Sell by date?

[DarkCrow]

hi Peeps

Quick question about sell by dates.

I'm trying to build a collection of seeds and one of the packs i have been given in particular parsley will be out of date this month, should i bin it? plant it? or keep it till the time comes?

Any help as always apreciated

Thanks DC

[Florence Fennel]

I'd sow them DC. I do that with any old seed except G4's favourite and even then, some usually show their faces! If in doubt, try it out.

[DarkCrow]

I'd sow them DC. I do that with any old seed except G4's favourite and even then, some usually show their faces! If in doubt, try it out.

i'll have to find space but ok Thanks FF

[Jeanied]

The sell by/ use by date is the period of time that the seed company thinks the seed will be all viable - giving 100% germination. (In theory, I must stress!) Once this date is passed, the seed will gradually start to die off - so that germination goes down to 75, 50 25%. I was totally shocked to find parsnip seeds from 2002 - they went into my airing cupboard germination experiment alongside the fresh ones and the sow by 2009 ones. I had a couple of 2002 vintage germinate - and pretty poor germination from the 2010 seeds. I'm mostly growing the 2009 ones - and that is parnips which are supposed to die the quickest of all!
The moral of my tale is - beautifully summed up by Flo above - if in doubt, try it out!!

[womble]

I always ignore sell by dates completely, usually with excellent results.

[Pumpkin Becki]

It never hurts to try, after all, what have you got to lose? Just be prepared for the percentage of germination to be a bit lower than a brand new packet.

[maypril]

I'm trying to build a collection of seeds and one of the packs i have been given in particular parsley will be out of date this month

The second the sow by date has passed, none of the seeds will germinate!

Just kidding.

The longer you leave it after the sow by date, the lower the germination rate will be. I suspect they'll be fine for next year, but you will have to sow them more thickly.

Parsely can be a bit hard to germinate at the best of times, so I'd recommend the usual tricks. Keep them in the fridge until you are ready to sow, then soak them in hot water and leave overnight before sowing the next day.