The seeds have sprouted! Well, the broccoli seeds at least. The kale and chives have yet to poke their little heads out of my newspaper pots. They were seeds from last season so I am hoping they have not gone bad. Doesn’t it just seem too quick for seeds to “go bad” after one season?
I was starting to get a little nervous about my seed order from Baker Creek because none of you readers chimed in with any experience ordering from these guys before. And with a website name as generic as “Rareseeds.com“, I was a little suspicious. HOWEVER, that said, things seem to be good so far. My order took about a week to process and only about 4-5 days to arrive in the mail. Oddly, I was reading Martha Stewart Living’s March issue, which just came out. In this issue she lists some companies she buys seeds from, and this was one of them (pg. 32)?? Weird since I have never heard of them before, but apparently Martha gives them a thumbs up – for whatever that’s worth.
I tore into my seed order right after work and got busy planting the five tomato varieties I ordered and the eggplants. Do seeds really go bad after only one season? If so, I am going to feel incredibly wasteful. I am planting six of each tomato, which is 30 total and way to many for us already. But each seed packet has at least 25 seeds. How in the world could I use all of those?
And when do I give up on my kale and chive seeds? It’s been probably a week and a half, but still no signs of life there…
The weather forecast looks manageable in Portland this weekend, so I plan set the teepee back up to get my sugar and snap peas growing around it. I believe it’s also fava bean time, so gotta get those puppies going as well. So many exciting things to do and it’s only February!!
Hi Renee,
The best before date on most of the packets of seeds I buy, heirloom varieties from over here in Aus, is generally around 2-3 years.
Rule of thumb the smaller the seed the faster the germination rate starts to drop. That said I planted out carrot seed 2 years over the stated best before last year because I didn’t really have anything to loose and got quite a good bunch of carrots for my effort.
Unless they get damp seed doesn’t really go off it just uses up all its growing nutrients waiting for its chance to grow. With older seed I personally just start to put a few more seeds per pot to hedge my bets.
In regards to how long to wait on the others… if conditions are optimal germination can start as early as 2 days but I have had it take up to 4 weeks depending on the seed variety and conditions. Just try and keep things evenly moist but not wet (particularly on the bigger seed). It is not uncommon for the seed coat to rot if things are too wet for too long.
Kind Regards
Belinda
Hi Renee: I’m a new reader and I’m pleased to see that you ordered from Baker Creek. I ordered from them for the first time this year too. My order isn’t in yet but I expect it shortly. I’ll be growing beans for the first time for dry beans next winter. Keep up the great work and happy gardening!
Sprouts look great, I found this link which has a pretty comprehensive list of seeds viability.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-316/426-316.html
Thank you for all the helpful tips guys! The smaller the seed, the faster it expires is a good rule of thumb. And Not So Crafty, that is a great resource you sent in that link! I will remember that next year!
-Renee