Dear Members > I suspect the seed companies wanted us to buy new supplies each year and > inferred, by dating their packets with a particular year, that fresh was > needed for germination. There are federal laws requiring that seed packages be marked with the year packaged, the germinating percentage--within six months, I believe --and country of origin. Supposedly this prevents seed companies from selling "bad" seed. Another well intentioned regulation from "Big Brother". How well the law is enforced is another matter. Ken