Storing vegetable seeds to re-use the following year can save you money and time. However, you do need to keep the seeds in a cool dark dry place if they are to remain viable. The following seed viability table shows the most popular seeds and the average length of time that you can expect to be able to store the seed for. The third column shows the maximum length of time recorded for that vegetable seed.
Keeping Vegetable Seeds
| Vegetable Seed | Average Number of Years | Maximum Number of Years |
|---|---|---|
| Angelica | 9 | 10 |
| Bean | 3 | 8 |
| Basil | 8 | 10 |
| Beetroot | 6 | 10 |
| Borage | 5 | 10 |
| Broccoli | 5 | 10 |
| Cabbage | 3 | 4 |
| Caraway | 7 | 9 |
| Cardoon | 4 | 10 |
| Carrot | 5 | 10 |
| Cauliflower | 8 | 10 |
| Celery | 2 | 6 |
| Chicory | 6 | 8 |
| Coriander | 2 | 4 |
| Corn | 10 | 10+ |
| Cucumber | 6 | 10 |
| Eggplant | 10 | 10+ |
| Endive | 4 | 7 |
| Fennel | 6 | 10 |
| Gourds | 5 | 10 |
| Kohlrabi | 1 | 3 |
| Leek | 3 | 9 |
| Lettuce | 5 | 10 |
| Mustard | 4 | 9 |
| Okra | 5 | 10 |
| Onion | 2 | 7 |
| Parsley | 3 | 9 |
| Pea | 3 | 8 |
| Pepper | 4 | 10 |
| Pumpkin | 4 | 9 |
| Radish | 5 | 10 |
| Rhubarb | 3 | 8 |
| Sage | 3 | 7 |
| Spinach | 5 | 7 |
| Squash | 6 | 10 |
| Thyme | 3 | 7 |
| Tomato | 4 | 10 |
| Turnip | 5 | 10 |
| Asparagus | 3 | |
| Brussels sprouts | 4 | |
The table above has been drawn up from a combination of personal experience, talking to other gardeners and researching in books and on the internet, I would be grateful for any comments, feedback etc. or any additions.