How long do seeds last? Seed longevity and storage guide…
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Trying to figure out how long a certain seed will last? Want your seeds to last for as many years as possible? Find all the answers to your questions in this article!
Seeds are the closest thing to magic we know of…
It’s hard to believe those tiny little specks you’re holding in the palm of your hand are not only alive and metabolizing (albeit very slowly), but they also contain all the genetic and epigenetic information needed to grow an entire plant.
Then at a certain point in their life cycle, they’ll produce countless new seeds containing small bits of new information that will help them grow better in the particular environment the parent seed experienced. And the process starts anew.
Watching a seed sprout to life and grow into a mature plant is a wonder-filled experience for both kids and adults. If you’re a gardener, you have the opportunity to be an integral part of this magical process many times throughout the year.
How long do garden seeds last?
Are you wondering how long your garden seeds will last? Answer: it depends, but generally somewhere between 2-5 years.
The two factors that will impact the longevity and viability of your garden seeds include:
- genetic differences based on seed type (some seeds last longer than others as you can see in the list at the bottom of this article);
- environmental conditions.
Below, we provide a list of pretty much every type of garden seed available and how many years each seed will last when stored under normal indoor conditions (cool, dry, out of the sun). While you don’t have any control over your seeds’ genetic longevity, you do have control over the environment in which you store them.
How to maximize the longevity of your saved garden seeds
We grow hundreds of plant varieties every year and go through lots of seeds in the process. Our seed storage goals are to keep our seeds viable for at least 2-3 years before we can plant them all.
This means we store our seeds as follows:
- indoors in a climate-controlled environment to prevent temperature fluctuations and moisture exposure;
- in boxes inside a dark room/closet to prevent sunlight exposure;
- inside plastic baggies to reduce moisture exposure.
For most gardeners, this standard seed storage method is perfectly adequate. However, there are ways to store seeds that extends their longevity even longer…
Can you freeze your garden seeds to extend their longevity?
Around the world, countries and organizations have created “seed vaults” to try to preserve many of the landrace and/or heirloom seeds being lost to history as farms increasingly become larger operations that utilize hybrid or genetically engineered seeds.
Perhaps the most famous of these seed vaults is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault located on the remote arctic island of Spitsbergen, where temperatures rarely rise above freezing. In this frigid underground seed vault, seeds from around the world are stored in special three-ply foil packets, heat sealed to exclude moisture, and kept at -0.4°F.
Kept at that extreme low temperature, a living seed’s metabolism is brought to a standstill, allowing it to last far longer than it would under normal storage conditions.
Nope, you don’t have to build a Svalbard Seed Vault in your backyard. If you want to store seeds for decades or even future generations, you can pack your seeds in vacuum sealed bags and place them in your home freezer, which is typically around 0°F.
Garden seed viability list
Below is a list of common garden seeds and how many years they’ll last under normal storage conditions indoors.
Please note that this does NOT mean your seeds are doomed the moment they cross their year maximum threshold. It simply means those seeds will likely have significantly lower germination rates and plant vigor relative to newer seeds as they continue to age.
Fruit & Veggie Seed Longevity:
amaranth: 5-7 years
artichoke: 5 years
arugula: 3 years
beans: 3-4 years
beets: 4 years
bok choy: 4 years
broccoli: 3 years
Brussels sprouts: 3 years
burdock: 3 years
cabbage: 4 years
cardoon: 5 years
carrot: 3 years
cauliflower: 4 years
celery: 3 years
chard: 4 years
chicory: 4-5 years
Chinese cabbage / Napa cabbage: 3-5 years
claytonia: 5 years
collard greens: 3-5 years
cress: 5 years
corn/maize: 1-3 years
cucumbers: 3-6 years
eggplants: 4-5 years
ground cherries: 4-6 years
honeydew melon: 4 years
kale: 4 years
kohlrabi: 4 years
leeks: 2-3 years
lettuce: 3-5 years
mache: 5 years
muskmelons/cantaloupes: 4 years
mustard: 3-5 years
okra: 2-3 years
parsnips: 1-3 years
peas: 2-4 years
peppers: 2-4 years
onions: 1-2 years
radish: 4-5 years
rapini/Broccoli raab: 3-4 years
rutabaga: 3-5 years
salsify: 1-2 years
scallions: 1-3 years
sculpit/stridolo: 2-4 years
shallots: 1-3 years
soybeans: 3-5 years
spinach: 2-3 years
squash: 3-5 years
stinging nettle: 3-5 years
sunberry: 4-6 years
sunflower (not a fruit or veggie, but…): 3-5 years
strawberry: 2 years
tomatillos: 3 years
tomatoes: 4-7 years
turnips: 4-5 years
watermelon: 4-5 years
Herb Seed Longevity:
angelica: 2 years
anise: 1-3 years
basil: 3-5 years
borage: 3-5 years
caraway: 1-2 years
catnip: 3 years
chamomile: 4 years
chervil: 1-4 years
chives: 1-3 years
cilantro: 2-4 years
dill: 2-4 years
fennel: 1-2 years
hyssop: 2-4 years
lavender: 4 years
lemon balm: 2-4 years
lovage: 1-3 years
marjoram: 2-4 years
mint: 3 years
monarda/bee balm – 4 years
oregano: 4 years
papalo: 1-2 years
parsley: 2-3 years
pipicha: 1-2 years
rosemary: 2-4 years
rue: 2 years
sage: 1-3 years
savory: 2-4 years
shiso/perilla: 3 years
sorrel: 4 years
spilanthes: 2 years
stevia: 3-5 years
thyme: 2-4 years
valerian: 2-3 years
Save seeds for the future
We hope the information in this article helps you to better plan and save seeds for the future. The survival of the world’s seed supply doesn’t just depend on scientists and seed vaults, it depends on gardeners like you.
Please keep growing and saving seeds for the future. The reward? The world’s freshest, most nutritious food straight from your garden.
