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It’s the time of year when gardeners break out the seed magazines or go online or to their home and garden stores to make decisions about their annual seed purchases.

There are a few rules to follow when buying seeds in person. Where are the seeds displayed? The area should be fairly cool and dry; if exposed to the heat of the sun, the seeds will likely deteriorate.

Read the back of the seed packet. It should include a description of the conditions required for seed germination and what soil and fertilizers are necessary. Check the “sell by” date. You should never pay full price for out-of-date stock, and older seeds have a lower germination rate. The packet will indicate if the seeds are “F1 Hybrids,” a label that is given to particular strains that are more costly, but produce larger and more uniform crops.

Sometimes, small seed is coated to make handling of individual seeds easier, which in turn helps you plant the seeds with more even spacing. This is called “pelleted seed” and you may find that this is not yet available for a wide variety of plants. Also, the processing required to pelletize the seed makes this seed a more costly option.

Tags: garden, gardening, seeds, flower+gardens, vegetable+gardens, planting, seed+planting, annual+seed+growing

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