Can You Use Still Use Those Old Seeds In the Garden?

Lots of people wonder if you can use older seeds in the garden.  Usually after a garden season, you have partial packets of seeds left over.  You can sometimes find older packets on clearance at the end of the year, or at garage or estate sales.  The short answer is yes, usually.  Pretty much the only seeds that I haven’t had much luck keeping year to year are from the onion family.

The best way to be sure that last year’s (or older) seeds will grow is to test them.  If the germination rate is high, you can use that packet directly in the garden.  I don’t just like to test seeds though.  I never feel like I can throw away the baby plants.  (This is why I have a mini corn field right now in my child’s bedroom under the grow light, and about 24 sunflower starts when I really only wanted 10-12- they almost ALL grew!)

I actually like to pre-sprout as many as possible so it is very easy to see which ones are viable.  It is pretty much the same process as testing, only you have a plan in place to keep them and use them right away.  And once they have sprouted, they grow very quickly.  I find that I have a lot less frustration if I know they are going to grow before I put them in the dirt.  I pre-sprout pretty much all of the larger seeds and even some of the small ones before I plant them even as plant starts under the grow light.  This year I even pre-sprouted my lavender which has very tiny seeds and it worked very well.

Germination Rate

Though the lavender worked well, some seeds are just so minute you may want to stick with the testing and not bother trying to plant such tiny seedlings.  You can test ten at a time for a general test.  Count however many sprout and you have your germination rate.  Five of the seeds means a 50% germination rate.  Experts say that if less than 7 sprout, it is better to get new seeds.

I always have a hard time with this .  Obviously, if you are a commercial grower, it is not worth messing around with seeds that may or may not grow, but it seems like a waste to me if you are not in a huge rush to just throw away the entire seed packet.  That is why I like to pre-sprout.  I can just take the ones that sprouted and plant them and discard the seeds that didn’t sprout.

This year, the only seeds I had that didn’t do very well were the onions from about 3 years ago.  I figured that they wouldn’t grow because onion seeds don’t seem to last very long and obtained fresh onion seeds that pre-sprouted beautifully.  A few pepper seeds also failed to sprout.  And a few lupines.  Everything else seemed to sprout just fine.  I usually don’t pre-sprout tomatoes because they almost always grow.  I just stick two seeds per plug and normally both grow.  When I transplant them, I just move them into two separate cups.  I think every single tomato sprouted this year except maybe one seed.  Most of my tomato seeds are at least 5 years old, so that gives you some idea.

The Process For Testing/Pre-Sprouting Your Seeds

The process is simple and inexpensive.  All you need are the seeds you want to grow (or check), a permanent marker, a few ziplock sandwich bags, paper towels, and water.

Simply write the seed variety on the baggie, moisten the paper towel (it should be wet, but not dripping), fold it flat, and slip it in the baggie.  Then put however many seeds you want to test directly on the paper towel and keep it flat so the seeds are laying on the wet towel.  Seal the baggie and keep it in a warmish place.  I keep them where there is some light.

After a few days begin to check your seeds for sprouting.  Then check daily.  Once the seeds begin to sprout, you can take the seed very gently (small seeds may require tweezers) and put it root down into your starting trays or directly into the garden.  If the seeds you are sprouting have a very long germination period, you may need to moisten your paper towels to keep them wet.  Just open the bag and spritz them with a spray bottle of water.  Or you can transfer the seeds to a new wet paper towel if you prefer and then seal the baggie back up.

You don’t want the root to become very long once the seeds sprout or it will either become entangled in the paper towel, or dry out and start to die.  It doesn’t seem to be an exact science – just don’t let the root get too long.

Benefits of Pre-Sprouting

I find that this process is a lot better than starting seeds in the seed flats and waiting and waiting and waiting – sometimes for a seed that never does sprout.  This process saves a ton of time (if the seed doesn’t sprout and you end up having to replant) and helps me with my patience, which is pretty much non-existent.  (I have been known to get frustrated waiting for a seed to sprout and actually dig the sucker back up to see if it is doing anything.  This way I can see very clearly and I don’t destroy the plant in my impatience.)

You also usually end up with a few more plants than you actually need, which I see as a benefit.  I would rather have too many plants and give some to others, than be short for the season.

Special Note for Peas and Beans

You can follow this same procedure for peas and beans, but I usually add a soaking time to the process.  I literally just dump however many seeds I want to plant in a small cup of water and let it sit on the kitchen counter until I plant them.  I wouldn’t advise sitting longer than a day – overnight seems to work very well.  If you soak them too long, the seeds may start to become water logged and start to disintegrate. If you can’t plant them right away after soaking, at least move them to a baggie with a wet paper towel instead of leaving them sitting in the water.

Even a short soak before planting can be beneficial to pea and bean seeds.  If I haven’t gotten around to a long soak, or pre-sprouting on the paper towels, even a short 20 minute soak before they go in the ground helps to loosen the seed coat and start the seed growing.  I may experiment using the soaking method with other seeds this year as well, but I learned from my grandmother to always soak your pea and bean seeds.  She tends to have good advice.  🙂

Then get those good seeds under your grow lights (I like and use these as they are adjustable so you can put the light low on tiny plants and raise the light as they grow) or directly outside if it’s warm enough in your area and you don’t need to start them early and enjoy your baby plants.

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