Walgreens seeds

[KF7EEC]

Walgreens has "American Seed" seed packs 5 for $1.00 on page 4 of their weekly ad (http://walgreens.shoplocal.com/walgreens/Default.aspx?action=browsepagedetail&storeid=2426038&rapid=662507&listingid=-2090235017&pretailerid=-99389). Are these good seeds? Should I get some?

[cHeroKee]

Need to make sure they have a 2009 stamped on them (packaged for 2009). If it is from last year or earlier, then the germination rate decreases. Instead of a 90%+ germination rate, you may have a 60-70% germination rate if from last year.

[prairiemom]

I'd buy them. The biggest factor I consider when buying seeds is the variety and whether or not it OP or heirloom. But for just regular seeds where I don't care about the variety (like beans, zucchini, squash, cucumber) or about saving the seeds, I'd just go with the cheapest I could find and that's a good price.

[Julie]

This is a great deal! Seeds keep for quite a while so don't worry about the date. Most seeds are non-hybrid so you should be fine there too. If they are hybrid they state that on the package. I like the burpless cucumbers which are hybrids so I stock up on seed for them.

How Long Will Seeds Last?

If you keep your seed dry and as cool as possible, you can use the same seed (in most cases) for several years. Just put them in an airtight container in your refrigerator or under your house. Putting silica gel packets or powdered milk (maybe even dry rice) in with them will keep the humidity lower. When you're ready to use them, pull the container out and let it warm up before opening (to minimize condensation on the inside of the container and/or on the seeds themselves).

The following data is from my own experience, supplemented with information from the references at the end of this FAQ.

Long-lived seeds include beets, all brassicas (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, kohlrabi), chicory (endive, escarole, radicchio), cucumber, kale, lettuce, melons, mustard, peppers, radish, rutabaga, sunflower, tomato, and turnip. If you keep them cool and dry, these seeds should maintain good viability for five years or more.

Medium-lived seeds are beans, carrot, celery, chard, eggplant, parsley, peas, pumpkin, salsify, scorzonera, and squash. These, properly stored, should last at least three years (in my experience, most of these will still be good at five years of age).

Short-lived seeds generally are not recommended for using for more than one season; however I have used most of these for two years with acceptable germination the second year. This list includes corn, leek, onion, parsnip, and spinach seed.
Can I Save My Own Seed for Next Year?

It used to be that many gardeners would save their own seed for planting the following season. Even commercial vegetable growers did this, often developing locally well-adapted varieties (this was especially true for vegetables which are strongly affected by climate, such as Brussels sprouts).

With fewer people growing large gardens lately, and the coincidental advent of hybrid vegetable varieties, this practice has decreased markedly. In fact, certain organizations have been founded to counter a perceived lack in genetic diversity brought on by these factors (Seeds of Change, Southern Seed Savers Exchange, and Abundant Life Seed Foundation are well-known groups).

Seed saved from open-pollinated vegetables can be expected to produce offspring similar to the parent plants, assuming that only similar plants are allowed to contribute pollen and make seed. Open-pollinated varieties (OPs) are bred by allowing a large number of plants to freely cross for several generations; any plants that do not conform to the desired traits are culled before they can contribute to the subsequent generation (this process is known as rogueing).

Hybrid seed, specifically F-1 hybrids, are produced by crossing two open-pollinated varieties. The parent types are generally highly inbred, so they will express their genetic traits uniformly. Because of this, you generally cannot expect satisfactory results saving seed from hybrids. If you are willing to allow several different hybrids to cross freely, and to work diligently for several generations (rogueing out undersirable plants), you can eventually get a reasonably good open-pollinated variety. The resulting OP will not be as vigorous as the original hybrid, however.

Hybrids tend to be more vigorous than OPs, a well-documented phenomenon known as hybrid vigor. To explain this in a satisfactory manner is beyond the scope of this paper (In other words: I can't explain it very well. If you want to understand why, consult a botany text). A second benefit to commercial seed growers is the parent lines of a hybrid can be kept confidential. If they develop a superior OP, competitors can just buy some of the seed and grow it for themselves. If they develop a good hybrid, it can't easily be stolen.

http://westsidegardener.com/guides/faq_seeds.html

[cHeroKee]

This is a great deal! Seeds keep for quite a while so don't worry about the date.
Watch out!! I have to disagree intently with you on this point. You do need to worry about the date because of what I mentioned. It is a known fact that seed germination decreases as the seeds age. If you can keep the seeds in a depleted O2 atmosphere and at a temperature that won't damage the cellular structure, than I would agree with you on a 90% probability basis. But these conditions don't guarantee 100% germination after a year. Genetics also plays a role in the seeds life cycle including its germination ability. Some seeds are very susceptible to loosing germination within the first year.
Your personal data does not talk about germination rate. A very viable factor.

[Julie]

I just started seeds that I've had for almost 10 years and every one of them came up. Don't get caught up in the hupla about hybrid seeds and such and there are companies that make a ton of money with this propaganda. You can have a very nice garden with very little money.

[arbilad]

BTW, if you want a lot of seeds for a little money, you can get over a pound of various seeds for $45 at www.internet-grocer.net
I just ordered this package and I'll let you guys know the results late summer after I have my harvest. It's definitely cheaper than the tomato seeds I bought for my wife (the pack has tomato seeds, just not what my wife was looking for), which, if I had ordered only one type and in bulk, would have cost over $22 for a quarter of one ounce. Just think about that - I'm getting 32 times the seed, effectively, for the same price.

[prairiemom]

Seed viability IS affected by storage conditions (just like our food storage viability) but if the seeds are 5/$1 even if only 1/3 of them germinate that's still a good deal. I must store them in good conditions, because I have seeds packets that are 7-8 yrs old that still produce. There is definitely a reduced yield, but not enough to worry me. Except for carrots--that's one that seems to be very affected by age, at least in my experience.

My experience is most seeds from the big companies (Burpee, Jung, Park, store brands, etc) are hybrid. If in doubt look at a seed catalog, unless they say OP (open pollinated) or Heirloom you should assume they are hybrid. That's what people want--the pretty, perfectly formed or colored food--or disease resistance--that's the biggest reason for the hybrids. Most don't care much about flavor or storability.

[Toni]

I planted some seeds that had come in a #10 can. They were quite old (past the "use by" date by several years). No onions came up. A few of the others did. So, if you're in starvation or survival situations, it would be worth planting them but the germination rate was definitely down on these.

[Julie]

Corn, leek, onion, parsnip, and spinach seed packages need to be replaced each year. That's where harvesting your own seed will come in handy.

[Highlandsunrise]

We spent the bucks last year getting all the stuff together for a square foot garden. I bought a bunch of American Seeds at the dollar store. I worked so hard and was pretty unimpressed with the results. :001_scry: It could have been the seed or maybe something else I did but I am going to try some better seed this year.

[Julie]

I, personally, do not like the square foot method. I have grow boxes that are 3ft by 30ft and I do the wide row method. I get more produce using this. I recommend the book "Joy of Gardening" by Dick Raymond. I use Mitlider weekly fertilizer too.
It would be interesting to see what kind of methods of gardening people use and their various successes with each.

[Highlandsunrise]

It sounded so perfect because we have very coarse, rocky, alkaline soil but I'm a bit disilusioned. The production was not good at all. We have not been able to grow carrots in our garden. The soil is so soft in the boxes the carrots were very successful. We are going to make them deeper this year. The SF garden guy says you don't need to fertilize and we didn't. That was part of the problem. The old carpet on the bottom of the boxes did foil the perenial weeds.

We are taking a gardening class from Gordon Wells in our daughter's Orem stake. That has been very fun. He advocates the wide row. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzx (Uh oh, cat on key board). We are planning to revive our old garden spot and use the boxes for root vegetables. The pole beans did well on trellises in the boxes. Can't wait to start planting things. I am very interested in learning from your experience.

[ghostcat]

I can grow weeds, thorns and dirt real well!!!:glare: Everything else is a real challenge for me!:cry:
I'd swear that my mother could grow a bushel of potatoes in a patch of solid concrete, but that is a talent that seems to have skipped me!!!!!!

[Highlandsunrise]

I am in awe of those people, it certainly seems to have skipped me too. I can grow those big thistles. I love eating the vegetables and fruit so I just refuse to give up. I will always remember my great-grandmothers "garden". I was little and it seemed like the garden of eden to me.

[ghostcat]

My mother spent her first eighteen years growing up tending a truck garden with her siblings. That was back in the days before grandpa had a tractor, when they plowed using a horse team. Grandpa also worked at a meat packing plant so most of the farm work was done by the older children, as Grandma was frequently pregnant (she had 16 children that lived, only one set of twins). My mother was the third oldest so a lot of the work fell on her, she learned the trade well!!

[Highlandsunrise]

Wow, I do admire those people. Makes me feel a bit wimpy.

[signseeker]

American Seed Paks are 10 CENTS each at Sutherland's. Regular price, it looked like.