I’ve never seen it bad like this. They’re all selling out. Many seed companies promise a delay in delivery with what they have left. Even those packaged seed bundles for survival are sold out – even at $350 a crack.
Get your seeds ASAP or you might not be able to.
And do check out the source first at Dave’s Garden Watchdog. Other gardeners post their experiences with a company. If you see a bunch of bad reviews don’t throw your money away.
davesgarden.com/products/gwd/#b
Here’s a chart of how long different kinds of veggie seeds last:
Seed Life Chart Are Seeds Still Good
Each year you’ll inevitably run out of garden space and have a certain amount of seeds left over after planting. Don’t throw them out just yet! Depending on the type of seed and its quality, you may be able to store them and use them next year or the year after. In fact, some seeds, if properly stored, can be viable even after ten years. Some varieties of tomato seeds have even been known to germinate after as long as 16 years!
TIPS FOR STORING SEEDS
Storing unused vegetable or flower seeds does require some care. To remain viable, seeds must not be exposed to any moisture or extreme temperature fluctuations. They should be kept in a cool dry place. Some people store them in sealed plastic bags, while others keep them in glass jars in the refrigerator. Whatever works best for you is fine, but the important thing is that they not be exposed to moisture. Wetness can quickly cause mold to grow, killing the seeds.
TESTING SEEDS
Let’s say you have some seeds that are a couple of years old. At this point, you really can’t be certain if they are going to germinate, even if they’ve been stored under optimum conditions in a dry, cool place.
In this situation, you can test the seeds a few weeks before planting time by taking several seeds, placing them on a moist paper towel, covering it with plastic and placing it in a warm spot. Check back in a week or so and if you have sprouts you’ll know the seeds are viable.
LEARN MORE: How To Test Old Seeds
SEED LIFE CHART
To help you figure out if your seeds are still viable, refer to the following chart, which indicates the life expectancies of certain types of vegetable seeds stored under ideal conditions. The chart has been modified from D.N. Maynard and G.J. Hochmuth, Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable Growers, 4th Edition (1997).
Vegetable – Years
Asparagus – 3
Bean – 3
Beet – 4
Broccoli – 3
Brussels Sprouts – 4
Cabbage – 4
Carrot – 3
Celeriac – 3
Cauliflower – 4
Celery – 3
Chard, Swiss – 4
Chicory – 4
Chinese Cabbage – 3
Collards – 5
Corn, Sweet – 2
Cucumber – 5
Eggplant – 4
Endive – 5
Fennel – 4
Kale – 4
Kohlrabi – 3
Leek – 2
Lettuce – 6
Muskmelon – 5
Mustard – 4
Okra – 2
Onion – 1
Parsley – 1
Parsnip – 1
Pea – 3
Pepper – 2
Pumpkin – 4
Radish – 5
Rutabaga – 4
Salsify – 1
Spinach – 3
Squash – 4
Tomato – 4
Turnip – 4
Watermelon – 4
www.gardeningchannel.com/seed-life-chart-how-long-will-seeds-last/
COVID-19 SHIPPING DELAY
April 3, 2020 – UPDATE
Demand for our products is officially higher now than at any time since the Covid crisis began over a month ago. While we are thrilled that so many new people are finding us and will experience the joy of growing, we certainly wish it was under happier circumstances, and we wish we were able to fill orders faster.
So that you are aware, the entire seed industry is in the same boat. Some of our good friends and competitors in the industry have stopped taking orders altogether, and most others are experiencing shipping delays, some up to 6 weeks. We suspect that this is in part what is driving our order volume even higher now. We wish we could tell you that we are catching up, but we are not.
We are getting 80% of orders out in 10 business days or less, and we are acutely aware of every single order that is over that time frame. Many of those very late orders are held up by a shortage in mostly packaging materials. Our bulk seed inventory continues to be very strong overall.
The bottom line: We are committed to take orders as they come in for the foreseeable future, and are doing every single thing in our power to process your orders as quickly as we are able, despite the challenges we face in keeping our team healthy. If you are okay waiting, we invite you to place an order and are grateful for your business and trust. We ask only for your patience at this difficult time, as our customer service team is overwhelmed.
We promise, we are on the case!
The Sustainable Seed Company Team
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sustainableseedco.com/pages/covid-19-shipping-delay
We are temporarily not accepting new orders.
Due to a sharp increase in seed orders, we are not accepting new orders at this time. We are still shipping previously placed orders and will open ordering back up again once we catch up. For a local source of Seed Savers Exchange seeds, please visit one of our Seed Rack partners near you.
AO