Fresh seed is best!

[veggiechicken]

There's a very good list of "How long do seeds last?" at
FAQ: How long do vegetable seeds last? How to store them and how long they keep.

Onion/leek seeds last up to 3 years.

I had a lot of old seed of Ornamental Alliums and some fresh Welsh Onion seeds from Scarlet (Thanks) and ANother and some fresh Sand Leek/Rocambole seeds.

I sowed 17 different types on 7th Feb and within a week the 3 lots of fresh seed had germinated. None of the rest have.
The difference is viability is so noticeable I wanted to share it. As you know, I believe that every seed deserves a chance to grow - so I'm going to scatter all my old onion family seeds somewhere and let them decide if they're up to growing or not.



I haven't lost hope of some more seeds germinating but I'm convinced Fresh is Best.

[SarrissUK]

Interesting. I need to go back now to have a look and see how old the leek seeds were that I sowed. They haven't germinated yet.
Thanks VC Even more of a reason for me to get another plot so I can use up the seeds I have!!

[Penellype]

I've sown 2 lots of tomatoes this year - Shirley, which were bought last year and germinated within a week, and Balconi Red which were bought some time ago and say sow by 2017. There is no sign of life whatsoever from the Balconi seeds and I have sown some more from a fresh packet today. The book I have which gives a table of seed viability implies tomato seeds keep 10 years. The ones I sowed were bought in 2015.

[Scarlet]

I find this lots, even more so with Chilli seed. Even freshly bought seed take so much longer than saved seed that I get fresh from the seed circles.

More people should join - even the party poopers that have too many to choose from

[Small pumpkin]

I've noticed that with my chillies this year. I've sown jalapeño from a packet and self saved. The self saved has germinated already.

[veggiechicken]

Commercial seed packets can be misleading.

For example, GYO this month gave away some Mr F's Cucumber "Beth Alpha" seeds - packed in y/e Jan 2020, sow by 2023.

To be packed in y/e 2020, when we've only just crept into 2019, means that the seeds were collected from plants grown in 2018 at the latest. By 2023 they'll be 5 years old.
By contrast, I bought some Beth Alpha seeds from Seekay end of last year to sow in 2019. They were Packed y/e 2018, sow by y/e 2020.
To be fair, Seekay's seeds are loose in a polybag and MrF's will be in a foil packet so should last longer - but we don't know when either of them were harvested.

However, as Scarlet said, our own saved seeds will be very fresh and raring to grow. Join the Circles, everyone, and see for yourselves. (End of commercial)

[MarkHackwell]

I have got a few seeds now going out of date, and with the one's I sowed a while back now which were in date and some out, its got me wondering if I will actually bother sowing the outdated seed since it might just be a waste of compost.

[Scarlet]

I think it depends what it is. Tomatoes usually last for ages. Chillies don't, parsnip certainly doesnt. Fresh home saved parsnip seed is fabulous! It's worth doing a test with a pinch of seed before you need them if they are getting old.

[SarrissUK]

Mark, I'd give them a go still! If I reckon they might not be as viable, I just sow three times as many as I think I need. And if they don't take, I just use the same compost to sow something else. Nothing lost

[veggiechicken]

Waiting for signs of life from a row of, say carrots, can be a long process and, by the time you've decided they're not going to germinate, you may have closed the sowing window.
I wouldn't sow old seed without testing some first.

[Kirk]

For those of us who do not have the strength of will to lob "old" seeds in the bin (most of us I would say), I suspect we need a raised bed, or similar, where we can scatter the lot and just see what transpires.

Which reminds me to go scatter several old packs of wild flower seeds at the newish foot bridge over the rail line.

[veggiechicken]

That's roughly what I do^^^ I have a patch of ground where I chuck all my leftover & old seeds - and a lot of saved ones I'll never sow. I like surprises.

[1Bee]

I'm sorting seeds now and viability testing some of them. I'm doing the legumes at the mo. Old pea seed doing great: last year's runners rotting. Huh?

Any that I would 'chuck' I'm going to try growing for microgreens. Can't hurt!

[veggiechicken]

After several more comparison tests between fresh and old seeds, I've given up sowing "past their sow by date "seeds when there is a short sowing window that would be missed if there was any delay in germination. (I know what I mean!).

Gradually, all the old seeds are being scattered in the totally random beds.
Hopefully, I'll end up with a reasonable number of in-date seed packets and a lot more space in the filing cabinet where they're stored.

Remind me not to buy more until I've sown the ones I have please.