How to Test Old Seeds

by Courtney |The Kitchen Garten

2 Materials

3 Days

Easy

Using an entire seed packet is quite the feat in one season. So how can you tell if last year's seeds are still good?

This quick test takes just a few minutes to set up and then a few days of wait time, but it’s definitely worth it if you can use what you have instead of going out to the store to buy another package of seeds that you may not really need. And if you have kids, they’ll love checking on the seeds each day to see if they’ve sprouted! Here’s what you’ll need to test your seeds:

Paper towels

Sharpie

Seeds

Water

Chances are, you have all of this stuff laying around your house, so let’s get started!

Step 1: Take one sheet of paper towel and dampen with water. Lay damp paper towel on table or counter and place 2 or 3 seeds on the towel. I would use one type of seed per paper towel, so you can remember what seed type you’re testing.

Step 2: Roll seeds up in the damp paper towel. It will look like a paper towel cigar, but just don’t go lighting it up. Use your sharpie to write on the outside of the towel what type of seeds are in there. The writing will get a little “loose” as you keep the towel wet over the next few days, but you should still be able to tell what you’ve written.

Step 3: Place the rolled paper towels on a plate or low-sided dish and let marinate for a few days, keeping the towel damp. I do this by putting a little water in the bottom of the plate and letting the towel soak it up; you could also spray it with a water bottle.

Step 4: Open up the paper towels and see if the seeds have sprouted! If your seeds are still good, you will see shoots popping out of the seeds. Yay! If you’re not seeing sprouts, you could wait another day or so (this may be necessary for seeds with a longer germination period, and you can find this info on the seed pack itself). You can see most of our beet seeds sprouted, as well as the garden peas I tested. And that poor pack of garden peas was in rough shape from being left out in the rain (my bad), so if they sprouted, you can feel good about testing whatever old seeds you have laying around.

Good luck!

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Frequently asked questions

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2 questions

Pam on Oct 03, 2018

Dumb question, but just want to make sure...then, you plant them, right?

7
Anthony on Oct 03, 2018

Some seeds take longer than others...so how long does one wait to see?

4

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4 of 11 comments

Thelma on Oct 04, 2018

Hi, Just to let you know, seeds will stay viable for years if the packet is kept tightly closed - I use paper clips on the rolled up tops, keep the packets in tightly closed glass or plastic jars, and store the jars in a cool, dark place - I store mine in a 4-drower file cabinet in my home office where they will stay warm in the winter & cool in the summer. This year I used seed from packets I purchased in 2009 and each and every seed germinated. I know they germinated as I made seed tapes with them and spaced the seeds the correct distance apart so I wouldn't have to do any thinning. I didn't have any 'empty' spots in my garden rows either. Proper storage has saved me lots of $ over the years and I always have the exact type of seeds each year. I never lose out on a favorite vegetable due to a company changing the type of seeds they carry. Happy Gardening!!

10 Reply
- Courtney |The Kitchen Garten on Oct 04, 2018
  
  Thank you so much, Thelma!
  
  1
Ann Howell-Wilson on Oct 16, 2018

Thank you so much for the tip! I'm an AVID gardener (and propagator) and I always hesitate to use old seed! Game changer!

Like Reply
- Courtney |The Kitchen Garten on Oct 16, 2018
  
  I'm so glad this is helpful!
  
  Like