Gardeners urged to test seeds with one natural ingredient to make them sprout

Spring has sprung, which means gardeners across the country are thinking about this year.

And for many of us, that means we bought in the spirit of optimism last year, only to forget their very existence. If you've rediscovered a load of old seeds - and can't quite remember when you bought them - fear not: there's a very quick and inexpensive way to work out whether they're still viable.

All it takes is a few seconds of your time, and one very cheap household item you're bound to have knocking around in your kitchen.

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According to Palmers.co.nz, all you need to do is lay out a piece of kitchen towel on a flat surface inside your home - you can rest it on a saucer or inside a small plastic box if you don't have much space.

Sprinkle your seeds across the towel and , then place it somewhere with plenty of light and leave it for a few days.

Some gardeners also recommend covering the seeds with a plastic bag or plastic wrap - if you've put the paper towel into a plastic container you can just put the lid on top. Some like to check on their seeds and spritz them with water to ensure the towel doesn't dry out, but if you've sealed them inside a box there should be enough moisture retained inside it.

Between two and seven days after this, you should be able to see tiny shoots unfurling themselves from the seeds. This means and can be planted up and kept inside until the is good enough to put them out in the garden, on your balcony or put into window boxes.

If you're still not seeing signs after 14 days, the seeds are most likely not viable and you can dispose of them (or feed them to your friendly neighbourhood birds if they are not poisonous).

While seeds don't necessarily expire, their germination rates drop after a couple of years, so the wet paper towel method can save time and money in the short run while you work out what you need to plant out this year.

You don't need to test newly bought seeds, just ones that have been neglected for a year or two. Some gardeners have even had success with seeds that have been in storage for decades.

If you don't have the room for planting out all your seeds this season, make sure you store your spare ones properly to ensure they're viable for next year's planting season.

You run the risk of damaging them if you store them in too hot a temperature, so keep them out of direct sunlight. And it's usually best to keep them in their paper packets rather than decanting them into plastic ones, which can affect their germination rate and encourage mould to grow.

Have you tried the wet paper towel method? Let us know your suggestions in the comments below.

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