Last spring I discovered a box with some old “emergency seeds” that I’d purchased back in 2009 but never used. Using the baggie method with coffee filters (or paper towels) is a good way to test seed germination.īy taking a sample of 10 to 20 seeds and pre-sprouting them in baggies, you can gauge how viable those seeds are before committing to starting more of those seeds or transplanting the seedlings.Ī good rule of thumb to know: less than 50 percent germination rate means it’s time to buy new seeds. Eventually, it will fail to germinate at all. It may not die right away, but it might take a little longer to germinate. Seeds store best below 40☏ with less than 10 percent humidity, tucked inside airtight containers in a dark environment.Įvery time a seed experiences less than ideal conditions, it suffers a decline in quality. With all the uncertainty about how and where seeds should be stored, here’s a proven fact: Who knows what the seed went through before it even reached the store? What temperature should you store seeds at? In reality, our homes go from hot to cold at the turn of the seasons, we sometimes forget our seed packets outside overnight (or at least I do), and an old shoebox will have to do for storage. Our seeds would live in this cool, dark, dry environment and 10 years later, those very first tomato seeds we’d ever bought would still be viable. In a perfect world, we’d all have second refrigerators with perfectly controlled humidity levels in which to store our seeds. What are ideal storage conditions for seeds? I’ve combed through countless seed sites and extension sites over the years, wondering this very question.

Others are rotated every few seasons as I try new varieties, and by the time I make it back to those Parisienne carrots, it’s already been a couple years.Īre they still good? Should I get new ones? How long do seeds really last, anyway?

Some seeds I’ve only sown once or twice but still have half a packet left, some I’ve saved… and saved… and saved… because they’re so easy to save by the bagful every year (I’m looking at you, beans). Inevitably, a handful of seed packets get tossed in the compost pile as I double-check the dates… peppers from 2016, onions from three years ago. Related: Grow Tomatoes Like a Boss With These 10 Easy Tips Some are even color-coded… and I suddenly realize I have a rather strange obsession with collecting 12 different types of purple tomatoes (and counting). The beginning of spring usually sees me sprawled in the middle of the living room floor, with all my ammo boxes, laying out rows and rows of seed packets sorted by vegetable, and then by variety.

How to plant seeds in starbound