# How long do seeds keep?



## Ssejors (Sep 12, 2012)

How long can I store and keep seed packets? I'm starting to store food rations and water. Basically at the very start of my end times hoarding. Bahahaha. Ahem. So I am wondering howling most seeds keep before I have to use or rotate them out.


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## Ssejors (Sep 12, 2012)

And how do I tell if seeds are GMO seeds ? Is there a market or indicator on the packets?


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

Depends on the seed. Corn will last 1 year, bean seed will last 10 to 15 years. Most about 4 to 5 years.
The packets will tell you if its not GMO. It wont if it is. It will say non GMO seed.

http://www.heirloomseeds.com/ and http://rareseeds.com/shop Both sell non GMO seeds


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

catsraven said:


> Corn will last 1 year


I didn't go to the links you provided but HUH? I know a lot of people that keep and use heirloom corn seeds years after they've been harvested.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Most seeds last a loooooong time but the germination gets worse the older they are.


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

How many years? 
Corn germination Percentage drops dramatically after 1 year. You can get some at 2 years but after you will be lucky to get any after that. So my advice is 1 year. This also gos for leek onion and spinach.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

catsraven said:


> Depends on the seed. Corn will last 1 year, bean seed will last 10 to 15 years. Most about 4 to 5 years.
> The packets will tell you if its not GMO. It wont if it is. It will say non GMO seed.
> 
> http://www.heirloomseeds.com/ and http://rareseeds.com/shop Both sell non GMO seeds


Properly stored corn will long out live beans.

You can't realistically but GMO seeds.


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

PackerBacker said:


> Properly stored corn will long out live beans.
> 
> You can't realistically but GMO seeds.


To eat yes, to plant no. Try planting a 5 year old seed and see what happens.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

catsraven said:


> To eat yes, to plant no. Try planting a 5 year old seed and see what happens.


I've planted 5 year old seed often with good results. Much better luck with 5 year old corn over 5 year old beans.

Maybe your storage practices need improvement? :dunno:

Maybe I should tell the local seed corn company that those warehouses full of seed over 1 year old ain't any good. :laugh:


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Here is a chart for seed viability(I don't know if it will help)
http://dirthappy.blogspot.com/2010/02/seed-viability-table.html


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

For the OP, I actually think that it would be kind of hard to stumble upon GMO (or GE) seeds. Most companies are trying their best to market that they do not carry them. That and "most" GMO seeds require some sort of contract or paperwork to be signed so the producers can track them.

Figure out how many seeds you actually want to store and which ones. Then double up on the supply so you can account for lower germ's. Keep the seeds away from heat water and light to avoid starting the germ process. I have advised people to keep them in a dark bag in the fridge. My stock is in a box sitting on a shelf in their paper retail packets. Of course I have a lot more than I would need as I have the "trash runs" where they came off the machine light or didn't seal properly or something.

Before you use the seeds, do a germination test to see what to expect. Take 10 seeds from throughout your supply (you don't want 10 seeds that where all next to another) and place onto a folded paper towel. Dampen the towel so it is wet but not dripping, keep moist for the length of germination period (may be upwards of several weeks, find out before hand) do not have the seeds touching each other as a seed can get lost in the sprouting roots of its neighbor. Keep contained to keep moisture up and place into sunlight. At the end of the germination period, you should have a percentage of what you should expect.

Seed packets larger than a retail pack are supposed to have a germ date and % as well as a lot number and where it came from. Retail packets are not required to but some companies do this. If you come across seeds that do not have information to track them back to the packer, move to the next source.

Good luck.


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

PackerBacker said:


> I've planted 5 year old seed often with good results. Much better luck with 5 year old corn over 5 year old beans.
> 
> Maybe your storage practices need improvement? :dunno:
> 
> Maybe I should tell the local seed corn company that those warehouses full of seed over 1 year old ain't any good. :laugh:


I'm not going to argue with you. I'm not going to base my survival on what I consider luck.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Always store enough for two years, in case you lose a whole crop to bad weather or other disaster.


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## squshnut (Sep 5, 2011)

I just did germination tests on corn and peas. The seeds were from 2007.
Of 3 kinds of pea seed I got 80% germination ON 2. The 3rd pea seed type got 40% Germination.
On three types of corn seed I got one with 60% and 2 types I got not germination.
Now what this tells me you cann't tell how long they will last unless you know how old they were when you got them.
of the two types of seeds the ones that failed were from a seed company that I had a lot of trouble.
I would do germination tests on all the seeds before I stored them.
Also if you HAVE long term storage of things like pintos for food do a germination test on them just in case you need them to grow food at a later date.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

catsraven said:


> I'm not going to argue with you. I'm not going to base my survival on what I consider luck.


Hopefullly nobody bases their survival on your bad info.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

squshnut said:


> I just did germination tests on corn and peas. The seeds were from 2007.
> Of 3 kinds of pea seed I got 80% germination. The 3rd pea seed type got 40% Germination.
> On three types of corn seed I got one with 60% and 2 types I got not germination.
> Now what this tells me you cann't tell how long they will last unless you know how old they were when you got them.
> ...


What kind of germ test did you do?

I have found corn doesn't test well in paper. Stuff that didn't test well in paper grew well in soil.


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## squshnut (Sep 5, 2011)

PackerBacker said:


> What kind of germ test did you do?
> 
> I have found corn doesn't test well in paper. Stuff that didn't test well in paper grew well in soil.


I've never done germination tests in paper. I usually do them in peat moss with pearlite/ sand with some lime in it. Same mix I use for starting my seeds. The only difference is I do a closer count on the seeds i use and keep records of it. Some thing I should do any way.
A better idea for this concept of putting seeds awy would be to grow out the seed pks and save your own seed fresh. That way you know when it was produced. But even then Iwould do a germination testto make sure the seed is viable.


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

PackerBacker said:


> Hopefullly nobody bases their survival on your bad info.


That gos both ways.


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## dirtgrrl (Jun 5, 2011)

The two biggest enemies of long-term seed storage are heat and moisture. First, thoroughly dry your seed in the shade, or using a dehydrator on LOW if you're in a humid area. As soon as it's dry, store in an airtight container like a mason jar. If you have just a little seed, or it it's very small, place in a paper envelope before you place in a jar. Then you can store many envelopes in a jar. Be sure to label your jar or envelopes with crop name, date of harvest or purchase, location of harvest (if you have more than one field or source), and any other relevant information. Place commercial desiccant or powdered milk in the jar to suck up any residual moisture. Place your jar in the fridge, not the freezer. Try to place the jar somewhere in the fridge where temperature will remain steady, so avoid the door or top shelf. If you see moisture inside the jar after refrigeration, the seed wasn't dry enough before you placed it in the jar.

Most crop seeds are orthodox, that is they tolerate drying and freezing. (Good thing, or we wouldn't be able to save seeds from year to year.) But a small number are recalcitrant (unorthodox) and drying or freezing will kill them. Examples are acorns, mango, and avocado. They must be planted almost immediately or they will die.

Legumes have been known to remain viable for decades under ideal storage conditions. I don't personally have experience with corn, but it's generally regarded as fairly short lived. I wouldn't keep it more than 5 years, and would try hard to plant it within two. Stored seed will first show loss of vigor (the plant will not thrive) before it loses the ability to germinate. In any case, seed must be properly grown, harvested, handled, dried, and stored to retain maximum viability.


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## Ssejors (Sep 12, 2012)

Thank you everyone. 

I have purchased a shittonne of seeds In retail packs that were super cheap. They are from a Canadian seed company. I looked online and see no mention of GMO.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Ssejors said:


> Thank you everyone.
> 
> I have purchased a shittonne of seeds In retail packs that were super cheap. They are from a Canadian seed company. I looked online and see no mention of GMO.


I think what you are truly looking for is NON HYBRID seeds.

These are the ones that you can save seed from and have the produce true to type.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

You want heirloom or open pollinated in order to save seeds over and over


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## dirtgrrl (Jun 5, 2011)

Ssejors said:


> Thank you everyone.
> 
> I have purchased a shittonne of seeds In retail packs that were super cheap. They are from a Canadian seed company. I looked online and see no mention of GMO.


As previous posters said, you want non-hybridized seed if you want to save your seed from year to year. But if all that seed you just bought is in paper packages, open each pack carefully to examine for mold or other damage, reseal (tape shut), and place in the jars in the manner I described above. Chances are, your cheap seed is starting to get old and could be from various sources. Maybe not, maybe it just didn't sell. But at any rate, get it properly stored as soon as possible.

If your seed is in mylar or foil sealed packages, DO NOT OPEN them, but do place them in the jars in the fridge. No desiccant needed, just cooler temps.


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## majmill (Jun 6, 2012)

Ssejors, 

As an agnostic, I just wanted to say I really like and agree with you athiest statement.


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## bluestocking (Jan 10, 2013)

Another good resource is Seed Savers Exchange. They have a wide variety of seeds and even some sprouts for sale, heritage strains that are hardy. If you live near them (unlike me) they do also have classes on how to save seeds from your own crops.

Does anyone know if seeds will keep OK in plastic? I have tiny zip-top plastic bags (maybe 1" wide x 2" tall) that I thought might work well if sealed properly and put in an airtight container.


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