The planting season is imminently approaching. If you have not yet acquired everything you need, our tips will come in handy.
1. Check last year’s stocks
You probably have a lot of seeds left from last spring. Find the expiration dates printed on the packaging and try to remember when you bought these seeds. If for a long time, then it is better to throw them away. Otherwise, in May you will be left not only without seeds, but also without seedlings.
Also, keep in mind that the expiration date refers to the sealed product, and if you did not use all the seeds in the bag last time, now it is better to sow them in double the amount.
“Take your time to throw away those that are expired. By law, manufacturers must indicate the expiration date from the packaging date of the current year to the end of the next year, and for seeds in foil packages – from the packaging date of the current year to the end of the second year of sale. However, the life of the seeds of most crops is 4-6 years, ”advises the agronomist, candidate of agricultural sciences Alexey Rybin.
Parsnips, black onions, asters, delphinium lose germination faster than others. In tomatoes, cabbage and pumpkin, the “activity” of seeds decreases slightly. The general rule is that the finer the seeds, the longer they retain their initial germination.
2. Make a list of required seeds
Be sure to indicate the types and varieties in it. This list will help you navigate your garden store and “stay on track.”
“On your first visit, don’t take out your wallet, but arm yourself with a notebook. Seed companies know perfectly well how to grab a grower’s livestock with colorful bags and interesting descriptions. Before you have time to look around, you start buying everything. As a result, half will not rise, and half will not be suitable for our climatic zone. Therefore, calmly write down all the names, you can take a photo of the label. When you come home, calmly check the information on the Internet: how accurate the descriptions are, whether the plants are really so productive or beautiful, whether it is a variety or a hybrid, whether it is zoned, and so on. And during the second visit to the store, buy everything you need “, – recommends Andrey Tumanov, TV presenter and editor of the newspaper “Vash 6 ares”.
3. Do not buy seeds for future use.
It is not known what quality they will be in a year. The seeds that lie in your home lose germination much faster than those that are stored in the manufacturer’s warehouse. Another argument against stocks is that selection does not stand still: next year some out-of-the-ordinary variety may appear, so the one bought today will not be comparable to it.
4. Buy from a specialty store
Seeds are now sold anywhere from markets to regular supermarkets. But who will give you a guarantee that the seeds were properly stored and, accordingly, will sprout?
“Avoid buying from amateurs, especially online. Here, the percentage of deception is simply off scale, there is a high probability that low-quality seeds will come, and, moreover, untreated against diseases. Here’s an example: the popular variety “Bull’s Heart” is heavily advertised. More than 20 other varieties have this shape and size! However, they are often not resistant to late blight, a dangerous disease, and will infect all your plants. Another opposite is imported vacuum-packed seeds, packaged outside of Russia. The quality of these seeds is very high, but varieties and hybrids may not be suitable for your climate zone. Therefore, you cannot focus only on them, plant domestic and imported ones, ”says Andrey Tumanov.
5. Pay attention to the expiration date of the seeds
The marking of imported and domestic seeds is different. Our bags are often marked with an expiration date. That is, until the specified time, the seeds will still be “alive”, but their germination may decrease. On imported packages, the validity period of the germination test is usually indicated. However, if this period has expired, the seeds are still quite viable, but their germination (which no one guarantees anymore), most likely, has decreased. Consider this fact when buying. Carefully inspect the labeling: the expiration date is not stamped on the bag, but in a typographic way – in front of you is a fake: this means that the bags are printed in large circulation for several years in advance.
6. Carefully inspect the packaging
The bag must contain the full address and telephone number of the manufacturer, the name of the crop, variety, the designation of the hybrid “F1”, the standard (TU) for varietal and sowing qualities, batch number, weight in grams or number of pieces.
However, the description of the variety, contacts, details – all this is readily forged by crooks. The smaller and more unknown the firm, the greater the chance that it works on the principle of “buy cheaper, sell more expensive”. Focus on large manufacturers, there are such in almost all regions. You can check the reputation of the company on the Internet, find out who is in charge of it. For example, in Russia there is a company, the head of which is a cucumber breeder, and they have the best cucumber seeds. Be sure to write everything down, keep information for the future, do not throw away bags and checks.
7. Don’t chase exotics
To intrigue the buyer, very often scammers come up with more exotic varieties: for example, “Red Antillean cucumber”, “Currant tree”, “Mammoth” tomatoes … »Plants simply won’t sprout.
8. Prefer common varieties over hybrids.
Hybrids are obtained by crossing plants of different varieties. Their production is not cheap, therefore they are always more expensive than varieties. The hybrids are more productive and of high quality, but retain their properties only in the first generation (marked on the packaging – “F1”). When buying seeds of cucumbers, tomatoes or peppers, the choice of hybrids is justified: they are much more resistant to diseases and adverse conditions. But as for the seeds of other crops, hybrids are often just an imported version with improved industrial qualities: for example, they have the same size of fruits or they are convenient for mechanical harvesting. When buying a hybrid strain, ask how it differs from the usual, and analyze if you really need these qualities. However, keep in mind that seeds cannot be harvested from hybrids. They will not only not repeat the original qualities, but they will be much worse than the parental couples.
9. Write the date of purchase on each bag
Over time, add the sowing date here. Do not throw away the bag – you can use it to choose the same variety from the same batch or file a claim with the manufacturer.
How to store?
Seeds should be stored in a cool but not humid place at + 10-12ºC. Many do not withstand sub-zero temperatures.
When is the best time to buy seeds?
If in the summer you were pleasantly surprised by the harvest obtained from seeds purchased in the spring, you should buy them in addition in the fall: it is likely that you will be able to purchase seeds from the same batch and of the same quality (just do not forget about the shelf life!). And if you are not happy with the result, postpone the purchase until February, when the seeds of the new crop appear.