So. You found a package of seeds in your gardening gear. Are they still good?
Packaged seeds usually have a “packed for/sell by” date on the back of the package. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should toss them. The chart below offers some guidance. But consider the relatively low cost of new seeds and the effort to plant perhaps questionable seeds before you throw caution to the wind and use them. And, if you bought the seeds in other than packaged form it’s hard to say.
| Vegetables | Average Shelf Life |
|---|---|
| Bean | 2-3 years |
| Beet | 3-5 years |
| Broccoli | 3-5 years |
| Carrot | 3 years |
| Corn, Sweet | 2 years |
| Cucumber | 5 years |
| Eggplant | 3-5 years |
| Kale | 4 years |
| Lettuce | 2-5 years (lots of debate!) |
| Muskmelon | 5 years |
| Onion | 1 years |
| Pea | 3 years |
| Pepper | 2 years |
| Radish | 5 years |
| Spinach | 2-3 years |
| Squash | 4 years |
| Tomato | 4 years |
| Watermelon | 4 years |