Using the baggie method with coffee filters or paper towels is a good way to test seed germination. By taking a sample of 10 to 20 seeds and pre-sprouting them in baggies, you can gauge how viable those seeds are before committing to starting more of those seeds or transplanting the seedlings.
A seedling with compromised vigor may have a missing cotyledon, look stunted or scrawny, or seem overall slower to develop than seedlings from fresher seeds. A will to germinate does not equal an ability to thrive. The cheat sheet below takes the average life expectancy of seeds from a variety of sources, including the cooperative extensions of Oregon State University , Colorado State University , Purdue University , and Virginia State University.
All seed banks freeze seeds that are intended for long-term storage, and you can do the same at home. The key is to start with thoroughly dried seeds if you saved them from your own plants and store them in airtight, freeze-proof containers to reduce the risk of seeds absorbing moisture.
Avoid storing your seeds in an attic or uninsulated garage, or inside a hot car on a sunny day. If you want to store seeds long-term, vacuum sealing is the ultimate method of seed preservation. In fact, seeds store best in airtight containers in consistently cool, dark, and dry conditions, such as those found in a fridge or freezer.
As long as the seeds were sufficiently dry before storage they shatter or snap in half cleanly, rather than smash or bend under pressure , the lack of air—along with low humidity—helps them stay dormant and viable longer. However, they do deteriorate in quality and vigor over time. If you try to plant seeds past those dates, you may still get a few of them to germinate, but the overall yield will be lower. The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook is my latest book.
Garden Betty is where I write about modern homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and outdoor adventuring — all that encompass a life well-lived outdoors. After all, the secret to a good life is Read more ». The seeds had been stored down in the basement all this time, inside the heavy metal box that they had shipped in. I planted 16 heirloom tomato seeds and 16 heirloom sweet bell pepper seeds. They all sprouted and grew healthy, once I I figured out I needed to use a plant light, that is.
I used your advice on gardenbetty. I ended up with a huge crop of beautiful heirloom tomatoes and some green peppers. I will say that the peppers did not grow very big, but it might have been the weather here last summer and not the fault of the seeds—especially since the pepper plants themselves looked fine, both indoors and once planted in the garden. The tomatoes, on the other hand, did great all season long.. I canned some and gave hundreds away to friends, to the Salvation Army, etc.
I even pulled up a few tomato plants and set them on newspapers in my toolshed near a window to be able to harvest a few dozen more tomatoes. This experience proved to me that a good heirloom seed can sometimes grow just fine, many years later, when stored optimally. There is a seed vault in???? Betty, wow, really good job! Do you think that this chart matches to all varieties of one kind? These are just rough guidelines of how long the seeds should last, but in general, they apply to all varieties of the same plant.
Your salsify will likely still germinate after a year, but it may get progressively weaker each year after in terms of how long it takes to germinate and mature.
You never know unless you try. Thanks for such good information on a perennial question. A couple years ago, more as a lark than an act of optimism, I planted some year-old Tithonia seeds Mexican Sunflowers.
To my amazement, they sprouted and grew into vigorous plants! I was extremely gratified, although I realize this is probably highly unusual. Yes, it was fun to see them come up! A few years later, though, I was bummed when I planted a fresh batch and not one came up. Details, details. Thank you so much for the work you put into this article.
I have a habit of purchasing seeds and then never using much of them. I still have some pea seeds from I know that under certain circumstances seeds can last a very very long time. I will have to plant some of these old seeds this year and see if any of them take.
Thank you for the awesome article! Until now I had to be really careful when buying seeds, because it was hard to tell whether they were going to last long or not, and if they could sprout and grow with enough vigor at all. But with this cheat sheet I can finally sort out my crop rotation plan with ease! After reading comments, I retrieved them from the garbage. Will have to wait until next year to test. Thank you! I would definitely test the germination rate of any seeds that are close to the suggested expiry dates in this post, but if you have the time and inclination, you could always test the ones that are far beyond expiration just for fun.
I found a pack of basil seeds that were dated for the growing season. I have been gardening on a budget for over 30 years. When I bought my first house, the old fellow who sold it to me left some tomato seeds. However, after the fist few rounds the cycle was bumped to 20 years. A vial was opened in and only one species, a weed, still germinated. There are a few good sources that pull data from a variety of sources.
The figure below lists some life expectancy times for common vegetable crops published by Nebraska Extension, using two common manuals on seeds as sources.
Like the MSU experiment, most of this research was done a while ago, but the data is still a good generalization. Most sources say that these time estimates are based on storage in optimal conditions. Generally the conditions are low humidity and low temperature. Low humidity ensures that the seed stays dry, avoiding potential initiation of germination. Low temperature reduces the respiration rate, slowing down usage of stored energy and increasing longevity.
The relationship between temperature and humidity seems to be inverse — meaning that as storage temperature goes lower, humidity can be higher and vice versa.
However, storage times increase as both go down. Many sources state that seed longevity doubles for every one percent drop in humidity or five degree F drop in temperature. The relative humidity of the air affects the moisture level in the seeds. Ideal moisture levels for storage range between 8 and 12 percent and levels between 12 and 25 can lead to degradation of seeds, growth of fungi, etc. Storage tips Knowing that we need low temperatures and low relative humidity to extend seed life gives us some clues on how to store seeds to get the longest shelf life.
For the needed temperature levels, your standard home refrigerator is acceptable. However, humidity in a refrigerator is very variable. Humidity can skyrocket when doors are open, as condensation settles from warm room air settling on surfaces accumulates.
Auto defrost cycles can also alter humidity. The paper towel will rot quickly enough and, in the meantime, it will help hold water near the roots. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
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