Sow by date

Hi 
 
 
Is it still alright to use vag seeds that say sow by 2007 or 2008. I seem to have loads.

if you are unsure put a couple in some wet tissue paper somewhere warm and see if they grow

Lots of diff seeds. Also Parsnips. They have been kept in a darl cool place. Not shed or greenhouse. What happens to parsnip seeds? Thanks all

Parsnip does not keep beyond a year - always use fresh seeds.

I'm sorry Plot45 but apart from that it is frankly impossible to give you a specific answer to a question which only refers to 'lots of different seeds'.

Different types of veg seeds will last for an average of a different number of years.  That average will then depend on how the seeds were stored, as previously stated.

If you want to test individual seed viability then do as ropster has suggested.  Bear in mind that different veg will take different lengths of time to germinate, not all will show in a few days, some may take a little longer.

At the end of the day you can either try sowing them and see if anything comes from them, or throw them and buy new seed.

If you don't mind getting low germination, possible zero, then you have nothing to lose by giving them a try.

I had some fresh onion seed this year that had a germination rate of about 1 in a 100.

The purple brocolli that I found after 2 years possibly 3 had about 100% germination.

I still have a lot to learn. 

The seeds include Cabbage, lettuce, Carrots, purple sprouting broccoli, toms, Peas, Broad Beans & Sweet Corn. I was given them all to start me off.

The main problem with using old seed is time.

By that I mean the time taken between sowing them and deciding if it worked or not. If it was early in the season this wouldn't be a problem as you would have plenty of time to buy replacements and re-sow, but now we are running a bit late so you would be taking a risk that it will be too late to re-sow if the stuff is for a crop this summer.

For example you have Tomatoes in your list, if you sow them today, how long do you wait for them to come up, two weeks, three!!! by then it will be getting on for mid June.

By all means use them, but you do so at your own risk of wasting time if they don't work, and saving a pound or two if they do!

Bob