seeds Frozen Pepper seeds

Hello Everyone,
 
I feel like I should know the answer to this but don't.  If I freeze whole pods, will the seeds inside still be viable?  I know it may reduce the germination rate but I don't know about 100% of the seeds.  I'm guessing it'll toast all of them as peppers don't normally inhabit climates where the ground freezes?
 
Anyone mind weighing in.
 
Y'all the hot sauce, thanks.
 
AS you already said it will reduce the germ rate but will not kill them all -- seeds of all types survive winter weather outdoors in all environments so will survive freezing - but if they have a high water content some of them will be killed off due to the water expanding when it freezes causing damage to the inside of the seed - but most will survive.
 
JDFan said:
AS you already said it will reduce the germ rate but will not kill them all -- seeds of all types survive winter weather outdoors in all environments so will survive freezing - but if they have a high water content some of them will be killed off due to the water expanding when it freezes causing damage to the inside of the seed - but most will survive.
 

I agree high water content will expand in the seed when frozen thereby killing it but there's more to it than that when it comes to pepper seeds since they are a warm-weather plant. A lot depends on how quickly it freezes meaning, pods laid out in a single layer to freeze will have more viable seeds than a gallon ziplock full of pods. The slower it takes to freeze, the less chances of seed survival.
 
Having said that, I bet you could ask a number of people in here who have been doing this for years, Mother Nature don't give a crap about scientific theory. She'll let a seed germinate after it goes through all kinds of hell and at the same time stop a seed from germinating no matter what you do to keep it healthy and viable.
 
We've actually had pretty good success germinating seeds from frozen pods, some of which were in the deep freeze for a couple years. Although I would recommend using the paper towel method.
 
The millennium seed bank (kew gardens) recomend -20 c so it would seem around -18 to -20 c would be the norm for most seeds Internet seed bank design by kew gardens download.
 
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