I ordered from Park Seed last year for the first time for this year's
planting season, because I kept hearing so many good things about
them.

I planted about 10 different vanities. Of all of them, 8 types
germinated. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination. I mean NOT ONE SEED grew. The other 8 grew fine.
The Rudbeckia and Viola are all in the same soil and in the exact same
conditions as the other 8 types, so I know I'm not doing anything
wrong. All the seed packets were stored together in a cool dry place.

Secondly, over half of the seed types I ordered last year have been
removed and are now no longer sold by Park Seed. So, if you buy from
them and like what grows one year, you don't have the reliability of
ordering again the next year.

I was quite surprised by these problems, these are the typical
problems that places like Michigan Bulb has. I ordered from Park to
avoid those problems, as I have read nothing but good things about
them online.

The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination.

There is nothing wrong with the seed, both are slow and irregular germinators
and some Viola's require a regime of warm and cool temperatures to germinate.

Gary Hancock wrote in message . ..
I ordered from Park Seed last year for the first time for this year's
planting season, because I kept hearing so many good things about
them.

I planted about 10 different vanities. Of all of them, 8 types
germinated. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination. I mean NOT ONE SEED grew. The other 8 grew fine.
The Rudbeckia and Viola are all in the same soil and in the exact same
conditions as the other 8 types, so I know I'm not doing anything
wrong. All the seed packets were stored together in a cool dry place.

Secondly, over half of the seed types I ordered last year have been
removed and are now no longer sold by Park Seed. So, if you buy from
them and like what grows one year, you don't have the reliability of
ordering again the next year.

I was quite surprised by these problems, these are the typical
problems that places like Michigan Bulb has. I ordered from Park to
avoid those problems, as I have read nothing but good things about
them online.

Your problem is really quite simple, you are planting seed that
exceeds your skill level as a gardener.
However drop their cutomer service folks a line, they have always
treated me squarely even sending me a postcard when they had seed
problems and then following it up with replascements.
We all get big eyes when we pick up a catalog and Parkseed has more
than the easy
"vanilla" varieties.

It absolutely amazes me that I would be guaranteed to get a response
that tells me that I'm doing something wrong, even after I clearly
stated that this isn't the case.

I planted four different kinds of Violas this year. Two were from park
seed. All four are in exact same soil and conditions. Three germinated
and grew just fine. The Viola Midnight from Park had a "low
germination" label on the packet (?!?) and NONE of them germinated.

I have been gardening for well over 10 years. I plant Rudbeckia
Goldsturm all the time, they always do great. This is my first season
with Park Seeds. NOT ONE RUDBECKIA FROM THEM GERMINATED.

How can you make a blanket statement that questions my skill level as
a gardener? How would you know what my skill level is?

READ - COMPREHEND - POST


(Beecrofter) came out of the closet to say:

Gary Hancock wrote in message . ..
I ordered from Park Seed last year for the first time for this year's
planting season, because I kept hearing so many good things about
them.

I planted about 10 different vanities. Of all of them, 8 types
germinated. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination. I mean NOT ONE SEED grew. The other 8 grew fine.
The Rudbeckia and Viola are all in the same soil and in the exact same
conditions as the other 8 types, so I know I'm not doing anything
wrong. All the seed packets were stored together in a cool dry place.

Secondly, over half of the seed types I ordered last year have been
removed and are now no longer sold by Park Seed. So, if you buy from
them and like what grows one year, you don't have the reliability of
ordering again the next year.

I was quite surprised by these problems, these are the typical
problems that places like Michigan Bulb has. I ordered from Park to
avoid those problems, as I have read nothing but good things about
them online.

Your problem is really quite simple, you are planting seed that
exceeds your skill level as a gardener.
However drop their cutomer service folks a line, they have always
treated me squarely even sending me a postcard when they had seed
problems and then following it up with replascements.
We all get big eyes when we pick up a catalog and Parkseed has more
than the easy
"vanilla" varieties.

You didn't do anything wrong. Low germination and low seed count seems
to be a common problem with Park Seed.

Check http://gardenwatchdog.com/c/3/

I recommend buying from http://www.stokesseed.com. You might want to
get a mail order catalog though as their web servers run extremely
slow.


Gary Hancock came out of the closet to say:

I ordered from Park Seed last year for the first time for this year's
planting season, because I kept hearing so many good things about
them.

I planted about 10 different vanities. Of all of them, 8 types
germinated. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination. I mean NOT ONE SEED grew. The other 8 grew fine.
The Rudbeckia and Viola are all in the same soil and in the exact same
conditions as the other 8 types, so I know I'm not doing anything
wrong. All the seed packets were stored together in a cool dry place.

Secondly, over half of the seed types I ordered last year have been
removed and are now no longer sold by Park Seed. So, if you buy from
them and like what grows one year, you don't have the reliability of
ordering again the next year.

I was quite surprised by these problems, these are the typical
problems that places like Michigan Bulb has. I ordered from Park to
avoid those problems, as I have read nothing but good things about
them online.

Gary Hancock wrote:

I ordered from Park Seed last year for the first time for this year's
planting season, because I kept hearing so many good things about
them.

I planted about 10 different vanities. Of all of them, 8 types
germinated. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination. I mean NOT ONE SEED grew. The other 8 grew fine.
The Rudbeckia and Viola are all in the same soil and in the exact same
conditions as the other 8 types, so I know I'm not doing anything
wrong. All the seed packets were stored together in a cool dry place.

Secondly, over half of the seed types I ordered last year have been
removed and are now no longer sold by Park Seed. So, if you buy from
them and like what grows one year, you don't have the reliability of
ordering again the next year.

I was quite surprised by these problems, these are the typical
problems that places like Michigan Bulb has. I ordered from Park to
avoid those problems, as I have read nothing but good things about
them online.
I had trouble with Park Seed quality for a couple of years so I
stopped ordering from them. I even told them to stop sending me their
catalog. Years ago they were pretty good but but the last time I
looked their number of selections was way down.
Bill

On Sat, 21 Jun 2003 07:10:13 -0400, Gary Hancock
wrote:

I ordered from Park Seed last year for the first time for this year's
planting season, because I kept hearing so many good things about
them.

I've been happy with their peppers, specifically anaheim, ancho, and
jalapeno, although you need to treat each seed very carefully, since a
packet only contains about 25. The bell types are much slower to
grow, so I can't say I've been happy with those (sometimes the bell
plants are only 6 inches tall by August).

Dan

"Gary Hancock" wrote in message
...
It absolutely amazes me that I would be guaranteed to get a response
that tells me that I'm doing something wrong, even after I clearly
stated that this isn't the case.

I planted four different kinds of Violas this year. Two were from park
seed. All four are in exact same soil and conditions. Three germinated
and grew just fine. The Viola Midnight from Park had a "low
germination" label on the packet (?!?) and NONE of them germinated.

I have been gardening for well over 10 years. I plant Rudbeckia
Goldsturm all the time, they always do great. This is my first season
with Park Seeds. NOT ONE RUDBECKIA FROM THEM GERMINATED.

How can you make a blanket statement that questions my skill level as
a gardener? How would you know what my skill level is?

READ - COMPREHEND - POST

I'm sure you did nothing wrong in planting. The same thing happened to me
this year with Park seeds: Sparkler cleome, Datura metel Ballerina purple,
AND (of all things) green bush beans all failed to germinate. Thinking it
might have been a bit cool or wet when I planted the first time, I tried
planting the beans a second time before going to WalMart and buying a $.98
pack, which sprouted to a seed. I've been a customer of Park for many years,
and this is a first. It makes me wonder if something has happened to their
quality control.

John

Park Seed is the worse. Try using their seed as a professional,
germination doesn't mean a thing if you can't get the seed out of the
package. We had to order from them one time in 36 years when there was a
seed shortage on several zinnia varieties. I thought I would never get all
the seed out of the package and we're talking the 25k seed count packages.
The package was the size of a sheet of paper, about four times the size of
the other companies we had purchased from!
One thing about seed is that your not guaranteed anything and you
don't always get what you pay for. We get some seed to germinate at 99.9%
while others may only be 10%, all from the same company. And we're not
talking about 100 seed, more like 100,000. Do the math, we paid for 100k
and end up with 10k. So, it's not the seed companies fault they didn't
germinate. As a grower we take the chance that they will.
I'm not saying you did anything wrong, but don't blame the seed or the
seed company. You took the chance of growing a plant from seed. If you
can't handle the risk, then buy a plant that a professional grower has
already grown for you.
Last year we used over 4,000,000 seed with an average cost of $18 per
thousand and ended with 92% germination. $5,760 never germinated. I'm not
blaming the seed company, I took the risk.


"Gary Hancock" wrote in message
...
I ordered from Park Seed last year for the first time for this year's
planting season, because I kept hearing so many good things about
them.

I planted about 10 different vanities. Of all of them, 8 types
germinated. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination. I mean NOT ONE SEED grew. The other 8 grew fine.
The Rudbeckia and Viola are all in the same soil and in the exact same
conditions as the other 8 types, so I know I'm not doing anything
wrong. All the seed packets were stored together in a cool dry place.

Secondly, over half of the seed types I ordered last year have been
removed and are now no longer sold by Park Seed. So, if you buy from
them and like what grows one year, you don't have the reliability of
ordering again the next year.

I was quite surprised by these problems, these are the typical
problems that places like Michigan Bulb has. I ordered from Park to
avoid those problems, as I have read nothing but good things about
them online.

Don't listen to the people saying you don't have the proper gardening
skills.

Park Seed used to be a #1 company. In the last few years, they have
deteriorated badly. Low or in many cases zero germination, seed counts
vastly lower than what is labeled on the package, and I'm hearing
reports of low quality or sickly plants even after the seeds
germinate. For now, I'd recommend staying away from them.

Here are some seed companies that I'd highly recommend. Using one or
more of them you can also solve the problem of not having a good
selection. This is in my order of preference:

-------------------------

http://www.johnnyseeds.com - Top quality, very high germination,
newest breeds and strains offered, photos of every plant.

http://www.reneesgarden.com - More limited selection, but that's due
to very high quality plants. Illustrations of all plants.

http://www.gardentrails.com - Sells Botanical Interests and Mr.
Fothergills. Excellent service, excellent quality seed, broad
selection, pictures or illustration of most plants.

http://www.stokesseeds.com - Haven't had a lot of experience with
them, but I hear good things about good germination and quality. At
times site can be slow. Many plants are lacking pictures. VERY broad
selection.

http://www.burpee.com - Classic and well known supplier, you can now
order their seeds from their site. I hear good things about quality
and germination. One person I know planted Park and Burpee this year,
he said that all of his Burpee seeds germinated, while about two
thirds of his Park seeds germinated. Pictures of every plant.

http://www.veseys.com - Another site I don't have any experience with
but have heard good things about. Photos of every plant.

http://www.chilternseeds.com - Classic seed seller from the UK. They
ship to the USA. Good quality seed and germination. Broad selection.
Lacking photos of most plants, both on their site and in their
catalog. They are starting to add photos, but there really needs to be
more.

-------------------------

Companies to avoid in addition to Park include eseeds.com (there are
reports of poor customer service, frequent shipping "substitutions,"
and low germination), and mckenzieseeds.com (reports of low seed count
and low to zero germination).

Hope that helps!

-Mort



Gary Hancock came out of the closet to say:

I ordered from Park Seed last year for the first time for this year's
planting season, because I kept hearing so many good things about
them.

I planted about 10 different vanities. Of all of them, 8 types
germinated. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination. I mean NOT ONE SEED grew. The other 8 grew fine.
The Rudbeckia and Viola are all in the same soil and in the exact same
conditions as the other 8 types, so I know I'm not doing anything
wrong. All the seed packets were stored together in a cool dry place.

Secondly, over half of the seed types I ordered last year have been
removed and are now no longer sold by Park Seed. So, if you buy from
them and like what grows one year, you don't have the reliability of
ordering again the next year.

I was quite surprised by these problems, these are the typical
problems that places like Michigan Bulb has. I ordered from Park to
avoid those problems, as I have read nothing but good things about
them online.

Gary Hancock wrote:

I planted about 10 different vanities. Of all of them, 8 types
germinated. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination. I mean NOT ONE SEED grew. The other 8 grew fine.
The Rudbeckia and Viola are all in the same soil and in the exact same
conditions as the other 8 types, so I know I'm not doing anything
wrong.

Do they have the same requirements for germination? Not all
seeds are equal.



Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

Gary Hancock wrote in message . ..
I ordered from Park Seed last year for the first time for this year's
planting season, because I kept hearing so many good things about
them.

I planted about 10 different vanities. Of all of them, 8 types
germinated. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Viola Midnights had a ZERO
percent germination. I mean NOT ONE SEED grew.

Some of my seed does not germinate, no matter the source. If every one
of every seed packet germinated then I would think there was something
wrong. Maybe seed viability is more affected, and more easily, than is
thought. But you should avoid the possiblity that you might have made
a mistake also when sowing. Perhaps that type of Rudbeckia from that
one source might require pretreatment in order to successfully
germinate, as is recommended by some.

My experience with Park Seed is very limited as this was the first
year I had ever ordered, but I was very pleased with the small order
that I did place. They all germinated but the probability was high as
I keep my orders to a minimum. Large ordres are deserving for only the
tried and tested seed companies.

Low or in many cases zero germination, seed counts
vastly lower than what is labeled on the package

Smear job! False seed labeling is against the law in SC. Park owns Wayside
Gardens, The Cooks Garden and others. It is not logical to believe that they
would risk all by breaking the regulations of the SC Dept.of Agriculture.

Go read http://gardenwatchdog.com/c/3/ if you don't believe him.


wrote:

Low or in many cases zero germination, seed counts
vastly lower than what is labeled on the package

Smear job! False seed labeling is against the law in SC. Park owns Wayside
Gardens, The Cooks Garden and others. It is not logical to believe that they
would risk all by breaking the regulations of the SC Dept.of Agriculture.

Go read http://gardenwatchdog.com/c/3/ if you don't believe him.

10 out 1038, top 1% of the class if you can believe the anecdotal evidence
presented on the above referenced website.