Heads up about those free 'mystery' seed packets from online swaps

Last fall, I got a bunch of unlabeled seeds in a trade that were just called 'assorted annuals'. I planted them in a starter tray like normal, but they grew SUPER fast and looked all wrong. Turns out, after checking with my local extension office, they were a super invasive type of jewelweed. I had to pull and bag EVERYTHING before it set seed. Has anyone else gotten a bad batch like this, and how do you check unknown seeds now?

2 comments

2 Comments

seanh9126d ago

This whole thing feels like the gardening version of getting a weird bootleg DVD at a flea market. You think you're getting a cool unknown movie, but it's just a blurry copy of something that'll mess up your player. I've seen it with cheap "rare" bulbs that were just common stuff dyed weird colors. Now if a seed pack doesn't have a proper Latin name on it, it goes straight in the trash. Not worth the risk of turning my yard into an invasive species daycare.

amy69226d ago

Totally agree @seanh91... I switched to local nurseries only.