Seed Freshness

[Razorback04]

Because I'm in awe of all the great tomato growers here, I'm a little embarrassed to ask such a basic question, but I will anyway. I've been working on my "must have list" for next year, and I think I've finally come up with a list. Is it alright to order my seeds now, or should I wait for the 2007 crop of seeds? Will the '07 seeds germinate better if I wait? And, if I order now, what's the best way to store the seeds until I'm ready to plant them?

[nctomatoman]

Hey Razor - tomato seeds, with no great storage care, will last a good long time (my successful crop of Cherokee Purples and Chocolates this year came from seed saved in 1996 - stored in my office in plastic vials with a snap lid). The key is ensuring that they are dry before they go into an enclosure. I find that 10 years is pretty easy - next year I am going to go back to some seed saved between 1988 and 1993 and grow out enough to get a handle on how germination failure progresses with age.

[Razorback04]

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to know. I'll go ahead and get my order in now, so I'll be ready come next Spring.

Next year, I'm going to try and save some seeds. I'll probably have a whole slew of new questions about that. Although, armed with Carolyn's book, I think I've got a shot at pulling it off. Who knows, I might even try a cross.

[wesleythewatch]

I was given a packet of "Ailsa Craig" seed last year from my mum. I used 6 of the seeds and got 100% germination with pretty good crop results. Then I noticed the packing date. It was 1988. Tomatoes are great arent they...