[Flump]

Does anyone know if old seed produces poor plants?for example,courgettes?or does it just cause germination problems?thanks

[the Kergan]

Do you mean old seed or out of date seed. I tend to not use out of date seeds.

[mumofstig]

As seed gets older the germination percentage rate drops off... Usually if they're strong enough to germiate they will produce a strong plant.
There are exceptions to this, with old and new seed alike producing a small percentage of deformed or stunted specimens.

This year I have some runner beans which have germinated but they have yellow leaves. This will be quite a problem when they need the green Chlorophyll  to produce their own 'food' 
so they went in the bin, simples.

[solway cropper]

In my experience if a seed germinates it'll generally produce a decent plant. Seed tends to become less viable with age but germination is dependent on so many factors. Even with fresh seed I sometimes get some odd results but I try not to use any that's more than a couple of years old as it's a waste of my time if it doesn't germinate.

[allot2learn]

I found an old packet of Roma plum tomato seeds at the back of my shed. They were six years out of date. I thought I had nothing to lose and sowed six of them. Nothing came up, so I was about to bin them when I picked up an empty seed tray, chucked some been and queue'd potting compost in and scattered the remaining seeds over the surface, watered them and stuck them under the bench.










I now have about a hundred roma plants about 5" high and they are doing the rounds of our allotments. They've grown like lunatics.

I think I know how I will sow my toms in future.  

[sunshineband]

 

Sounds a bit radical but hey... it werked fer u   

[Flump]

I had some runner beans that didn't come up,except one ,which developed one set of leaves,then died!I checked the date and they were 5 years old  anyway, my courgette seeds are in date,but have been open a couple of years.This year,like last,they have germinated but aren't thriving like the first year,that's why I was wondering.

[Flump]

and another thing! some seed I have says it was packed in 2010(just bought) not to expire until 2012,does that mean it is old already?or does old seed mean it ages once opened?  sorry! I hope someone understands what I'm on about!

[Yorkie]

That will be fine, I should think.

[BabbyAnn]

and another thing! some seed I have says it was packed in 2010(just bought) not to expire until 2012,does that mean it is old already?or does old seed mean it ages once opened?  sorry! I hope someone understands what I'm on about!

Packing date = usually the year the seed was packed by the seed seller (not necessarily when the seed was collected and processed ...)  So yes, your seed may be even older than the date stamped.  If you think about it, some packing dates just do not coincide with usual harvesting dates.

Use by date = the recommended date suggested by the seed seller to guarantee the seed will give optimal germination  This does not mean 100% germination as there will always be some reason why some seed won't germinate - so if you buy a packet of 500 seeds, the "guarantee" usually means about just over 50-60% germination.   Some seed will far exceed the use by date - tomatoes, brassicas and things like lettuce and carrots have a much longer viability than the recommended use by date.  Parsnip seed does not.

Batch number - this number enables the seed seller to trace back where he got his seed from, and that merchant should also have records where the seed originated and when it was harvested.  All part of the seed legislation which used to be confined to farming of grain but since 2011 includes all edible crop seeds.

"Old" seed can still be perfectly fine as there are several factors that determine viability.  Age is an obvious one, but storage conditions play a vital role (extreme heat and dampness such as in the tin box in the shed or greenhouse are not good storage conditions) and also air.  Oxygen will age seed quickly so exclusion of air (such as the vacuum sealed packs) will allow seed to store for much longer.  I can honestly say that I sowed an entire packet of seed from what was an unopened pack that was 10 years past its use by date expecting nothing, and all the seed germinated ....     Not what I was expecting but is a good example of how well some seed can keep.

[angelavdavis]

I also think it depends on how you store your seed.  If you keep it somewhere cool and dark, it is more likely to keep better.

I had loads of old opened tomato seed packets this year and decided what the hell and planted them - I was inundated!  All germinated!  Not as much luck with the older aubergine and pepper seed though and they were all stored together.  

There are various websites which provide the shelf life of seeds that you can google as a guide, but as has already been said, there are so many factors which can affect the seed.

[savbo]

getting back to the original question - I think that old seed sometimes does produce weaker plants, which could be because some of the food resource has deteriorated.

I can't claim to have scientific proof, but it seems to be some smaller seeds where I've noticed effects, which is not the way round I would have expected - perhaps they have so little food in them that to lose any has a greater proportional effect. Or maybe big seeds live or die, while small seeds have gradations of deadness!

sav

[Elcie]

I tend to treat the dates on seed packets in the same way I do dates on onions, salad and veg from the supermarket - I pretty much ignore it!

I have never had a problem with old seed producing less robust plants, germination may be a problem but in my limited experience I haven't noticed any massive differences.

[Casey76]

Nearly all of my seed is old... well it all says plant by 2010!

As i was very late getting started this year, I have a mix of bought plants (toms and a courgette), and seeds planted with fingers crossed.

The thing is I feel very reluctant to throw seed away, especially beans and peas.  Since I live alone, I usually plant only 10 beans at a time, but a box of 100g is usually 8 - 10€ depending on the "brand" so I don't really want to replace them every year - it would be cheaper to buy beans from the market!

All of my seeds are stored in a dark, dry enviroment, so I do have my fingers crossed this year.

If I have a lot of failures, I'll buy new next year.

[potatogrower]

i guess its hit and miss. i had sweet corn seeds from last year and they didn't show. cauliflower ones from last were ok but they didn't grow as strong as the cabbage ones, even though cabbage seeds were also from last year. it could be from a good batch of seeds and some may not be....who knows    no harm in trying 1st otherwise best to buy a new pack.