Will Old Seeds still grow? The general answer for this question is yes, assuming the seeds are less than 5 years old.
I’m a part of many online gardening groups and I often see people commenting about throwing year old seeds away. I’m writing this quick little article to answer some questions that I have seen floating around wondering “will old seeds still grow”?
This week I filmed a quick video to help answer this question.
What is the date on my seed package all about?
Every seed package you buy will have a date stamped on it. That date will read “packaged for 2019”, or something to that effect. The USDA says that seed companies can’t sell seeds that are older than one year. That is the reason for the date on the package.
You will notice at any nursery some time towards the end of the year all the current years’ seeds will be cleared out or just removed from the shelves and those seed packages will be replaced sometime after the first of the year. Many folks take the date on the package and the fact that seed companies start over every year to mean that seeds are only good for one year. They may think that the seeds “expire” at the end of the year stamped on the package. But that simply isn’t the case!
Will Old Seeds Still Grow?
Most seeds if stored even moderately well will last for at least 3-5 years. Of course the older the seeds get the lower the overall germination rate will be. But I have found that after 5 years I will still get 3 out of 4 seeds to germinate. As a package of seeds gets a little older I will plant a few extra seeds to make up for the fact that some might not grow. But if seeds are under 3 years old then you shouldn’t have any germination issues. You should feel free to plant them normally.
There are a few exceptions to this 5-year rule. Parsnip seeds only last 1 year. Leeks, Onions, okra, parsley and sweet corn only last around 2 years. So if you are planning on buying seeds for those crops be sure to buy packages that are small and will only last you a couple of seasons. To learn more about how long seeds will last read this post.
Storage Conditions are Important
Storage conditions will really affect how long your seeds last. Heat and moisture are both the enemy of seeds. So at a bare minimum, you should keep your seeds someplace cool, dry, and dark. Think a basement closet, or if you don’t have a basement then a closet on the inside of your house that stays cool. Even better, if you have room, store your seeds in an airtight container in a refrigerator.
The one thing you should not do is store your seeds in a hot garage or garden shed. And never store them long term outdoors on your potting bench. Germination rates can be dramatically less if you leave a seed packet out on hot direct sun. Even for a few days.
If you would like to learn more about where and how to store your seeds I would suggest you take a look at this article I wrote last year. It gives you some instructions on how best to store your seeds and better recommendations on how long each different type of seed can last. It includes a list of most of the popular garden vegetables and how long the seeds will last for each seed.
Testing Old Seeds for Germination
A simple way to tell if your older seeds are still viable is to test germinate 10 seeds.
- Place 10 seeds on a wet paper towel
- Roll up the seeds in the towel and place the towel in a Ziploc bag (location and light do NOT matter)
- Let the seeds sit for 3-5 days
- After 5 days check to see how many seeds have germinated
This test will let you know how viable your seeds still are. Whatever percentage of the seeds germinate in the test will let you know how they are going to do in the garden. If the germination rate is below 50% it’s probably time to throw out the seeds and buy a new package.
Will old seeds still grow? Yes! Please don’t throw away your seed packages every year and buy new ones. Keep those seeds stored someplace cool and you should easily be able to keep them long enough to use up every seed in that package!!
Rustic Round Bread
My nana used to dry and save her tomato seeds from the tomatoes she grew in summer and would plant them the next spring. I have seeds from 1988 that she dried. They have been stored in an airtight plastic container in a cool, dark place all these years. I planted some three weeks ago and they haven’t sprouted. I just put some of her different seeds in a wet paper towel, rolled it up and put it in a ziplock bag. I’m hopeful that that they will germinate. It would be so wonderful if they grew, but I’m not hopeful after hearing that tomato seeds only last for 4-5 years.
It is not unheard of for seeds that old to sprout if they have been stored correctly. Go over to YouTube and search for MIGardener. He did a project a couple of years ago where he found a 50-year-old package of tomato seeds and he was able to get some of them to sprout. He then carefully has saved seeds for the last few years from those plants and is now selling that lost variety in his seed store.
I have bought large packages of survival seed. (Heirloom) I was told to put them in the freezer for long term and they would last for many years. I want to ask am I ruining my seeds by doing this or is this ok??? I spent a lot of money and want to store them for long term. Please help me know if they were correct or do I need to take them out of the freezer immediately! Thank u! I had rather u text me at xxx-xxx-xxxx I do not look at email alot. But I will be checking it also in case I can’t text me. Thanks again!
Jan, as long as the seeds are in an airtight container they will be fine storing them in the freezer, and they are correct, that will extend the life of the seeds. The problem is most of us don’t have that kind od space in our fridge or freezer.
Sorry for responding this way, I don’t text with readers. I’ve also removed your phone number from your comment before it was posted to protect your idenity.