Can you use seeds from last year

Can I sow them now or do the have a certain shelf life? There's some nice peas there I wouldn't mind planting more of. Yes you can. You can search the web for "seed viability chart", and you will find lots of information. However, websites come and go, and the numbers sometimes disagree across charts, so I've compiled a list here: Note: whenever I found multiple, conflicting data, I chose to most conservative estimate, i. Most seeds would probably still germinate one or two years after the numbers provided below, but they may loose vigour.

There are no expiration dates on the packages…. Most flower and vegetable seeds will stay viable for at least a few years if they're stored at a low enough humidity and temperature.

The ideal situation, says the USDA, is a room where the temperature and relative humidity add up to less than Get one of those multi-purpose thermometer and hydrometer sets and find the best room in your house for long-term storage.

Or use it to test the room your seeds have been stored in thus far. And there are dates on your packages, Don! They should be stamped "Packed for ", or , or whatever year the seeds were sold at retail.

Seeds that are only a year old, or slightly older but whose packets are still unopened, generally germinate nicely. Place some sample seeds inside moist paper towels and slide the towels into a plastic bag. Mark the type of seeds on the front, but don't seal the bag. Let them sit out in the warmest room of your house and check them at day five and every day thereafter. Viable seeds should sprout by day ten.

If they don't, or if less than a third wake up, get fresh seed. In the future, store excess seed in sealed glass jars to which you've added a few of those little moisture-absorbing desiccating pouches that come with vitamins and shoes. The things that say, "Don't eat me!

Mike: When do you start indoor seedlings for spring planting outdoors? Basically, you want to allow about two months from the time you start the seeds indoors to the day you plant them outside. That's a week for the seeds to germinate, six weeks to grow strong stocky starts, and a week to harden them off before planting.

The common advice is to begin two months before your area's "last average frost date"; that's the date, on average , when temps will stay above freezing. Storing unused vegetable or flower seeds does require some care. To remain viable, seeds must not be exposed to any moisture or extreme temperature fluctuations.

They should be kept in a cool dry place. Some people store them in sealed plastic bags, while others keep them in glass jars in the refrigerator.

Whatever works best for you is fine, but the important thing is that they not be exposed to moisture. Wetness can quickly cause mold to grow, killing the seeds. In this situation, you can test the seeds a few weeks before planting time by taking several seeds, placing them on a moist paper towel, covering it with plastic and placing it in a warm spot. To help you figure out if your seeds are still viable, refer to the following chart, which indicates the life expectancies of certain types of vegetable seeds stored under ideal conditions.

The chart has been modified from D. Maynard and G. Can anyone suggest a good beginners guide for backyard companion planting in a temperate climate of NSW…Please…..

This includes most of southern coastal Australia from Melbourne and Adelaide through to Perth, the coastal region south of Sydney, the New South Wales tablelands …. I have seeds still attached to the plants, hung up for a couple of years in my garage.

Sometimes they are knocked down — now I have lettuces growing on my lawn, from when I sweep, lol. I have heirloom tomato seeds that are over ten years old. They still survived the Texas heat and humidity! Germination testing will require you to sacrifice some seeds, so if you only have a very small number, you may be better off planting what you have. Start by dampening a paper towel with tap water.

Use a spray bottle to moisten the towel without leaving it dripping. Next, place 10 or more seeds an even distance apart in straight rows about one inch from the top of the towel, recognizing that the more seeds you use, the more accurate your results will be.

Fold the bottom of the paper towel over the line of seeds and then gently roll it up and place it inside of a plastic bag. Place the seeds in a warm location out of direct light and check on them after three to five days to see which seeds have germinated.