How long do seeds last

[YogaMama]

I was given a bunch of seeds, tomato, broccoli, lettuce, green beans, peas, etc. The problem is that I'm not planting a garden this year. I will be next year, but this year I just had a baby, and I have no time! So, my question is, will these seeds last till next year? I looked on the back of the seeds, and some of them are from last year. I think the lady who gave them to me didn't realize when she bought them, and didn't want to them to go to waste. I just don't want to waste them myself!

 

[Denim Deb]

I've planted old seeds B4. Some grew, some didn't. And, I'm talking more than a year or two old!

 

[moolie]

I've planted seeds up to and over 10 years old and had fair to good germination, some seeds are shorter lived than others.

A good book for this kind of info is Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, I used to regularly borrow it from my library before I finally got my own copy. There are probably also charts online if you google

 

[~gd]

I was given a bunch of seeds, tomato, broccoli, lettuce, green beans, peas, etc. The problem is that I'm not planting a garden this year. I will be next year, but this year I just had a baby, and I have no time! So, my question is, will these seeds last till next year? I looked on the back of the seeds, and some of them are from last year. I think the lady who gave them to me didn't realize when she bought them, and didn't want to them to go to waste. I just don't want to waste them myself!

When you get some time, you can test your seeds. place a few on a wet [not dripping wet] paper towel (I like the brown ones they put in men's room better than the white ones that you buy) newsprint will work too. cover with a second damp towel. place in a warm place [top of refrig works for me] don't allow the towels to dry out. check for roots or sprouts, if they do they are fine.Iif your sprout rate is low [less than 30%] plant more then you would with fresh seed. 2-3 years old should be good. some hard seeds last for decades.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Congratulations on the baby! Good plan to wait until next year to grow the garden. Your best bet is to put the seeds in a mason jar (with a lid), with a small desiccant packet (take one from a pill bottle), and put them in the fridge until you are ready to use them. Many seeds will last a few years without this treatment. Some will last longer, as others have mentioned. But storing them in low humidity and cool temps will increase their life. You can find the average seed life of different vegetable seeds, if you want to make sure before you plant. I usually am lazy and just look it up in my Territorial Seed Company catalog, but I'm sure if you googled average seed life for each vegetable seed type, you could find it online. And as ~gd mentioned, you can always test them before sowing. Good luck!

Edited for typos

 

[Dawn419]

Seed Sorage Times and Viability

Hope this is some help!

 

[YogaMama]

Thank you all for the quick replies! I do store some seeds in the freezer, like my spaghetti squash seeds, but will put the others in the fridge. I just don't want to waste this valuable gift!