How long do seeds last?

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White_Hydrangea Aurora, CO(Zone 5a) Sep 24, 2006

Over the years, I've bought seeds, a lot of them herb seeds, but also some veggie seeds from when I was experimenting with container gardening. The seed packets are dated anywhere from 1994 to 2005, and now I also have some 2006 seeds left over that I obviously won't be planting this year.

How good are they? I don't know if I want to waste garden space on seeds that won't work, but I'd also hate to throw away seeds that might still be viable. Anyone else plant old seeds? What happened?

These have been sitting out in room temperature, btw. No special treatment.

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Baa Sep 24, 2006

It all depends on which plants they are from. Some species have a very short viability and need to be sown fresh or within one year, others can last thousands of years.

The general rule of thumb is that seed viability reduces each year and for many species the older the seed the harder it is to break the dormancy. Being kept in a dry, dark area in a cool environment with a constant temperature is the ideal for seed storage but even seeds kept at higher temperatures can survive.

If you are worried about wasting space on them you could try germinating a few on a damp paper towel, if they germinate within a few weeks then they are usually fine for sowing. If you have some precious seed it doesn't hurt to give them their own pot and leave them for a couple of years, some can take that long to germinate and at least you've given them a chance even if nothing happens. The other alternative is throwing the old seed out onto a small patch or in between plants in the borders, then if they come up it's a bonus :)

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claypa West Pottsgrove, PA(Zone 6b) Sep 24, 2006

Did you see this post in the Wintersowing forum ? There's a link to a story about some 200 y.o. seeds, pretty neat! http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/653047/

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pinkpoodlegirl Rock Hill, SC(Zone 7b) Sep 24, 2006

That is a very interesting link. Hope we never need to use the seed bank! It is an enormous undertaking. Imagine the record keeping for 3 million seed varieties!

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