The question we’re most frequently asked about seeds is how long they remain viable.
How long do seeds keep for? What happens when they’re old? When should I throw seeds out and replace them?
In order to fulfil retail marketing requirements, seeds need to have a germination rate of at least 50%. Our seeds regularly undergo germination testing – a quality control check that ensures these minimum requirements are fulfilled. However most of our seeds have a germination rate of 80-98% at the time of packing: we want to ensure that our customers enjoy an easy and successful growing experience.

Seeds don’t have a ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date. Depending on the variety, seed viability can vary widely in duration – from a few months to many decades. Of course we do know how long specific varieties remain viable under optimum conditions and so in mid-2023 we decided to voluntarily provide a ‘best before’ date.
All our seed packets produced since then have a ‘best before’ date printed on the packet flap (the actual text printed is: Aussaat bis: / Best before:). This indicates the time when seed germination rates are likely to fall below 50%. After this it’s still possible to carry out a germination test and you’ll probably produce a few seedlings – but there will be fewer of them, and they might not be as vigorous.

On our older seed packets the date printed on the back is the packing date (the text in this instance being: "abgefüllt am:"). Prior to mid-2023 we deliberately didn’t give a ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date, because seed lifespans not only vary greatly from one plant variety to another but also depend on other factors which we can’t influence or control once the seeds have left our premises.