Seeds and Winter

Hello there

Thought this section woud be the right one to make this thread in, if not, please Admin move it to the right one, many thanks.

I would like to hear from others, hence I cant really find any post here, in relation to getting seeds sent during these cold "Winterly" months. I have grown for 19 years and have always ordered seeds when the temps were plus 10° Celsius/50°Fahrenheit, between June and September.

At the moment we have -3° Celsius/26° Fahrenheit here, and I am worried about the seeds survival rates, when it being so cold.

Could people here be so kind and tell me their stories/experiences in relation to sending/receiving seeds during cold periods, would like some feedback hence I want to order new seeds, but am concerned about the time of year to do so and if it is better to wait until later on this year.

And have a Mellow Weekend...

A lot of people keep them in the freezer. I don't think it will matter.

I have always stored my seeds in the fridge with good result... but those temps are also a bit higher than the freezer, so...

Are you talking about shipping within the US? Using Fedex, UPS or USPS?

I have ord seeds in the middle of winter both from within the US and from Europe and never had a problem so...

Within Europe mate...and cheers for the reply

In nature seeds freeze every year and then sprout in spring (In northern climates)

gwheels said:

In nature seeds freeze every year and then sprout in spring (In northern climates)

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In Iowa I saw ditch weed come up every year, -20F at times in that hell hole and they come up every year in same place only the patch size always increased. I'd rather get seeds in the winter so they don't cook in the mailbox during summer time.

I'd rather get seeds in the winter so they don't cook in the mailbox during summer time

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Good point, and cheers people...

Others, who would like to share their experiences regarding this question perhaps?

Have a Mellow Sunday...

I had some Hawaiian seeds that I picked up when there in 1896. I froze them and germinated them in 1994 so thats about 8 years. I had 7 seeds and of those 5 germinated using the damp paper towel method. I gave up on the other 2.

Ok thats some powerfull seeds when germinating after 8 years in frost...

The Worlds seed vault is kept in freezing temps, in a mtn.
I keep my vault in the freezer.

"Midwinter temperatures as low as -9 °C (15 °F) are common around the 2000-m (6600-ft) level in the Hindu Kush. The climate in the highlands varies with elevation. The coolest temperatures usually occur on the heights of the mountains. Temperatures often range greatly within a single day."

I would guess genetics may have a role in survivability rates, equatorial strains seeds may not survive freezing as well as northern varieties.

Cheers.

I guess the general consensus is, no worries regarding seeds in the winter months. In regards to storing seeds at home, I have as mentioned for over 15 years used my refridgerator with great success, perhaps the freezer in the future, more discrete...

Good evening(here) to all...