Eventually, at some point in your gardening adventure, you’ll run into a predictable problem: where to store all your damn seeds. At first, a box or a pile will do, but eventually you’ll realize that you need some sort of library-like organizational system. Storage is important, because it also affects the viability of your seeds. Here’s what you need to know.

Vegetable and flower seeds have guidelines for how long they will last. It is a good idea to sort your seeds once a year and make sure to throw out any that are past their expiration date. While it is not a given that older seeds will not germinate, it is a risk. Other factors can also affect the viability of your seeds, such as moisture, light exposure, and temperature. It is becoming more common for seed companies to ship seeds in foil-lined packaging instead of the paper packaging of the past. How you choose to store your seeds is becoming a real factor in how long they will last, and that translates to germination rates.

One of the most popular ways I see gardeners keep their seeds organized is with these photo holders. Seed bags are about the same size as photo prints and one container holds many 4×6 airtight sub containers.

Advantages: The advantage is that you can easily keep all your tomatoes, peppers in a separate container, herbs, etc. together. They are not exposed to the air and the light is blocked by the container on the outside.