I need a botanist/horticulturist to instruct me on the proper way to store vegetable seeds.

In My Humble Opinion
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I purchase my veggie seeds from Burpee. I had veggie seeds (tomatoes/corn/beans, etc.) left over from last year and many did not germinate this year after I stored them in the fridge (wrapped in Zip Lock bags) over the winter. Question. How should I store my veggie seeds from year to year? (Note: If you ever buy a pack of Basil seeds, you usually get 200 - 400 seeds. Beans packs can be > 100 seeds). Here is what I’ve harvested from The Net.

1). “Keep seeds in airtight container at room temperature that does not vary. No light exposure, avoid exposure to heat and humidity. Keeping the same seed in the same containers in the refrigerator had little effect in prolonging the seed life. This does not apply to ALL seeds, just to most.”

2). “I have a dedicated refrigerator for seeds only on the basement and it does improve germination on many kinds of seeds and greatly extends life on many others.”

I live in the Bay Area, in Planting Zone 9.

Help! Also, please Blind Me With Science in your response.

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*[Background: I grew up on a remote rural farm. I took a few courses in horticulture post-grad for my amusement.] *I would say that your #1 gleaning from the net is good enough. Refrigeration is for sophisticated long term interests. Do a Google image search on vegetable seed storage containers will give an idea as to the range of armature methods. Learn to Google with site:edu would be the next step. ucdavis.edu probably has some services for amateurs. Burpee is Ok.

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Thanks!