Got some seed of Big Ben - updated

[pugs]

I ordered some seed of Big Ben tomato from the SSE Yearbook. Just got them today. Gary, who sent them to me, heard last year that you should keep your seeds in the freezer, so he put them into a jar and froze them. His note says he thinks they are bad now. He sent me three packs of seed, from three different years and all of my money. He's 70 and his handwriting was rather shaky. There are still honest, good people in the world.

I feel just awful for him. I was getting these for next year, but now I'm going to see if some will sprout and if they do, I'm going to send him seed back this fall. He was the only lister for the seed this year.

I compare him to another person I ordered from. I didn't catch that he has a minimum order dollar amount. Four bucks for a package of bean seed (I'm not a listed member, thus the higher price) isn't enough for him to waste his time on, so he calls me to tell me this, then asks if I will call him back as his calling card is running out. I call back and agree to send another order to him. Oh, he mentioned that for an additional four bucks he would mail me his catalog too. Newsflash, I don't buy catalogs! I got his call in the middle of my meeting with Tom. (It was a blocked call, and since I have a friend with a block phone who knew I was in the area I figured the call was from him and took it, rather than letting it go to voice mail.) If I'd been home and thought about it much, I would have just told him to send my money back.

I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round, but I'd rather there were more people like Gary around than this other guy.

Well, I'm off to fix a light, plug in my heat mats and place my seed trays on them.

Pugs

p.s. - I just realized he sent all of my money back., not some of like I said at first.

[stratcat]

I think you'll have a good chance of germination.

My friend with a barnyard garden stores his tomato seeds in the freezer. He does great with that method.

He still has some SSE member seed I requested and grew in 1997 in the seedbank!

[pugs]

Thanks strat!

I'll post when they come up.

Pugs

[pugs]

I've spotted two seeds of Big Ben sprouting!

Pugs

[grungy]

Yay!!! Figured they probably would - Mother Nature doesn't do much coddling.

[ottawagardener]

I would never get volunteer tomatoes if they didn't take freezing. I've thought of freezing seed but I haven't only gone as far as the frigerator as I'm nervous about the technique - laugh, if you will. Any tips on freezing seeds?

[Penny]

Good luck and i hope they do well for you.

[grungy]

Telsing, For small amounts of seeds you can take a jar with a rubber seal (almost any grocery jar that has liquid in it will have a rubber ring in the under side or if you can use a wide mouthed canning jar), parch a small amount of rice in the oven so that it is very dry and allow to cool. Put the rice in a small cloth bag. Drop into jar and then you can put your seeds in paper envelopes, in the jar as well. Place jar in fridge for a minimum of 3 weeks to chill the seeds into hibernation (so that respiration slows almost to a stop). Then pop the whole works into the freezer.

The real secret is that when you want to use the seeds, remove the packet from the freezer, move to the fridge freezer for a week, then move down in to the fridge in a jar with a barely damp cotton ball (soaked in thyme tea (fungicide, antibiotic, antiviral)) or change out the cotton ball each day. This returns the moisture to the seed and prepares it to accept more water. The day you plant the seed, give it a 15 minute soak to absorb all the moisture it can and then plant.

[ottawagardener]

Thanks Grungy, those are excellent tips.

I love this forum and all you guys!

[pugs]

Grungy,

Does vacuum sealing the jars help in anyway? Just wondering.

Pugs

[grungy]

Not completely, Pugs, as over long storage times the plastic can and will pass a certain amount of air and moisture. The best method is to use glass fused at both ends. (Which is a real hassle for the average home gardener without the use of a bunsen burner. <smiles>). This is followed by a glass container sealed with a neoprene rubber stopper. Thats why ours goes into test tubes. The third method farther down the rating list is glass sealed with a cork stopper and then dipped 2 or 3 times in melted wax, however the wax may crack when cold.

[pugs]

Back to Big Ben for the moment - I've got seed sprouting from all three years. The 2008 came up first and it looks like 100% germination - didn't write down how many seeds I planted, but I think it was 10.

Grungy, I meant vacuum sealing a canning jar with the mason lid. There is an attachment to the sealer I have which works with the jar and lid. I didn't mean sealing the jar in a plastic bag. Still, I'm not sure what the seal on the lid is made from. Hmmmm, in college I was pretty good with a Bunsen burner in sealing up glass test tubes.

I also wonder what it would take to design and have made some foil sealable bags that would work in the sealer. I might just have to look into that.

Pugs


Pugs

[grungy]

Pugs, If you are using a regular mason lid with the rubber band around the inner side, then all you would have to do is either screw the band tight or yes use the vacuum sealer to help cinch the rubber solidly to the glass. Also run you finger around the top of the jar to make sure there is no microscopic nicks in the jar rim.
Grungy

[flowerpower]

Pugs, you ever receive those bean seeds?

[pugs]

FP -

The only beans seeds I've received were from mexmax. Was this a surprise you were sending my way? I don't remember any trades for bean seeds. But my memory is not what it used to be. This is going to bug me all day now!

Pugs