How Old is an Old Seed?

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So I had some old Italian Flat leaf Parsley and Genovese Basil herb seeds sitting around and I wanted to try them in our hydroponic system to see if see if I could get them to germinate. I waited two weeks and saw nothing so into the trash bin they went but it started me thinking how long are seeds viable? After doing some research I learned that all seeds are viable for at least a year, with many others viable for definitely two years. After that second year the germination rate may start to drop off.

There is a trick to see if a seed will germinate.

There is an easy test you can do to check to see if there is life left in your old seeds. Take your seeds and put them in a container of water. Let them sit for about 15 minutes. Then if the seeds sink, they are still viable; if they float, they most likely will not sprout.

There are other reasons besides age that your seeds might not germinate.

If they are planted too deeply, or planted in cold soil, the extremes of watering, improper soil preparation, birds or squirrels are the most common causes for seeds failing to germinate.

Ok, so you have old seeds if they germinate will the fruit be good?

The experts say that planting old seeds is not only possible it’s okay. The flowers and fruit that come from these seeds will be of the same quality as if they were grown from fresh seeds. The nutrition from old vegetable seeds are just as nutritious as those from current season seeds.

What is the proper way to preserve seeds for years?

Different kinds of seeds can be saved, each in their own individual paper packets. Make sure that you put the date of the seeds on the packet. Keep seeds dry and cool. Store these packets in tightly sealed glass containers. Putting them in the back of your fridge is the ideal place to keep them until you need them again.

With the price of seeds it’s important to take the best care of them that you can. If the current season’s seeds aren’t used take the time to properly store them for the next. Also, if you are gathering your own seeds take the time to learn how prepare them properly for storage. The time and money that this takes is worth it and you will thank yourself for doing so. I know that I am going to be more careful and store my seeds properly It will help me not be disappointed when they don’t germinate and it will help save my money because I’m not buying seeds that I already had but didn’t take care of.

How do you save your seeds?