How Long Will My Seeds Last?

As spring approaches (ok maybe it's a ways off) and seed catalogs begin to fill up the mail box, one question gardeners ask is how long will my seeds last? Can I use my seeds purchased last year?  Unfortunately seeds of wild species live the longest, while those crops we enjoy as food crops have a shorter life span.  Some weed seeds can remain viable in the soil for up to 50 years, yet for crop plants the average seed life ranges from 3-6 years.

Sow Many Seeds

Understanding the fascinating anatomy of a seed will help you in storing your seeds and determining when and how often you should replace your seeds. Every seeds is a living entity.  It contains a embryo that given the right conditions will grow into a seedling and producing plant.  All vegetable crops are orthodox seeds meaning the are produced with low moisture content and meant to remain dormant until growing conditions are right.  This allows these seeds in nature to survive a winter and germinate in the proper season.

Seed Planting Schedule  

Several factors determine how long a seed remains viable (capable of producing a vigorous producing plant).  Seeds with hard seed coats will store the longest. The seed coat keeps out moisture and oxygen which keeps metabolism low.  The thinner or softer the seed coat the shorter the storage life.  

The longer a seed is stored the lower the germination rate.  Germination rate is the percentage of seeds that will germinate given the right conditions and produce a vigorous healthy plant.

What does all this mean to the gardener?  Ideally, I believe it is wise to purchase seeds for each season.  I try to purchase the amount of seeds I will cultivate in a season. I store the remainder of my seeds in the paper envelops they came in.  I place the seed packets in a dark, cool, dry place to use again next year.    If open stored this way, your seeds can be viable for 2-6 years depending on the variety.  Onion and parsnip seeds are the exception. They should be replaced every year. I replace seeds older than 3 or 4 years, because as seeds age the germination rate lowers and time is wasted replanting seeds that did not germinate.

Organizing and Ordering Seeds

I have included a link to a Seed Viabilty Chart from High Mowing Seeds.  This is only a guideline because it all depends on good storage practices. So get those seed packets out, throw out the old, and get your orders in so you will be prepared to plant on time in the coming season.

Seed Viability Chart

Setting Goals for Your Homestead

 Resolutions, goals, projects whatever you call them now is the time to implement and schedule them.  Tearing off the last calendar month of 2019 hopefully has you feeling satisfied with the person you have become and the direction you are heading.  If not there is always another year, a fresh start.

There are so many aspects of our lives it can sometimes be overwhelming to know where to focus your energies. I know in my life that my priorities are faith, family, and freedom.  When I pay proper attention to them the important things fall into place and the unnecessary things falls by the wayside.  I never regret the time I focus in these areas.

 I also enjoy working with my husband on improving and taking care of our 5 acres which includes gardens, orchards, berries, herbs, dairy goats, chickens, ducks, and seasonal pigs.  All these provide food for our family as well and enjoyment.  We believe in being as self reliant as possible.

 
Our family approaches self reliance as a life style choice.  I believe it is our responsibility to provide and care for our families and to manage the resources the Lord blesses us with wisely so that we can be prepared to serve and help others.  It's about being a wise steward.

 It's not so much the projects but the process of what you become while learning to live providently that is so satisfying.  I value the intangible aspects of being a homesteader.....the satisfaction of work, the knowledge you gain and can share, the peace of being prepared, the security of knowing how to do it yourself, and a deeper appreciation for the blessings the earth offers.

"To own a bit of ground, to scratch it with a hoe, to plant seeds and watch their renewal of life. This is the commonest delight of the race, the most satisfactory thing 
a man can do."

 With winter, comes a renewed dedication to my garden and farm.  Every time I open a jar of almond pears or spicy peaches I'm grateful I took the time to grow and preserve my own food.  

So What Now?

New year, new goals and a look back at what went well and where we can improve.  With the new year comes new ideas I want to try and of course the new ideas from years past that never came to fruition. Sometimes my new ideas and my husband's ideas aren't exactly the same so time is spent prioritizing our goals.  

I thought I would share how I set goals for our homestead.  I like to evaluate things in three areas:

1.  Maintenance

2. New Improvements

3.  Expanding or reducing the farm 

I do this in each homesteading area.  Here's some ideas

 



Maintenance:  

This includes repairs and general maintenance of what we already have in place.  Replacing aged garden boxes, maintaining water systems, replacing weed block in garden paths, adding mulch,  sharpening and repairing tools, painting barns and coops, fixing rain gutter, repairing fences. etc.

New Improvements:

This includes any new projects.  This is the fun part.  These can be practical or fun.  Ideas can be a herb garden, BBQ pit, play area for grand kids, milking equipment, adding beehives, a new breeding buck, root cellar, or greenhouse.

 Expansion or Reduction:

OK this is the hard part.  Is it practical to expand the farm or do I need to simplify and eliminate some areas? I struggle with that reality. Sometimes we simply bite off more than we can chew or health or current circumstances make it necessary to cut back.  

It's important to consider finances.  You can't be self reliant if you have to go into debt to maintain what you have. 

The family dynamics change.  When the kids leave home you have less help but also fewer people to feed.  

Determine if you enjoy what you are doing and the time it requires.  Perhaps you do not like milking goats or pruning an orchard.  Be honest and don't feel guilty about your decisions.
   

"The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do."

Take time to find joy in the journey.  Find pleasure in the task you are engaged in.  I've learned that there is always tomorrow.  Be content and happy with what you accomplish each day.  After all "gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and refined character."  Part of gratitude is believing you are enough, you have enough, and you do enough.

The pictures are from a 2015 snow storm.  So beautiful!