Quote Originally Posted by mrtr33 View Post
*snip*
I don't know for sure. The seeds I ordered last year from SeedMan have an expiration date on them, similar to when you buy vegetable seeds at Lowe's or whatever. I don't know if that is a gimmick to get you to buy new seeds each year, or if they actually lose their ability to germinate after a certain period of time outside of soil.

I thought about a split just because one of the sites sells seeds in quantities of 200 (at the smallest), and I can't use that many. I thought if several of us went in on them, it might be neat to compare plants and learn from each other as the year goes on. But you're right, it may not be worth it.
Depending on the plant, seeds may remain viable for 1 - 10 years. I have used very old tomato and corn seeds (3-5 years.) Some people like to use foil pouches or mason jars to save seeds. Many keep them in the freezer. If you just prefer to use fresh seed, that's fine. You should get 95% germination rates from commercial seed.

It may be worth holding out a few dozen seeds to see if they stand up to storage. I can vacuum pack some and put them in the deep freeze, right next to the elk venison. As far as the value of comparing notes and sharing progress, I think you're on to something. I'll go in on a split... as long as you agree to post pictures. I like pictures...