From

Location

Message

Date Posted

nowthen

Now that the season is over for me...what is the best way to save seeds long term? Thanks in advance

9/24/2016 10:07:17 PM

Wash them well and rinse in a strainer. I lay them out on a cooling rack on paper towels for a few weeks. Once dry, put them in cool, dark room for another two weeks. I have separated mine into small paper envelopes labeled with all details. Place in a clean dry box with silicone packets and place in a cool dry place. Hope this helps!

9/25/2016 9:07:52 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

I wash them well in a warm water with just a couple drops of soap. Get all the pumpkin guts off them, and rinse well. Then I dry them on a sweater rack, I stole from my wife. I put a fan on them in the furnace room. Label the rack. Two weeks later the thin translucent skins come off when they are dry. I then put them in a can with one little desiccant pack.

9/25/2016 9:25:47 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

If you have a sharp thumb nail and some time to kill, you can speed the drying process by scraping the membrane off the seeds right after rinsing them. Sometimes I use a straight pin to get the membrane off. Keep a fan on them and they will be dry in just 3 or 4 days. You have much less chance of getting mold growing on the seeds. I have done this several years and it works well. Its a good excuse to spend a couple hours watching football or a movie on TV while working on the seeds.

9/25/2016 11:21:27 AM

nowthen

I heard of freezing seeds is this a option?

9/25/2016 11:22:24 AM

nowthen

After drying of course

9/25/2016 11:23:12 AM

Kentucky

Is there a certain amount of time a pumpkin must grow to ensure the the seeds a mature enough to be viable? I have a pumpkin that had a bad spot on the bottom around August so I removed what looked like viable seed. Thy were a nice tan color and really fat. I did a few viabilty tests seeds and none germinated but maybe it wasnt warm enough. Any help appreciated.

10/10/2016 9:28:00 PM