Do you save your extra garden seeds from year to year?

[Ginevra]

Every year, I have too many seeds and every year, I put them back in my gardening cabinet. The following year, though, I am 9/10 times skeptical of the old seeds and I use new seeds. Every few years, I toss the extra seeds that have accummulated, but I think I ought to just be realistic from the beginning and throw away any remaining seeds at the time I plant (or, at least, after they have germinated and I won't be growing more this season).

 

There are packets of tomato and pepper seeds in my sunroom and part of me thinks I should just throw them away now. I'm not starting more peppers or tomatoes at this point and next year, I will worry they won't germinate and won't mess with them. But part of me feels like that is wasteful. What do you do?

[Happy]

I do like you...save them, but never plant them.

 

I distrust their viability after a year or two.

 

[mellifera33]

I think it probably depends on the species. I'm looking at a packet of sunflower seeds right now that gives specifications--minimum germination standard of 80%, usual seed life of 3 years. My peppers say 2 years, cherry tomatoes 3 years. I'd keep them. 

[Erica in OR]

I do keep them year to year, but store them in the refrigerator with multiple seed packets in a ziploc bag, along with a silica gel packet or two (I save them when they come with a pair of shoes or whatever). There are certain seeds that do not keep well—I've read things like sweet corn and parsnips, for example. Things like that I would buy fresh every year or two as needed. With the older ones, I might plant extra to help be sure that enough would germinate. I have successfully used seeds from several years old, but then, I don't have super high expectations for my garden results either. :) One chart is at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/how-long-do-garden-seeds-last.

 

Erica in OR

[cjzimmer1]

Every year, I have too many seeds and every year, I put them back in my gardening cabinet. The following year, though, I am 9/10 times skeptical of the old seeds and I use new seeds. Every few years, I toss the extra seeds that have accummulated, but I think I ought to just be realistic from the beginning and throw away any remaining seeds at the time I plant (or, at least, after they have germinated and I won't be growing more this season).

 

There are packets of tomato and pepper seeds in my sunroom and part of me thinks I should just throw them away now. I'm not starting more peppers or tomatoes at this point and next year, I will worry they won't germinate and won't mess with them. But part of me feels like that is wasteful. What do you do?

I don't plant anything from seed since my family owns a greenhouse and just take whatever plants I want but I will tell you that we have planted seeds as much as 10+ years old and they still germinate fine.  We do keep them in a drawer in the fridge to store them but otherwise, yeah we just keep using the old until it's gone and then buy new.  Large packages are much cheaper than small (per ounce/seed) so we just buy the big packages and use them however many years until they are gone.  

 

I would guess a sunroom good get quite hot so that would affect the seeds but if you buy new seeds, just stick them in the fridge and use them again next year.

[Melissa in Australia]

I thought you were going to ask if you save your own seed.

 

We do for most things, lettuce, carrots, pumpkin etc. not brassicas though, they cross pollinate

[Lady Marmalade]

Onion seed is the only one I toss every year- they lose their viability by as much as 50% at one year old.

 

But I've started tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, carrots and other greens from 5-10 year old seed no problem.  I would only throw out seed if I didn't like that variety.  If I am dubious about the age of seeds, I'll sow more thickly.

 

I didn't have to buy a single seed packet this year.  :huh:

[Miss Tick]

 

I didn't have to buy a single seed packet this year. :huh:

I did! I bought chives and basil. Then I got home and discovered I had also bought them some other time in the last 6 months. Sigh. Much like books and curriculum. Maybe I can sell them to Quill now that we've convinced her to keep planting.

[marbel]

I've had old seeds grow just fine.

 

You can try sprouting them indoors first, to see if they're viable.  Don't you just put them between 2 layers of damp paper towel or something like that?   I feel like that was a science experiment we did in the early years.  

[myfunnybunch]

I usually plant 2-3 year-old seeds and they come up fine. But the local food bank garden has a huge plant sale each spring for a fundraiser, so I mostly grow everything except peas, beans, sweet peas, sunflowers from starts rather than seed. Oh, and sometimes squash/pumpkin seed. More expensive with the starts, but it's a good cause and I get a good start on my garden.

 

Actually, my shelling/drying bean seeds are always "new" from the previous fall because I just grab whatever is left in the pantry and plant those. :)

[Saddlemomma]

I've had some of my seeds over 3 years; I still use them; they still germinate. I keep them in a dark, cool place.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

When we had a garden we saved our seeds.

[Guest]

I've had old seeds grow just fine.

 

You can try sprouting them indoors first, to see if they're viable. Don't you just put them between 2 layers of damp paper towel or something like that? I feel like that was a science experiment we did in the early years.

Yeah, but I always wondered about this. Do you then plant the sprouted seeds or is that just supposed to tell you the probability that the others will germinate?

[Guest]

Well, I'm going to have to try saving them in better conditions! Thank you, Hive!

[barnwife]

Yeah, but I always wondered about this. Do you then plant the sprouted seeds or is that just supposed to tell you the probability that the others will germinate?

 

Either way works.  Somebody showed me to germinate sweet corn and then plant it, that worked much better for me than planting the seeds.  

 

Isn't the freezer the best place to keep seeds? Even onions work fine after sitting in the freezer. The only thing I don't like to put in the freezer is treated corn seed, the hot pink stuff, I don't know what the treatment is, just don't do it. 

 

The funnest seed storing challenge is planting two year old potatoes or garlic.  The garlic did better than fresh.  There's no reason to try that with potatoes except the fun of it.  

[Rosie_0801]

I had some sitting around a year past their use by date (according to the packet.) I started them in a seed tray thinking I'd get half a dozen and got about two hundred. I had to dig more garden space to fit them in!  :huh:

 

Sometimes I save seeds, but I've moved house too often to have a nicely working system. *sigh*

[shawthorne44]

I had some sitting around a year past their use by date (according to the packet.) I started them in a seed tray thinking I'd get half a dozen and got about two hundred. I had to dig more garden space to fit them in!  :huh:

 

Sometimes I save seeds, but I've moved house too often to have a nicely working system. *sigh*

 

I read somewhere that They say that seeds can get better when a little older.  Up to a point.  Of course that is something you'd want to investigate yourself.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

We get a lot of free seeds from the community garden ppl.  They are always expired, but they always work out anyway. 

 

 

[UmMusa]

Dang, Just yesterday I tossed half-full seed packets that have been in a drawer since last year. I should have given them a shot.