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Some of mine weren't "working." I didn't have much to throw away.
Really? I thought seeds for continental U.S. would be good anywhere in the U.S., except for specific cool weather or hot weather seeds and plants. I mean, looking on the back of packets, it looks promising! Lol
 
They will grow but my growing season it to short for them to mature. We've been running a heater in the high tunnel for the last 3 weeks so our tomatoes and peppers could ripen. We need faster growing/maturing varieties. It was down to 8° this morning.
 
Darn, that's a little chilly!
Have you looked at black krim tomatoes? They mature at 90 days, fruit by 120. They are darker and have a wonderful smoky flavor. An heirloom type, maybe originally from Russia? I don't think I'm too far off topic.
From Johnny's Seeds (Maine)
03814g_01_black_krim.jpg
 
Great idea, Terri! I recently threw out a bunch of seeds that were really old. I thought they would no longer be viable. I really should have done some sprouting experiments with them, instead just assuming they were no longer viable.

I had two packages of wild leeks, a.k.a. ramps. As part of the allium family, I thought they would no longer be viable because alliums seem to not have a long viability. They were dated 2013. I know a man at a dog park who has talked about eating ramps, so I gave him a package, telling him they may no longer be viable. Getting them to sprout can take a year, but he planted half of the package that I gave him, and at least one has sprouted.

Seeds for next year are available in some stores now. I went into a hardware store and they had some. Also, a hardware store had some. They are not fully stocked for next year, but I am going to watch and buy them as I see them. I bought some for stocking stuffers.
 
(Sigh of relief that I am not the only one who saves old seeds, really old).
Weedy, I didn't realize that seeds are put out at this time of year; I guess because I've been so busy in years past Christmassing.
That you save old seeds...does that also mean that you don't thin your seedlings out because you don't sow so heavily? When I first started gardening I sowed with a heavy hand and thought it so wasteful as I pulled up the sprouts to thin.
When you purchase seeds, do you buy two packs or more of each for some reason?
Or do you like to experiment by growing from different seeds and types?
 
Patchouli said:
(Sigh of relief that I am not the only one who saves old seeds, really old).
Weedy, I didn't realize that seeds are put out at this time of year; I guess because I've been so busy in years past Christmassing.
That you save old seeds...does that also mean that you don't thin your seedlings out because you don't sow so heavily? When I first started gardening I sowed with a heavy hand and thought it so wasteful as I pulled up the sprouts to thin.
When you purchase seeds, do you buy two packs or more of each for some reason?
Or do you like to experiment by growing from different seeds and types?
Click to expand...
I didn't realize that seeds are put out at this time of year either. I went to this particular nursery because they always take the seeds that didn't sell at the end of the gardening season, put them in large baskets all mixed up and sell them half price. That is what I was looking for. I never saw those seeds, just several racks being set up with seeds for next year.
I also went to a particular hardware store to look for straight neck canning jars and screw on lids with holes for drinking straws, and for reusable metal drinking straws. I want to set up some for friends for gifts with some teas and a loaf of banana bread. Struck out on that, but will keep searching. While there, I looked for seeds, and they have some for next year on a rack as well. I know they do not have all of them out yet though.

I like to experiment with seeds and gardening. I call these science experiments. I try to grow things I have not had success with before. Sometimes, I see seeds or conversations about something, then buy or order seeds. An example for that would be buying seeds for ramps, also known as wild leaks. I ordered two packages in 2013 and found my seeds in the cleaning out process. Since they are alliums, I thought they may no longer be viable. I know a man who grew up in S.E. Ohio, who told me they grow wild there. I gave him one of my old packages. He planted them and from the last report, he has one sprout. They are not something that will do well in Colorado because of the clay here and how dry it is here, but we can alter their growing conditions. I have tried growing ginger and turmeric. It sprouted and grew, but needs a longer season than I allowed. I want to try those again, indoors.

I guess, Patchouli, I have an addiction to seeds. I am not a drinker, smoker, druggie, partier, gambler. I have many packages of the same kind of seeds. I make a plan for what I want to grow, go shopping, and may see seeds I hadn't thought of and grab a package of them. Sometimes I don't have a plan, may be there for something else, and, "Seeds!" and I look through and select some. Some times I have a plan, but get too busy to follow through. I have had that happen a few times.

I also tend to be kind of light on planting seeds.
 
Patchouli said:
Darn, that's a little chilly!
Have you looked at black krim tomatoes? They mature at 90 days, fruit by 120. They are darker and have a wonderful smoky flavor. An heirloom type, maybe originally from Russia? I don't think I'm too far off topic.
From Johnny's Seeds (Maine)
View attachment 54334
Click to expand...

Even 90 days is to long. I actually just ordered several Russian varieties. I went through the seed catalogs and ordered the seeds with the shortest time. I think the fastest was a cherry tomato at 45 days.
 
I've grew some cold weather types from Russia that worked well for spring planting and for summer planting for a fall harvest. Our two favorites are Anna Russians byt far #1, second was the Black Krim Patch mentioned. Both can be had from Totally Tomatoes: Tomatoes, Peppers, Vegetables & More They have tons of tomato and pepper seed to choose from with all kinds of different features.

I'm currently going thru 4 or 5 websites picking seed for next year. Some items are available already, but there is a lot of stuff that is out of stock. Don't know if they just haven't got the new seed ready yet, or if it just won't be back for next season. Some of it is stuff we already have grown and like. Others is stuff I want to try. I'm always looking for new types of stuff to see if we like the taste and growth habits and how well it works in our climate. Some don't work at all, but I won't know until I try them.
I too have a bunch of old seed and need to sort thru and thin that out, at least seperate it from the newer stuff. Keep it for emergencies maybe.
 
Thats one reason I'm getting my orders in so early. I usually wait until Jan/Feb. But after everything was scarfed up so fast and total this year, I'm worried it may be worse early next year. I'm also looking at more places this year to try and find as much as I can. Plan to increase x4 what I usually get, so I could plant and grow enough to feed us with 100% of veggies and have enough to carry over for 2022 if needed.
 
Terri9630 said:
What does that do?
Click to expand...
Soak your seeds in a 3% hydrogen peroxide for 30 minutes. Rinse the seeds several times with water before planting and plant them as usual. Doing this breaks down the hard outer covering of the seeds and kills any pathogen present on them. This allows the seeds to absorb more oxygen, helping them sprout efficiently.
 
Last year I planted some old seeds - 1 pack per pot. I figured if they grew, I could separate and plant. Some were compost, but some really old balsam flowers grew and a few others (can't remember).
Patch - I love it! I'm a sentimental Gardner too. I don't like thinning either.
Hiwall - I've never heard of using hydrogen peroxide on seeds either.
Weedy - seems like I saw those lids/straws at Joanns of all places. (I got a dish soap dispenser lid.)

I haven't seen any seeds out yet but will have to keep my eyes peeled. Actually I've not really been many places that would carry them anyways.
PS edited to add. Like some people who can't go grocery shopping when hungry, I shouldn't look at seeds. Mmm, those look good, some of those. Oh that kind looks delicious, yum. In the basket they go 😂
 
Do any of you keep track of how much you spend on seeds alone each year? >> I don't spend as much as I used to.
Are there some things that you usually end up buying as seedlings instead of sprouting from seed?
Do you only use organic or heirloom? >> I tend to lean that direction.

One place I used to get seeds from back east, you could ask for seeds by the ounce, half ounce, etc. and that was a penny pincher!
Yes, @LadyLocust me too. :D
Hey, @Weedygarden I saw those metal straws at Target, no one here wants to shop there.
Yes, @Terri9630 it was a Siberian that I had seen with a short growing season. I miss home grown tomatoes so much.
There was an organic seed business in NM or AZ that seemed like an okay business but when I saw that they were in support of population control and were vocal about it on their website, that ditched it for me.
 
I have been paying a little more attention to how the seeds behave and found that even seeds a few years old really lost a lot in terms of germination. So I went through this year and cleaned out anything more than 2 years old. I also moved all my seeds into an air tight container and put it in the MAN BASEMENT Fridge, took up a whole shelf. I think I will have all of my new seeds in by next week. I decided to strike early because I saw too many things "Sold Out" last year and the seed racks at the stores looked like someone hit them with a truck... picked clean except for "tape" things....

With so many container plants planned for this year I am going to need some potting soil before long. I have about 200 gallons of last year's container soil that I have sifted and blended with shredded leaves but I will use that to ammend my raised beds in late winter/early spring.

I would really like to have everything in place by the end of January to cover ALL my needs for the coming year (garden wise).
 
Amish Heart said:
Snowed last night. Good day to go through seeds. Have two bins in the basement sorted (kinda) by what they are. Think I'll check dates. Husband did get me a mixed collection of vegetable seeds last Christmas from Baker's Creek that I'm excited about.
Click to expand...
I have found that using a sharpie and writing the year on the front makes it easier for me in the long run. After doing that for a few years, I buy seeds, bring them home, and date them before I put them away.
 
I have some really old seed, too, some even from the 90s. I'm getting some self watering seeding trays and plan to put only one or two seeds in each cell just to see what sprouts. I wasn't planning to order most of my supplies until mid January but now I'm getting kind of itchy. Sounds like everybody else is getting the same idea.
 
UrbanHunter said:
I have been paying a little more attention to how the seeds behave and found that even seeds a few years old really lost a lot in terms of germination. So I went through this year and cleaned out anything more than 2 years old. I also moved all my seeds into an air tight container and put it in the MAN BASEMENT Fridge, took up a whole shelf. I think I will have all of my new seeds in by next week. I decided to strike early because I saw too many things "Sold Out" last year and the seed racks at the stores looked like someone hit them with a truck... picked clean except for "tape" things....

With so many container plants planned for this year I am going to need some potting soil before long. I have about 200 gallons of last year's container soil that I have sifted and blended with shredded leaves but I will use that to ammend my raised beds in late winter/early spring.

I would really like to have everything in place by the end of January to cover ALL my needs for the coming year (garden wise).
Click to expand...
I can tell you that I have found that seeds that I thought were too old to be viable, were surprisingly viable. In my Shishito pepper hunt this spring, I ended up at a home where a woman raises and sells all kinds of seedlings. She sources seeds from around the world. She had things in a couple stages. The first step, she plants all of her seeds in one pot, not a small pot, but more like a 6 inch pot. When they are large enough, she transplants them into styro-foam cups. After this thread started, I realized that is what I should have done with some of my old seeds, put all from one package into one pot, labeled with what they were and date planted, and waited to see if anything came up.

The photo is of nasturtium seeds I put into a pot this spring and brought into the house before it froze outside. The package of seeds was dated, 2014, I believe. I thought they would not sprout, but they did. I planted
nasturtiums, 2020.jpg
the whole package of seeds into the pot.
 
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