Attention, fellow seed savers: as the weather warms up, it’s time to pull out all those amazing seeds you’ve been saving and start growing transplants indoors.
My “aha!” moment at the Garden’s annual Seed Swap happened when I stopped by at horticulturist Lisa Hilgenberg’s seed-starting table, and picked up a copy of her Seed Viability Chart. It’s not only a useful tool about the average “shelf life”—or viability—of veggie seeds, but also an eye-opening reminder to check the dates on seed packs before I start growing this spring. Some seeds last longer than others!

Ready to start sowing? We’ve got lots of good tips and info about how to start seeds on our blog and website:
- Seed Starting Tips from Windy City Harvest
- Getting Started with Starting Seeds
- Ready, Set, Germination Test!
- It’s March: Sow Your Spaghetti Sauce Now
©2016 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org