It turns out that the Perfekta seeds were apparently from 1969, making them 44 years old! Final germation rates were:
For nicked seeds, 1 of 6 germinated
For intact seeds, 4 of 6 germinated
Too small of a sample size to draw statistical conclusions, but good evidence that nicking very old tomato seeds is probably not essential to facilitate germination.
Here’s the latest pic, with flower buds just a few days from opening:
We’re up to 29 plug trays planted – even trying plug trays for carrots and parsnips! Here’s a pic of the early tomatoes at 13 days after planting:
This first tomato tray of the year had 93% germination rate. I usually like to see at least 95%. But this tray has 113 varieties from 54 sources. There are bound to be a couple of bad batches.
And here’s the latest pic of Carolina Reaper pepper seedlings:
Delectation of Tomatoes, etc. 