Hi,
Yes, you can keep them for next year. Most seeds will keep for a few years or even longer. Only a few have a short life, the onion family and corn are two that I can think of that you might have got seeds of.
Store them in a cool dark dry spot in your home.
Remy

Lettuce seed is the only one that I've had a problem getting to germinate after a year. (It is supposed to last several years. Go figure.) Everything else has been fine.

I saw a special on one of the sciencey tv networks in which people were able to grow varieties that had been extinct for half a century, because someone stored some seeds properly. Basically, they were kept in a dark, dry place. Of course, it's probably not the case for ALL seeds, but I know I've grown tomatoes, lettuce and acorn squash from old seeds before. (I just planted some acorn squash seeds that I harvested in 2004, what remains from what I used up last year, and I expect they should be fine). I stored my old seeds in an air-tight container. I don't know if this is even necessary, but it didn't seem to hurt them.

Greetings,

I have a bunch of seeds packages that range from 6 to 12 years old. They have been stored in a variety of places.

Please advise.

BestÂ

Frank

Frank,
Please start a new thread and post what types of seeds you have.
Thank you,
Remy

Its important to keep them in a cool, dark, dry place. I keep mine in a container in the refrigerator. The germination rate will go down some each year, faster on somethings than others. Onion are said to only be able to be kept for 1 yr, I had a 5 yr old package with about 60 seed so I planted them (just to see) not thinking I would really get anything from them. 14 seeds germinated, thats almost 25%. So I would not count on most germinating when they start getting old, but I would not just discount them. I've also planted 3 15 yr old tomato seeds and had 2 of them germinate. If your using older seed its a little more of a gamble but like the lottery you never know if you don't try it. If more grow than you can use, you can always share.

Good gardening, Mary