about keeping onion seeds. I bought a couple of packs that I would like to last longer than a year without greatly decreased germination. I was thinking that freezing would probably help out, I didnât think much about the extra moisture. I was just going to throw the seed packs in a quart freezer Ziplock and call it goodâŚIâm glad I looked here too. Not much info on the Google about freezing seeds.
onion seed is one of the few seeds that just isnt viable after a year or so. better off to plant some everbearing bunching onions, egyptian walking onions and potato onions that can survive the winter or be harvested and some saved to replant the next spring.
Have you tried freezing onion seed? I had some scallion seeds from last year that I kept in a unheated part of the basement (same place I keep all my seeds) and under no official count I would think maybe ~30% germinated. I think I am going to give it a go and try test viability around Jan 1st. That will give me plenty of time to order more if I need. A pack of seeds is till about the same price as a few pounds of onions on sale, but I would like to reuse them if I can seeing I donât think I even used 1/3 of each seed pack
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no i havenât but its worth a try. i just know if you store them the regular way they donât grow.
I just sowed some onion seeds: Mercury red from 2017 and Utah Yellow Sweet Spanish from 2018. Obviously, I donât know how the germination will be this year; but my seed database notes say âgood germinationâ for both. Of course, I donât expect anything near 100%, probably closer to 10 or 20%; but the seeds are still usable after 7 or 8 years stored in a freezer unsealed. Of course, back in those days, seed packets contained a lot more seeds than they do today; so, high germination was not as important.
An update to freezing onion or allium seed.
After starting my onions and shallots last February I put the seed packs in a Food Saver bag and lightly vacuumed the bag (I probably removed about 80-90% of the air and sealed it). I then put them in my chest freezer. I had 3 types of seed; red and yellow onions, and shallot. A couple of weeks ago tested 5 seeds of each variety and Iâm glad to say that I got 100% germination. So, freeze those allium seeds that you have left over to save money. You could just put them in a ziplock freezer bag and push most the air out.
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Your thinking is generally on the right track. For long-term seed storage, the main goal is to keep seeds dry, cold, and dark, and youâve already identified the correct degradation factors. Using desiccant (silica gel) to control moisture is far more important than the container itself, as long as itâs airtight.
A common and proven approach used by seed banks is to dry seeds thoroughly, place them in airtight containers (vials, foil packets, or small zip bags) with fresh silica gel, and then store them in a freezer. Amber vials are fine, but since the seeds will be inside a freezer and a secondary container, light exposure is already minimal. Vacuum sealing the outer mason jar adds an extra moisture barrier and is a good precaution.
One thing to watch out for is condensation when removing seeds from cold storageâalways allow containers to warm to room temperature before opening. Also, silica gel beads that can be recharged (color-indicating types) are helpful to ensure dryness over time.
Overall, your plan is sound and comparable to professional long-term storage methods, without the high cost of pre-made systems.
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