Dear Mr. Hester,

Thank you for writing! Grass seed will last for a minimum of 2-4 years. It is important it be kept in a dry, cool (not freezing),  mice free environment. When evaluating seed you will see a test date on it. You will also notice that some will put 85% as the germination rate for all the seed varieties. Seed producers do this so it can sit on the shelf for a year and not have to be retested. Most of the time, the seed that say’s 85% will actually have a 90%-95% germination rate. Turf Type Tall Fescue is harvested in Oregon in August and then shipped south for sale. This is a tight window to get harvested, tested, bagged and sold. Because of this, a lot of what you buy this year is last year’s crop.  We actually prefer seed that is a year old because it germinates better after it dries out a little. I have never seen seed not germinate from being old.  I know this was a long explanation and I hope it helps you! Thanks again and please don’t hesitate to write me if you have further questions.

 

The TurfCommander

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Name: R. Hester
Question for the Commander: What is the shelf life of grass seed?