A seed bank needs two habits: write down what every seed lot is, where it came from and how many plants it came from, and test its germination well before planting season so that a dead lot is found while a replacement can still be grown. Without records the bank is a box of mystery seeds, and without tests the first sign of failure is an empty field.
Part of Community Seed Bank Management
Record keeping and germination testing are the checks that tell a seed bank what it holds and whether it will grow.
Records Make Seed Usable
A jar of seed with no label is almost worthless: you do not know the variety, the age, whether it was crossed, or whether it was ever tested. A good record answers six questions about each lot: what is it, where did it come from, when was it harvested, how was it grown (including isolation), how much is left, and what did the last germination test say.
The carrier lists the fields, and the next article turns them into a catalogue (Seed Inventory and Catalog System). Use a bound notebook, not loose sheets, and keep a second copy somewhere else.
Testing Finds Failure While You Can Still Fix It
Seed loses vigour slowly and quietly. A lot that was 90% two years ago may be 70% now, and the loss only shows when the test is done. Test in winter, the carrier suggests January or February, so that a failing variety can be renewed by growing a seed crop that same year.
The test is simple: count seeds onto a damp paper towel, keep them warm and count what sprouts (Germination Test). A few details decide how much to trust the answer, and the protocol article gives them (Germination Rate Testing Protocol).
What To Do With The Result
| Result | Action |
|---|---|
| Excellent (about 90% or more) | Plant at the normal rate |
| Good | Plant a little thicker |
| Marginal | Plant much thicker and grow a fresh seed crop this year |
| Poor | The variety is close to lost; renew it now |
Exact sowing multiples and the reasoning are in the protocol article; the rule is that a poor result is a deadline, not a statistic.
Who Does It
The carrier assigns a seed steward, a person or pair who keeps the facility, tests, distributes seed in spring, collects it in autumn and holds the records. The steward need not grow everything; their job is to make sure no variety falls through the gaps.
Common Mistakes
- Loose notes. They are lost; use a bound book and a copy.
- Testing at planting time. There is no time left to react.
- Testing once and trusting forever. Retest annually for the lots that matter.
- Recording the variety but not the number of parent plants. The latter tells you the inbreeding risk (Minimum Population Sizes).
What’s Next
- Learn next: Germination Rate Testing Protocol — how many seeds, and how sure you can be
- Combine with: Grow-Out Trials and Variety Evaluation — renewing and judging lots