Out of date veg seeds question

[Jeanied]

I did a germination test on 5 year old parsnip seeds a couple of years ago - admittedly the germination rate was less than fresh seeds but I did get some germination and a good enough crop! These days I sow old seed anyway - having said that I have just chucked out some packets that were 'sow by' some time in the 1990s

[Kristen]

I thing it may go back to the days of yore when some allotmenteers would just walk down the row and sprinkle them straight from the packet. Would love to see what happened if they had a good year.

Any excuse to be allowed to buy one of these I reckon



Do you have a

[Jonnyt]

Last week I sowed some mizuna best before 2009. I've got fantastic germination much to my surprise!


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[Kristen]

Well done for getting them to germinate. I don't sow Oriental Greens until Summer because I find if I sow them early they usually bolt. perhaps give them plenty of water, as the weather warms up, to try to stop them bolting?

[Chippy Minton]

Why would they think that anybody could possibly need 1100 lettuces??!!

You can raise a lot of slugs on 1100 lettuces

As for the seeds, chit them, pot up the viable ones, just don't rely on them would be my guess.

[Alison]

Well done for getting them to germinate. I don't sow Oriental Greens until Summer because I find if I sow them early they usually bolt. perhaps give them plenty of water, as the weather warms up, to try to stop them bolting?

They usually bolt for me too but by then I've had a couple of croppings off them and then I let them self seed so get another crop a few weeks later.

[MrsCordial]

Just to add, this year I sowed some elderly lettuce seeds (2011) in a cell tray along with some from last year and some bought new this year, and none of those oldest ones germinated. Personally now I would bother only with seed up to a couple of years old, but it does depend how they've been kept.

This year I've deliberately bought from Real Seeds so that I can take and store my own seeds for next year.

[marcofez]

Instead of throwing any "best before" seed away, why not try growing them as micro greens?

[Alison]

Instead of throwing any "best before" seed away, why not try growing them as micro greens?

If they'll grow as micro greens then they'll also grow as proper crops. Good way forwards with things like lettuce though as you can never manage a full packet of those they give you so many.