Seeds

[Jamie Calloway]

Hey everyone, I was curious where everyone gets there seeds for your vegetable gardens. Last spring I ordered mine through Burpee, some of you know how terrible that went, but not because of the seeds. I do have a couple feed stores in my area and I know there are a lot of corn and beans grown in my little neck of the woods. I would love to know for those that do order there seeds online which sites ate you using and how has your success been? I am sure this has been talked about already but i searched it and couldnt find anything. Also do you guys think my seeds from last spring would still be good now? I have kept them in there original package in a cool dark place.

 

[Greenhorn]

For just common vendors I like Renee's and Botanical Interest. Oh and you mean a little bit or a lot? I'm just talking packets.

 

[alp]

I bought the stuff and collect the seeds. For example, I bought a packet of chillis and will collect the seeds myself. I collected seeds from "The Finest" range of tomatoes and squeezed out the seeds on a towel, same for melon and squash. As my garden is hot enough, most of the tomatoes this summer will self seed next year! I also bought some on ebay, and some online mail order, for example, Thompson and Morgan or Sarah Ravens for specialist seeds. I keep an open mind and buy them as end of sales lines .. Don't pay much and have fun experimenting.

 

[KissMyGrass]

Hi Jamie,

I'm afraid I'm not much use in telling you were's best to buy from, but what seed is it you have left from last year? You might just find that the germination % of the seed has dropped in them depending what it is, so you might need to increase the amount you sow.

Apologies I can't be of more help!

 

[Chuck]

I usually get everything except beans from Totally Tomatos, Tomato Growers and Pinetree Seeds. I get beans from Willhite seeds. In fact I received everything except beans yesterday.

 

[CanadianLori]

I buy from Veseys, Johnnys and Stokes plus a Hot pepper seed supplier in Tecumseh Kansas. I also save seeds. The hot pepper seeds however I buy new every 3 years or so because my different types keep playing with each other when I'm not looking. I do get some interesting surprises!

I'm still looking for the "right" tomato seeds. I keep getting disappointed. .. wait, maybe it's me and not the seeds that cause the let downs

 

[Jamie Calloway]

Well I did t see burpee.com in there but I think I'll try them again this spring. I have basically every seed left over from last year, corn, Bush beans, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes hybrid, lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower. I have kept them all in there original package. Of course I would hate to risk using them all again and they not germinate, I spent around 50.00 on them last spring.

 

[marlingardener]

Jamie, make a germination trial for the seeds from last year. Take 10 seeds, place them on a damp paper towel and place the seeds and towel in a plastic bag. Seal it, and see how many of the seeds germinate (get little tails on the seeds). Most of the seeds you mention should still be viable this year. By doing the trial, you can judge how many seeds to plant to get the result you want.

I buy from the local hardware store--Ace--which carries Livingston seeds. You can't buy Livingston on-line, but the packets are generous, and very reasonably priced. The selection of varieties is good, also.
When I ordered last year from Seeds 'N Such, I was terribly disappointed with the germination rate. Also, I found the green beans to be mislabeled and not the variety I wanted. The corn was a complete disaster--I went to Ace and bought replacement seed, and although the planting was later than usual, we had a good crop.

This year I'm going with seeds from Ace, and also from my local feed store. They just love to sell a tablespoon of carrot seed! I usually hook up with a couple of other gardeners and buy the larger amounts of seeds (and don't get frowns from the feed store guys) and we split them up.

 

[Jamie Calloway]

Awesome idea @marlingardener, I will start those seeds tomorrow. I was thinking tonight that I will go ahead and re-order what I had last year and pot a bunch of my seeds from last year, especialy my tomatoes and peppers. This way if the germenation rate isnt great at least i havent taken up valuable space in the garden. I am so excited about the new plot i opened up this fall for the garden, i am hoping it will go better this spring them it did last year. Using that solarization process was so much easier for me since I don't have any big machinery. I also purchased a couple of big roles of weed guard (which was another big problem.last year). The Mantis purchase was also a huge advantage for me. The next two big projects before April is getting my fence up and running water to the garden.
Here's to a successful and profitable Spring and Summer.

 

[CanadianLori]

@Jamie Calloway now you've got me fired up. Going down to the kitchen to start some romaine seeds. And maybe make some soil blocks to start pepper seeds. Thanks for the boot up the butt - I needed a "kick start"

 

[Durgan]

I get my seeds from various places and also scour the local greenhouses for seedlings. I wet paper towel test almost all the seeds that are planted. This is possible in a relatively small garden. I spend a fair amount of time in the planting process.

Corn I only plant around 100 so sprout them via paper towel prior to planting.

 

[Jamie Calloway]

@Durgan so you germinate the seeds in a paper towel before you put them in the ground?

 

[Durgan]

@Durgan so you germinate the seeds in a paper towel before you put them in the ground?

If the seed is large enough to handle I get a small sprout via paper towel,then place in the ground. I am a great believer in placing a board over the row slightly raised to prevent the seeds from drying out. Many plants I grow to a reasonable size in the small green house then plant. This gives them a head start on the season. These are about the only seeds sown directly: beets, beans, peas, carrots,parsnips, usually with a raised board covering.

http://durgan.org/2017/April 2017/26 April 2017 Planting beets/HTML/26 April 2017 Planting beets
A 25 foot row of Detroit Dark Red beet seeds were planted using the board method. Spacing was about 5 inches. Beets always thrive in my garden except some year’s the flea beetle damages the leaves.

 

[marlingardener]

Jamie, I wasn't very clear about the sprouting process. Putting a few (10) seeds on a damp paper towel and then sealing the bag is simply to see the germination rate. It is not the way I start seeds to be planted in pots nor in the garden.
Do what seems best for you. My way isn't the only way, by a long shot!

 

[Tjohn]

I buy a lot from SeedsNow and Baker Heirloom Seeds,both of which are very satisfactory. I also buy the cheap packs from Wal-Mart when they show up in the store, with very good results, also.