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| Little Bites |
 Storing Seeds
"Seeds deteriorate quickly at normal room temperature and humidity… Kept cool and dry, seeds will germinate as well after decades of storage as they do when they are fresh."
— Dr. Bruce Bugbee, crop physiologist at Utah State University
So as we head into winter, what is the best way to protect your leftover or collected seeds?
Dr. Bugbee says: "Seed storage life approximately doubles with each one percent decrease in seed moisture."
The best and most affordable way to decrease seed moisture is to have your class collect silica packets that often come in shoe boxes and electronics packaging. Store your seeds with the silica packets in glass or plastic containers that will keep outside moisture from entering. Silica packets can be used for years before they start losing efficiency.
Dr. Bugbee says: "Seed storage life doubles again for every nine degrees Fahrenheit decrease in temperature."
Try to find seed storage space in a refrigerator or freezer. Temperatures at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal, and will prolong the life of most seeds by years.
Recommended Literature
A Seed is Sleepy (K-4, nonfiction)
The Tiny Seed (K-2, fiction)
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| Book of the Month |
 This is an interesting book which looks at how children view the world around them. It stimulates some interesting thought in terms of school gardening because of the direct exposure your students get to the "outdoor world."
The book discusses "nature deficit disorder," a condition that the author defines as adults not caring about the natural world because they never spent any time outside as children. It isn't surprising, then, that if you don't know something, you don't value it. We see the same phenomenon when we start to discuss where our food comes from! The author explains that when children spend their time playing video games instead of romping in nature, they end up caring about the one and not the other.
I'm entrigued by this discussion as I read some other reviews on the book. Many people are asking, "What do children 'need?' How important is it for children to have exposure to sun, soil, natural organisms, seeds and plants? Can it really be a benefit for our society to have a generation of individuals who recognize the cycles of life and death?" I believe yes, but I'd love to know your thoughts, especially if you have recently read this book.
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