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Frugal Gardening

Seeds from Last Year

16 years ago

Hello All,

I've never posted here before, and the search engine is broken, so please forgive me if this topic has been covered already. I thought if anyone would be able to answer this question for me, it would be someone from this forum. I have a number of seeds left over from last year, especially beans, zucchini, and carrots. Can I save some money by using these seeds this spring, or should I order all new seeds? Are some older seeds more likely to germinate than others? I know that seeds are not extremely expensive, but it seems like a waste to toss them away when I had such good luck with them last year!

Thank you,

Jody

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Comments (6)

Carol_from_ny
16 years ago
You can use them. Not all of them may germinate so you may have to plant a few more seeds than normal to get the number of plants you want.
My suggestion would be to plant whatever you have left and then maybe make a trade via Freecycle or Craigslist for whatever you don't want with someone else.
I know my local Freecycle has a gardening board and members swap extra seedlings for other seedlings to make their gardens more interesting or to get a chance to try something they normally wouldn't have spent the money on.
booberry85
16 years ago
Here's a chart that will help you figure out what seeds are still viable and what seeds you may need to buy again. Carrots, beans and squash should all be good for a couple years.

Here is a link that might be useful: Seed Storage
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They generally recommend planting 1 1/2 - 2 oz. size pieces, so it sounds like you're good. I'm not sure what you mean by 'good' sprouts. You want short sprouts, 1/4 inch long or so. Any longer are not good. And they should be green, not all white. If they're already sprouting and you won't be planting for a while, they should be kept cold to prevent them from growing any more.
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Ditto Karen. If there's still seeds left in the pods, then they should be viable. I collected seeds from my favourite Echinacea just a couple of weeks ago. The finches had not gotten to the seedhead and it was so perfect with all it's seeds. I also collected from a Butterfly Bush and some Rudbeckias.
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alley
16 years ago
I've had carrot, zuccini (sp?), spinach and other seeds for YEARS (we're talking 3-5 years). I've never had a problem with them. I just plant them directly into the ground at the right time, and always get plenty of seedlings. Since I don't start them ahead of time in doors, I don't know the germination percentage, but it has always worked out for me. The same it true of my zinnia seeds.
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
16 years ago
The link booberry85 gives a good idea of seeds releative shelf life. Keep in mind the shelf life listed pertains to the "minimum germination" column. For example it lists lettuce as having a shelf life of 1 year in order to get 80% germination. I've planted lettuce seeds over 6 years old and still got a good crop (50% germination?). Just meant less thinning to do and I know I've germinated tomato seed even older than that.

tj
florrie2
16 years ago
Pish! I've been growing lettuce and beets from seeds I got in 1993. Slow to germinate, and far from 100%, but still OK. I save seeds from herbs (dill, basil, coriander, garlic chives) and they work well too. Just be sure to dry them thoroughly before storing (in paper, in a dry place).

It's a scam that they tell you to get new seeds every year. If you've stored the original package correctly, you should be able to get at least a few years out of them.

Florrie
florrie2
16 years ago
OOPS! I forgot! If you save your own seeds, make sure you're using an open pollinated variety, not a hybrid. Hybrids will not come true from seed.

F

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