Released Jan. 3, 2008
LaCROSSE, Kan. - Seed catalogs and January usually arrive together.
That fact can provide real mental relief for gardeners trapped indoors by winter weather. Catalogs offer a bounty of colorful options to visualize, weigh and perhaps order for 2008's growing season.
"Obvious drooling is rarely a related result - at least, for most of us. But, we can get so involved in planning that we forget to check the viability of last year´s leftover seeds before we start ordering new ones," said David Coltrain, agriculture and natural resources agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension.
Average U.S. garden size is shrinking even more rapidly than average yard size, he said. So, seed packets may contain a more generous supply than some plots or beds can handle in a single year.
"Plus, sometimes you just buy more seed than you can get around to planting," Coltrain said.
Fortunately, except for members of the carrot family, many vegetable and flower seeds can remain viable for up to three or more years. In general, their ideal storage is somewhere cool, dark and dry. As a result, leftovers stored in a garage or basement may last quite a while.
"New seeds you buy this spring should have at least an 85 percent germination rate," Coltrain said. "But, if you liked the results you got from last year´s seeds and about 50 percent of their leftovers will still sprout now, you can get about the same results, planting the old seeds twice as thick as usual."
He listed these steps for testing seed viability:
1. Wet a paper towel, fold it and place about 10 seeds between the layers.
2. Put the towel-covered seeds in a dish. Place the dish in a warm location - about 80 degrees.
3. Keep the towel moist, and regularly check the seeds for germination. Large seeds should sprout in about a week and small seeds in two weeks.
"If this test results in less than a 50 percent germination rate, don´t expect satisfactory results from planting leftovers this year," Coltrain advised. "Instead, get out your catalogs again."
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http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/
Contact: Mary Lou Peter-Blecha, mlpeter@ksu.edu
