Seed expiration?

[vette-kid]

Today while starting some more seeds I noticed the paKS are dated for sale in 2017. Do seeds expire? You see companies selling seed packs for the preper types, are those somehow different? Or will my little seed packs still work 10 years from now?

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

Rate of germination generally decrease over time. It depends on type of seeds.
Some remain dormant for years and sprouts when favourable condition is attained.

Some have impermeable seed cover, that it need others intervention.

Keeping it dry and cold make it stay longer, I wonder how they keep them in Svalbard.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Just as Rajesh said, germination decreases over time. It depends on the seeds as well as the conditions they're stored in. I've had good success with seeds being up to 3 years old, but have never tried any older than that.

 

[Beverly]

At Svalbard, according to Wiki:
The seeds are stored in sealed three-ply foil packages,[10] then placed into plastic tote containers on metal shelving racks. The storage rooms are kept at −18 °C (−0.4 °F). The low temperature and limited access to oxygen will ensure low metabolic activity and delay seed aging. The permafrost surrounding the facility will help maintain the low temperature of the seeds should the electricity supply fail.[7][21]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard_Global_Seed_Vault#cite_note-regjeringen-mo-21
Some wild seeds are programmed to germinate at various times to assure survival. So some seeds might germinate in a few days and other seeds in the same packet may germinate in a year or two. Some passifloras germinate after a year no matter what you do to them. I don't think we can out think the wild seeds, they germinate when they are programmed to. Domestic veg seeds and annual flowers are much more dependable in this regard.