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Are my garden vegetable seeds good next year too?

I just planted my first garden and didn't have room to use the entire seed packet. Should I save them and use them again next year? Will they still be good? The package says the sell by date is the end of this year so it seems like they would still be good. If not I'd like to give them to someone else so they can be used. Thanks.

Public Comments

1. They might. Do you want to risk it? How much are you saving? A trick I used to do was dump them somewhere that gets sun light and water and go back later and pick some! "Somewhere" between your house and work. Or at work, "somewhere" LOL
2. Yes they will be good till next year. I have seeds 1 and 2 years old and they still grow or grew. That's what a lot of people do when they save their own seeds and they last a few years. Put them in the fridge too. They will be a better quality seed when time to plant next year (Compared to you not putting them in the refrigerator). People save their seeds every year (From their plants) for next years plants but they keep their older seeds just in case the new ones get lost or they can't collect a lot of seeds this year because of a poor crop. Have fun gardening!
3. I put my leftover seeds in a zip lock bag and into a plastic container in the frig. Some seeds can last many years that way. Germination will diminish over the years but yes, it is possible to use your leftovers next year. What destroys seeds fastest is moisture and heat. Keep them in a cool dry place and they will last quite a while. I am planting cantaloupe seeds this year which are two years old. They were kept in my study in a desk drawer. The house never gets hotter them 78F. I fully expect the seeds to germinate. You can also put your seeds in containers as described in the freezer. Dry seeds in a freezer or frig will last many years. Keep them. They are too expensive to discard.
4. the seeds will be fine... with each year passed the expiration date means that less of the seeds will germinate.. the ones that do germinate will be no different than if you grew them the first year