Seeds are alive. I think we sometimes forget this when we buy seeds in a package from a store shelf, or stick them in a drawer to search for next year. But seeds are living beings just waiting for the right conditions to grow. They have all the energy and nutrients stored inside to become small seedlings with their first leaves (called cotyledons). To enable the seed to store for a long time and stay alive (called viable in the seed industry), you need to store them in a way that reduces the seed’s need to consume its stored energy. […]