A good seed packet answers three questions for the gardener who opens it. What is this? Where did it grow? Will it come true? Fall is the time to prepare packets, while the harvest is fresh and the garden notes are still in your head.
Dry the seeds first
Damp seeds mold inside an envelope. Dry them before anything else.
Spread the seeds in a single layer on a plate, a coffee filter, or a fine screen. Keep them indoors, away from direct sun and heat. Stir them once a day. Most seeds need one to two weeks to dry.
Tomato and cucumber seeds come wrapped in a wet gel. Rinse the gel off in a sieve, then dry the seeds on a glass or ceramic plate. Paper towels glue the seeds down.
Bean and pea seeds dry best in the pod on the plant. Pick the pods when they turn brown and papery. The seeds should rattle inside. A dry bean resists a fingernail dent.
Pick a paper container
Paper breathes. Plastic traps leftover moisture. Small paper coin envelopes work well, and so do envelopes folded from plain paper. A zip bag is fine only when the seeds are fully dry, and paper is still the safer choice.
Pack each variety in its own envelope. Never mix two varieties in one packet, even if they look alike.
What to write on the label
Write on the packet before the seeds go in. Use pencil or a waterproof pen. Regular ink smears if the packet gets damp.
A useful label has these details:
- Variety name. Use the name on the original seed packet if you have it.
- Plant type. Write “pole bean” or “slicing tomato,” not just “bean” or “tomato.”
- Year harvested. Seed age matters to the next grower.
- Where it grew. Write the town and province. A tomato that ripened in a short northern season tells a gardener something.
- Notes. Add color, size, taste, or days to maturity if you tracked them.
If you do not know the variety name, say so. Write what you do know. “Purple-podded pole bean, from a neighbor’s garden, 2025” is a better label than a guess.
Be honest about crossing and hybrids
Some plants cross with neighbors. Squash is the common example. Varieties of the same squash species cross easily when bees move pollen between them. If other squash grew nearby, the seeds may not grow into the parent plant. Write that on the label. The next gardener can still enjoy the surprise, but they need to know it is possible.
Seeds saved from F1 hybrids also do not come true. The plants that grow from them often differ from the parent. If the seed packet you started with says F1, note that on the label or keep the seeds for your own garden.
Open-pollinated plants that grew apart from other varieties of the same plant give the most dependable seed. Write “open-pollinated” only if you know it is true.
How many seeds to include
Give enough to plant a small row or bed. Ten to fifteen seeds suit large seeds like beans, peas, and squash. A generous pinch suits small seeds like lettuce and carrots.
Small packets are easier to swap and easier to mail. Add more seed only when you have plenty.
Store packets until the swap
Keep the envelopes cool, dark, and dry. A closet shelf indoors works. An unheated shed or garage is a poor choice because it swings between damp and freezing.
Put the envelopes in a jar or tin with a tight lid. Label the outside of the jar with the year. Check the jar once in midwinter. If you see condensation or smell mold, take the envelopes out and dry them again.
Seeds lose their ability to sprout as they age, and some plants lose it faster than others. Onion and parsnip seed fades in a year or two. Tomato and bean seed lasts longer. Write the harvest year clearly so the next gardener can judge.
Mailing seeds within Canada
Slip the seed envelope inside a second, larger envelope in case the inner one tears. Keep the packet flat. Put your name and the date on the outside so the receiver knows what arrived and when.
Sending seeds across the border is a different matter. Rules apply to importing and exporting seeds and plant material. Check with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency before you send or order seeds from another country.
Seed Swap and your packets
Seed Swap does not have a swap list yet, and there is no way to post one yet. Both are coming. Packets you prepare this fall will be ready when they arrive.