I'm not one of them! I hold on to seeds forever LOL! Most seeds as long as they are stored properly will stay viable for quite a long while:D

Vera

I bought into the whole Y2K thing and that year, I bought lots of veggie varieties in bulk. I am still using them each year and haven't noticed any difference in germination since they were new.

I also am using saved perennial seeds that are as much as 5 years old and always have germination. I have them all in paper coin envelopes inside ziplock baggies and store them in the frig.

This year I am sowing all the seeds I have from previous years. Some of them are dated as far back as 2002, but most are undated T&M freebies from 2003, 2004, & 2005.

So far, I've gotten germination from:
Dianthus caryophyllus 'King of the Blacks' (WS)
Petunia Celebrity Chiffon Morn (2005 and IS)

A friend gave me some mystery Salvia seeds collected in 2004, and I got 20% germination in a test batch on paper towels. They are strong seedlings and I'm eager to see them bloom some day.

I'm regarding any germination of the old seeds as a special gift and I hope to see more of them sprout in the weeks to come.
Constance in NJ

I'm not one of them either. I'm new to ws'ing and have all my perennial seeds I've been stashing sleeping peacefully in milk jugs outside now. Some of the seeds I had were from 1999!!! I've never taken the time to sow them because they were older and I didn't want to waste the space in my greenhouse since they were so old. But with ws'ing I don't feel I'm out anything much if they don't germinate. To be honest I'd be tickled if I get just one plant out of some of those seeds. So we'll see :)

I'm a compulsive seed buyer and have seed that I will probably NEVER get a chance to sow! There's just something about those packets of seeds that thrills me. I do try to store them properly.

This year, I'm sowing a lot of "old" seed, with quite a few from 2001 and 2002. So far, I have germination with:

Alyssum (2001 and 2004)
Red Scallop Poppy (2003)
Bachelor Buttons (2003 and 2005)
Dianthus 'Siberian Blues' (2006)

Some of the others look promising (seeds swelling up), but nothing that can be called germination yet. I've got a container of Burpee's Bush Big Boy tomatoes - seeds from 2000. Those, I think, are a real leap of faith.

PV

Count me in on using old seeds that I had from past years. I thought what have I got to loose by planting them for my newest project, Winter Sowing!

I do have fears about them not sprouting but all I will have lost is my time.

This has kept me from getting the late winter blaws.

Connie

Last year, I direct sowed some 'Scarlet dahlia' Zinnias that were in my seed baggie. They were tall and red and I figured the hummingbirds would like them. Approx. 25-50% of the seeds germinated and about half dozen grew tall and red, and the hummingbirds did indeed like them.

This winter I happened to look on the packet - it said "Packed for 1991". Yes, that's right 1991! And some of the seeds still germinated! I'm winter-sowing the rest of them this year (along with other types of Zinnias). What the heck!