Do flower seeds expire?

I bought some seeds (for flowers and plants) from walmart and on ebay. There are no expiration dates on any of them and I dont' want to use all of them.





Do seeds actually expire? If I sow my seeds two years from now, will it still work?

Do flower seeds expire?
Technically, they "expire". But in actual practice, they merely are less likely to germinate over time. Seeds are usually labeld with the year on them. Almost all seeds will be pretty reliable for 2-3 years.





A general rule of thumb is that the larger the seed, the longer it will be viable. (beans will last years, tiny seeds give up sooner). But species vary - seeds found in egyptian tombs have been grown after thousands of years of storage! How they are stored will affect thier "shelf life". Cool and dry is key.





I would'nt throw any seeds out - just expect that fewer will sprout as each year passes.
Reply:Saaanen is right about the germination rate falling with time. Most, but not all, seed companies do put an expiration date on seed packs. Depending on the seed in 2 or 3 years the germination rate may be down to only 1 seed in 10 germinates. This would be unsatisfactory and a waste of labor to plant them. If there is no expiration date on the package, I'd get new ones next year. You may have to buy them anyway if they don't come up and then you'll be behind schedule. I don't think it's worth the risk to save a buck or two.





For what it's worth, grass seed is monitored by the USDA and the seed is illegal to sell if it's out of date. You could apply the same reasoning to other seeds. But the risk is yours.
Reply:I get fresh ones every year, just read the date on them.
Reply:Seeds don't expire. Their germination rate goes down. I will use 4 year old bean seeds this year. The only difference is that I will sow them a little bit heavier than I would if they were new.
Reply:put your seeds in a brown paper bag ,in a cool dry dark place they will last longer.
Reply:Seeds don't "expire", however their germination rate decreases with time. For example when you first buy the seeds the germination rate may be 80% (8 out of 10 seeds will grow) the more years that pass, (and also if the seeds haven't been stored properly) the germination rate decreases. Maybe after a couple years only 50% will germinate, etc.


However properly stored seeds can last anywhere from 1 to 5 years. It depends on the type of seed.


To test if your seeds will germinate put how many you want in a pot or the ground, wait a few days and see how many seedlings pop up. If you want more, sow some more seeds, if not, store the rest in a cool DRY place.
Reply:Seeds do expire. Depending on the type of seed and where you store them, the seeds may still be viable after two years.
Reply:Yes, they do expire. They are usually packaged for a particular year. The longer past the time, the fewer will germinate.