How long are seeds good for?

I have tons of seeds left from last year and some from 2005. I was wondering if they are still viable this year. I'd like to do some trades and don't want to send anyone any defunct seeds. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jann

Hi Jann,
As long as they are properly stored, seeds can be viable for many, many years. Depends on the variety as well, some seeds must be sown fresh.
As examples, I received some hoya seeds, the sprouted in the envelope before they got here. An opposite example, when my grampa passed away, Mom found a bag of Golden Bantam corn seed that had to be 20 years old....we had a great feast of corn on the cob that year.
Hope this helps a bit.
LA

Thanks for the help! I'm going to plant them and try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thanks again

Delphinium seeds lose their viability in a year, so only buy those new.
Usually if they lose their viability fast your will find that on the web if you search for information about the seed or plant.
I am still sprouting impatiens seeds that I received as a trade back in 2003. I only grow about 5 plants each year and never get any seeds from them, so I will keep using these 2003 till they stop germinating. I think I had a lower germination rate with them this year, so they may be going.
I've heard lot's of people on these forums say 5 years and seeds are ok, I just read a post somewhere on these forums where his seeds were 8 and 10 years old and some grew.

Good Luck.

As stated above, it depends on what the seeds are. I germinated 1994 tomato seeds last spring with an 85% rate.

That's what will usually happen....instead of 100% germination, the percentage will fall off....generally, folks just sow a few more old seeds to make up for the lower rate.

Except for certain things...you should get good germination for about 5 years on properly stored seeds.

You can check them out in another forum:

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/699710/

Well, I thought I had posted something before I posted the link to other forum above. I said that almost all of my seeds from last year germinated and are prospering.