i am wondering how long seeds will keep, before they go bad? i have some seeds i've had for probably 3 or 4 years, not sure if they would still grow or not. i wonder if it makes a difference between hybrid and the old heirlooms? also, i store my seeds in the house in a closet, protected from temp extremes and such. any words or advice? thanks and have a great day everybody gene

-- gene ward (gward34847@aol.com), April 13, 2000

Answers

THey could still be fine. Try to sprout some between wat layers of paper towels, If they sprout you have your answer Grant

-- Grant Eversoll (thegrange@earthlink.net), April 13, 2000.

You can test the seeds by wrapping several in a wet paper towel, put the paper towel in a plastic bag, put the bag in a dark cabinet. In a a few day to a couple of weeks they'll germinate if they're good.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony@yahoo.com), April 13, 2000.

My husband said that on the Victory Garden show yesterday they mentioned to test if seeds are good you should put them in a glass/jar of water. Those that float are no good. Those that sink to the bottom are still good. I would assume this would not work for seeds that are too light to sink in the first place but should work for things like radishes and peas, etc. I thought this was a good tip because you know if they are good right away instead of having to wait for them to sprout. I have some seeds I am going to test this way and I'll let you know what if find.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 13, 2000.

Seed viability (their ability to germinate and grow) varies not only with the particular species of plant it came from but also with particular varieties within a species. In other words, there is no easy answer. Some plants, such as onions, may only remain viable for a year, maybe two while others, such as squash, may easily last five or six years.

The most important things to do to maintain viability in your seeds is to keep them very dry (not less than 3% moisture, not more than 10% at most), keep them cool (you can even freeze them if they're dry enough), in the dark and protected from insects. Basically the same procedures you'd use to keep your grain and legumes at their best in food storage.

If the seed is more than two years old you may want to perform the germination test that the other posters have mentioned. I've always just used a damp paper towel and put it into a plastic bag in a warm spot. I'll commonly plant seed that is two to three years old and seldom have significant failures.

I don't recall the author's name off the top of my head but there is a book by the title of Saving Seeds that is full of excellent information. It's really intended for folks who want to save heirloom and open pollinated seed but most of it will work for hybrid seed as well.

.........Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.5

http://www.ProvidenceCo-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@netscape.net), April 13, 2000.

Gene - Alan is right. It depends! Corn does not store well at all. Vine crops are generally good for 4 or 5 years. Last year I planted tomato seed from 1991. Somewhere in my hoorah's nest I have a table that lists many of the common vegetables. However, if the seed looks viable as it should if it has been dry and cool, then plant some and see what happens. Good luck!

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), April 13, 2000.

Saving seeds is by Marc Rogers.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), April 13, 2000.

Saving Seeds by Marc Rogers gives lots of info that would of value to you. The ISBN is 00082666347, I got mine at: http://philsbookshop.vstorebooks.com

Hope this helps you.

-- Jonathon (idahoranger@hotmail.com), April 15, 2000.

Good answers, but I would like to qualify what Brad said. Sweet corn seed doesn't keep long, but in my experience field corn may keep several years. You may want to plant old seed more thickly than fresh seed, as germination rate drops off.

-- Sam Norris (snorris@dnr.state.wv.us), April 19, 2000.