Extending the Life of Your Seeds

I never really thought about how I stored my seeds, but it makes sense now that I know it can be done.

When I planted my garden in September, I thought most of my two year old seeds would still be viable. Sadly, that was not the case and only a fraction of the seeds I planted ended up germinating. Thanks to a twitter message from treesandshrubs on how to make origami seed packets (very neat frugal idea!) I found a post at The Cheap Vegetable Gardener on how to extend the life of my seeds! I will definitely do this with the seeds I purchased last week. I ordered tomato and eggplant seeds and I would never plant all that will arrive. I think 20 or so seeds come, and I bought three different varieties of eggplant, and 5 different varieties of tomatoes. I lull myself to sleep at night, outlining the map in my garden for where and how I’ll put in the tomato and eggplant babies. I will be starting them indoors shortly after the seeds arrive. The tomatoes will go out mid-February, and the eggplants around the beginning of March. All dependent on whether the danger of frost is past.

This year I’m trying several new varieties, I’m excited to see how they grow in our climate. I’m trying these tomatoes (minimum 15 seeds per packet for hybrids; minimum 20 seeds per packet for standard). Now that I know how to extend the life of my seeds, I don’t have to feel bad about only planting 3 or 4 of each plant.

#427 ANNA RUSSIAN TOMATO (65 days) – $1.10
Russian HEIRLOOM Indeterminate. This variety came to the Us with Russian immigrants. Fast growing plants produce quanties of 1 pound, teardrop shaped fruit in clusters of 2 or 3. Flavor is very sweet, non as acid as many heirloom tomatoes and is quite early. Color ranges from dark pink to red.

#41703 BLACK KRIM TOMATO (69 days) – $1.30
HEIRLOOM Ukraine. Indeterminate. The deep red fruit appear to be a shiney black while the interior is a reddish green. Surprisingly, this very old, very sweet, fairly large tomato is also very early.

#42704 MANYEL TOMATO – $1.10
HEIRLOOM Indeterminate. Possibly Native American. This is a true, bright yellow tomato, there are no reddish tones at all. The flavor is great, zingy, citrus-like. A very heavy yielder, Manyel produces slightly oblate, blemish free fruit throughout the summer. Fruit grow in clusters of 3 to 5 and run from 10 ounces to a pound. You begin to get fruit in the early-midseason.

#408 PRUDENS PURPLE TOMATO (72 days) – $1.15
HEIRLOOM Indeterminate This heirloom tomato is our favorite. It is exceptionally early for a large tomato. Pruden’s Purple is outstanding from every aspect. The average fruit weighs 1 pound, is 4 inches across and 3 inches high. There are distinctive ridges like the ribs of a cantaloupe which gird the fruit longitudinally. The color is more of a distinctive pink than a true purple. While there are occasional misshapen tomatoes, it never cracks, yet the skin is not thick. Flesh is firm and meaty and the flavor is wonderful. Remarkably, Pruden’s Purple contain very few seeds.

#395 CLUSTER GRANDE (F1 hybrid 63 days) – $1.35
F1 & 2T Indeterminate. You’ve probably noticed the cluster tomatoes, sold 5 or 6 on a vine in the supermarkets. Most of these are imports. A prominent US Grower has bred an alternative with an American twist, the fruits, at 5 ounces, are about an ounce bigger than the supermarket types. The clusters ripen uniformly to an intense red color. The flavor is good and yields of this very early variety are high.

#42701 BIG RAINBOW TOMATO (80 days) – $1.10
HEIRLOOM Indeterminate. A beautiful, delicious bi-color beefsteak. The golden shades dominate but the red shade accents the color of both the flesh and skin. Plants are fiercly fruitful with tomatoes coming in between 1 and 2 pounds. Big rainbow is a bit acidic, but if you like that, you’ll love big rainbow.

I accidentally ordered the Big Rainbow. I don’t normally try to grow beefsteak tomatoes because our season is so short. But I will try and see how they work out. I prefer to grow early, standard/heirloom, indeterminate tomatoes.

Here are the eggplants I’m trying this year (minimum 30 seeds per packet):

#154 PINGTUNG LONG EGGPLANT (66 days) – $1.35
Asian HEIRLOOM An open-pollinated oriental eggplant variety, imported from Taiwan. Fruits are elongated and slender, averaging 10″ long and 1 1/2″ to 2″ across with a lovely, lavender-purple colored skin and white interior flesh. This variety has been bred to be resistant to many diseases, as well as tolerant to wet and hot conditions. A good yielder, with fruit weighing about 1/2 lb. each.

#158 LAVENDER TOUCH (F1 hybrid 66 days) – $1.35
The flavor is mild and sweet, the fruits could be described as beautiful, and the yield is great. Fruits are cylindrical and best at about 8 inches in length. They are white with a light lavender blush. Coat halves with Italian dressing and throw them on the grill for a nutritious and delicious summer feast.

#15901 RAVEENA EGGPLANT (F1 Hybrid 70 days) – $1.15
An uncommon color among eggplants – light green, with a delicious, mild flavor. The long slender fruits hang in clusters on a compact plant, which can be grown in containers with great yields. Harvest as small as 3 inches for extremely tender gourmet fruit or up to 10 inches, which is perfect for 1 serving. This is a thornless plant and very heavy producer that grows well in the North.

Yours Truly,

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