If you open a package of cold seed to the open air, silica gel in that package won't keep them dry. The water content of refrigerator air and freezer air is generally *much* lower than that of the air outside. In a freezer, pretty much all the water is stuck to the wall. Freezer air and refrigerator air can give the impression of being moist, because when you open them up, moist room air gets in and condenses into a fog. But that's air that came in to them from the outside. Low temperatures add many years of useful lifetime to seeds. There are some seeds (I don't remember which) that really don't like to be frozen, though. I keep all of mine in the fridge.

Hi Tumblingtoms, Being that you are down in Florida, my first question to you would be, do you have central air? If yes and your home is a steady cool temp year round, storing them in a cool dark dry spot in your home will do quite well. of course there is variation in plant families, but most of what you listed will do well if you start them 5 years from now kept in a home down there with central air. Some things that are often listed with short viability - lettuce, onions, some herbs. If no, I would keep them in a fridge. The combination of heat and humidity are what really hurt seed viability. Make sure they are dry first, you don't want mold to form while stored in the fridge. If you really want to keep seeds indefinitely, you can put them in an air tight container in a freezer. There are a few things you must know first. The seeds must be really dry. Trying to store them with not enough moisture gone, will kill them. Also, you must let the container come to room temp before opening or you will kill the seed. If you plan on retrieving seeds from the freezer once a year, this is no problem. If you are trading seeds, this would be a pain. Hope this helps, Remy

After MUCH research , I bought a Kenmore French Door w/ice & water in the door. I previously had 3 different side by sides. My last SBS was two years old and ruined by Hurricane Ike. I also had a separate freezer in the garage that wasn't replaced. I discovered that I didn't need a separate freezer due to the extra freezer space gained with the French Door model. The French Door style accommodates larger items that will not fit in the narrow side by side freezer. I love the french door style. The ice and water feature on the outside causes the loss of some fridge space, but I was willing to make that sacrifice. My first SBS was one of the very first made by Sears, a Coldspot. It lasted 26 years or so. I hope this Kenmore will last as long. (I know I won't last that long)

This "May" be a little late! I would stay away from GE Appliances due to: General Electric has sold its appliance business to Haier for $5.4 billion, a deal that will greatly expand the Chinese firm's footprint in the U.S. It is very likely that there will be transitional problems, possible inventory problems etc etc. I would certainly take the time to read reviews of GE appliances bought after about June of 2016. We too are debating whether to replace our Jenn-Air fridge with a Sub-Zero. The Jenn-Air had been trouble free, (No service calls) for 10 years. The icemaker did die after about 5 years but was widely available on-line, cheap ($135) and easily replaced by me, (Plug in). Unfortunately year 11 for the fridge has NOT been good, No compressor problems or expensive parts, but several calls for wild temp swings in Freezer and now a 2nd call for frost in freezer, and since the last "frost repair" we had to remove the top cover over the fridge to keep it from shutting down. Anyway, repair guy coming today, We giving him one last chance, replace anything that looks like it is or could be a problem, it breaks again it gets replaced by an SZ. We hate to replace it because of the fridge's wood panels, keeping it clean has been a "Non Issue" for 11 years now, WE hate to go back to Stainless Steel and the "Joy" of keeping that spotless!!! Why SZ you say? Simple Answer SERVICE!!!!! SZ has their own Service Dept. Jenn-Air does NOT have their own service nor does Whirlpool who Owns Jenn-Air, Kitchenaid, Maytag and who knows what else? So even though I searched extensively for the best service dept for my Jenn-Air Fridge, (Yelp Reviews, Yellow Pages Reviews, etc etc, and I probably found about the best there is as far as Jenn-air Service goes! Buttttt, Here is the way the company I picked, services Jenn-Air appliances. First You call them, it can take up to a week to get a return call, by the guy that is going to do the actual service. You describe "IN DETAIL" what the problem is. Still He comes out several days later and has a "look see". He then orders the parts, which usually takes another week, then returns with the parts and installs them. All this time the fridge is malfunctioning!!! Fortunately, being a "Techie" (Electronic Engineer), I've been able to keep the fridge running well enough to preserve the food. I removed the cover over the electronics to keep them cool, manually defrosted the freezer, removed a shield in the freezer so ice could not build up on it and block evaporator fan, turn power on/off many times, etc etc. Anyway tired of it , so I'm hoping , first of all The SZs does not break, 2nd, if it does , service will be prompt and parts needed replace on the FIRST SERVICE CALL, not the 3rd call or so !!! Gary