Saatgutlagerung

Recommendations for seed storage

Seeds are living beings and are alive, which means they only have a limited ability to live and germinate. The storage capacity varies greatly between species.
Since seeds have only a low moisture content, metabolic activity is significantly reduced. The seeds can only “breathe” through contact with oxygen, which slowly breaks down the reserve substances. Low temperatures, dryness and lack of air during storage reduce metabolic activity and enable germination to be maintained for the period stated on the front of the seed packet.

At Benjis seeds, the seeds are optimally stored at 12-16°C and a relative humidity of approx. 30-35%.

Storing seeds at home

In order to maintain the species-specific germination ability, the dry seeds should be packed as airtight as possible and stored in a cool and dark place.

Airtight jars or storage containers with a tight-fitting lid are ideal for storing seed packets. To store seeds for a longer period of time, a bag of silica gel can also be included. Silica gel packets can be purchased in pharmacies, drugstores or online and ensure that the environment remains dry. The gel can be dried again at temperatures between 80 and 100 °C, making it usable again. If you have the opportunity, you can also vacuum seal the seeds and store them in opaque packaging.

Expiration date

There is no legal regulation that requires a best-before date to be printed on seeds. Since germination depends critically on storage, in our opinion, specifying a shelf life is not meaningful.
As a result, we took the initiative and developed a rough guide to indicate the germination time of seeds for the user.

On our seed packets, you will find information about the species' own viability and germination capacity on the front bottom left under "Viability". On the back we printed the harvest date directly on top of the seed bag.
If stored properly, the information can be used to find out how long the seeds are viable and capable of germinating.

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Are seeds 100% germinable?

The seeds that a plant produces are usually not all germinable. Naturally, there are species in which we can be happy if we have a germination rate of 60%. There are only a few species that reach a value above 90%, some even germinate better after storage. The basic rule is: if the seeds have too high a metabolic activity during storage, their germination capacity will decrease. For this reason, optimal storage conditions must always be ensured in order to obtain the best possible germination.