For many gardeners and plant growers, a package of seeds is often far more than needed, so you can wind up with extra.  Seed purchased the previous year (deeply discounted at the end of season is always appealing), can be held over till the next year or longer. How will you know if these are still viable? You can throw them in a pot and see what happens, but if they are not viable you’ve wasted some precious growing time.

Here’s a trusted option.  Start with five or ten seeds, depending on how many you have. Take a paper towel or napkin and moisten it. Fold it in half. Place the seeds neatly along the center of the towel and fold it over the seeds. Put this inside a plastic zip-close plastic bag and label the bag with the name and variety of the seed. It also helps to put the date on the label, in case you are working over several days.  Put the bag in a warm place. The most convenient is the top of the refrigerator.

Check the seeds on a 24-hour basis until you see germination. There should be signs after 48 hours. The number of seeds that germinate will tell you your percent of viability. If you had ten seeds and five of them sprouted, then you have 50 percent viability. You will then need to overseed to accommodate that growth rate.

If you have a limited quantity of seeds, you can carefully plant your sprouted test seeds, making sure to not damage the delicate, newly developed root.

Remember to save seeds from this year’s plants.  Here are a few basic tips:

• Be patient and make sure you have mature seeds. They should be dry and firm. Harvest after the dew has dried to ensure the least amount of moisture.
• Put them in small envelopes and make sure to properly identify them. If you have any old 35mm film canisters, these work great for small quantities.
• You can store the envelopes or canisters in an old jar or other airtight container and then overwinter them in a cool, dark place, like your refrigerator or in a garage, away from extreme temperature changes. Some folks like to add a desiccant inside the container, like you find inside medicine jars or electronics, to absorb excess moisture. Test your saved seeds for viability before committing planting space.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 8:58 pm and is filed under Growing Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.