Cheap seeds are expensive. They cost a great deal in wasted time, money, fertilizer, water, and space. This is because the germination rate, or the number of seeds in each packet that actually sprout, is usually very low. You plant seeds and do all the right things, but nothing happens.
Saved seeds okay
Seeds that are carefully saved from plants you or some other gardener grew and then planted are not the problem. No, there are two major situations where cheap seeds cause grief. The first is the “closeout seed” and the second is the “too good to be true” seed.
Seed Closeouts
Closeouts of seeds are usually held at the end of the calendar growing season. For example, flower seeds are sold at the end of summer when back-to-school stuff is flooding stores. Because seed sold by reputable growers is packed and sold the same year, few bother to hold any over. They put it on sale, and the sales can be first-rate.
Stored too long
The problem is that then the seed must be saved a year before it is planted. The seed will keep under the right conditions for many years, but it is rarely kept in those conditions in a home. So the germination rates fall to the single digits and the cheap seed doesn’t turn out to be so cheap. All the effort and inputs (fertilizer, water, mulch) were wasted. Spending a dollar for a new packet versus ten cents for an old one doesn’t look so foolish now.
Seed repackagers
The second problem is the “too good to be true” seed. These are almost exclusively catalog and internet sellers that buy lots of seeds at the end of the growing season. They repackage it and then hold it in a warehouse somewhere until the next growing season. Seeds are sold in large packages for very low prices. Sometimes you can get a whole garden for ten or twenty dollars.
Again, the problem is the less than optimal storage, not to mention the less than optimal ethics of the seller. Seed is alive and deteriorates when not cared for properly. You can plant a huge package of the seed and get one or two plants, and those don’t produce well. Off to a bad start, they struggle all season. Remember what you have been taught: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Buy local
Although the seed catalogs are wonderful to look at, for the most part, the best seeds are from local farms and ranch or nursery places. They have to deal with customers in person who have poor stands of plants. Make sure you pick one that sells enough seed so that they reorder each spring for vegetables and whenever the flowers you want are to be planted. Avoid the big box stores as they may stock varieties that do not grow as well in your area. Then you can feel superior while you hand extra produce to the fellow who bought the cheap seeds.
Want to learn to garden? My first attempt at gardening ended up in failure. The weeds took over and squeezed the vegetables out. I was very frustrated by this waste of good seed, time, and money. So I became a master gardener and spent a lot of time helping other people avoid or overcome problems in their garden.Â
In order to help others garden successfully, I have written a book, Vegetable Gardening from the Ground Up, available in an ebook or a paperback from Amazon. It is also in Kindle Unlimited.Â
I never thought of that! Interesting how scams can be found anywhere…even in the garden.
Seeds are really running out right now especially the native and the natural ones. All of the seeds sold in stores right now are bio-technologically motivated. Hope time will come that seeds would be restored. I do agree that cheap seeds are getting expensive because those seeds are getting rare. Hope the word seed bank could put a remedy to this. Nice blog. =) Keep writing.
Totally agree. When in doubt go with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They’re the best!
I have heard of them. I use Seeds of Change or Seed Savers.
Yeah you’re right, those cheap seeds are really expensive because also it has low quality and therefore low germination rate. Sometimes its price will tell you what its quality is, therefore as a buyer, you must be aware and choose the right one that could satisfy your need.
As I said, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So price can steer you wrong if that is all you evaluate. The grower information is stamped on the packet, make sure it is a reputable grower and it was packaged for the current season.
Very true. it is one of the major scams today..
Such a brave context. Appreciate your work Steph 🙂
Okay, I have to agree with most of what is stated here. But there are some things to consider. Big seed houses have people who put old seed back into the bin to repackage for the next year. Here at DollarSeed, we donate our left over seeds to pantry growers to help feed the hungry, and start fresh each new year. We also don’t have those fancy packages with all the pretty flowers and such. Our seeds are in ziplock packaging, so keeping them for later or sharing is a breeze. We may not have the large selections of the big guys, but we tell you how many to expect in each pack, when they don’t. Visit our website, and see what makes us different.
You may fall in love with fresh inexpensive/cheap quality seeds yet! http://dollarseed.com/catalog/