Amy Krieger, age 11, of Fast Brunswick, New Jersey, for her question:

Why don't aged seeds grow?

Some of us save seeds from the garden and plant them the next year. The results may be very successful, dust so so, or downright disappointing. In every case there is a reason, though often the reason is hard to find. There are thousands of different plants and each species has its own plan for producing its own special seeds. Most garden vegetables and many garden flowers produce seeds that rest through the winter and produce crops the following spring. Some of them will sprout when they have been saved for several years. The secret of success is to know which seeds become useless with age.

As a rule, aged lettuce seeds come to nothing. They should be planted the year after the plant produces them. Onion seeds do not last very long either. It takes a year or so for them to produce seeds and they should be planted for the following season. Pea and bean seeds can be dried, stored through the winter and planted next spring    or they can be stored until the next year. Some people claim melon seeds can be stored for as long as 30 years.