Are flower seeds good after sell by date?

I have several packes of flower seeds. I bought them last year, and the package says packaged for 06' Sell by 12/06.





Are they garbage?


If it makes any difference this is what I have:


Bachelor Buttons


Alyssum


Marigold


Sunflower

Are flower seeds good after sell by date?
if you have kept the packets of seeds in the house they should be fine, if they are only last years seeds you will have probably 90% germination instead of 95% for this years, bottom line plant an extra seed or two and thin out the extra plants. try soaking the seeds in warm water for a couple of hours before planting helps also.........
Reply:Yes! They will still be good if they never got wet or damp. If they never go into germination they are good for years and years past the expiration date. My husband is a gardener and we have bags of Sunflower seeds (and many vegetable seeds) that were bought over 5 years ago and they make big, beautiful, Sunflowers every year! So, as long as they have been in good temperature and moisture conditions they will be fine. Good luck!
Reply:they shouldn't be bad
Reply:The sell by date is the company guarantee that the flowers will grow if planted by the date listed. I would bet they are fine and will grow if you plant them now. I have planted seed 2-3 years old and they were fine.
Reply:yes


you can usually keep them for a couple of years.


try planting them you have nothing to lose.


if you dont use them this year, put them in a cool dry spot or in little jars they will be fine for another year
Reply:the germination percentage will decrease, it depends on where it was kept, some seeds will still germinate.
Reply:yup you can still plant them. plant them soon tho.
Reply:Do a germination test. Place a paper towel or several layers of news paper on a plate. Wet it. Scatter seeds on it. Cover with another layer of paper. Wet it. Keep it damp for up to a week. Count how many seeds sprout, compared to the no. of seeds that you used. If it is more than half, that is good. More than half will grow. This is called a germination test. Test each variety of seed in this manner.