Question on age vs viability of bean and corn seeds...

[nctomatoman]

Now that my office is finally cleaned up and I can get at my entire seed collection, I am wondering which seed to toss and which to keep. Of course I am fine with knowledge of tomato, eggplant and pepper seed viability vs age - but just curious at to what those of you who are in the know have found with older corn and bean seed....thanks!

[Jeannine Anne]

Corn seed, two years then it rapidly goes down, but if you have lots you can pregerminate it and toss what doesn't make it but unless it is a very special one I wouldn't bother.

The official answer to beans is three years but I have germinated them well beyond that regularly,I germinated 9 year old beans this year and got about 40% up which was fine for me as they were quite rare. I wouldn't toss bean seed out till you do a test.

XX Jeannine

[nicky]

Don't know about corn but I had a similar experience with beans - germinated 8 year old pole beans a couple of years ago - about 8/10 came up.

[Zana]

I got about 40% germination on some seed from 2004 this spring....which was better than I expected. But like Jeannine, it was a rare bean, so I was happy to get that. I'll be saving as many as possible this year....going to taste a few and then save the rest.

The best I've had is germinating about 25-35% with 10 and 12 year old beans. I haven't tried anything older so I don't know how well it would. Allot might depend up on how they were stored too.

Not sure if that helps or not. Just my input.

Zana

[Jeannine Anne]

I totally agree about the storage thing, I am pretty careful about that.

I got some Gigantes beans from a Greek deli recently as I had had a glitch with the last few I had saved..my fault entirely, but I needed to start again. I have tried four times now to get a few to germinate but so far no luck and I suspect storage with the dealer is the problem . I will persevere though as my originals from 20 years ago came from Greece and it can be done.

XX Jeannine

[Tania]

I am growing corn this year from the seed purchased in 2005. I got 65-80% germination, which I think was pretty good considering the age.

I am also growing beans from 2003 (purchased) this year, can't remember the germination, but it was decent enough, around 50% maybe. My own 2005 saved beans sprouted 100%.

EDIT: the corn seed was stored at the bottom drawer in the fridge, the beans were stored at the room temperature in the laundry room