Old seeds...who has any, and who is in?

I sowed my peas outside, and just one little shoot has appeared. Did you sow yours indoors? In the next post, I will get my notebook and post my results so far on the old seeds and also report on what worked and what did not work...

This message was edited May 30, 2010 11:20 AM

My old peas aren't up either, but neither are my fresh ones. My sweet peas are just barely starting to sprout and they were soaked & planted nearly two weeks earlier. Everything seems to be taking longer to sprout this year, indoors and out.

So far the only old seed that has completely failed to sprout was okra. The biggest surpise was old delosperma (iceplant) seed. It was such tiny seed I figured it probably had a short shelf life. It sprouted so thick I'm going to devide & quadruple it - it is even sprouting in nearby pots of other plants!

This message was edited Apr 20, 2010 11:20 PM

This is an up date to my post earlier this year about the 32 year old tomato seeds.

They are growing like wildfire. Of the 6 single seeds I planted, 4 have grown to plants and have blossoms on them.

I have one of them planted in my version of the "Topsy Turvy" planter. I tried the up-side down tomato last year, and it didnt work. Tomatoes dont like hanging by their heels. BTW, neither do I, so why would I expect them to like it? But I made a modification of the idea that really is working. The idea of hanging the tomatoes is a great idea around here because the Javalinas love to eat the plants if they are on the ground. So I modified a 2 gallon plastic bucket with holes in the SIDE...not bottom...and have 5 plants hanging from a block and tackle on the porch. One of them is a 32 year old cherry tomato bush.

Oh yes, the watermelon seeds didnt sprout.

This message was edited May 24, 2010 10:21 AM

The seeds not the plant is 32 years old, right? Wow, you will get the prize. The oldest tomato I have germinated so far is from 1987 and growing now.

I never thought to actually make this a contest, but when you save the seeds from that old tomato - why don't you let us all have a few seeds from it? That is truly awesome. That will inspire many who do not have the money to buy new seeds to try what they have at home...which was the purpose of this experiment in the first place, as we all have different seeds and possible different reasons for growing them.

Thanks everyone! Let's keep on posting results as they come in.

This message was edited May 30, 2010 11:19 AM

Jimlsbell--that is really awesome!

I like your version of the hanging planter! I had doubts about the T.T. style one. I did almost choke on my snort/laugh when I found you didn't like hanging from your ankles:lol:
That is always good info to put out there ; )

my dad said he saw his neighbor took those 5 gallon buckets... cut a hole in the bottom and put the tomato upside down... and planted lettuce in the tops

Anyone that wants some of these 32 year old seeds can have them, just let me know...maybe a swap for something that will grow in the Deep South of Texas? I like food plants. If you dont have any swap materials, just send me an address and I will send you some seeds. I cant warrant them any more since they have been open for over a month now, but on first opening I was getting 66% germination.

I just read the label on the can and it said that when packed they had a 80% germination expectation. So, 32 years later they havent lost much at all!

This message was edited May 31, 2010 3:23 PM

JimisBell ~ I was thinking more on the line of your saved seeds from your harvest this year and then we should all plant them out and see how well they do. Still, if anyone wants his seeds...please let him know...

Right now I have some Super Beefsteak tomatoes from 1991....planted and just starting to grow. We have had very wet weather and it just started to warm up yesterday. It has been raining and snowing until May 10th. Usually our last snowfall is in March!

This picture was taken May 11th!!!

Really cool idea Evelyn!! I would love to join but when we had the hurricane a few years ago our garage got infested with rats (YUCK!) and they eat all of my old seeds. Soooo.... I guess the bottom line is, don't throw out your old seeds? I don't know about anyone else but when I plant seeds I always start more than I can use so a few less seeds germinating wouldn't be a problem. This year I started 10 plants each of four different tomato plants and and five different peppers. I don't have room for anywhere near 90 plants. LOL!! Happy gardening!!

Kiyzersoze ~ So do you now have 90 plants? Maybe you can sell the surplus, or give some away at the local community garden, if there is one nearby. Yes, I too have more than I can use, but, with my crazy weather, I am glad to have the backups, as some have not done so well. We had our last snowfall in May...which is highly unusual, as our last snowfall is usually in March. And now we are getting hot weather...from one extreme to another..LOL!

This picture is May 11th...

My Gardeners Delight tomatoes, from 2000, just decided to come up last week, a week after I had given up on them. Now I've got 40 and counting. Unfortunately they're 3 weeks behind schedule, but thankfully, I wasn't depending on them. Maybe I'll Grow them in pots and put them under cover for the first couple of frosts.

Wow, congrats!

well the best site i have for seed is this one and it is for planting any type of seed saved .

http://www.backyardgardener.com/tm.html

Here is the latest picture of the 32 year old tomatoes. They are still putting on fruit even though the night time temperatures are not dropping below 80F. The only problem I am having with them is that they are getting very "leggy" and I am afraid the wind will damage them. The winds have been around 30 mph for most of a month now. These are in the "hanging bucket" but are sitting on the ground in the picture for watering.

This message was edited Jun 14, 2010 9:39 AM

This message was edited Jun 14, 2010 9:39 AM

Here is another picture of the 32 year old tomatoes. This one shows another plant that is growing in my "Mobile Planter" It is a "Green Box" sitting on a wagon so that I can move it into the shade in the afternoon. The tomatoes like the sun, but by mid afternoon it is well into the 90s with the heat index around 108F and the tomatoes begin to wilt so I move them into the shade. It seems to help a lot to keep from stressing the plants and allowing later fruit in this area.

JimIsbell,
Your plants are looking good. You should be proud of your old seeds. The wagon is an excellent idea for Texas. Good thinking.

I am so excited--I was forced to leave behind my first (only) house in northern California in 1997 due to divorce and the high cost of living there. I had a beautiful mimosa tree in the back yard. My son had done a seed collection project for school and glued a dozen different kinds of seeds into a paper egg carton and labelled them, and some seeds from that tree were included. I kept and treasured it, because we so enjoyed doing that project together. He was seven years old.
He lives in northern California and came back for a visit recently, and we decided to plant six of the seeds.
I now have three (so far) seeds that sprouted from the tree that my son and I collected 13 years ago! I can't wait to plant them here on our land.

What a great story! I had never seen a mimosa until we moved to NM from CT when I was a kid. We ended up with a pretty one in the front yard. Still remember the smell of the seed pods when we busted them open:lol: I was surprised to see some growing here nicely in NC when I moved here along with several cacti. Guess it makes sense as it was a lateral zone move from one type of zone 7 to another zone 7:)

Hope your seedling do well for you! Nature makes the best time capsules:lol:

Thanks! I understand they can be invasive, but I never noticed any seedlings--probably because they got mowed. Here I will be sure and pick up the pods...maybe my son would like one of the offspring of the tree he used to play under as a child, too!

They do reseed very easily but they are so easy to ID even when young and easy to yank out that they're fairly easy to control. I liked ours in NM, it was only about 7-8 ft tall but had an umbrella like wide canopy. The only thing I had issues with was when I was a teenager I usually ended up having to rake the front yard in the fall and those leaves were so tiny and brittle that I actually used the shopvac to suck up the little leaf bits:lol:

Evelyn-

How went your Old Seed experiment? Or are you too busy planting all the seedlings that came up?

It's my understanding that many hard, desert seeds (Salvias for one) actually germinate more easily when they're old, as the inhibitors have weakend (or given up). Most seeds will last for years if stored VERY DRY at fridge temps.

It's the mooshy tropicals that die so quickly. As soon as they dry out, they're history. But you can even keep them alive if you keep them moist. (Well, some of them. Rainforest seeds must hit the dirt within a couple of weeks or they're finished.)

There's a great database for vegetable seeds longevity. Surprisingly, alliums die after a year, but many things will last a decade if dry. I'll try to find the link.

Will be interested in your results. There may some great heirlooms in those old seeds of yours.

Mia

Well, ss, I have some tomatoes from 1989...some parsley from 1990...and I do not remember what else...yes, I have been busy, but since I started this thread, I should at least report my findings. I did not try any shrub or tree seeds just things that I wanted for my veggie garden. Flowers would be next...oh, I forgot..the first ones were white alyssum and they were also quite old and came up quickly by bottom heat indoors. After that it went downhill...I think just one seedling survived my mishandling of the whole seed-starting venture with old seeds...I was just learning what to do, and I let most of them die from one thing or another, mainly just dry out...

I will have to check the labels in the garden and nursery area to see what I have that survived my neglect of all things growing...LOL!

OK, I'll be back! ☺

My 1984 carrots and lettuce didn't sprout, but my 1997 mimosa seedlings are doing great!

OK, any new reports? The 4 different tomatoes that I sowed earlier are all growing well now, though the fruits are late due to the early cold weather,and then the extremely hot weather. Some are beginning to turn.

Tomato 'Aunt Ruby's German Green' 2003 Pinetree Seeds
Tomato 'Homestead' 1987 Ferry Morse (Mom's)
Tomato 'Super Beefsteak' 1991 Burpee
Tomato 'Sub-Artic Plenty' 1990 Gurney's

I have 2 of each plant...

Any of you have more results? I did not do a germination test on those old seeds, so I do not know what the percentage is. I did nothing special in order to germinate them. I also had old parsley seeds, but since I sowed so many, I don't have an accurate count of them as well. I hope you all keep better records than I do...LOL!!

This message was edited Aug 21, 2010 9:28 PM

Are any of ya taking pictures??? to see the progress and viability of older seeds....((just a thought))

Do you mean the viability of the plants, or the seeds??

both?!?! what's coming up roses and what's coming up stink weed...*S*

That is really cool that plants from tomato seeds as old as '87 are doing so well!
I have transplanted my mimosa seedlings into bigger pots, and will continue to do so until next spring. I think they'd be safer spending their first winter indoors. They're only about eight inches tall, and very delicate.

DG71 ~ I'll take pictures as soon as the tomatoes start to turn color, as they are all late due to a very cold spring. It snowed in May twice and then hailed after that. then it got warm in June and then hot from then on....

Then - the taste tests...most important about tomatoes. It won't matter to me if they are pretty or not, as long as they taste good, no, delicious!

So true, evelyn_inthegarden.... a bad tomatoe can ruin the whole BLT sam'itch *LOL*