How Long Do Seeds Really Last? (Plus, a Cheat Sheet on Seed Storage Life)

The beginning of spring usually sees me sprawled in the middle of the living room floor, with all my ammo boxes, laying out rows and rows of seed packets sorted by vegetable, and then by variety. Some are even color-coded… and I suddenly realize I have a rather strange obsession with collecting 12 different types of purple tomatoes (and counting).

Inevitably, a handful of seed packets get tossed in the compost pile as I double-check the dates… peppers from 2012, onions from four years ago. Y...