Some seeds completely lose viability shortly after they are ripe and can't hack dry storage, but most are fine with dry storage, and a lot of seeds actually benefit from dry storage and become easier to germinate over several years, with then gradually decreasing viability. What's important is how they are stored. If they are exposed to heat or humidity, their viability can decrease greatly. But if they are kept cool and dry, they can last for many years. Seed banks store seeds dry and frozen and estimate 200+ years of seed viability under these conditions. The best thing to do is test some seeds from each batch. Then you will know what you are starting with. You can usually do a quick germination test on a wet paper towel. Then store the ones that are good in dry, cool conditions.

Boulderbelt, Wow, that is a lot of asparagus and lettuce. I'm curious as to how many pounds to expect from my 700 asparagus plants planted last year. I never harvest until the second year even tho' they are of really good size. We already have an established bed for ourselves. I've been very pleased with the Purple Passion and this Millenium variety from Canada. I will also be growing parsnips for the first time this year and planned on a winter harvest. Do they get woody harvested in the spring or were yours picked earlier and stored?? I also grow leeks but have never overwintered them. Do you plant shallots in the fall as well? This sounds very interesting. Thanks, Brook

weedyacres, I think actual damage is less common, but happens. The removal of hardscape and landscape items have been reported (wasn't it in GW about the paved walkway being removed?), and other cases where the new owners found multiple holes in the ground where trees and shrubs had been dug up. Some have reported missing or switched appliances, light fixtures and other items that should have remained per the contract. Other annoyances abound, such as leaving items behind for the owner to clear out (hazardous waste products, large/heavy items requiring special disposal pick-up, etc.) discovering they painted around the furniture rather than behind it (another GWer's post), and damage hidden by furniture or rugs. In one local case, the previous owner's son refused to leave and it took a drawn out, and expensive, legal battle to remove him. It is bad enough having to deal with some of these issues when you become aware of them at a vacant house walkthrough. In our case, multiple cans of hazardous waste and multiple bulky items were left for us to take care of, but we were under time constraints and had to close rather than force the owners to remove the junk. I hate to imagine what they would have thought to get away with leaving if it had been had been after closing!

Of course, but the likelihood that the house on the right which is dated is pretty clearly painted within the last ten years at least, clean and not battered. I don't have pictures of my parents garage or basement, but if I did, I would have posted them. They had the garage floor mopped weekly, the furnace, water heater, and A/C while not brand-new are maintained with maintenance schedules attached and the roof is brand new. The pictures of the house on the left show a dirty basement, worn out utilities and a garage that was drywalled and never ever painted in 40 years. You can see in a number of the above pictures of the house on the right (especially if they were bigger--but it's clear in the bathroom photo). That the bathroom ceiling on the left was probably painted when the house was built and Never since. It Hasn't been my experience that Appearances are *that* deceiving that the house on the left would be pristine on all the surfaces and falling apart infrastructure-wise, and the house on the right would be worn out and dirty on the surface and the model of careful maintenance of the infrastructure. Sometimes you can be fooled, but I think that's even more likely where the surfaces were all updated and heavily staged, to make it more appealing for quick sale with quick coats of paint and "flash". So while I understand what you are saying, I don't really agree that it is Usually the case that appearances are *that deceiving.