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Samurai Seed Saver Improvised Seed Packet

Posts: 45

Location: North East

posted 5 years ago

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A Jack-of-All trades, all-around excellent human and good friend of mine taught me how to make these seed packets for seeds. He learned it in one of his trades, police work, because some drug dealers use it as a cheap way to package dope or crack.

But not us gardeners! So crack is often a powder, from what I've learned in the movies, and expensive powder at that. So both the drug dealers and their poor addicted clientèle want to minimize losses. This works great as a seed packet because even small seed can be easily collected and transported. It works much better than pockets of coats and pants, and you'll see a significant decrease in the amount of lint in your seed mixes.

It's pretty self-explanatory, but if it proves unclear still, I could do a video. I'm on a computer that doesn't allow me access to any real illustration software, so I made do with paint and a mouse.

I've used this for seed exchanges, wildcrafting, and sharing seeds with friends from my own genetics collection.

Cheers and happy collecting, growing, and sharing!

(I can't figure out how to make the image bigger, but a bigger version is on my blog post. I didn't do that on purpose I promise): http://openpollinated.blogspot.com/
I ought to give my friend in Idaho some credit as well. He's a talented, trained herbalist, his site is here: Simpler

Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen: even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind.
--Leonardo da Vinci (So let's get to it.)

Dan Boone

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posted 5 years ago

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Nice!

I suck at papercraft in general, but I was able to make a successful packet using these instructions after only two tries.

I would like to add one piece of constructive criticism, or suggestion for revising the diagram if you will. Your text captions never actually instruct us to make the third fold, the one indicated by a circle-and-arrow on your fourth diagram. In your third diagram your caption says to fold up the bottom corner, but the caption on the fourt diagram just talks about the parallelism. It turns out not to work if one doesn't fold the second corner over, and I needed a caption to tell me to do that, not just the arrow on the diagram.

Thanks very much, this is a very useful tip, one I am hoping to be able to commit to memory along with my only other memorized papercraft skill, the original-design paper airplane.

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Everett Arthur

Posts: 45

Location: North East

posted 5 years ago

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Thanks Dan, I fixed that bit. I'm glad that you were able to move to the next level of papercraftery.

Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen: even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind.
--Leonardo da Vinci (So let's get to it.)

Dan Boone

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posted 5 years ago

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Very nice! Yes, that works.

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Valerie Dawnstar

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Location: North Central New York

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posted 5 years ago

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Exactly like the paper cups we would make in our elementary school days. The only difference being that we would leave them open to hold water, which they did surprisingly well.

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Meryt Helmer

Posts: 395

Location: west marin, bay area california. sandy loam, well drained, acidic soil and lots of shade

posted 5 years ago

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I was going to say it's an origami cup! I have used these for seeds and all sorts of other random things. they work very well and are so easy and fast to make!

Victor Johanson

Posts: 409

Location: Fairbanks, Alaska

posted 5 years ago

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There's a variation (or maybe they're the same?) at https://turkeysong.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/origami-seed-pocket/

, with a video:

Vic Johanson

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Dan Boone

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posted 5 years ago

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I would say that the Turkeysong packet shown in the video looks/seems much more complicated and difficult to make, requiring a tool to work the creases and many, many, MANY more finger movements to make, open, close, and use.

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chip sanft

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Posts: 459

Location: 18 acres & heart in zone 4 (central MN). Current abode: Knoxville (zone 6 /7)

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posted 5 years ago

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I just save envelopes (used ones or new ones received as junkmail) that I open by tearing at one end, they then get trimmed down and folded over at the top to make a nice packet out of the other end. If it's a new junkmail envelope you can just seal it then cut it and fold it, presto. A fine use for bills and junk.

r ranson

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posted 5 years ago

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I was using something like this template

to make seed packets for giving to friends. Reusing old paper and having an excuse to use sealing wax.

But I like the samurai style better. Much faster and it makes a shape that is more fun and impressive. Although, these fancy packets will take a bit of education to teach my friends how to use them - worth the effort.

I tried the samurai style folding with a square of waxed cloth, and it makes a great way to carry dry snacks.

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Delila Jahn-Thue

Posts: 11

Location: Saskatchewan, Canada

posted 5 years ago

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God they're beautiful.

Cory Allan

Posts: 61

Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

posted 5 years ago

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Caleb Worner wrote:. It works much better than pockets of coats and pants, and you'll see a significant decrease in the amount of lint in your seed mixes.

I dunno, I've heard lint makes an excellent growing medium :)

Everett Arthur

Posts: 45

Location: North East

posted 5 years ago

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Cory Allan wrote:I dunno, I've heard lint makes an excellent growing medium :)

I'll bet lint increases water holding capacity :) The quality of the lint would depend on the fibers (synthetic or natural) of the original fabric, and the dyes used, though. :) When I'm in a pinch I still put appleseeds in my pockets when I'm done eating.

R Ranson wrote:I tried the samurai style folding with a square of waxed cloth, and it makes a great way to carry dry snacks.

I hadn't even thought of that! Great idea!

I've made seed packets out of old napkins in my glovebox before, but never waxed cloth. I'll bet the stiffness makes it scale better than paper.

Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen: even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind.
--Leonardo da Vinci (So let's get to it.)

elle sagenev

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posted 5 years ago

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Interesting. Our drug dealers all use jewellers bags.

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Sarah Joubert

Posts: 80

Location: More D'Ebre, Tarragona, Spain Mediterranean zone

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posted 5 years ago

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This is great! I have recently mastered the art of making newspaper pots which I can plant directly in the ground to prevent root bind and re-planting stress and today I taught my mum how as well. lesson 2 for next week!

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r ranson

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posted 5 years ago

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I love newspaper pots! Do you use the wooden tool or do you have a magic trick?

"be kind, be calm, be safe"
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homegrown linen ~ crowing hen farm ~ how permies works

leila hamaya

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posted 5 years ago

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yeah these are cool, i have made several variations of these, i usually make mine more square, so the bottom part folds into the other side, if that makes sense.
basically on the 4th step (?) instead of fold the corner upwards, you fold it to be flush with the bottom, then tuck the other side into it, also folding to be flush with the bottom.

but the sort of triangle shaped ones are good too, and i like how you can fold them back up easily after sowing some of the seeds, the top part tucks in good.
and they are the most used packets you get from seed swapping groups. most use old seed catalogs for the paper, which adds nice colors and flowers and pictures for some extra beauty =)

seed saving and trading have become a major thing for me...so i went and made a lot of templates for printing out and gluing with a glue stick, and try to make these up in bulk when i have some free time. i put a lot of my favorite designs online for sharing with others...ummm...gets the link - ok here - seed saving envelopes - is a collection of seed saving envelope templates.
also here - blank templates is a collection of blank templates for someone to add their own images too, if they wanted to make their own.

now not to say that i dont like the cute origami ones, i do still use them sometimes in a pinch....but just to share, feel free to use them if you like this sort of thing =)

S Smithsson

Posts: 54

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posted 1 year ago

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Everett Arthur wrote:A Jack-of-All trades, all-around excellent human and good friend of mine taught me how to make these seed packets for seeds. He learned it in one of his trades, police work, because some drug dealers use it as a cheap way to package dope or crack.

But not us gardeners! So crack is often a powder, from what I've learned in the movies, and expensive powder at that. So both the drug dealers and their poor addicted clientèle want to minimize losses. This works great as a seed packet because even small seed can be easily collected and transported. It works much better than pockets of coats and pants, and you'll see a significant decrease in the amount of lint in your seed mixes.

It's pretty self-explanatory, but if it proves unclear still, I could do a video. I'm on a computer that doesn't allow me access to any real illustration software, so I made do with paint and a mouse.

OMG PAPER CUPS!! My dad used to make these for us on road trips for drinking out of (they are single use but will hold water for a while!) and now I fold them up to save all my seeds in. Thanks for the good memory - my dad is gone now.

Sandy

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Julie Reed

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Posts: 260

posted 1 year ago

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What Everett shows is called a bindle by those who secrete cocaine in it. Saw a lot of them back when I was in construction. Workers made them with paystubs. You can figure out where the check went!

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