HelpfulGardener.com

Hi,

I found a stash of old seeds in my garage. Some are dated '98, '93, and one is dated '76! They are carrots, beans, peas, and onions. What are the odds some of these would sprout? I am kind of interested in growing the peas.

You need to test them with damp paper and good indoor conditions. Take 10 seeds, keep them damp and see how many will sprout. I doubt there will be any of 76 that will, but who knows?

Yeah I am gonna try it. For some reason I think the beans and peas may sprout. BTW the seeds from 1976 are bunching onions. It is from Germain's Inc and the cost was 39 cents.

What have you got to lose from trying? I would guess you would get some germination from the 90's ones, but at a reduced rate. I would soak beans or peas in water overnight before planting.

Yep it is a good experiment. I am really hoping the peas sprout cause I have a spot for them to grow.

of your list, onion is the one most cited as needing "fresh seed"

that said, these are not just a year out of date so indeed it'll be an interesting experiment. a "garage" is not "optimal" storage conditions, but what the heck, go for it!

Just an update. I tried the pea seeds and they did not sprout. Those were dated 1998. I soaked them over night in water and they plumped up. Then I put them in soil and they never sprouted. Have not tried the others but I will get around to it.