smokeeater360
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Seed quality and keeping extra seed.....

I am trying to figure out if the quality of seed is better ordering it from a supplier such as Jung's, Johnny Select Seeds, or Gurney's as opposed to a retail garden center such as Menard's, Home Depot, or Lowes. Any thoughts? And if the seed quality is better ordering from the supply catalogs, is there a good way to store the seed to use the left over the next year?

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jal_ut
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I buy most of my seed from a local garden store. They buy large amounts and just scoop you out what you want. This has been good. I have also planted some packaged and labeled seeds and they seem to grow too. I think that if the seed is fresh it will do well for you.

As far as storage, for kicks 12 years ago I took a one gallon can and bought enough seed to fill it. It had everything I would need to plant a nice garden. It was vacuum sealed and put down the basement. Just last week I opened the can and did some germination tests on some of the seed. It came over 90 per cent.

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rainbowgardener
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Even without vaccuum storage most seed if stored in a cool, dry, dark place lasts at least several years, if not 5-10. For storage periods more than a few years, germination rates may start going down, but any plants that do germinate will be fine.

Personally, I have never noticed any particular difference depending on where you buy the seed, except that some of the catalogs have way more selection, especially if there are particular varieties you are looking for.

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jal_ut
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Yes, we often have seed left over that did not get planted. I just put it in a cardboard box and put in a cool dry spot. You may lose a small percentage of germination next year, but overall it seems to come very well. Certainly worth planting.

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Gary350
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I buy most of my seeds from the local garden store they are pre packed and some are bulk. Anything I can not buy local I buy on Ebay. Test seeds inside the house in flower pots before you plant them in the garden. Be sure to plant them outside at the correct time, some seeds will not germinate until soil has warmed up to 65 degrees. This year I saved my own seeds from last years garden. I also get seeds from grocery store squash, melons, etc.

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applestar
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I think the good part about getting from local stores is that they usually clear out all gardening stuff at the end of the year and get brand new seeds. For the most part, they sell seeds packed and labeled for individual retail sales and are marked "for year 2017" etc. If the store you are getting them from has a good enough gardening department that they are not setting up the seed display outside or near a window in the sun, you should be good. (Grocery stores try to sell seeds and are the worst offenders -- I sometimes see great/specialty brand seeds that I wouldn't trust to buy because they have displayed them in totally wrong part of the store).

It gets iffier later in the same season when they have been moved around a bit, possibly in less than ideal locations or exposed to humidity, etc. ...and by the end of the year, who knows -- fantastic sale prices not withstanding.

Purchasing on-line, the seed packets are not always marked as being "for year 2017", etc. Some seed sources sell packets marked with date/year of seed harvest which may have been 2-3 years earlier, even. But they are likely to have been reliably stored. Some sources mark the seed packets with percentage of germination rate, and some mark the date/year of germination test from which you can infer likely current germination rate.

From reliable sources (like Johnny's as an example), those numbers are pretty accurate, and I get good results by sowing extra seeds accordingly.

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jal_ut
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I mentioned "germination testing". Here is how I do it: soak the seed in a cup of water overnight, then drain and put the seed on a damp paper towel and insert that into a plastic sandwich bag. Just set the bag on the kitchen counter top and give it 3 or 4 days then open it up and check it. For very small seeds you can forget the overnight soak and just put them on the damp paper towel and in the bag.

imafan26
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Most of the seed houses buy their seed in bulk from seed suppliers and only a few grow even some of their own. In terms of quality it is always better to get fresh seeds and to use them the season they are bred for. Seeds can keep longer but it depends on the seeds. Dill and beans were good for 10 years for me, but most seeds are good for 5. Some seeds lose viability quickly and were not keeping past the first year like zucchini and corn. How seeds are stored matters as well, they need to be kept cool and dry. Seeds sold in foil pouches tend to last longer than the ones in paper and usually cost more.

You do have to shop around for value and look at the price per unit of seeds. Some seeds are very expensive and only have 10 seeds in a package while others may have more seed for less $. What you do want to get from a seed company that you don't always get from a store is a guarantee that the seeds you get are what is on the label. Some companies use a stock photo and not a photo of the variety in the package. You get the wrong seed in the package and occasionally and empty packet with no seeds at all.

Most reputable companies will replace seeds if they are wrong and usually send you a letter and bonus seeds. What is more difficult is to get certified clean seeds. Black leg and downy mildew were spread through contaminated seeds and they did not look any different from good seeds, so sometimes it is a good idea to sanitize the seeds before you use them whenever you can. I have had issues with getting seeds on Amazon, but not with reputable companies. I just ordered from Baker Seeds, TomatoGrowers Supply, and Pumpkin nook and all three sent their seeds immediately and I got them 3-5 days after I ordered them. The only thing that I had to wait for was that some seed was not available. I recently got email from Baker and Territorial that the seeds I wanted are now in.

Seed companies usually test their germination rates to make sure that they meet standards. Some packages actually state the germination rate on the package.

It is better to buy from a seed house instead of a local store for a few reasons.
1. You will get a lot more selection from a seed company
2. Seed companies usually support their product and will replace seeds if they are the wrong seeds and you may end up with a bonus as well
3. The seed companies usually keep current stock and store them properly. Some of the box stores may have a mix of old and new seeds especially at this time of the year and if they are stored in the garden center they may be subject to a moist environment especially if they are near plants being watered and to temperature fluctuations if they are not inside the store.
4. Box stores usually order seed racks which means that some seeds may not be suitable for your location so you have to know your seeds or look on the package for your planting zone. P.S. Hawaii isn't even on that map.
5. Regional seed companies near you will probably stock the seeds that are suitable for similar climates. For Hawaii,, Kitazawa seed in California stocks many of the seeds that we can grow and use. They have varieties that are more suitable for hot climates and some disease resistance that I need. On the other hand, seeds grown in Holland don't do very well in Hawaii. Australia also have varieties that would do well but they don't ship outside of Australia. Fukuda Seed is a locally owned seed supplier that sells Sakata seeds.

I do buy seeds off the rack, but I try to get them early in the season and I prefer to get them from stores that keep the seeds inside the store where it is dry and air conditioned. I do have to know what I am buying and look at the use by dates.

bri80
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I prefer to buy seeds from Territorial, I've always gotten high-quality, high-germination seed for them, and they're local to Oregon so most of the varieties are well-adapted to my local climate.

As for storing extra seed, I have a plastic box about the size of a shoe box that I keep in my shed. I put a desiccant packet in there and keep my seeds in there. It gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but it's dark and dry. I frequently find packets dated for several years ago that germinate just fine.

jasonvanorder
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This past fall I picked up most of the seeds I wanted from the local Menards and Meijers (like walmart but local only) when they were on sale. Last spring I got everything from one of the major seed catalogs and had mixed results. Some came up some didnt. So we will see how we do this coming year worst case I just grab some more from Meijer and plant a little late.

smokeeater360
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Thank you everyone for the information. In past years I have always bought my seeds from either Menards or Wal-Mart with mixed results from those seeds. Those results may have been due to the garden not having been conditioned correctly. I have tried to get a early jump for next years growing season by working in some manure when I tilled the garden this past fall and plan to add some more when I work it up this spring. We will see what happens.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

If I buy seeds from walmart, I usually get them only from the store that keeps them inside the air conditioned store and not outside in the garden area.

jasonvanorder
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Location: West Michigan zone 6a

smokeeater360 wrote:Thank you everyone for the information. In past years I have always bought my seeds from either Menards or Wal-Mart with mixed results from those seeds. Those results may have been due to the garden not having been conditioned correctly. I have tried to get a early jump for next years growing season by working in some manure when I tilled the garden this past fall and plan to add some more when I work it up this spring. We will see what happens.
Thats all I do with the garden. Till in rabbit manure grass leaves and whatever doesnt get pulled out at the end of the season. And everything I grow grows great.

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jal_ut
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Image

Pic of one of my germination tests.



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