How to test year old seeds for viability - newbie question!

I am sure this question has been asked many many times, but DD is about to wake up from her nap, and I am almost out of time to search through old threads - so I am asking anew!

I bought some basic veggie seeds last season and kept the leftovers in their packs in a bowl in the back room and forgot about them. Someone mentioned to me that they might still be good, which hadn't occurred to me since I am new to all this. I read on the seed saving forum that you could put a few seeds on a wet paper towel in a baggie to try to get them to germinate, but now I can't find that thread again (Drat!).

So here are my questions:
Is this the best way to test viability?
Should the baggies be open or closed?
Do I need to wet the paper towels again?
How long should they take to germinate?

The seeds are tomato, cherry tomato, bell pepper, jalapeno, pole bean, bush bean, sugar snap pea, cilantro, basil, chives and parsely. Thanks for your help!

-GreenerBeaner

They are probably all still good if they have been dry.
I have seeds older than all of those that I have used in the past with no problem.
Tomato seed will stay good for 4-5 years.
Just start a few more than you would normally to make up for a lower germination rate.
It helps to store them in a good sealed container so now moisture intrudes.

What ever happened to the 50 year old MG seeds someone around here was trying to germinate??? There was a couple of thread about it.

Off topic sorry.

The tomato seeds are probably good. The pepper seeds don't do well unless you keep them in a sealed bag (Ziploc)in the freezer. Peas, beans keep well. Parsley, basil and cilantro fair. Chives poorly unless you keep in a freezer. You just have to test them. I test them by putting a small # of seeds in a seed starting medium (peat soil) wetting to runoff, place into a plastic bag,and supply under heat, (below 100 degrees F). You can put them on top of a tv in a leak proof container. Germination times vary with the seeds types. Here are my estimations : broccoli 3 to 5 days (check at 2days) tomatoes 5 to 10 days (check at 4 days) peppers 7 to 14 days (wait until they come up old pepper seeds may germinate and still not come up). Beans and Peas 10 days.They like soil cooler (no under heat) Parsley cilantro 10 to 20 days (room temperature no under heat) I don't keep my seeds in the refrigerator gases from food may slow or stop germination.( I was told this by a greenhouse operator.) The freezer is ok no gases are made and my pepper and tomato seeds do well.

Too check seeds for viability you do what is called the "rag doll test". Place seeds in wet paper towel, inside a zip-loc(BE SURE TOO LEAVE THE BAG OPEN FOR OXYGEN) Place in sunny window being sure not to let the paper towel dry out. Time to sprout depends on what seed, but usually you will know in one week

Thanks for your help! wendy - that is what I was trying. The basil has sprouted and now I'm just waiting on the others.

-GB

I have tomato seeds that are now about 8 years old given to me from italie and every year I keep a few and plant them and also a few of the orignials well they all germinate at about the same rate and it looks like they have not decreased most seeds are viable for many many years if kept in the dark and dry

some specialty seeds have to be planted as soon as dry or still wet but that is rare

I remember reading somewhere that when they opened the tuts tomb they planted some of the seeds found so over three thousand years old and germination was still 50 per cent like I said dark and dry will keep them almost for ever hahahha

I have tomato seeds that I was given from italie and I still plant some every year at this point they must be over 10 years old and I still get 99 per cent germination

in the piramides they found seeds over 3000 years old and guess what they still have 50 per cent germination rate

a seed is a seed is a seed they are engineered so when the conditions are right they will germinate till then they are dormant

mona

I just tested some perennial flower seeds I had collected from my plants in 2006. The perennnial is Centaurea macrocephala. Germination time is 5 to 10 days.

I cut a kitchen paper towel in half. Wet it with tap water and squeezed out the extra moisture. Folded it in half and placed 10 seeds in the center. Then I folded one end over them and stuck the whole thing in a baggie. It took 5 days for them to germinate. Out of the 10 seeds, 7 germinated. More may have, had I left them.

I should have added that these seeds didn't need stratification to germinate. Had they needed that, I would have placed the baggie in the frig for the recommended time.

I just potted them up today to bring to my daughters house since she has a sunroom.

Here is a photo to show a few just before potting up. As you can see, these old seeds are very much alive.

I'm testing other seeds with the same method. Seeds can last for years if properly stored.

This message was edited Feb 23, 2009 10:12 PM

I didn't leave the baggie open, not in the sun as someone suggested to do. I put the baggie with seeds on a shelf in my kitchen.

seeds really need sun to germinate some say yes but I find that they will germinate anywhere its once they are up they need the sunlight

as for seed being old lol in king tut tomb they found all kinds of seeds over 3000 years old and germination rate was still over 50 per cent

I have seeds that are over 15 years old and still germinate no problem like tomato seeds from italie I plant five every year and they always come up

Last Christmas I found a container of poppy seeds in my mother-in-law's refrigerator. My late father-in-law, a horticulturist, had collected them form his poppies and had dutifully labeled them "SP 88." I brought them home and did a germination test. Nearly 100 % of the 20 year old seeds germinated. I am thrilled I can plant poppies from his garden in my garden. Now I have to learn how to save seeds so I can pass them to the next generation.

I do not keep seeds in the refrigerator but I have heard that hostas seeds have to be kept cold, I keep my poppy seeds in a cool dry container and they grow no problem

enjoy your poppies they are amazing plants just remember they do not like to be transplanted past the two sets of permanent leaves so start them in minimum 3 inch pots with like 5 seeds in each or start them where they will be growing I use a dome
arrange the soil wet it nice top sow so do not cover the seed and place the bell to stop the birds from eating the seeds as soon as babies come up remove the dome do this in mid spring they like cool night and warm days

When it states that seeds need light to germinate, it isn't more than surface sow. It doesn't literally mean light or sunlight. All small seeds need to be surface sown because they would deplete the food stored inside the seed shell before they even broke through the soil. That results in seeds rotting.

Off hand, I can't think of a single variety of large seeds that need to be surface sown.

that right it is the size of the seed, sine I have noticed that the really small seeds give out the baby leaves at less than 1/16 tall so they would be buried
do watch when they greminate some need the root buried at germination found some of mine with the root on the soil so I took a tooth pick and helped them get established and now they are all doing well