Before going out to buy new seeds, see what you have left over from last year. If you have a small garden like me, you may not use all the seeds in one year, and most are perfectly fine to use the next year, or maybe even for a couple of years to come.
These common vegetable seeds can be used again, if stored properly, for up to 3 years.
Vegetable:
Bean Cabbage Collards Pea Squash
Beet Carrot Cucumber Pumpkin Tomato
Broccoli Cauliflower Kale Radish Turnip
Brussels Sprout Chard, Swiss Lettuce Spinach Watermelon
Storing Your Seeds for Increased Viability:
- Store your unused vegetable, herb, or flower seeds where they will not be exposed to extreme temperature flucuations.
- Store in a cool dry place.
- Do not expose to moisture or you may have a growth of mold on the seeds. I store mine in zip lock bags. You could also use glass jars.
How to Check If Your Seeds Are Viable:
The easiest way to check if your older seeds are viable and can be planted is to use the paper towel and baggie method.
- Fold a dampened paper towel in half.
- Take10 seeds and place them on the damp towel. This makes the math easier to get a percentage of how many germinate. You will want a germination rate of at least 60% or 6 out of 10.
- Fold the towel over the seeds and place them in a zippered plastic bag or airtight container in a warm location.
- After a few days, open the bag and see if any sprouted. This will give you a good gauge of how your seeds are germinating.
- Brand new seeds generally have a 90% germination rate, which means 9 out of every 10 seeds germinate. As seeds get older, especially around 2-3 years that rate drops as low as 6O%.
- Even if you have a lower germination rate you can still plant the seeds, just overplant to increase your odds and thin if needed.
Happy gardening,
Karen