How long are seeds good for?

[whocares]

I found some assorted seeds here in the house when we moved in says 2002, will I waste my time planting them?

[myheaven]

They may be good. What I do is a srout test. I put just a few of the seeds in a paper towl and then is a plastic bag moisten and let it be for 4 days in a semi dark location, look see if anything has come to life if not give it 3-5 more days if they have not sprouted by then they are no good and starting to mold. Try it.

[Bearfootfarm]

They've germinated wheat found in the Egyptian pyramids, so yours are probably still good

[EasyDay]

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

They've germinated wheat found in the Egyptian pyramids, so yours are probably still good

That's a bit different. The tombs are airtight... perfect for preservation.

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by whocares

I found some assorted seeds here in the house when we moved in says 2002, will I waste my time planting them?

Probably. The germination rate will be lower, but I'm sure there will be a few that will sprout.

This year I planted some seeds that I just bought and some that were two years old and the older seeds came up better than the new ones. Last time I'm buying from THAT seed company. I am not happy with the results.

Anyway, plant them and see what happens, you don't have anything to lose!

donsgal

[southerngurl]

It depends on the type of seeds. I know corn doesn't stay good well at ALL. But I think like beans will keep for a long time.

Ok, here is a list I pulled up.

http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/vege004/vege004.htm

[ArkansasLady]

I have seeds from the early 80's and they come up, I just plant them thicker than normal...
~C~

[Dianol]

Originally Posted by EasyDay

That's a bit different. The tombs are airtight... perfect for preservation.

I do not believe the tombs are airtight, however this is a very arid environment, and the lack of moisture should allow for long storage periods with no difficulties.

Which is the very reason that we store surplus seeds in the freezer. Extremely low moisture, and the seeds will keep for years.

[whocares]

Thanks for the input, I did put them in a plastic bag to sprout...These bean seeds say they grow up to 18 inches long...I thought they would be fun to try.

[EasyDay]

Originally Posted by Dianol

I do not believe the tombs are airtight, however this is a very arid environment, and the lack of moisture should allow for long storage periods with no difficulties.

Which is the very reason that we store surplus seeds in the freezer. Extremely low moisture, and the seeds will keep for years.

Ok. I was just going by what my Egyptian friend from the U of Cairo told me while she showed us around various sites in Egypt.

Back to the OP...
I agree completely about the low humidity. It is moisture that causes spoilage in most things, so the freezer is a great place for seed storage. But even without ideal conditions, I have found that most garden seeds are good for several years.

I'm pretty sure that the seed companies want you to think that you must buy new seeds every year.

Like donsgal, I planted seeds (cucumber) purchased this year, as well as some I'd found stashed from 2005. Every old seed came up, as opposed to every other new seed.

No, whocares, if you have the time then it wouldn't be time wasted planting them, IMO. You might just end up pleasantly surprised!

[EasyDay]

Originally Posted by whocares

Thanks for the input, I did put them in a plastic bag to sprout...These bean seeds say they grow up to 18 inches long...I thought they would be fun to try.

I've seen those, but not tried them. I wondered if they'd be tender. If they work out, let us know if you like the results.

[Quint]

I remember using seed that was over 40 years old and it grew. found it in an old wooden box that came out of the house on the old homestead. It had to be at least 40 years old because the box hadn't been opened since then. It was most likely older. How much older I have no idea.

It was a combination of flower and vegetable seeds including corn, beans and watermelon. dang good melons. Corn wasn't anything special. new varieties were better.

[turtlehead]

Originally Posted by southerngurl

It depends on the type of seeds.

This is correct. Beans will last hundreds of years if properly stored. Onions' germination rate deteriorates rapidly after two years.

It all depends on the type of seed.

[rambler]

Now, soybeans rapidly lose seed vigor, don't grow well in 3 years. Field corn can last well for 4, more years. It is all in how you store them tho - cool & dry, no big temp swings.

Tomatoes will store for 50 years & be pretty good yet.

I wonder how they deal with this in that seed storage vault in up north? Many of the seeds will be viable 100 years from now, but some will be pretty poor in 10 years - will they keep restocking?

--->Paul

[Paquebot]

Originally Posted by rambler

I wonder how they deal with this in that seed storage vault in up north? Many of the seeds will be viable 100 years from now, but some will be pretty poor in 10 years - will they keep restocking?

No, they will not keep restocking. The seeds are permanently frozen and expected to last for thousands of years.

Martin

[ajaxlucy]

I've planted old tomato seeds that were just left in a drawer, and they came up fine, but when I tried to use up some old (1993) broccoli seeds that I found, I only got a single plant. So I guess it depends on the vegetable, too.

[minifarmer]

I planted some seeds a few years old and wasn't impressed at all, but I live in a humid environment, so that would explain why. I've decided that I'll never plant oldies again. Especially bad were the broccoli and spinache crop, I planted 2-35ft rows and only got 2 spinache plants and 4 broccoli plants.

[dancingbear]

Pepper seeds may take longer, depending on the variety. I had some sprout in just a few days, (with bottom heat) others, on wet paper towel with bottom heat, are jus starting to sprout after about 3 weeks. Peppers usually need to be kept 75-90 degrees F to germinate. My red bells and jalapenos germinated fast, the poblanos and cubanelles are just now finally germinating, after I thought they were dead and was about to toss them.

[Maria]

I planted some 2002 tomato seeds this year, and put them extra thick so I'd get at least one per container. They all came up, it seemed! I was thinning those things daily for a while, poor little things.