See query. I ordered a bunch of seeds on-line, and found a few packs from last year I forgot about.
Are they still good to go?
PS: Haven’t they found seeds in archaeology digs, or whatever, which they can just plant and grow? Ie, to generalize the question–how long do plant seeds last at all?
Some pioneer species have seeds that can last for decades or centuries in the soil, until the right conditions for germination are fulfilled. A friend of mine bought a house with a largely neglected garden, mostly covered with grass and weeds; but wherever she puts her shovel in the dirt and turns it, foxgloves will sprout. Geranium languinosum will only sprout after wildfires (the seed needs temperatures close to 100 C to germinate!); but a wildfire every other century or so is sufficient to keep it!
Yes, they’ll still grow. You might have slightly lower germination rates, but just a year old? You probably won’t even notice. Make sure you store your seeds somewhere cool, dry and dark.
Agreed … except onions … they’re notorious for low germination rates after a year …
Take four or five seeds and put them in between two sheets of paper towel … put this in a pie plate and add a quarter inch water … wait a week or so … this will give you a good idea if the seeds are good and approximately how good …
I’d say five years old is our limit … just sow heavier the older the seed is …
Seeds typically maintain viability longest when stored in a cool, dry place. I keep mine in the fridge.
:eek: (Not really). Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the soil…I’ve got seeds for chives. Plus chervil and maybe I’ll order sorrel.
There’s a world seed vault on a northern island in Norway saving as many types of plant seeds as they can, in case of a sudden need for old, heirloom varieties of food plants. They intend to save them for decades, just in case. So I presume it’s possible for seeds to remain viable for that long. (Even though they probably store them more carefully than we could.)
I don’t know about the Seed Vault, but there’s a seed bank run by UC Davis, and they have a regular schedule of planting out and re-harvesting the seeds. I’m guessing the Seed Vault must have something similar. Although the Seed Vault does store seeds for specific countries, so maybe the countries have the responsibility of updating the seeds.
I grow herbs from seeds each winter and grow them with hydroponics. They can be very fickle germinating, so I significantly overseed and then thin them out.
Once seed that has been crazy hard to germinate is rosemary. I have used 4 different seed packs, and although a few have germinated, I have yet to raise a plant to maturity.
Do you know anyone with a mature plant? I’ve had good luck with rooting clippings.
Sure, it is easy to buy seedlings this time of year. But I want to grow one from seed. lol.
Kew Gardens has the Millennium Seed Bank, which they claim constitute the largest and most diverse wild plant species genetic resource in the world.
Cool. I salute your dream.