The Best Way to Store Pepper Seeds for Next Year's Planting
- 1). Harvest the peppers you need for table use whenever you wish. Leave some of the fruit on the plants to mature completely for seed saving.
- 2). Pick your seed peppers when the fruit is fully ripe. They'll be red and will begin to wrinkle when they're ready. If you pick them while they're still partially green, set them on the counter until they turn completely red.
- 3). Cut the bottoms off of the peppers with a clean, sharp knife. Scrape the seeds out with a spoon.
- 4). Drop your pepper seeds into a bowl of water to test their viability. Those that sink are keepers. Discard the floaters, which are immature.
- 5). Spread the seeds out in a single layer on several layers of paper toweling out of direct sun. Allow them to dry completely at room temperature. This will take from one to several days, depending upon the humidity level in the room.
- 6). Label a paper envelope with the date and the variety of seed you're storing in it. Pour the pepper seeds into the envelope and seal it.
- 7). Open a fresh package of powdered milk. Add 2 tbsp. of it to a glass jar. Powdered milk acts as a desiccant to absorb moisture from the air to keep your seeds dry and viable. This product works as well as commercial silica gel. Replace it after six months.
- 8). Put the envelope of pepper seeds into the jar and cap it tightly. Refrigerate the jar and keep the temperature between 32 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Don't allow the jar of seeds to freeze.
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