a large number of these are for different greens, but there are a fair number of warm weather veggies and a few flowers.

Also, lettuce and parsnips are noted for short shelf lives. They say parsnips only last a year and lettuce, at most, two. I've had decent germination with parsnips at two years and lettuce, perhaps at three.

Under normal household temperatures I generally figure that seeds will last as follows:

squash - ten years
beans - four years
carrots - three years
corn - at least five years. I've heard of 20.
okra - I have grown it at four years on the shelf. But this doesn't mean that it will always work.
tomatoes - five years, easy.
cowpeas - six years, for sure. I once planted some Georgia Long, which is a yard long bean, at 12 years of age, stored in a garage and then in my bedroom. Germination was over 90%.

One disclaimer: for reasons I don't understand I have also have seeds expire in much less time than mentioned above. So, when one is getting out "on the edge" a germination test is prudent.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Betty,

Freezer storage adds a whole new dimension to seed storage. Back in 2006 I grew squash and tomatoes from seed which had been frozen since 1985. Germination was as good as if the seed had been produced in 2005. I've heard estimates that such seeds are good for at least 40 years in frozen storage. I don't know how they came up with that figure.

Here's another interesting anecdote. Back in February 2006 I was teaching a module at a Bible Institute in Hidalgo Mexico, and one of my students handed me a bag of pepper seeds. They were of Chile Rayado, a Jalape�o type raised in a certain area of the Sierra Madre Oriental. I had been looking for this seed for probably a decade. Anyway I've grown and saved this seed every year since. Last year I dug up the original bag of seed and did a germination test, five years after receiving it. The seed germinated as if it were new. Yet on other occasions I've had pepper seed show a marked decrease in germination rates at only 3 years.

George

George, that is a great story! This will be my first year to grow peppers from seed. I've ordered some Tam Jalapeno and Fish Pepper from Baker Creek. Yes I admit I chose the Fish pepper because it is pretty

This year I had several hot pepper plants that were just too slow for me. The pack said 100 days, but that didn't happen, so I will watch that in the future.

I also find much more success with coir than with peat. I've never been crazy about peat-based mixes anyway, and hae been using coir mixes more and more the last 2 or 3 years.

Anyway, nearly all the seed germinated and it was about 7 years old. They were various seeds of native plants, the only one I recall was Button Bush, or Cephalanthus occidentalis.

Think about weed seeds, for example. If I turn over new ground there are always seeds that have been dormant that will then germinate - too much, too often IMHO! I've also had seeds lie dormant of flowers, such as Gomphrena and Catnip. I had a Catnip germinate last year that I had planted over 5 years ago, and it had reseeded. The seeds remained dormant until I turned the soil last year. Voila! Catnip plants!

If you want to test your seeds, go ahead. I'm just sayin' you don't have to if you don't want to. They'll likely grow in either situation. Testing just gives you an idea of the percent of germination you might expect.

That said, there are seeds of certain plants that will only germinate if they are "fresh" seeds, e.g., Passiflora, Aristolochia, Valerian, Arisaema, Colocasia and Alocasia, Hellebore, a number of woodland plants, and many others I'm sure. Lotus seeds will remain viable for centuries.

Proper storage of seeds will extend their life, no doubt, and there are varying opinions on the net about the length of time seeds will remain viable under ideal conditions. There is really only one way to know if your seeds are viable, and that's to plant them. I bet you'll be surprised!

Susan

Susan, I know the feeling. I was referred to as "an old guy," last year, and it totally shocked me! But then, while purchasing something in a convenience store, I spotted a white haired fellow on the closed circuit TV, and was surprised when I realized it was me!

George

George I agree. I do on anything that I won't have extra plants or seeds of. Many times on old tomato seeds I receive I may only receive 4-5 seeds. So in that case I just wait. On corn, okra, ect if I don't have extra then I do a germination test.

I understand why germination testing is important with veggies, more than anything else, when you are working within a tight planting schedule. Since I grow few veggies, if any at all, it is not as important for me to test Zinnias for example. I should have made it more clear that I was addressing flowers in my response.

Carol and Max - you guys are tooooooo funny!

Susan

I just ran a germination test on some 1996 Georgia Long Cowpea (yardlong) which has been stored at room temperature (often without air conditioning). I got 8% germination!

My wife's grandfather passed this exact jar of seed to me, the last year he gardened, and asked me to keep it going. He passed away in 2002.

George

What peppers do need is heat. Up to a point, the warmer the temperature of the soil-less mix or soil, the faster peppers will germinate. If I sow seeds into a flat and put it in a cool, unheated location, the peppers are very slow to germinate and might take up to two weeks, or with habaneros maybe even three weeks. If I sow those same varieties into a flat and put it in a warmer room, or especially if I put the seedling heat mat under the flat, they'll sprout in 3 to 10 days. The average is about 7 or 8 days.

Years ago, Tom Clothier conducted extensive seed germination tests and established a database in which his results can be found. I'll find in and link it below. When you look at it, you can see the correlation between soil temperature and both the percentage of seeds that germinated and the speed (or lack of such) with which they sprouted.

I'll link the vegetable page of his germination database below.
Dawn