By Sally McCabe, PHS Associate Director of Community Education 

Those of us who have been gardening for a long time remember the joys of the invasion of the seed catalogs. Glossy arrivals each day--declarations of new varieties! New colors! Even new species! More recently, though, this postal burden has been replaced by political ads, insurance and credit card offers, and the “catalog” business has moved online. This of course gives us greater access worldwide but makes our decisions much more difficult. 

Whether you're buying seeds from local stores, online marketplaces, or gardening catalogs, here’s how to make informed decisions. Learn how to choose the best seeds, store them properly, and keep them organized for a thriving garden. 

How to Choose the Best Seeds for Your Garden 

What is the best place to buy seeds? This is an entirely personal preference. Whether we make impulse buys out of beautiful catalogs, grab seed packets in the checkout line at the box stores, or order online, we still have to make the same life-and-death decisions. How do we decide what seeds to get, where to get them, and even whether to get seeds or buy transplants? Think Ahead! 

• Space limitations: How much space do you actually have to grow things? There have been years when I’ve been so overwhelmed by how many seeds I bought that I’ve had to take on an additional plot in the community garden. Think before you buy! Given your limited space, or at least getting realistic about your space, what can you not live without, and what do you know your neighbors will grow lots of that you can trade for? 
• Time and effort: How much time do you have to invest in growing out seeds, versus the instant gratification of putting a plant in the ground? 
• Novelty: What unusual varieties are you interested in this year? This past fall, I experimented with bringing in tomato plants just before the frost -- I mean ripping up or cutting off plants full of tomatoes and hanging them in the shower to let them ripen as the vines died. I got adequate results picking fruit all the way up into February, but imagine if I bought seeds that were bred specifically for long-keeping qualities! Putting them right on the list. 
• Climate considerations: Where do I live versus where are the seeds being grown? Knowing that seeds have been grown out for several generations in Zone 7, or even close to Philadelphia, moves them up on my preference list because I know they’ll survive my garden's conditions. I’m especially excited to buy things from Truelove Seeds again this year because they're grown and packaged right here close to home.  
• Values: If I'm buying from a catalog, do I like their message? Do they support their growers? Are they growing organically? Can I learn from their catalogs? Do I feel comfortable giving them my money? Here's where I also moved Johnny's Selected Seeds up on my must-buy list. 
• Inventory: What seeds do I have left from last year? Have I taken good care of them? Are they still worth keeping and using? Here I will refer you to a blog from last year where we talked all about that. Last year, we wrote about this in an article about sowing spring seeds.  
• Potential savings: What can I pick up at a seed swap? Who can I group order with? What else can I do to maximize my seed diversity without minimizing my wallet? I would love to hear other people’s suggestions! 

Storing Seeds: Essential Tips for Longevity 

Now, let's talk about how we organize our bounty once we have it.  

My living room is starting to fill up with bins and bags and boxes of last year's, this year's, next year's, and saved seeds. What’s the best way to store seeds, keeping them safe and in order?  

Moisture is a major waster of seeds, and the second leading killer of seeds is heat. Proper seed storage is essential to extend the life and viability of your seeds, especially if you buy in bulk or save seeds year after year. Use the following strategies to keep your seeds safe and secure:

• Choose the right seeds: Start with properly dried seeds. I once packed up a bin of milkweed pods, and each one sprouted before I could get them distributed. 
• Use Mylar bags, zip-loc bags, or glass jars: Mylar bags provide an excellent barrier against moisture and light. Glass and clear plastics need to be protected from light. Glass is also best if critters are an issue. 
• Add desiccants: Toss in a food-safe desiccant packet (like silica gel) to absorb any residual moisture. Powdered milk is cheaper and does the same job but isn’t as tidy.  
• Vacuum seal: Use a vacuum sealer to remove air from the bag or jar. I’m exploring the Mason Genie since it’s also effective for preserving food 
• Store in a cool, dark place: After sealing, keep the bags in a cool, dark environment. A refrigerator or a cool basement works well. For instance, storing your vacuum-sealed basil seeds in a fridge can extend their shelf life significantly. 
• Label and date: Don’t forget to label your bags with the seed type and the date of packing. This will help you track which seeds are older and need to be used first. 
• Keep them cool: The best temperature for storing seeds is 35-40 F. Conveniently enough, that's the temperature inside your refrigerator. I’m toying with getting a mini-fridge specifically for my seeds. The worst place to keep seeds is in the trunk of your car, where sunny day temperatures can often reach 15 million degrees F.  
• Keep critters away: Mice can be a problem when storing seeds. Remember that a mouse won't go after something it can't smell, so stick to the airtight containers. Weevils are small beetle-like insects with long noses that love to eat the insides out of seeds, especially the larger ones like corn, beans, and sunflowers. If you're saving your own seeds, put them in the freezer overnight in their airtight storage container. The cold temperatures will kill the bugs and their eggs, so you need fear no weevil. Vacuum packing also does the trick.

How to Organize Seeds for Maximum Efficiency 

For years, I have tried to keep a garden planner, maintain notes, rotate stock by year, plan rotations, keep inventory, color code, etc., but I’m too ADHD for all that. 

Here’s how I finally ended up grouping my seeds for action, and it seems to work for me. (NOTE: I keep flowers separate; other folks mix flowers and vegetables by planting season rather than segregate them.)   

• Seeds for starting indoors 
• Saved seeds. These deserve special monitoring and labeling. 
• As soon as soil can be worked (ASASCBW) 
• Spring/Fall planting (can stand frost) 
• Warm season (can’t stand frost) 
• Fall planting 
• Flowers 

Best Ways to Maximize Seed Use for Easy Planting

I then needed to find a way to make sure they all get planted and none get wasted. For this, I enlisted the ubiquitous cat litter bin. (Of course, you can buy fancy buckets with airtight lids, but why?) Here, I set myself up with four seasonal buckets. Maybe five. Each gets a hand trowel, sunscreen, bug repellent, plant labels, sharpie, and then the seeds. As I bring each one into service, I check it frequently to make sure things stay dry, empty seed packets get replaced if needed, and no bugs get in. 

• Bucket one: ASASCBW! This cryptic message merely means as soon as soil can be worked. Into this bucket goes root crops, leafy greens, peas, herbs, and anything that doesn't care that the soil is cold and damp. Things I’m willing to take a chance on, especially the half-packs left from last year. This is the bucket I take with me starting now whenever I visit the garden. 
• Bucket 2: Spring crops. More of the same crops, but the newer seeds and the cole crops like kale, Asian greens, and moving into cabbages. 
• Bucket 3: Things that need warmth, like beans, squash, cucumbers, okra, more beans, and all the flowers that I forgot to start. 
• Bucket 4: Fall crops, generally a repeat of bucket 2; sometimes includes perennials 
• Bucket 5: Fall filler, leftovers from Bucket 1. 

Smart Strategies to Minimize Seed Waste

Many of us with small gardens really don't have enough room to plant a whole pack of seeds. After all, how many tomato or pepper seedlings can you stuff into a 10'x10' space? Here are a few suggestions for how to deal with what's left in the pack after the first spring planting.  

• Trade half-full seed packs with other gardeners. Or, plan ahead and agree before you buy them to split a particular envelope of seeds. 
• Do succession planting. This means planting a row of something like lettuce now, another in two weeks, another in two weeks, etc., so that you constantly have a new crop coming up while the last one is maturing. This will use up a pack of seeds over the course of the season.  
• Save seeds from one year to the next.  
• In a community setting: Keep leftover seeds in an airtight container in a shady space in the garden. (NOTE: check this weekly. Somebody will always leave the lid loose and water and rolly pollys will doubtless find their way in.) This way, other gardeners can access half-packets easily and share the bounty. 

Where to Buy High-Quality Seeds 

What are my favorite places to acquire seeds? Seeds swaps, other gardeners, and here are a few of my favorite catalogs: 

• Truelove Seeds: Local, organic, pay their growers a living wage, and include the story for each seed. 
• Johnny’s Select Seeds: Organic, hardy to our growing zones, and the absolute bible for growing information. 
• Hudson Valley Seed Co.: Every seed packet is a piece of art. 

By learning how to store seeds properly and how to organize seeds efficiently, you can more easily maintain an organized and thriving garden. Happy planting!