Saving Leftover Seeds for Next Season

Take a break and prepare for next season by organizing your left over and partially filled seed packets.

Saving left over seeds can save you money each year in the garden, but so many of us like to try something new or misplace our collections of old seeds and end up with a surplus.  Take a few minutes to gather all of your left over seeds and organize them for the upcoming season.

Properly stored seeds can last from one to five years or more.  Once they pass their average life expectancy you may see a reduction in germination.  Start by checking the expiration date on the packet. Onions, parsley and parsnip seeds usually last one year.  Corn, okra and peppers two years; beans and peas for three years; tomatoes, turnips, beets, chard and watermelon four years; and Brussels sprouts, cabbage, muskmelons, radishes and spinach last for five years.

A bit more information:  And don’t throw the old seeds in the compost pile. You can test their viability by wrapping a few in a damp paper towel inside a plastic bag. Wait a week to see what sprouts and determine the percent germination. 

Tags

swiss-chard tomatoes peppers cabbage radishes brussels-sprouts corn melon beets onions parsley okra peas watermelon pole-beans bush-beans okra parsnip turnip

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