Just having a bit of a sort out and found some half used packets of seeds from last year. They are still in their foil packets but the foil is opened. Will they be alright to use this year? What about completely unopened ones?
Simple answer is depends!
Some seeds are viable for a number of years, others not. Parsnips are not long lived where as runner beans will be happy for a year or two.
But this also depends on how they have been stored. If they have been left on a shelf in a shed they might have been cooked in the heat of the summer and loose some of their get up and go.
Refridgeration seems to be the best way to store them but again not perfect for all of them.
If it was me I would bin the opened packets and keep the un opened ones. Look at the best before date but still sow them expecting a reduced germination rate.
Jerry
I cannot throw seeds away, no matter how old, so what I tend to do is, if the seeds are a couple of years old, I sow them thicker and hope for the best. If nothing sprouts in a couple of weeks, then I fork over the area and sow something else. Another way you could check for viability is to sow a couple in a pot in a warm spot, and if you get good germination, then you know you should get something in return for your labours.
Parsnips are a funny one as I frequently hear they are short lived seeds, and mine were 3 years old, so I sowed them all, some in modules, some direct. I would say I had almost 100% germination, and we are begining to resemble the said veg! :o
I'm with EJ, I keep sowing seeds year after year until I run out or they stop working. Works for (at least) tomatoes, legumes, lettuce, basil, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkin, chard, beetroot. In fact pretty much anything I've grown. All in opened packets.
Jeremy
The only old seeds I've had fail on me so far are some peppers. They said sow by March 2004. I sowed them in March 2004 and they didn't germinate.