I keep my old seed envelope boxes and label them - vegetables, flowers, shrubs, gathered 23, new additions, new additions2 (lol)etc. Whenever I pack up some seeds for trade, I add them to my Seeds for Trade 11/23 file, alpha in the appropriate box, which is now 12 pages long, and then put them on the swap, and then file them in the appropriate box. I will have more to add soon, so will probably need a new additions3 box.

Reflecting on my years of seed saving, I can proudly admit my filing system has evolved from what was once to me like a game of "52 pick-up". Necessity is the mother of invention, yes?

I organize my seeds by year, alphabetically withe separate bins for commercial and saved.

I have a special wooden box for sorting seeds for swaps. These are also alphabetical so I can pull them easily at swaps end.

I e been digging in them so they're a mess now. Maybe one day soon I'll work on them and post a photo.

I use binders with trading card sleeves. When I started back on Garden web- I had one binder- now I have 9🤦🏻‍♀️. I also tend to take things out temporarily and not put them back- so I have a card box where I started putting them in the meantime. This is also where I keep some of my seed baggiing supplies.

Clearly we're all seedaholics.

I would be interested in hearing about the oldest seeds that you got to germinate.

There is so much information online but it seems to be all over the place as far as how long seeds are viable.

My seeds are stored cool, dark and dry. How are yours stored?

Right now, the only seeds I can think of are the coconut scented geraniums that I am offering this year. I originally got them from poison dart frog. I stumbled upon a pack that was 7 or 8 years old this past spring. I planted the entire packet hoping for a few plants, I think every seed germinated!

I just thought of another, lychnis. I believe they were 10 years old.

What were the oldest seeds you got to germinate, bloom/fruit and collect fresh seeds from.

ishareflowers said: Clearly we're all seedaholics.

I would be interested in hearing about the oldest seeds that you got to germinate.

There is so much information online but it seems to be all over the place as far as how long seeds are viable.

My seeds are stored cool, dark and dry. How are yours stored?

I'm currently storing all my seeds in Tupperware boxes in a dark, dry basement dresser. Got rid of the spare fridge last year, as the last stored in it was, you guessed it, my beloved Tupperware boxes filled with seed. As for old seed germinating, 2023 was hallmarked by 100% germination of 2012 scallions and jalapeño peppers. Those seeds would have been impossible to move at a seed swap, but their seedlings bring plenty of takers at plant swaps. I kept a few for myself, of course. Delicious.

@DeerXing ,

Wow! I was always under the impression that anything in the onion family would only be viable for a year.

I'm not a vegetable or herb grower so I just based that on what I have read.

This is why I thought this could be an interesting thread. What's better than hearing from actual gardeners and not seed packets?

I know that many people tossed their seeds that are 2/3 years old. I see it in the Facebook Garden groups all the time. I used to comment and tell people there's nothing to lose by throwing them in a damp paper towel. There's so many of them, I gave up. 🤦‍♀️

Yes, @ishareflowers Good Thread!

I found myself in the company of all sorts of seed-savers in my community when I started a seed swap at my town's library five years ago. Many worried folks arrived with their "old" seeds, only to be met joyously by others who see great value in their offerings.

As for the onions, that came to me as a big surprise, as I too believed viability dropped off fast for all in the Allium genus. So far, I've experienced the most rapid decline with bulb onions, and the least decline with bunching, scallion or green onions (both are Allium cepa - there's a mystery!). Don't hold me to this - I still marvel at my discovery, and struggle with this: Schools of Thought vs Good Luck!

I have found old squash and gourd seeds to be pretty durable. I had some Yugoslavian Fingers seeds from 2008 that germinated last year. I was shocked. It's one of those seeds that I grew out, saved seeds from and meant to sow every year for somebody who wanted them, but I kept passing over them when planting time came. Last year I decided I needed to throw them away or grow them. They heard the threat and responded accordingly.

I'm never afraid to trade for old cucumber seeds and their relatives. A decade or more is unremarkable.

This year I grew out some of Karen's old morning glory seeds. The 15 to 20 year old seeds germinated at about 30%, the 10-12 year olds at about 60%, so any age Ipomoea is worth a try.

I remembered that I made a post about this years ago. In 2017 I got some pansy seeds from 2001 to germinate. The year before I planted seeds from 1997 and got germination. But I'd have to find my old planting journal to find out what it was. I always will try old seeds especially if they are in an unopened pack that has an inner foil/plastic pack.

poisondartfrog said:
This year I grew out some of Karen's old morning glory seeds. The 15 to 20 year old seeds germinated at about 30%, the 10-12 year olds at about 60%, so any age Ipomoea is worth a try.

Thanks for the added confidence I need to sow my 2008 'Scarlett O'Hara' next year.

I have had great success with 10 year old California poppies, and 11/12 year old tomatoes. Black cherry tomatoes. I frequently seed 4~5 year old seed of all types.

Question here:
I have serveral Floret Celosia originals that were sold in mixes. I isolated serveral colors out of that mix. As time allows I'm slowly working at getting things listed.
My question is. Do those qualify as named varieties or would that be my own thing? You can not buy the individual colors off her website just the mix that I would've originally started with.

@theflowerlady - I've had to look into the past Mile High Swaps to reach this understanding -
For example, between Pink Celosia spicata and 'Pink Candle' Celosia spicata, the latter is the named variety. Perhaps our host, @ishareflowers can verify? I'm not a horticultural taxonomist, but I can appreciate the work that goes into seed saving. It would be sad for nameless seeds to go homeless. May I also take this chance to thank Lisa for lowering the named variety requirement to 50? Without that, I would have never signed up. Thanks, Lisa!

DeerXing said: @theflowerlady - I've had to look into the past Mile High Swaps to reach this understanding -
For example, between Pink Celosia spicata and 'Pink Candle' Celosia spicata, the latter is the named variety. Perhaps our host, @ishareflowers can verify? I'm not a horticultural taxonomist, but I can appreciate the work that goes into seed saving. It would be sad for nameless seeds to go homeless. May I also take this chance to thank Lisa for lowering the named variety requirement to 50? Without that, I would have never signed up. Thanks, Lisa!

I Second this....

So if I'm understanding this right it should be listed as "Blush Vintage Rose" Celosia argentea plumosa to qualify as a named variety?
Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to make sure I'm following the rules here as I have a crested celosia I listed already but thought of it later maybe the wording needs to be changed a bit or if something like that doesn't qualify then I may need to remove it.

theflowerlady said: So if I'm understanding this right it should be listed as "Blush Vintage Rose" Celosia argentea plumosa to qualify as a named variety?
Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to make sure I'm following the rules here as I have a crested celosia I listed already but thought of it later maybe the wording needs to be changed a bit or if something like that doesn't qualify then I may need to remove it.

Mt understanding is you can list it even if not a named species, it just won't count toward the 50 requirement

I was chatting about Chanel, my new canine bff- a rescued golden retriever. Must have been on another swap thread. I don't have pictures on the computer so I am sharing from my phone.




It is easier to get pictures of her while napping.

theflowerlady said: So if I'm understanding this right it should be listed as "Blush Vintage Rose" Celosia argentea plumosa to qualify as a named variety?
Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to make sure I'm following the rules here as I have a crested celosia I listed already but thought of it later maybe the wording needs to be changed a bit or if something like that doesn't qualify then I may need to remove it.

I don't want to say this is settled because Lisa has had a full day and may not be reading the threads, but it seems to me it would make sense only to count one of your segregated color offerings as a named variety and not claim each iteration as one, as it is not commercially offered as individual colors. As was said, all of them would not count, but you can post as many as you want as long as you have 50 named varieties also.

Ok I'll wait to hear back for sure on how that applies. Maybe i just need to make a mix of them for the swap.
The biggest reason I asked is so I kno when I hit the 50 for sure which I will be able to do that (Another thank you to Lisa for lowering the amount to 50 otherwise I wouldn't have been able to participate in this either. ) but as my second yr saving seed it's really making me go through and calculate what all I have for sure 😊