I fancied growing tomato Marmande again this year so sowed 5 old seeds on the off chance - 4 of them germinated. The seeds were packed year ending June 1995 - I think that's amazing!
I've sown & germinated gardeners delight that were 10 years old ;D.
Tomato seed are noted for remaining viable... :)
Congratulations, Alex133 and nice work, grannyjanny! This easily beats my 2005 chilli seeds, almost all of which I chitted successfully a few weeks ago, on kitchen paper moistened with boiled, cooled water, put in a plastic box, loosely covered, and left next to the boiler.
I also chitted half a packet of last year's parsnip seeds using the same method, but on the windowsill, and pricked out 40-odd seedlings, the other day. I think chitting is a great way to establish whether seed is still viable, because you don't risk wasting compost if the seeds are past it.
I think it's well worth hanging onto old seed of various types. Which ought to make me less likely to splash out on yet more packets, but doesn't! ;D
I'm pushing my luck by trying to germinate all of my elderly chilli seeds at the moment, some are about 2005 vintage, some probably older! :-\ A few are showing so far but not many, but as they were all 'leftovers' I am growing for the plant sale I thought it was worth a punt!
Spudbash - your chitting old seeds on kitchen paper sounds brilliant - will definitely try as I can't bear to throw them out and would save lots of compost and effort.
(I keep all my seeds in plastic box in fridge as it does to seem to make them last longer).
Seed-chitting is a very old idea and it was reading a thread on chillies that prompted me to do it, this year:
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,65801.0.html (http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,65801.0.html)
I like to recycle punnets and other plastic packaging for my chitting: If the seeds are viable, that's less waste, twice over. ;D
About chillies specifically, I believe some types take far longer to germinate than others. So if you're chitting a mixed selection, you'd need to take out the first ones to show their roots and get them into modules, while the others are still thinking about it.
I had a massive clear-out of old seed about eighteen months ago so I can't experiment further, but I'm curious to see whether others can get ancient seed to spring to life....anybody?
;D
I am new to chitting and chitted my first seeds on wednesday and they sprouted the next day after being in a seed bag in the airing cupboard.
Think I will do all my pumpkins this way too
I've just picked out several tomato seeds that finally started germinating..it took 3 week for them to show signs of life though. I almost lost faith and was going to throw them away this weekend if nothing would happen.
Well.. that packet of seeds was only 12 yrs out of date ;D..I would say germination rate was about 5 %..but it only takes one plant/fruit and future seed supply is sorted ;)
Oh..I feel like I won a prize with that lot ;D