Seeds at Wal Mart

whiterock · #1 01/30/12, 10:14 PM

Went by the closest Wal Mart tonight, it has been slow getting garden stuff out. They had an end cap with seeds pkts from Seeds of Change priced at $2 ea.

The other Wal mart, in the next town, has the American Seed as usual as well as a good bit of Ferry-Morse seed. Some of the latter is organic. Prices vary according to amt of seed in pkt of course. A whole aisle in garden section for seed.

Never will figure out how two stores such as this can be so different 12 miles apart.

Ed

Turkeyfether · #2 01/30/12, 10:19 PM

Wal MArt has stuff figured out. Kitchen appliances, for instance, will be asked to include inferior parts to reduce the price. Your Kitchen Aide at Wal Mart may not be the Kitchen Aid quality at another reputable store. I just found that out.

rachelanne820 · #3 01/31/12, 07:42 AM

I got a Burpee's catalog I've been looking at. This will be my first garden and I'm wondering if the brand of seeds makes a difference? Would I have better luck growing seeds from Burpee's rather than WalMart or Lowe's?

geo in mi · #4 01/31/12, 08:12 AM

The Federal Seed Act requires certain minimum standards on all seeds sold in the US, so, from store to store, you will probably get seeds of about the same quality. The cost of the seeds inside the packet is minor in comparison to the packaging, advertising, merchandising, distribution, and markup.........If you will notice, the seeds in the discount stores now are sold from the moveable pallet or kiosk. They are stocked by distributors, who are absorbing the costs, not the stores, and they are the ones who set the prices--and take back the unsold inventory, about July 4th........the stores get a set commission on the packets sold. So, the pricecutting happens as the distributors are trying to squeeze out as many sales as possible during the limited window of opportunity--and to do it in competition with all the other seed sellers in town.....

geo

Belfrybat · #5 01/31/12, 08:13 AM

Seeds are in at Dollar General also. Marked between 3/$1 to $1 per pak, depending on type and size. Since my garden is rather small, I tend to buy the smaller paks so I can use them up in a year or two.

NickieL · #6 01/31/12, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Belfrybat

Seeds are in at Dollar General also. Marked between 3/$1 to $1 per pak, depending on type and size. Since my garden is rather small, I tend to buy the smaller paks so I can use them up in a year or two.

Same here, especially since I save my own seeds after, I don't need big packets except maybe for things like dent corn.

Speckledpup · #7 01/31/12, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turkeyfether

Wal MArt has stuff figured out. Kitchen appliances, for instance, will be asked to include inferior parts to reduce the price. Your Kitchen Aide at Wal Mart may not be the Kitchen Aid quality at another reputable store. I just found that out.

I found this out when I went to Kitchen aides site to try and order attachemnts for my mixer that I bought at Sams Club. They didn;t even list my model on their site.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Belfrybat

Seeds are in at Dollar General also. Marked between 3/$1 to $1 per pak, depending on type and size. Since my garden is rather small, I tend to buy the smaller paks so I can use them up in a year or two.

Also try stores like Dollar Tree or Mighty Dollar. I got my seeds 10 for $1 last year, the germination rate was good.

sammyd · #8 01/31/12, 09:24 AM

Menards always has some seeds at 9 cent a pack and of course Wally World has their cheap ones as well.
Have planted both and had good results.

ronbre · #9 01/31/12, 09:42 AM

just wrote out the last two checks for my last two plant/seed orders..so this is about 8 going,went, out..2 packages of seeds have already arrived..one "unavailable" seed was my good king henry..which I really wanted so I might have to find another place to order it from..wah

FarmboyBill · #10 01/31/12, 10:18 AM

I think that seed packets that dont sell at end of season get picked up. I think that stores like WM Buy them at a year old or more, and sell them at a discount. The Seed Company makes something off of them and dosent have to write them off as a total loss.

geo in mi · #11 01/31/12, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmBoyBill

I think that seed packets that dont sell at end of season get picked up. I think that stores like WM Buy them at a year old or more, and sell them at a discount. The Seed Company makes something off of them and dosent have to write them off as a total loss.

The discount stores don't have to buy them at all. It is just like bread--the bread company/distributor stocks the shelves and takes any losses. The discount store gets paid when the bar code runs thru the cash register. Take a look at the seed packets, too, next time you're in a WM or any BB store(you've said you get yours through your feed store). There will be a "Packed for" and "Sell By" stamp on each packet. It's always current year.....

geo

shanzone2001 · #12 01/31/12, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rachelanne820

I got a Burpee's catalog I've been looking at. This will be my first garden and I'm wondering if the brand of seeds makes a difference? Would I have better luck growing seeds from Burpee's rather than WalMart or Lowe's?

I have done both and had the same results. For me, seed catalogs are a way to get seeds you can't find at the store. Many people here use catalogs because they are not near a store.

FarmboyBill · #13 01/31/12, 11:30 AM

Well i cant say ive ever had great luck with the seeds ive bought at the feed store. They buy in bulk also, and sell likewise.

Marilyn · #14 01/31/12, 11:42 AM

For the first-time gardener: Wherever you purchase your seed, consider non-hybrid seeds, especially if you want to save your own seed for the next year.

francismilker · #15 01/31/12, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marilyn

For the first-time gardener: Wherever you purchase your seed, consider non-hybrid seeds, especially if you want to save your own seed for the next year.

Great advice marilyn. I've been concerned about hybrid seeds for some time. It's not going to be too much longer before Monsanto takes over the local gardner's seed and stops meddling in just corporate farming.

NickieL · #16 01/31/12, 11:55 AM

There is nothing wrong with hybrids...you can even make your own hybrids by crossing pollen between plants.

However, yeah, if you plan on saving seeds, OP viarities are stable and won't revert to parent plants if you grow them out year after year. YOU CAN save hybrid seeds, but you will need to weed out a lot of the plants that don't conform to what you want. If you keep doing that, eventually that hybrid will be stable and open pollinated but that takes several generations of the plant.

Lots of people confuse HYBRID with GMOs. two diffrent things, big time. GMOs are the things monsanto and other companies are creating unaturally and with out long term testing in the labs. It's those you have to steer clear of!

whiterock · #17 01/31/12, 12:39 PM

I just started some seed last week, the seed with the best germination is seed i put back in 2003. I planted thick because of age, and it is thick as hair on a dog's back. New seed has a handful up on some varieties, like 5 or 6. Tomatillo from HEB is thick also.

Well will see what happens in the next few days. Of course none of the peppers has germinated yet.

Ed

Patrick · #18 01/31/12, 12:54 PM

I don't know about the seeds, but the people are something else:

whiterock · #19 01/31/12, 01:09 PM

The reason for my op is than one walmart has ferry morse and american, the other has seeds of change, seems all would carry same brands.
Ed

CesumPec · #20 01/31/12, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrick

i don't know about the seeds, but the people are something else:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvxngdfewqm

r o f l