Seed Buying – Method or Madness?

Carol on May Dreams Gardens made a thought provoking post about seed buying. She asked a series of questions, and suggested the answers could show a lot about the kind of gardener you are. Here are my answers.

What kind of a seed buyer are you?

I don’t buy many seeds, and in any case fewer and fewer each year. I save my own seeds, and trade with others. When I save my own seeds, I find the plants improve over time as they become acclimated to my garden and so become better than any purchased seed. I also find seed exchanges offer much more variety and more interesting seeds than commercial sources.

It can be cheaper and easier to purchase seeds, and in cases where saving seeds is more trouble than it’s worth, I certainly do buy them.

Do you carefully read all of the seed catalogs sent to you and then browse the Internet to compare and contrast all the options, then decide which seeds to buy?

I usually pick up seed catalogs to search for specific items, rather than read them from cover to cover. I am much more likely to use the Internet than seed catalogs, and I have several standard companies I order seeds from. I am always on the lookout for the best prices and lowest shipping and handling costs.

Do you buy seeds from ‘bricks and mortar’ stores and get whatever appeals to you as you are browsing?

Almost never. I grow heirloom seeds, and stores usually don’t have these or anything else I find interesting. Maybe if I wanted a package of herb seeds or something else very common, I would purchase these.

Do you buy vegetable seeds in bulk where they scoop them out of seed bins, weigh them and put them in hand-marked envelopes?

I’ve never seen this before.

Do you buy seeds for just vegetables, or just annual flowers? Do you buy seeds for perennial flowers?

Mostly vegetables, grains and herbs. Occationally annual flowers.

Do you know what stratification and scarification are? Have you done either or both with seeds?

I must admit, I have read some answers from other people, otherwise I might not have recognized these techniques by name. Stratification, cold treatment, yes. Scarification, cutting the seed coat, no. I sometimes also soak seeds in water to soften the coats.

Do you order seeds from more than one seed company to save on shipping or buy from whoever has the seeds you want, even if it means paying nearly the same for shipping as you do for the actual seeds?

Since living in Holland means almost all of my seeds are sent internationally, I almost always end up paying much more for shipping and handling than the price of the seeds. Within some limits, if there is a particular seed I want, I just pay whatever it costs to send it. There are also a few companies I order seeds from every year, and I try to get as many of my seed purchases into these orders as possible to avoid extra shipping costs.

Do you buy more seeds than you could ever sow in one season?

Always!

Do you only buy seeds to direct sow into the garden or do you end up with flats of seedlings in any window of the house with decent light?

Every year I have a room full of seedlings under a growlight ready to transplant in the spring.

Do you save your own seeds from year to year and exchange them with other seed savers?

Always.

Do you even buy seeds?

I think almost everyone buys at least a few.

Do you have a fear of seeds? Some gardeners don’t try seeds, why not?

I am not afraid of seeds!

Do you understand seeds? I once bought seeds at a Walmart in January (Burpee Seeds) and the cashier asked me, “Do these really work? Yes, they do. “Isn’t it too cold to plant them now?” Well, yes, if you are planning to plant them outside. I don’t think this cashier grew up around anyone who gardened.

I understand seeds!

Do you list all your seeds on a spreadsheet, so you can sort the list by when you should sow them so you have a master seed plan of sorts?

Not usually a spreadsheet, usually a text file or notes scribbled on a piece of paper. What else are you supposed to do in February?

Really, I’m terrible when it comes to keeping other gardening records.

Do you keep all the old seeds and seed packets from year to year, scattered about in various drawers, boxes, and baskets?

In at least 20 places around my house.

Do you determine germination percentage for old seed?

If I suspect a problem, or if I am giving saved seed to someone else, I usually do a germination test.