This was sent to me. Thought some might be interested.

Chances are... last year's seeds (or those even much older) will still germinate just fine. There are very few seeds that must be bought new each year.

Since some people are thinking about gardening and some request others "old" seeds each year, I thought I'd offer this information on how long vegetable and flower seeds are generally "good for" when kept dry and out of major temperature and light extremes. Here are viability lists for both vegetable and flower seeds. I hope the information can help someone.

================= Vegetable Seed Shelf Life ======================

1-yr

leek

onion

parsnip

2-yr

corn

okra

parsley

3-yr

asparagus

bean

carrot

pea

4-yr

beet

Brussels sprouts

mustard

pepper

pumpkin

tomato

5-yr

broccoli

cabbage

cauliflower

celery

Chinese cabbage

collard

cucumber

eggplant

endive

kale

kohlrabi

lettuce

muskmelon

radish

rutabaga

spinach

squash

turnip

watermelon

These are approximate times for cool, dry home storage conditions. Beet, carrot, lettuce, squash, turnip, and watermelon seeds remain viable for an average of 5 or 6 years but under ideal conditions may exceed 10 years. Cucumber and endive seed viability can last 10 years or more.

============== FLOWER SEED SHELF LIFE =======================

1-yr

delphinium

2-yr

aster

phlox

sweet pea

3-yr

African daisy

cosmos

Dusty Miller

marigold

pansy

petunia

scabiosa

Shasta daisy

snapdragon

verbena

4-yr

sweet alyssum

5-yr

calendula

carnation

chrysanthemum

hollyhock

nasturtium

stock

zinnia

Source: http://faculty.matcmadison.edu/mchristoffel/plants/seeds/viability.htm