Reasons
Sometimes there is a reason for what we do, and sometimes not, like why was I so fascinated by the sight of mysterious tiny holes in the snow that I took a photograph? Photographic genius, I guess. Also, why did I plant ten varieties of summer squash last summer, but there’s a reason for that and I’ll explain.
Uncle Wahoo offers salient, honest observations and for that reason I pay attention to him. Why not? Better than listening to a liar. He noticed there were seeds packets in the secondary seed basket seven years old or more. “Maybe we should convene a meeting to figure out a plan for what to do with these seeds that aren’t getting any younger,” he suggested. He also counted two dozen useful containers holding seeds from amaranth to zinnias beside the primary seed basket which held maybe 200 packets.
“With an 80 percent germination rate of your inventory, we can feed Northwest Arkansas,” Uncle Wahoo noted. “We better get busy.”
Some seeds seem to last forever. Purslane seeds, for example, can lay dormant in the soil for a decade and still sprout. Somebody watched and took notes. The reason purslane developed this strategy is you and I are not dedicated to perpetuating the lifeline of purslane as we are tomatoes and peppers. Purslane is on its own.
I once spread around a packet of eight-year-old turnip seeds just to see, and they all sprouted. Seeds for onions usually are not reliable after a year. Carrots seeds stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator might last three years. You can also keep them in a cool, dry shady shelf in your extra bedroom or closet, but they might not last as long. Some wimpy online sources claim tomato seeds last only four years, but I’ve had them sprout after twice that long because I kept them dry, cool and dark. Same with pepper seeds, but that doesn’t mean ignore expected viability rates.
Seeds contain life, and they will want to sprout if exposed to warmth and moisture (just like me), so keep them dry, cool and away from light. Seeds kept longer than the expected viability might still germinate, but because the seeds have aged the plants that grow might not be as productive as you were hoping. This is in direct contradiction to the John Prine lyric, “They say that old trees just grow stronger…”
So that’s the reason Uncle Wahoo raised an alarm about seeds watched over with best intentions wasting away but also why I planted so many squash varieties last summer. Can’t argue with good advice which is better than listening to a liar. A reasonable question would be how so many collections of seeds would accumulate, and gardeners will understand.
One reason is the fascination of saving seeds to see if a particular variety planted again and again will acclimate to your soil and microclimate like John Bibb did with small heads of lettuce. I have a packet of seeds for a salad blend originally containing more than 3000 seeds. That should last a while so why would I save seeds? Why not?
Pepper seeds at the end of the season are easy to save, but varieties are notorious for crossing. Nevertheless, I have saved seeds from a small yellow sweet pepper for probably 20 years, and it has stayed true. That’s part of the fun of saving seeds.
Another reason for accumulating seeds is curiosity for growing different things. I have plenty tomato seeds and I need fewer than 20 plants, but I have not yet grown Wooly Kate Yellow tomatoes, so I bought a packet. Gardeners do that.
Also, if there are seeds left in a packet, they stay there unless somebody does something with them such as share them with friends. Uncle Wahoo said, “A friend with seeds is a friend indeed,” and I appreciate his attitude… lots better than listening to a liar.