Give them a go - some are notoriously short lived while some are exceedingly long lived, it does depend on the plant. I had some 10 year old poppies show germination beyond my wildest dreams.

I WSed 8-yr old tomato seeds a few years ago, thinking they were probably too old to germinate. Hah! They sprouted just fine. That was the year I ended up with 4 tomato plants, way too many for my terrace container garden. But lots of toms to enjoy and share.

A couple years ago, I found some seeds which I had gotten from my grandmother, who died in 1989. The seeds were for a local wild herb (I think, don't know the botanical name) called "callaloo", which is used to make a very delicious gumbo-like soup/stew. I sowed them just because, never expecting anything to happen with seeds that had to be at least 25 yrs old at the time. I did not get 100% germination, but I got a decent showing of plants out of it. Who knew?

So, yes, old seeds are definitely worth a try. The alternatives are either leaving them to get older, or tossing them in the trash.

I recommend doing a germination test before planting to see which seeds are still viable. It's pretty easy - here's how to do it:

https://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/how-to-do-a-quick-germination-test-at-home

Thanks for the ideas. I'm glad I didn't toss them now. Laura, vbuff, I saved and copied those germination test instructions. I am planning to try winter sowing (for the first time) for the perennials. This way I won't waste space (I have a limited area to try this, as I have to hide it from view) and effort.

As a (very) general rule of thumb, larger seeds seem able to maintain viability better than tiny seeds - curcubits are notoriously long lived, as are legumes. Lettuces and most definitely any of the apiaceae (carrots, parsley etc.) have very short term viability. I have successfully sown 6 year old tomatoes...but with a much reduced germination rate than normal.

Linnea - the single biggest difference I have found, after many years of growing from seed, has nothing to do with potting mix or even different germination strategies (although these are pertinent)...and absolutely everything to do with acquiring fresh seed by either seed saving, swapping or having a good knowledge of the provenance of commercially bought seeds (some seed companies are notoriously...dodgy. My success rate doubled across the board when I started collecting my own seeds...even tricksy double dormancy types. And if I was starting out seed sowing, avoiding old seed would (now) be my very first step to discourage disappointment.

Square foot garden method raised beds are easily fenced and since one can reach across the bed from all four sides one doesn't need to step over the fence. If you want to plant in the ground you could fence off squares of ground. I have used that method with some netting placed across the top, attached with clothes pins, to prevent deer from eating my peppers. You might wait to add poles until the pole beans have good growth or use netting that could go part way up the poles and remove it when the plants grow high enough that rabbits won't be able to reach the tops. My deer eat some leaves off pole beans but they don't eat the blooms or beans and the leaves regrow. Probably less total crop but we still get more than enough beans for my family so I no longer put netting up along the top half of the pole bean fencing.

Beans grow well with direct sowing here so I don't ws them.

IME, LETTUCE seeds do not germinate well after a few years. Germination testing is a good idea and if you still get some germination but not as much as you would like go ahead and sow thickly and cut off extras that germinate.

Old TOMATO seeds can germinate. One thing that helps is soaking them overnight in some water with a drop or two of liquid fertilizer added.

Cool and dark storage helps to prolong the germination ability.

I planted seeds from 2006 last year and still had germination on some but others were no show. I say try and expect varied results. If you have something that must germinate buy new seeds or be prepared to buy starter plants in the spring.

Edited to add:

If seeds don't germinate you can sow something else in the same container, just stir up the mix and add new seeds. I use a different kind of seed in the second sowing. You might even be surprised with a seedling or two of the original seeds germinating with your new seeds.