[Carollan]

I`ve given up on this year already and am planning next year with gusto.The weather WILL be better,yes?

Consequently,I am looking at packet after packet of seeds donated by neighbours and relatives who gave up on veggie growing early in the year,plus my enthusiastic purchases from near and distant past.

If a packet is sealed and foil wrapped,do you count that as 0 years old?
whenever it was packaged?
I have many packets given to me and ones I bought,which were never opened .

Give me hope for next year 

[arugula]

Many seeds will actually last for years, even well past their use by date. Some, parsnips spring to mind as a prime example, do not keep well at all even from one year to the next.

[surbie100]

My Mum's donated a big bag of seed packets she's collected over the years...on inspection most are over 20 years old, with the oldest expiring in June 1983...

As an experiment I'll be seeing what grows next year   

[Trillium]

Normally with older seed packets you'd seed a few extra to compensate for age and poor germination, so yes, there's hope for old seeds. With a few exceptions like parsley and parsnips.

Some folks won't use them saying old seeds have diminished vigor, which I've personally not found true unless you plan to save seeds for breeding. Since you have so many, it doesn't sound like you want to bother saving seeds, so pay no heed to naysayers. Enjoy your bounty.

[DD.]

Time to re-post this maybe?

http://www.allotment-garden.org/grow-your-own/saving-your-own-seeds/storage-longevity

It's a guide and given good storage seed can last longer.

[sunshineband]

Time to re-post this maybe?

http://www.allotment-garden.org/grow-your-own/saving-your-own-seeds/storage-longevity

It's a guide and given good storage seed can last longer.

I can see the comment on this article that packets of seed bought in France often have a much 'longer' date than those purchased in England.

I often buy seeds in Spain and have found exactly the same, and using this as a guide have had decent germination this year with the last of my climbing yellow flatbeans bought six years ago in a Spanish supermarket, for 10c, in their end of season sale --- there were 200 seeds in the packet too 

A germination test during the winter months, with wet tissue on a saucer, on a warmish windowsill, rather than throw away apparently out of date seeds could be useful

[angelavdavis]

Well, I can confirm that I have had success with 7 year old tomato seeds.  I decided to give some old, opened packets a go this year to see if they had any life left in them.  I ended up with 300 tomato plants 

[Carollan]

I think I`ll be watching surbie100`s posts to see how her seeds get along,would make a good tale to tell if the oldest seeds you have still come good 

[syks grower]

I use seed that is out of date.

I often test if it will grow by putting a small sample of seed on moist kitchen paper
and keeping it a warm place and make sure it stays moist but not wet, if the seeds still viable then you will see signs of germination. if nothing has happened in 3 weeks the seed is dead.
You can carefully pot up the germinating seeds, this method works a treat wiith parsnips.

[surbie100]

Carollan,
I'll try to remember to post on this - I'll be starting from Feb/March next year....I'll be delighted if 30 year-old seeds are still viable, even though they seem to be mostly rudbekia!
Surbie

[gremlin]

My experiment this year - clearing out old stock of self saved tomato seed stored at room temperature(which isn't helpful) in a paper envelope.

1996 seed   0% germination
1998 seed   0% germination
1999 seed   0% germination
2001 seed  40% germination
2008 seed  10% germination
2011 seed  99% germination

[Growster...]

If I was a seed producer, I'd put a date on the pack (EEC Stazi Rules), and rake in the profits when people throw them away!

As said here, just take a little time to germinate them under controlled conditions, and if they work - then fine!

If they don't - then rush off to Wilkos...;0)

Parsnip seeds kept from last year all came up this year - every single one did!

Like everything else in 'life', there's no need to believe what they say on the packet.

[JayG]

Parsnips are such reluctant germinators at the time of year they need to be sown outdoors that it must help if the seeds are as fresh as possible.

I sowed both old (previous year's) Gladiator and new White Gem seeds on 20th April this year, and they all germinated quite well after the usual long, nervous wait - the old seeds were station-sown about 5 per station and at a rough guess about half of them germinated.

Your own storage conditions are bound to make a difference, but I also wonder about some of these glass-roofed garden centres where the seed displays are alternately baked and then probably near-frozen for possibly weeks on end!

[Growster...]

Parsnips are such reluctant germinators at the time of year they need to be sown outdoors that it must help if the seeds are as fresh as possible.

I sowed both old (previous year's) Gladiator and new White Gem seeds on 20th April this year, and they all germinated quite well after the usual long, nervous wait - the old seeds were station-sown about 5 per station and at a rough guess about half of them germinated.

Your own storage conditions are bound to make a difference, but I also wonder about some of these glass-roofed garden centres where the seed displays are alternately baked and then probably near-frozen for possibly weeks on end!

You make several good points there JayG -m as usual!

We do parsnips very carefully, in paper pots, and when they show the slightest leaves, they get re-planted in position! No argument, because by then, the tap root will be yards long!

Storage of seeds needs to be as near to natural as can be experienced - even a cold greenhouse is not as bad as we think.