There will always be debate as to whether seeds should be stored in a cold environment, or simply in a cool, dry and
dark place. While I believe in storing seeds in a fridge or freezer, this does not mean that I believe that reasonable success cannot be achieved with other methods. This is just the way I do it guys and gals.

A seed is a living thing, and when you put it into a cold environment, the life cycle of the seed slows down. This also
means that the degradation slows which in turn means that your seed will last longer than it normally would in an environment where the life cycle of the seed continues at it's normal pace....it's why we put fruit and veg and herbs
in the fridge...it slows down the life cycle and the decay, it's the same principle.

Get yourself an airtight container, eg: small Tupperware container, film canisters (which are ideal as they also block out any light) and place either a small amount of uncooked rice or loose/bagged silica crystals on the bottom of your container, these are both forms of dessicants which will soak up any moisture humidity around the seeds. You can use plastic baggies or envelopes to store your seeds. I prefer envelopes as they will allow any moisture that has been trapped around the seeds to be drawn out by the dessicant. Specially designed seed envelopes are available at some nurseries and local seed saver organizations.

I also like to label the bags/envelopes with strain, quantity and date received to make sorting easier. Put them in either your fridge or freezer....humidity/moisture and light are the enemies!!! Also, write a little inventory of what seeds you have so you don't need to keep the seeds out of the cool environment for too long.

Below is a guide taken from a local seed saver networks site that shows the effect of cooler temperatures on seeds.

"TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF STORAGE ENVIRONMENT

Temperature and Relative Humidity are the most important factors affecting seed quality during storage. Relative humidity is the more important of these. Seeds are hygroscopic ie, they absorb moisture from wet atmospheres and dry out in dry atmospheres. Seed storage life is doubled for each 1% decrease in moisture content.

The problems of maintaining seed germination increase with seed moisture content.
This can be generalised as follows:

Seed moisture above:

1. 40-60% - germination occurs
2. 18-20% - heating may occur
3. 12-14% - fungi grown on and in seed
4.   8-  9% - insects become active and reproduce

Heating is caused by the respiration of seeds, of fungi and bacteria in and on the seed, and of insect populations, which
may build up rapidly in a moist environment. High temperature and high moisture will kill seeds rapidly as will invasion of microorganisms and insects.

Seed storage life is doubled for each 5¡ C reduction in storage temperature.

Refrigeration to at least 5¡ C is desirable (this is slightly warmer than domestic fridges).

The cooler the temperature the more slowly seed vitality declines. This rule apparently continues to apply even at temperatures below freezing. At 5¡ C and below, insects become inactive."


I have heard reports of seeds stored in this manner being germinated with high success rates after 5 years of storage. Whether or not that is attainable for everybody or every seed will most likely be unknown until we gather ourselves
a little data, but I believe that this is the best way to make that stash last longer.