1) Good resource about how long seeds can be stored:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07221.html
Just remember that HOW they're stored is a big issue.

2) You didn't mention WHERE you start your seeds. If in the same room as a
gas furnace, and you occasionally smell just a touch of gas that you ignore
because it only happens when the furnace goes off or on, and even then, it's
just barely noticeable, stop ignoring it. It'll kill tiny seedlings. I
assume I don't need to tell you how I found this out. :-)

3) No garden soil. Too many variables. Buy seed starter mix, or search
online for "cornell potting soil recipe" or some such thing. Peat moss,
perlite, vermiculite, if I recall. The acidity of the peat moss somewhat
retards microorganisms. You need to add lime if you want to use it as a
long-term potting soil for most plants.

If you use the right soil, I think you can skip the sterilization of the
containers, unless they've been stored someplace damp and they smell musty.
I never sterilize mine, and haven't had ANY kind of seedling failure in 20
years. The gas leak issue was 21 years ago.....


"Ralph D." wrote in message
...
Well... it's moving into the latter stages of winter here and a few weeks
away from an early jump on starting seeds. That means it's time to do the
annual delurk.

I have had persistent problems starting veggie seeds the last few years,
especially tomatoes, and after much prodding finally talked to the
CoOperative Agent about it. The feeling is that I may have a fungus around
and I am recontaminating things as I go along. I have decided to not use
any
seeds from last year (I never knew about the fermenting deal) and have
decided to order new from Tomato Growers... I grow no hybrids and I will
likely do a dozen of about 7 varieties (one of my old ones I cannot find,
Spindley) but the packs comes in 30's and I'm wondering if the leftovers
will still be good for next year? I know that I have used year old seeds
before, but is it normal or was I lucky?

To the extreme on that... I just found an unopened pack of Seeds Of Change
Brandywine pinks (best one out there) that is dated as 'packed for 1997'
LOL! It's unopened, and has been under a stack of literature in a little
cubby hole in the desk here. Never needed them as they gave good seeds
every
year until recently. There's a lot of shipping involved for just one new
pack, and I'd like save $$$$ anywhere I can this year as money has really
tightened up here.

Also... the agent wants me to sterilize all my little plastic market packs
that I use and the shelves that I grow them on and the drip pans
underneath.
Is this realistic? It seems like the dishwasher is too hot, and the 10:1
Clorox deal seems light to me. Any experiences with sterilizing
everything?

Also... I was told to stop using my garden soil for seeds and go to the
soiless stuff. Is this really that big of a deal? What if I spray all of
the
soil (after it's in the market packs) with Fungonil? I start my seeds
early
as it's hard to predict how they'll get along with the conditions in the
house here, depending on the weather and how much the furnace runs or
doesn't. I shoot for May 1 for planting (a few earlier just for fun) and
if
they take off then I rather they be in soil so as to not have to keep
transplanting them.



That's it for now... but the year is young :-)