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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

I just found a coffee can full of OP/heirloom seeds that I grew and
saved from 1998.  They aren't molded or anything and have been in my
closet all this time.  Assuming I plant them, what kind of germination
should I expect from seeds that old...it's a variety of stuff,
everything from corn to tomatoes to cukes and squash...
Also, I went to the feed store today to get some black oil sunflower
seeds and I noticed that they had already put out some 2007 seed.  Since
I have a newfound love of okra, I decided to buy some Clemson
Spineless-the old standby (I already have dwarf and red types) to grow
this summer.  So, I bought some and they packaged it in a small "mayo
seeds" envelope.  The seeds had been loose, then weighed and packaged.
So I brought them home and tossed them on the counter when I came in,
went about doing other stuff, then went outside to burn trash.  When I
came back in, I got a whiff of what smelled like the garden department
at Home Depot.  I have named this smell, the Ortho odor,,,,and that is
what I had smelled.  Well, obviously, this smell is not usual for my
house as my house smells like dogs and cigarettes<g>, so I look around
and finally pick up and sniff the okra seeds...yup...Ortho odor...
I thought back and recalled that the seed display was right next to the
garden area where all kinds of chemicals are located.  So my question
is,,,,should I toss the seeds, I mean, if I can smell Ortho, then
there's gotta be traces on the seed, right?  Or maybe, it's not the
seed, but the package, and again, should I repackage the seed or toss
them?  What say ye..

Bev
--
Bevanron of EarthNSky Farm   Sleep well tonight, for somewhere in the
ocean's depths, MY son is protecting YOUR freedom.