Vegetable Seed Use and Storage

Q. I have some old vegetable seed that I planted. I was told I wasted my money and time. Do you think I did?

Vegetable seed storage for longevity depends on which seed or cuttings depending on the vegetables but maintaining an appropriate temperature and low humidity are important.

A. It depends on the seed, how it was stored and how old it was. Usually, large seed doesn’t store as long as smaller seed; maybe two or three years. Small seed might store for 5 or 6 years or longer.

            The best temperature and humidity to store seed totals less than 100. That is directly from the National Seed Storage Lab in Ft. Collins, Co. For instance, if the temperature that they were stored totaled about 70F, then the humidity should be less than 30%. If the humidity was 70%, then the temperature needs to average around 30F. Of course the best temperature and humidity for seed storage is close to freezing for temperate seed. Having them both total less than 100 is suitable for a couple of years.

            When using old seed, plant two and expect one to live is a good motto.

            When storing seed, I try to keep the temperature and humidity of vegetable seed as low as possible. I stay away from buying seed exposed to heat or direct sunlight. I use a desiccant (corn starch works okay), put them in a glass jar with a screw lid, and put them in the fridge. They will keep this way for several to many years depending on the oil content of the seed. Small seed (e.g., tomato, eggplant, beet, carrot) usually has less oil in it than larger seed (e.g., beans, corn).