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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

I was doing some reading last night on seed saving and found a thread
from some gardenweb forum talking about giving the seeds a nitrate
shot/infusion or using gibberalic<Sp> acid to break dormancy and speed
up germination on seeds that were otherwise considered dead.  Has anyone
done anything like this?
Also, there was a thread on seed longevity that had several
viewpoints..some of which were
They say that heirlooms are usually good for 4-5 years
They say that the oldest tomato seed germinated was 50 years old
They say that seed companies like SSE only grow 10% of their seeds
yearly and they rotate what they grow so that would mean that some seeds
are grown after years long dormancy periods
I found many instances of where folks had gotten some small percentage
of seeds to germinate after 10 or 12 years...
And all this with no special treatment.

So, after reading that, I figure I don't have anything to lose by trying
it.  Back in '98, the first time I met Lee Flier, she and her friends
came up to visit and her friend(I CANNOT remember her name) brought me
some seeds for Silver Fir Tree Tomatoes and Black Plum tomatoes.  Those
seeds, too, were in that can, and I really want to give them a try again
now that I have a better setup/greenhouse and garden area.  If I can get
just one plant to grow, I replenish my seed.
But that brings me to another problem...after reading up last night, I
am now worried that some of my saved seed may not be "true" as I don't
think I have allowed enough space between varieties of tomatoes and
peppers to prevent crossing.  I know the corn is okay, as I staggered
planting times and only grew one or two varieties at a time apart from
each other, and I applied the same rules with the curcubits, but things
like tomatoes and peppers...well, for example, now I wonder if my Roma
is a true Roma or is it a Roma/Sausage/Amish Paste cross?  It won't
matter to be as I mix the types in paste anyway, but should I ever want
to trade seed with someone, I'd hate to think I was giving them a Roma
when I was actually giving them a crossbred.  I read that varieties
should be separated by 10 feet at a minimum, and was wondering if anyone
had a problem with keeping seeds true at closer distances.

Bev

Karen L. Black wrote:
> **************************************************************************
>  I don't expect that seeds eight years old will do much, but you
> could make a germination trial on them: put ten seeds of each variety
> on a damp towel in a plastic bag in a fairly warm place. I just tried
> that on some beans of unknown age. No germination, so I have no
> qualms about composting them.
>
> Karen Black Norton Creek Farm Blodgett, OR
>
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--
Bevanron of EarthNSky Farm   Sleep well tonight, for somewhere in the
ocean's depths, MY son is protecting YOUR freedom.