How to Preserve Germination in Food Plot Seeds

Except for the Deep South, the sun is setting on another growing season. Most places have hit their date of average first frost so from a nutrient perspective, it’s all downhill from here until Spring green up. If you are like me, you might have some food plot seed left over that didn’t make it in the ground.

Here are some tips to be able to use that seed next year and still have a successful plot:

Use airtight containers: This has a double use in terms of keeping seeds away from moisture in the air as well as keeping critters from getting at the seed. Plastic buckets with lids are great for storage in this case. You can also use totes or glass containers with a lid if you have access to them. If you pour seed into a zip-loc bag, make sure to label the bag so you don’t forget what seed it is.

Keep them cool and dark: Basements and garages with cement floors are good places to keep seed if there aren’t windows with sunshine hitting the tote during the day. You don’t want to accidentally create a greenhouse while storing the seeds so keeping them completely away from sunshine is key.

Avoid humidity: If you live in an area that naturally has high humidity (below the Mason Dixon Line), storing your seed with loose dry rice will help absorb excessive moisture in the air. You can also put seeds in the freezer as cold temperatures will not hurt seed viability.  

Test before planting: When you are ready to plant the seed next year, take 25 seeds out and place them inside a damp paper towel folded in half. Place the paper towel in a zip loc bag and tape it to a window that gets direct sunlight. Give it 2 days and open the paper towel to count the number of seeds that germinated. Multiply this number by 4 to give you a % germination. You can overcome low germination by adjusting your seeding rate. For instance, if the seed only has 70% germination, assume it only covers 70% of what it did when it was new. So instead of planting 1 acre with it, you can now plant .7 acres with it.

It may seem too late to be buying seed, but really you are getting ahead for next year. Some retailers have some bargains this time of year so use these steps to feel confident in the seed you are buying for 2026. Germination is one of the most important steps to growing a lush food plot so make sure you do all you can to keep seed happy for next year.

Some people have the thought that if seed is over a year old it’s not as good, but really if it’s stored properly, you should have no issues. Read this article about ancient seed germinating after 32,000 year if you are still apprehensive about using seed that is more than a year old.