Help With Growing Seeds

1) Its a gamble to keep seeds year on. For flowers, where timing is less critical, I sometimes do retain and sow.
Flower seeds are not germination assured so 'new' seeds may not be new when packeted.Date is less critical than conditions of storage, which generally need to be cool, dry,and dark.
Vegetables, I do buy new seed annually as the cost is less relative to the lost opportunity cost of resowing. 'Old' seed is used up for microgreens in autumn/winter,dependant on variety
2) Its a case of space, again and the need to keep certain varieties in warm space as they develop. Others can be put out in to cold frames, under shade netting etc, protected from wind, deluge, birds and molluscs.

 

I collect most of my seeds and if I have too many (looks like I have enough marigold seeds to the neighbourhood) I just save them but mark the year on the container. I've found that lots of seeds do as @pete said. They remain viable for a couple of years.

I sow mine in soil blocks and if there land up being two annual plants in one block, the two get potted up together. I don't give a hoot about "crowding". They'll survive if given enough nutrition. I repeat that line from one of my favourite movies, "Pack em, rack em and stack em". I try to fit as much as I can in raised beds and pots.

 

As stated, some seeds whether veg/flowers will remain viable for 2 or 3 years ( more in some cases ) if stored correctly.
Seed producers are often no different with their Sow By dates than Food producers are with their Best Before dates. Both want people to ditch "out of date" stuff and buy new.
Tiny seeds can be a PITA when sowing but I think there is a little gadget available which supposedly helps - a Pro Seeder available from DTBrown. Probably available from other suppliers as well.

 

Oh well my propagator arrived from Uncle Amazon today and me being like a little kid in a nursery, just couldn’t resist and wait.

So sowed some seeds these are from last year stock from opened packed, but stored dry in an airtight box. So sowed some marigolds, cosmos, snapdragons and chilli, I have no real expectations and if this has grown into a nice plug by mid-March, I would think it would be still too cold to harden off and would expect these plants to make nice compost in the compost bin. As I say no real expectations on very cheap seeds, but what I would say I enjoy the whole ritual of sieving and planting, then the buzz of a new head poking through, although this will be a false dawn, but still nice practice as a dress rehearsal for the real thing this time next month.

 

I often keep normal leftover seeds for next year, most are just fine.

I also share opened packs of things, and any unwanted packs with friends and colleagues, and occasionally advertise them for free in local neighbourhood community. We have a charity allotment nearby and they are happy to accept everything.

(The same goes for surplus seedlings, in particular Toms, Chillies and Cucumbers are popular swaps. )

With tiny seeds, I just aim to sow as thinly as I can and then ruthlessly pluck out the extras in the sell, leaving just one or two. Many tinies such as Lobelias can be planted in clumps, they'll sort themselves out.

Congratulations for your new propagator!

 

@GreenFingeredPete pics please? I'd like to see your new equipment even though it will be a little time before anything germinates. Since I rarely buy plants and mainly grow from seed, I'm also good with staring at dirt and imagining grown plugs there.