Time to weed the old seed collection

[Ranger J]

I have just retired and we have bought a house and small acreage in the country.  In the house that I lived in for 12 years I had built a goodly number of raised beds and had planted the majority of my flower and vegetable garden in them.  The main reason I used the raised beds was that at the old place the soil was so rocky and in the beds I was able to 'weed' the rocks out.  12 years also gave me time to build up the soil in these beds.  I like the raised bed system and in the future at the new place I will probably go back to it.  This year, however, as we have had a large amount of rain it was a case of get the seeds and plants in the ground if and when I could.  During a short dry spell I managed to till up the garden spot and get corn, okra' a row om marigolds, basil, zucchinis, cucumbers, cantaloupes and a row and a half of bush beans.  I also planted a dozen or so tomatoes, a few bell peppers and some eggplant.  It soon began to rain again but everything I planted as seeds came up (as well as a bunker crop of weeds) except for the bush beans.    I also usually plant a bunch of bush beans every year in August and have them mature in the fall and used some of the seeds in my collection last year and they did fine.  This year I got zero germination and I credited this to the excess of rain until when I gave up and decided to replant and I looked at the year these seeds were packaged for--2003.  I went and got new seeds and replanted yesterday.  Question: how long do you keep 'old' seeds until you throw them away?

RJ

[bearmgc]

When I looked at my seed packages which I bought this spring, they say "Sell by 12/10". so I'm guessing non- heirloom seeds are maybe good for 2 years.

[Bob Riebe]

It seems to depend greatly on how you store them, but the planting conditions still rule.
With old seed you cannot scrimp on watering.

Last year I planted corn that was from five to seven  years old, two seeds to a hole because I have had problems on occasion with old seeds, and I had the best stand I have had in three or four years.
Once I gave the squirrels some ten year old seed and in a bad spot of the lawn where grass did not want to grow, I had enough corn plants coming up I transplanted eight of them and they did real well.

Beans and peas seem to be more fussy but it is a hit and miss affair with old seeds.

[Ranger J]

I bought some new bush bean seeds, planted them and they were up in about 4 days.  The only problem was that all the green bush bean packages in town were sold out and I ended up with a couple of yellow 'wax' bush bean packages.  The same day I found a package of 3 year old Kentucky Wonder climbing bean seeds and they took only one day longer to come up.  Now if I can just keep the rabbits out of them.  The dog pen is only 15 or so feet from the garden and the 3 dogs will probably bark their fool heads off at any interloping rabbit but in the past that didn't keep the deer out of my strawberry patch.  The cat is useless (now curled up on my feet.)  He once was an outside cat but has developed a liking for air conditioning.

RJ

[Bob Riebe]

Old seeds, let me tell you something.

Beyond what I wrote above-- this year, I planted seeds from the very same  remaining packets I used last year

As wrote above, last year it seemed nearly every kernel germinated and grew. This year ZERO. Now that ain't right.
SO--
I replanted with new seeds.

Out of five packets, two came up the others, zero.

Squirrel are not digging them up, as they are well fed with sunflower seeds and peanuts.
Darndest thing I have ever experienced I went from poor germination one year, to exceptional, to zero, including some brand spanking new seeds.