| #12 |
It's an interesting subject. I've had to go through my stash of old seeds during the lockdowns of the past two summers as I couldn't find what I wanted in shops or online.
Some of my tomatoes did well. I had a packet of Red Cherry seeds from Mr Fothergill's which had a sow by date of 2011 so I sowed the whole packet in two pots. I must've had 100% germination as I had so many I had to give most of them away! Others didn't do so well and I had germination rates from 40% to zero. The seeds that did germinate produced healthy productive plants.
My old flower seeds were scattered in the garden after weeding and some did really well, especially the zinnias which were at least 6-7 years old. The morning glory vines were a similar age and they did spectacularly, most germinating overnight.
Generally, I do prefer fresh seed, especially home saved. The past two years have given me the opportunity to use up all my hoarded old seeds and start from scratch with fresh saved seed.
Some of my tomatoes did well. I had a packet of Red Cherry seeds from Mr Fothergill's which had a sow by date of 2011 so I sowed the whole packet in two pots. I must've had 100% germination as I had so many I had to give most of them away! Others didn't do so well and I had germination rates from 40% to zero. The seeds that did germinate produced healthy productive plants.
My old flower seeds were scattered in the garden after weeding and some did really well, especially the zinnias which were at least 6-7 years old. The morning glory vines were a similar age and they did spectacularly, most germinating overnight.
Generally, I do prefer fresh seed, especially home saved. The past two years have given me the opportunity to use up all my hoarded old seeds and start from scratch with fresh saved seed.
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