By Paul A. Thomas
University of Georgia

Any garden center will likely have a large display of seeds just
begging you to take them home. The variety can be surprising.

When you buy seeds, read the label carefully. It will tell you
how and when to plant and how long you can store the seeds.

Each seed has its own packet of energy, and this food reserve
lasts only for a specific time. The warmer you store seeds, or
the more humid their storage environment, the shorter their
life-span.

Most seeds in ornamental horticulture have a one-year storage
life or less. This is especially true for annual flower seeds.

Not every seed yields a plant identical to the parent. Modern
ornamental seeds are crosses and will yield a specific result the
first year.

Surprise!

However, if you save the seeds from your flowers and use them in
next year’s garden, you’ll get a variety of colors, shapes and
sizes. Don’t be surprised.

Remember, too, that many perennial seeds collected from your
garden require a cold period before they can germinate.

If you want to use seeds from your garden, wrap them in moist
paper towels and put them in a plastic bag in your refrigerator
for two weeks. Then move the bag to the freezer for eight weeks,
then back to the refrigerator for two weeks or until time to sow.

This will duplicate what happens in nature and your seeds will be
ready to germinate. Most annuals can be planted anytime after
seed harvest.

The seeds you buy from seed companies are a better choice if
you’re looking for uniformity. They’re guaranteed to be true to
type. Many companies put seeds in airtight aluminum or
waxed-paper packages to keep germination high. They’ll likely
give you greater success.

(Paul Thomas is an Extension Service horticulturist with the
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.)