Oldest "Successful" Seeds

[Absolute_Skeletor]

What are the oldest seeds that you have started that have been successful and what was your method of saving them?

(I have tomato seeds i dried in a paper towel in 2006 just wondering how long i should them go. I just wanted to experiment).

[Pil]

What are the oldest seeds that you have started that have been successful and what was your method of saving them?

(I have tomato seeds i dried in a paper towel in 2006 just wondering how long i should them go. I just wanted to experiment).



i have some very old money tree seeds and going to try and sprout some. I will let you know what mine do. But, as for seeds I think they can last a long time depending I suspose

[Ohiorganic]

I have tomato seeds that were from a plant that was grown from 45 year old seeds (it took 1000 seeds to get two plant so very very low germination rate :))

I have grown 10 year old pepper seeds before.

[Agrinerd]

My oldest were some 13 year old Mexican Xtop squash seed. At least that's how long it was before planting after purchase, so they could have been older. I had 50% germination, but hadn't even refrigerated them. I just kept them in their paper seed packet in a tupperware container inside an Igloo cooler. I worked where we had 25 year old squash seed come up, but they were kept in a 45 degree room with 40 percent or less humidity. The oldest corn I've grown was 7 years old.

[ADCarter1]

It's probably urban legend but- my mom used to tell me a story when I was a kid about King Tut's tomb. When it was opened they took some seeds out of the tomb, planted them, and they grew. So that's what, 3,000 years?

[Backyard Homesteader]

May be because it was air tight. But I would have to see to believe.

[Emerald]

The oldest ones that I got to sprout were from 1968! And were tomatoes.. but this was back in either 97 or 98 and I was not into seed saving then as I am now.. They were Homestead tomatoes that a friend found in her cabin.. It was an unopened packet and I only got one seed to sprout but it did and they were good tasting tomatoes. I wish I could go back and save them cuz it would be nice to start some from the old seed and from the same type 30 years later and see how much it had changed.

[martenfisher]

I had tomato and cantaloupe seeds sprout in my compost after several years. About 5 I think.

[Tom C]

The only seed I have had that did not reliably grow after five years were onion. I would at least try a germinantion test on any seed less than 10 years old. And longer for tomato seed.

[axhandle]

Am still looking for Mr.Topp tomato seeds, for about 20 yrs now, I'm beginning to believe they are truly extinct.

[OneoftheEarls]

Here is what you were talking about...

The oldest carbon-14-dated seed that has grown into a viable plant was a Judean date palm seed about 2,000 years old, recovered from excavations at Herod the Great's palace on Masada in Israel. It was germinated in 2005.

There is a persistent myth that seeds from Egyptian tombs with ages of over 3,000 years were viable.[8] The myth was reportedly started by scam artists selling "miracle seed" designed to capitalize on European Egyptomania of the 1800s. In 1897, the claims were tested by the British Museum's director of Egyptian antiquities, E. A. Wallis Budge. Budge provided genuine 3,000-year-old tomb-seeds to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to plant under controlled conditions. The test resulted in none germinating. In 1922 a pea found in Tutankhamen's tomb supposedly germinated and was soon introduced as a new variety, but historians and horticultural experts believe that the origin was a fraud and that the pea was actually bought from a vendor at a Cairo market.

[Blanesgarden]

Happy to Germinate some of Spudleafwillies 94 collection this year-
Thats the best Ive ever done...16 and 17 year old Toms...

[jhonpounting51]

thanks brother it is very great info........

[MVNewf]

SPAMMER!!!!!

[bluelacedredhead]

Newf, did you report the Spammer to Admin or just post about it here in the thread?

[axhandle]

Excavating a site in Egypt several thousand years old,, something began to sprout from the refuse pile--guess what--Crabgrass.:D

[KelsieG]

I have some yellow pear tomato seeds that I bought from Territorial back in '06. I planted the last three seeds this year, and while they came up more slowly than other tomato seeds, all three germinated. I didn't do anything special to store them...just kept them in a kitchen drawer with all my other seeds, in a fairly moderated climate.

[RON L]

Thanks "One of the Earls", I knew I'd seen somethig about it and didn't recall it as corn, as I have heard so many folks repeat? know the British Museum did some of that as well inthe 40's with Egyptian seed and never did hear if it was a wash or not?

RON

[DebM]

I have greatly abused some Blacktail Mt Watermelon seeds purchased in 2005 from BC. The pkg laid on top my desk, in a drawer, was run over by my office chair at least twice, dragged under the dining room table by a bad doggie and then fell down between the sofa cushions where it apprently remained for a couple years, at least. I found them in November while preparing to move. So this spring, when I miraculously enough knew where they were, I dropped a bunch in to a zip lock baggie with a paper towel and some water, then thought what the heck and put 12 in my peat-pot setup. EVERY ONE OF THEM SPROUTED in the peat pots and about half of them in the ziploc!!!!!!

[axhandle]

Friend dug into a NA. Seed Storage area, while digging out his basement (House built around 1920's)--threw them out in the dump area outside.
Rained next day-a week later strange plants began to grow, vines that grew to the top of a pine tree, looked like a cross between a gourd and a squash--never seen anything like them.

Neither of the two of us saved any seeds.The area was settled around 1829, before that Creeks and Cherokee's, no houses no developement.

Wish I had paid closer attention.

[ADCarter1]

Thanks One of the Earls, I always suspected it was gardener's urban legend!

Currently, I am trying to grow Asters from the 1990- 1993 growing season. They were given to me by the same woman who told me the Egyptian urban legend (otherwise known as Mom), she swears I'll have a field of asters!

[carolyn137]

THe oldest seeds I've germinatred were 22 yo tomato seeds of the variety September Dawn, but the documented record for waking up old tomato seeds is 50 yo seeds.

Earlier this year I sent some seeds of a rare tomato variety to a hybridizer who was looking for some rin/nor mutants of which this was one interesting one I had and they were in a plastic vial from 1993 and he got some seeds up so that's 18 yo seed. I've never thrown out ione tomato seed that I've ever saved so have LOTS of olk tomato seeds.

Before someone asks, rin and nor are both non-ripening genes. I received this variety in 1992 in a huge trade with a Frenchman and had to just pick names off his list and the one called Dourne d' Hiver interested me b/c hiver means winter in French.

They gave small oval fruits with the most beautiful coloration of any tomato I've ever grown, swirls of pink and red and yellow and salmon and orange, but were hard as a rock and I had to use a hammer to break them open to get the seeds out.:D

Carolyn, patiently waiting for Spring here in true upstate NY.:(

[Agrinerd]

I remember rin and nor. They were as juicy and palatable as a brass doorknob.

[GennyL]

SPAMMER!!!!!

haha I see this from time to time with no follow up (or lead) info & wonder if you've lost your ever luvin mind or hit the hooch by accident.

[Xtal]

It's probably urban legend but- my mom used to tell me a story when I was a kid about King Tut's tomb. When it was opened they took some seeds out of the tomb, planted them, and they grew. So that's what, 3,000 years?

I've heard a similar story about wheat being planted with the results being very small wheat. Wheat has been bred over centuries to be bigger and better, so while it was enlightening, it lost its appeal.

However, it might be better to read the facts. Google: wheat growing from Egypt > hort.purdue.edu and read about Kamut.

Crystal Ivy