We had an interesting phone call the other day from Marie Mundie who discovered and sent us 5 packages of seed, pictured below, and some unpackaged and undated pea seeds.
The packet of lettuce seed (above left) has a date on the back of 1961, the Chinese Cabbage (middle) is dated 1948, and the two (above right) are dated 1932 and 1933. These packages are written in French and come from Quebec! One package is Cerise De Terre (ground cherry) and the other is Solanum Nigium (we have not been able to identify it as of yet).
The White Cos Lettuce (above) is dated 1933. The question is...Will these seeds germinate? There are several factors that affect the shelf life of any seed...temperature, humidity, and sunlight. All seeds are living organisms that require oxygen to survive. Proper seed storage is paramount to ensuring a good germination vitality. Marie was curious to see if these seeds would germinate and so are we! So we are going to plant them and see what happens!! Stay tuned.... And thanks Marie!