Seed viability times
The length of time that seeds can be stored is quite variable: for example, parsnip seeds are best fresh but peans and beans can keep for around 5 years.
See the table below for details of some vegetable seeds. Please let us know if you have any to add, or if you have found a variation from the times shown.
| Angelica / Garden angelica / Wild celery | 2 years |
|---|---|
| Artichoke / Globe artichoke | 5 years |
| Asparagus | 3 years |
| Aubergine | 4 - 5 years |
| Basil | 5 years |
| Beetroot | 2 - 4 years |
| Broad bean | 3 years |
| Broccoli | 3 - 5 years |
| Brussels sprouts | 4 - 5 years |
| Cabbage | 4 - 5 years |
| Carrot | 3 - 4 years |
| Cauliflower | 4 - 5 years |
| Celeriac | 5 years |
| Celery | 5 - 6 years |
| Chard / Swiss chard / Leaf beet | 2 - 4 years |
| Chervil | 1 - 4 years |
| Chicory / Radicchio | 5 years |
| Chinese cabbage | 5 years |
| Chives | 1 - 2 years |
| Climbing bean | 2 - 3 years |
| Coriander | 5 years |
| Courgette | 2 - 4 years |
| Cress | 5 years |
| Cucumber | 5 - 10 years |
| Dill | 5 years |
| Dwarf French bean | 2 - 3 years |
| Endive / Escarole | 3 - 5 years |
| Fennel | 3 - 4 years |
| French marigold | 2 - 3 years |
| Kale / Borecole | 4 - 5 years |
| Kohl rabi | 4 - 5 years |
| Leek | 1 - 3 years |
| Lettuce | 2 - 6 years |
|---|---|
| Marigold | 5 - 6 years |
| Marjoram | 1 - 4 years |
| Marrow | 5 - 6 years |
| Melon | 5 - 10 years |
| Nasturtium | 5 - 7 years |
| Okra | 2 years |
| Onion | 1 - 2 years |
| Oregano | 1 year |
| Parsley | 1 - 3 years |
| Parsnip | 1 - 2 years |
| Pea | 3 - 5 years |
| Pepper | 2 - 5 years |
| Pumpkin | 4 years |
| Radish | 5 years |
| Rocket | 3 - 4 years |
| Runner bean | 2 - 3 years |
| Sage | 1 - 3 years |
| Salsify | 2 years |
| Scorzonera | 2 years |
| Seakale | 1 - 2 years |
| Snow pea / Mangetout | 3 years |
| Spinach | 2 - 5 years |
| Squash (Winter) | 2 - 5 years |
| Sunflower | 5 - 7 years |
| Swede | 4 - 5 years |
| Sweetcorn | 1 - 2 years |
| Tomato | 4 - 8 years |
| Turnip | 5 years |
| Watercress | 5 years |
| Watermelon | 5 years |
Related resources
Grow Your Own Vegetables
Excellent book on growing vegetables with sections on techniques, a directory of vegetables, seasonal guide to jobs, and appendices on veg for the hungry gap, successional sowing and more.
How to create a New Vegetable Garden
Charles Dowding draws on his years of experience, to show how easy it is to start a new vegetable garden. Any plot -- whether a building site, overgrown with weeds or unwanted lawn -- can be turned into a beautiful and productive vegetable area. Charles's no-nonsense and straightforward advice is the perfect starting point for the beginner or experienced gardener. The book takes you step-by-step through: * Planning and early stages * Clearing the ground * Mulch - what, why, how? * Minimizing digging * Sowing and planting across the seasons * Growing in polytunnels and greenhouses It is filled with labour-saving ideas and the techniques that Charles uses to garden so successfully, and is illustrated throughout with photos and tales from Charles's first year in his new vegetable garden.
Organic Gardening The Natural No-Dig Way
A very helpful book about growing fruit and vegetables organically and without digging.
RFGN Guide to Growing Beetroot
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing beetroot.
RFGN Guide to Growing French Beans
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing French beans, both climbing and dwarf.
RFGN Guide to Growing Onions
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing onions.
RFGN Guide to Growing Radishes
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing radishes.
RFGN Guide to Growing Salad Leaves
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing salad leaves, including rocket.
RFGN Guide to Growing Squash
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing squash.
Seed sowing techniques
Advice from the Royal Horticultural Society about how to sow seeds
Seed Viability Chart
Temperate Climate Permaculture's chart of seed viability times for the most common seeds used in gardens and farms