Kris puts on her dancin' shoes and joins ND in doing the WS line dance. bum-ba-bum-ba - bum ba!....

Great going!! Nice to take a leap of faith and have it come through. :O)

Fantastic!!! Don't ya just love it?

My 87 year old mother likes Beefsteak Tomatoes. I sowed several seeds from two different packets (hers) packed for 1994. Other tomatoes were sprouting but nothing in that jug. I really didn't expect any to grow. I was amazed when I saw the first sprout. There are now six of them.

Pat

I wanted to grow Lupins this year, but had not received any trades early in the year, but I found some saved in 1999. It's strange that I was not a gardener then, but I still saved seeds. However, I threw them in a container and would you believe they are gowing - sprouted before some I got in a trade. They were stored in a little film cannister, and it will be interesting to see what the blooms are like. The label says 'red' but I can't remember where I got them!!Adventure!!

wow that is great. good to know some old seeds may still sprout!

Karen

I just love this! I knew old seed would sprout, but never expected this well! It takes away any guilt about not sowing what I have right away. I know I can tuck them away for a year or three or four... and still get them to sprout like new! I have some Columbine, Scott Elliot mix that I can't wait for!! Those are from 2002.

It is really matter of luck when trying old seeds... good luck with columbines although everywhere it stated columbine is no good after one year...
re strange germination habits- I got couple aconitum seeds from Gardens North during late fall and germination was good, about half f the seeds germinated and I was happy. Now when Gardens North had their 50% off sale in April I ordered those seeds again- just love aconitums, can not have enough- what do you know I had 100% germination now and much more uniform...
and I know from vast experience how difficult to germinate older acontium seeds....

I know the excitement!

I sowed (indoors) seeds from Crocosmia 'Lucifer' a month ago that I harvested in 2004. It took 3 weeks, but I've now got 5 baby plants. I'm completely ticked :)

Every year I sow a few containers of old flower/Veg seed that I've been holding on too. Last year my best and fastest pepper germination came from 6 year old Jalapeno 'Biker Billy'! Go figure.
Not so sure I'll get anything popping up in my 7 year old sweet corn or french bush beans though. I did get back up bush beans (Blue Lake) from Walmart sown just in case, but forgot to grab corn. Not so sure another 80 mile round trip just for that is worth it though :(

Good luck with those bush beans, Vera! The tree rats got mine! I sowed a second batch and now they're setting roots, but just won't pop up! They've been that way for about a week and it's getting on my nerves! I yelled at them today, "Am I going to have to get my beans from a can again this year, or WHAT?" No response... defiant I tell ya!

Congrats! It's so fun to see how resilient Mother Nature is, isn't it?

I have been surprised several times by old seeds. I still have some tomato seeds left I got for free from Trudi's site three years ago. I didn't have a lot left, but had several Chadwick Cherry seedlings came up. I remember these from my first year, and they were so prolific right up until frost.

I have some old Thai Bottle Gourd seeds that were a couple years old when I purchased them on sale, a couple years ago. The two I direct sowed into my raised beds are no shows, so I planted almost all the rest in a container. I am really hoping to get at least one, preferably two. I will report my results later. I let a few of my cucuzzi gourds cure outside over the winter, and I think I might be hooked. I haven't tried any crafts with them yet, but I think it could be fun.

I'm having luck with old seeds well. I wasn't able to garden one year, and then not really into it the next, so other then some virginia stock seeds I picked off a few plants last year, all my seeds are from 04-06 and a mix of seed trade and purchased packet leftovers.

Particularly thrilled that my mutant cosmos (had extra petals - not quite like anything I've seen in pictures from seed companies) from 05 or 06 (note to self - date packets in future) has sprouted a couple days ago. I am really curious to see what that one looks like when it blooms.