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Are there seeds that don't like very cold storage?

Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,032

I went to the Garden Centre today. They were having a complete reshuffle and the wall that divides the pets bit had been demolished. Loads of stuff, all the tools, fertilisers etc had been moved to the big unheated greenhouse area where they keep perennials, bulbs, pots and furniture. It was freezing! The potato tubers were there and dahlias, cannas and lilies (just in), also all the seeds.

 Does anyone know if there are seeds from plants that aren't hardy that mind being kept very cold? It's been down to -8° several times at night and the GH area is open fronted, felt very cold today.

Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.

Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    The seed bank stores seed for years at very low temperatures.

    http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/millennium-seed-bank/packing-seeds

    If they're dry they'll be fine.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Surely the garden centre will know they shouldnt leave that stuff there??? If nothing else it would be silly to ruin stock they could sell!

    I imagine anything that dosent naturally grow in cold winter places would be damaged, on saying that, if the spuds havent been damaged then the rest of the stuff should be ok.

    What temp is the seed bank at Kew? Not sure if its as low as -8, but its defenately low image
  • Sorry Nut, your post wasnt there when i started typing! image
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    It's -20C in the seed bank. Dry is the important thing. Most GC seeds are in foil wrap and won't absorb moisture



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    Hi Bekkieimage



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,032

    Thank you, nutcutlet, forgot about the seed bank at Kew. But they dry the seeds well. That GC is my main source of seeds here in France.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    Are the seeds in those little foil packets inside the paper ones B-L? If so they'll do fine.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
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