Testing for germination is easy. You probably knew that and forgot you knew it. :-)

Fold a few seeds in a coffee filter or paper towel on which you have written the name of the seeds. Moisten the filter or towel and seal it in a plastic bag. Start checking after a couple of days to see how many germinate.

I recently tested a sample of 5 Jackson Wonder Speckled Butter Beans from 2004. All 5 germinated.

Jim

Jimster

LOL!

No, I didn't forget it, but I thought somebody might have already done it, such as here! I did find Southern peas (cowpeas) in my notes with a shelf life of 3 years, the same as snap beans.

Of course, these figures are not cast in stone and many factors affect seed viability. I can use the paper towel method to figure the percentage of viable seeds, yes, but I want to know ballpark figures for beans so I know whether to order seeds for the next year! They comprise a lot of our diet, and I hate to be caught short of beans that we really like.

I routinely store beans and cowpeas in the freezer at roughly 0 degrees F with near 100% germination after 5 years. There are a few exceptions. I have one variety of beans that is a bit time sensitive. After 5 years, it germinates at about 40%. All of my lima beans have given 80% or better germination after 5 years.

DarJones

Dar

Thanks! I don't usually store my seeds in the freezer but rather in paper envelopes to keep them dry and then in a second plastic envelope. For most of my seeds that's sufficient, though there were the Italian green beans that I had a devil of a time trying to germinate.

At any rate, it's good to know that I might be able to extend the viability of my bean seeds beyond the usual if I store them in the freezer.

Concur: The shelf life unless you freeze of common bean is around three years. Limas maybe 4- 5 years. Cowpeas have a short shelf life, altho it does like everything else vary somewhat with variety. All of this is assuming that you are buying fresh seeds. Vendors can sell seeds of any age as long as they meet germination standards for the yesr sold.

I'm growing 2006 seeds of Lazy Wife Greasy. 100% germination in towels and in the ground. Kudus to the Greasy Wife! She just about jumped out the ground, and I've never seen a bean develop its first true leaves as fast as she, and on tall, thick stems. Serious site preparation, very warm soil, and great seeds paid off. I'm so pleased! I love Sam Cotner's Vegetable Book and SMAC equally.

2006 seeds were stored around the house for all these years. No freezing, no refrigeration. BUT, the plastic-zip seed bag had never been opened. Other bean seeds from same source did not fare so well, and I attribute their demise to my stupidity and neglect. I probably closed up the plastic seed bags on some humid July day and trapped humidity inside the bags.

Here is a link that might be useful: SMAC: Pic of Lazy Wife Greasy Bean

My experience on bean storage life has been a little different than stated by others above. I've kept my beans (all species) in ziplock freezer bags, filed in boxes, in an air-conditioned room that never gets above 70 degrees F. (usually 65-68 degrees). On the hottest days, when the A/C struggles, I tent over the A/C duct in the storage room, and place the boxes under the tent to keep them cool. Only back-up samples, and seeds with a short storage life, get frozen.

The beans are dried to a very low moisture level before packaging, using an odd - but very effective - method. I leave them spread out in trays until the temps outside are near zero, and pulling off a sweater causes a lightning storm (lol). The beans are pretty dry at that point. Works good here Up North, maybe not so good in areas with warmer winters.

After bagging the beans, I squeeze all excess air from the bag before closing it. The beans will consume most of the air that is left, and vacuum seal themselves. Whenever the bags are opened, I remove seeds quickly, and again squeeze out excess air before closing. Since I generally store at least a pound of seed per bag, the remaining air is again quickly consumed, which I believe returns the seeds to dormancy.

I never take the seed bags out of their climate-controlled room, and never return seed to the main storage that has been exposed to heat & humidity. Any seed to be planted or traded is transferred to other containers.

This year, "Soissons Vert", "Bird Egg #3", "Sieva" lima, and a black-seeded yardlong were all grown from 5-year-old seed stored this way. The germination for all of them was 80% or better... and 100% for the yardlongs, which really surprised me, since I have also noted that cowpeas (and Vignas in general) tend to have a shorter storage life than Phaseolus beans. I'm still planting bean samples sent to me 6-7 years ago, of unknown age... started indoors, even those generally get about 50% germination.

There is a seed storage paper by a Spanish seed bank that seems to explain why this method has worked so well for me. It emphasizes the importance of low moisture content & low oxygen for long-term storage, even at higher temperatures than normally used. The paper is a little dry (pun intended), but gives a new point of view for long term seed storage.

Here is a link that might be useful: A guide to efficient long term seed preservation

zeedman

That's a fascinating link. Thanks.

Are water "crystals" and gels used to add moisture to soils the same silica gel material that is used to dessicate seeds?

I had 70% germination on some old beans last year. These beans were in a glass container with a very snug lid. They sat on the kitchen counter in fluctuating temps for years, then in a cupboard for many more, about 15 years in all. The contain was full, not much air space left and the lid had never been off in all that time. I took some beans out to test last year and put the jar back in the cupboard, this year the germination rate was 0 so I tossed them, I guess once this jar was opened exposing them to the air finished them off.

Annette

Store all your seeds in the freezer. I've had corn that was at least twenty years old come up close to, if not, 100%. It was sweet corn, Golden Queen. Everyone has trouble getting okra up. Put it in the freezer, even for a day or so before planting. If some seed don't germinate, I never know it. Have to thin okra, usually twice, for it to have room to grow.

In short, I've never had seed stored in the freezer fail me.

John, I'm glad you mentioned that about okra (even if this is the bean forum LOL) because I have had trouble getting it to germinate on more than one occasion. Germination has varied from poor to zip.

Jim

Jim, I can help you with that problem re okra.

1. Store very well dried seed in the freezer. This maintains germination ability and tends to crack the seed coat which speeds germination.

2. Pre-soak okra seed overnight in hot water. Just run hot but not boiling tap water over the seed and leave them overnight.

3. Plant 8 seed per hill with hills 12 to 15 inches apart. I prefer 15 inches for the varieties I grow but there are some varieties like Burmese that do better with closer spacing.

4. This is a VERY important step. The seed must be very close together in the soil so that they help each other crack through the soil.

5. Till the soil until it is pulverized before planting, make a shallow hole, drop in the seed, put your foot on the seed to firm the soil around them, then cover them with 1/2 to 3/4 inch of loose soil.

Try this next year and I bet you never go back to the way you have been doing okra seed.

DarJones

Thanks, Dar. I love okra and have been disappointed with my crop a few times. I'll use your method next year. This year's is now starting to make progress after a slow start and I'm optimistic.

Jim

I tested a 1996 bottle of Georgia Long Cowpea (long bean) in 2007 and had nearly 100% germination! This was stored at regular room temperature, and we don't always use air conditioning. The bottle was a Metamucile bottle, if that makes any difference. It was the same bottle my wife's grandfather returned seed to me, asking that I keep it going, back in 1996. I should retest that seed...

But I have other beans which have quite after three years. So, I try to renew my seed at least every three years. If our freezer wasn't always so full, I'd start a storage facility in there.

One time, I pulled some twenty year old lima seed out of a lamp stand my father made, and got a couple to sprout! But, recently, I nearly lost that same bean, because I let the seed get older than 3 years....

George
Tahlequah, OK