Hey gardeners!
As spring approaches (already! – time flies), it’s time to start thinking about getting our gardens started for the year. That means it’s also time to talk about seeds!
Under ideal conditions (stored somewhere cool and dry), some seeds can last for several years and still be good. Still: if you’ve got old seeds, it might be worth double-checking their viability before you spend time and effort planting them. So, how do you do that? One of the most reliable ways is to do a germination test!
First, wet a sheet of paper towel. Place at least 10 of each type of your seeds on it, then fold the paper towel over the seeds. Put the whole thing into a plastic bag and seal it. Make sure to place the bag somewhere warm (ideally around 70 degrees F), like a sunny windowsill or on top of the refrigerator. Check daily to make sure it hasn’t dried out (seeds need moisture to grow!)
Most seeds will have an estimated germination time on the packaging – often it’s about 7-10 days. Give your seeds about that long, then count how many have sprouted. This gives you your germination rate! For example: if you started with 10 seeds, and 9 of them germinated, you can expect a rate of about 90% germination for the rest of the package. That’s pretty good!
Generally: a rate of 70% or more means your seeds are good to use. Any less than that and you might be better off with a new package.
VINES will be covering all this and more in a seed-starting workshop on March 5th. Stay tuned!
https://vinesgardens.org/events
Finally, for more information, check out these pages:
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/how-store-seeds-and-test-germination-rates
https://richmond.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/SeedViabilityTest.pdf?fwd=no
Good luck, and happy gardening!
