...when the seeds are properly stored! 8)
Got some varieties from a fellow tomatoviallian, who got them from 1997 SSE Yearbook... The seeds were stored away in sealed packages, very neatly, with nice labels ...
As with any other older seeds, I thought I'd start 4 times more seeds than I need, and I'd start them 3 weeks earlier than usual, to give them enough time to germinate...
So I did...
To my huge surprize, the seeds started to sprout on the 5th day, and on 7th day I have more than 50% germination rate - now I am not sure what I am going to do with all the extra seedlings!
Amazing what the proper storage can do to seeds longevity - I am sure some of these seeds are more than 10 years old.
For comparison, some more resent seeds (i.e. 2004 or 2005) take more than 7 days to sprout... Yes, I tried that side-by-side with the older seeds, with the same soiless mix and under the same conditions. No special treatment was given to seeds - other than I watered the mix with hot water prior to putting seeds there, and I didn't cover seeds with soil until they sprouted.
This is what the varieties are:
Gillogly Pink
Purple Brandy
Tom Patti's Italian Paste
Lenny and Gracies Kentucky Heirloom, Red
Reif Italian Heart
Aker's West Virginia
So, I think I'll be offering the seedlings to the local tomato growers (since I am going to have too many of them for myself) - I'll appreciate help raising them :wink: