Comments on: How Long Will Vegetable Seeds Stay Viable?

By: Jo

Jo — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 13:59:25 +0000

Don’t toss older tomato seeds. I have had seeds as old as 15 years sprout consistantly – and they were stored in the back of a kitchen drawer – nothing fancy.

By: Grateful Child

Grateful Child — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 15:12:24 +0000

I just keep mine in a box in the refrigerator. They seem to last a very long time. Spinach more than 5 years. I think if you freeze them they will last indefinitely.

By: Successful Seed Planting - MeanyGoat

Successful Seed Planting - MeanyGoat — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 11:22:18 +0000

[…] seeds which are stored in sealed packets and cool conditions have a very long shelf life. For example radish and turnips will typically last over 4 years while onions and parsnips only […]

By: How to Host a Seed Swap

How to Host a Seed Swap — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 19:28:00 +0000

[…] Determine if your seeds are still viable in this Seasonal Wisdom chart. […]

By: Time To Organize Those Seeds | inspiredbystacy

Time To Organize Those Seeds | inspiredbystacy — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 00:51:02 +0000

[…] periods of time. To get you started, I found a great guide on vegetable seed viability here at Seasonal Wisdom. The oldest seed packet I found in my collection was from 2004. […]

By: Buying Seeds | the Creative Garden Patch

Buying Seeds | the Creative Garden Patch — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 22:40:19 +0000

[…] Check your seed inventory. What do you have left that you can use this year. Learn what you can about seed viability. […]

By: Seasonal Wisdom

Seasonal Wisdom — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 22:01:57 +0000

In reply to William.

Depending on the types of seeds, and how they were stored, they may still be viable. Good luck!

By: William

William — Sat, 08 Nov 2014 02:45:47 +0000

I found out I have several vegetable seeds (90% unopened) from 3 years ago! Time to start planting!

By: Mackenzie Kupfer

Mackenzie Kupfer — Tue, 06 May 2014 19:02:51 +0000

Thank you so much for compiling this information. I was just debating with my mom whether the sweetcorn seeds she bought around three years ago would sprout.

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 18:00:45 +0000

In reply to Cypress Lake Ranch (Sharon).

By knowing the 3 things that seeds need to grow-warmth, moisture, and light- than all you need is to reverse that in order to find how seeds will not grow and how to store them. So, cool, dry, and dark. I always ask people if they can think of any place in their homes that fit their description and someone always comes up with “the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.” And that’s a good answer. While I’m sure you loose some degree of germination, I still have all kinds of success with seeds that are at least 8 years old, some older. But you have to store them correctly for that to be a possibility. The shelf in the garage that’s been exposed to sun and very hot weather won’t work.