As well as poring over seed catalogues I've had a good sort out of my seeds and made a list of leftovers from previous years. Many of them are still in date (some are unopened) but I've got a few seed packets that are well past the sow by date so I'm doing a germination test to see if they're viable. All 3 are Sarah Raven seeds (you get big packets for your money!) and I have planted some of them for the last few years. In fact I know I brought these from my old house so they're about 5 years old now. I'm testing 10 of each to make working out the percentages easier!!
I've just put some damp kitchen roll in the bottom of an old plastic tub, added the seeds and put them inside a sandwich bag on my study windowsill.
Pea "Sugar Snap"
Broad bean "Stereo"
Artichoke "Violetta di Choggia"
I love marinated chargrilled artichokes so I do hope these are viable. I'll give them all a few weeks to see if they're worth growing or need throwing. Nothing ventured nothing gained!
Great test, I hope they all grow, I use seeds past their date.
ReplyDeleteMe too but these ones have been opened for a few years and are waaay past their date now! It'll be interesting :-)
DeleteI'll be interested to see how you fare on this. Some plants will germinate WAY after the date on the packet, but others are more fussy like carrot
ReplyDeleteSound like a worthwhile project. I hope they germinate!
ReplyDeleteI never thought of that - I will give it a try. Just a question though, are you really going to start your seeds off (even indoors) this early? I always make the mistake of planting too early then rush to get them outside as they start going stringy (they say not to plant outside before mid-May here) and they get ruined. Plus we don't have window sills (how I miss that) because our windows open inwards (easier to clean) so I get sick of the little trays dotted all around the house. Will have to give it some more thought. Anna (in France)
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