can seeds germinate after their expiry date?

mapcr77

I have some seeds that are labeled as expired last year (2006), should I try to germinate them or just put them in the bin?

Thanks!

Hapless_2

you can try, it's a bit more hit an miss but then, what have you got to lose?

DKLS

No dont bin em, the germination rates may be lower. I recall that Kew Gardens grew some plants from seeds found in Tutankhamuns Tomb!!
So give em a try you have nothing to lose.

Pink.

I grew tomatoes from out of date seeds this year.....so it's worth giving it a go.

Pink

jonnelson

I planted some peas that went out of date over a year ago and they're looking good.

Jon

Ghost

I agree, don't throw them away!

Seeds in the wild, in deserts etc don't have 'use by' dates on them and can lay dormant in the soil/sand for decades before blooming under the right conditions - i.e. light, rain, etc.

I think it's a marketing ploy by plant growers, garden centres et al to get us to fork out more cash!

Go on, sow 'em and see.

Poppycat

Apparently if seeds are kept cool they tend to stand more chance of germination, however I have had seeds germinate after being out of date, perhaps the is more chance of failure but its better than binning them. Perhaps some germinate better than others too.

ampersand

KEEP SEEDS IN REFRIGERATOR - IT HELPS.
Good luck.

scubaleopard

They have got 2 chances-- plant away

Primrose

It's definitely worth keeping them, unless they are parsnip seeds which really do need to be sown fresh every year. My seed box is full of packets of half used seeds dating back three or four years and I generally get reasonably good germination from them. Just be sure to squeeze as much air as possible out of the little foil packets, fold them over tightly and store them in an airtight container in a cool place.

alanobrien

Short answer YES, they are just less viable after the date.

No real difference to planting inside the sell by date, you never get 100% repeatable viability from any seed.