There are so many sellers but I don't like to buy from anyone on Ebay unless I know they sell good seeds. Not old out of date seeds that wont germinate. If you have a seller you like PLMK!
Thanks all!
Caren
Do you buy seed on Ebay?
Yes there are I buy from winchester gardens and seedmart and every now and then I buy from another grower and never had a problem.
James
I've had several lots of seeds not produce the plant that it was supposed to be and at that point it is too late to leave neg feedback. I don't buy seeds on Ebay anymore unless they are commercially packaged.
Caren, I don't know for what kind of seeds you are looking for, but I offer seeds on the marketplace. All my own seeds are harvested in 2008.
Not all the seeds I have are on the Marketplace, but if you find something interesting on my have list, I will put it on the Marketplace. The seeds with 'left from trade' I can not be sure of if they are fresh, because they came from other people.
Jonna
Shellydar,
I can tell you Jonna sends very nice seeds. Check her prices....and the feedback she's received is great.
I can vouch for her too. Nice clean healthy seeds.
I have bought from vendors on ebay. Had some good ones and had some bad ones. Now I prefer to get from people on the MarketPlace too that I know.
When I get from ebay, I used to not leave feedback til I had germination. Then I left feedback. The thign to wtch on ebay though was some folks offered like greta price of 99Cents but then had liek 5.00 shippign charge for one little pack plus 25 cents for each additional pack ya bought. I go tburned that way one time, my fault cu i didn't read close , but sure do now.
I have purchased from:http://stores.ebay.com/ovm-seeds ,they shipped really fast ,plant instructions and sent extra seeds as a free gift.The online store has an extra 25 percent off til the 19th.http://www.ovm-seeds.com/storefrontprofiles/default.aspx?sfid=136776
Synda
here is ovm-seeds ebay profile,
Feedback Profile
ovm-seeds ( 8564)
Positive Feedback (last 12 months): 99.8%
Member since: Oct-13-06 in United States
Recent Feedback Ratings (last 12 months)
1 month 6 months 12 months
Positive 247 3731 12780
Neutral 0 2 22
Negative 0 3 19
*************But I do have to say there online store is cheaper than there ebay store!************
This message was edited Jan 1, 2009 6:06 PM
Thank you all for your input! I forget about marketplace I will have to take a peek.
I think I have gotten some seeds with OVM on the label in trades. Do you know if they are a DG member?
Caren
I don't know if ovm is or not.
Found them...................http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/6946/
I've ordered from Triciasgarden60, Seedmart & OVM for the past few years. Very pleased with all three.
Has anyone ordered from Caleb864?
I ordered from Caleb864 a couple of times until last year. A couple of packets of petunia seeds I purchased from him didn't germinate at all. When I inquired about the seed and advised him I had zero germination on those seeds, he told me they could not be held responsible for my growing environment. I grow hundreds of petunias every year and have never had trouble with germination...even on older seeds I have saved. I was not impressed with how this was handled. Other seed companies would have simply offered to replace this seeds....not this one. I wouldn't recommended anymore. I understand things happen, but when a company doesn't back it's product or even attempt to make things right....I drop them like a hot rock. They will not be getting any more of my business.
I've used Caleb864 the seeds he sends are well cleaned, label and well packaged, instructions sent - appearance comparable to ones I've bought from catalogs and performed well. I also buy from GroCo and seedmart.
One seller I will never again buy from is PASE - took forever to receive and the seeds were crushed when I received them. Not well packaged.
Two good sources for live plants I've found that are very reliable on Ebay are
Emerald Goddess Gardens (out of florida)- good prices and large, healthy plants, she sends a copy of her dept of ag inspection with her plants and they grow like crazy.
Perfect Plant - I've purchased bulbs and roses from - largest commercial size available bulbs and the rose has grown like crazy - the rose was top and root pruned when I received it. Has grown and bloomed all summer.
Ebay is a hit or miss type of thing. I have bought a few seeds off of Ebay but I won't buy anything exotic $$$ or rare. Many of the seeds on Ebay are from plants that seed like crazy and I have no doubt those are the real thing and there are a few places that do their business through Ebay and are the real thing. I would look around Dave's first for what ever you need and then the big seed companies first.
I have bought lots of seed and from Burpee's, Home and Garden, Parks Seed and etc and some times they didn't sprout. I bought 2 packages of 4:00 seed and not a single one sprouted and they are suppose to be super easy to grow. So was it me or the seed company? I would say it is about 90%-10%, 10 being it won't sprout.
What I like about e-bay is that you can get more exotics and so many more small growers that have lots of fresh seed. I have my favorites and stick by them.You should always check feedback and go from there. Personally I have had really good luck with e'bay and will buy from them again and again. As long as the seller has good feedback and it's something I want and even if he's brand new I will give them a try.
And I also sold seed on E-bay and it was fresh good seed from that season or the previous season. I think some of the individual growers and sellers are more careful with the seed and want people to get good seed and come back to buy more. That's the way I felt anyway..
JMO.......thanks
willowwasp
Thank you WW! That is kind of what I like Ebay as well. I like to grow things that are new and different. Not that I don't like the old standbys, but sometimes I just want to try something a little crazy.
Caren
Willow,
I think your right..................that's my story and I'm sticking to it.....haha...sometimes the "little" guy is the way to go!!!!
mj
One reason if I do buy seeds, I'll look at Jonna first...then elsewhere..........
4 O'Clocks? Yes they are to germinate, very easy. LOL> Might be user error there.
Caren.. What seeds are you looking for ..If I have it you are sure Welcome to it..
I haven't really bought alot of seed there...
Kylie
Im not looking for anything in particular Kylie, Just some oddball fragrant's, tropical's and a few salvias that have caught my eye. I have many of the commonly traded plants and was looking for something a different.
Caren
SOOOOO...LOL what are they??? Never know...
Well nosey one LOL!! These are a few Ive been looking at. A few I have coming and the others Im still thinking about.
Spathodea companulata
Firecracker Vine
Salvia Marwin Gardens
Cestrum fasciculatum 'Newellii'
Cestrum elegans
Bomarea hirtella
Bomarea acutifolia
I still love all Cestrums even if they're not fragrant. There is nothing like a care free plant!
The Salvias are a new obsession as well as the vines. Im not too sure how well they will do here but I thought Id give it a shot...
LOL.. I may have some Firecracker Vine seed.. let me do some diggin...
Cestrum elegans, hmmmm. That one catches my eye. How does that do in LA? Evergreen, pretty much ever bloming, hardy in 9a apparenty or lower and part shade. Kind of sums up what I'm looking for at the moment.
If its anything like the orange cestrum (Cestrum aurantiacum) It should do very well. Mine is on the south side of the house in half day sun and has not stopped blooming since last spring. It does need some shaping and staking if you are looking for a tree form. Im not sure how long it will take from seed to bloom, but Im sure it will be worth the wait.
Hi All:
I don't get much time to visit this site and read all the interesting topics, but here I am tonight. I couldn't pass up this thread without my 2 cents worth.
First, I rarely buy plants if I can get the seeds. Much more economical to sow seeds for the varities I want. Most often, that is the only way to get certain plants, especially the out-of-the-ordinary ones. I want to point out that seeds do not have to be fresh to be viable. Actually some seeds need a long period of dormancy before they are ready to germinate.
For those of you who don't have much luck germinating seeds, understand that seed are like people with different needs and won't sprout until those needs are met. That is a gift from Mother Nature. It insures their survival.
Here is my article that I have posted on the web that may interest you. It is based on my years of experience, and some research. I enclose a photo of my simple coldframe, which I could not garden without.
I am a long-time gardener and as simple as this coldframe is, I could not garden without it. It has served as an over-winter holding box for young plants started indoors, a rooting box for cuttings, a seeding box during fall and winter, and a place to test the hardiness of perennials for my zone 4. When seeds are available of the variety I want, I start them from seeds, rather than buy plants.
My coldframe consists of scrap lumber from a home improvement center who sells scraps and culled lumber cheap. The coldframe measures 6 ft wide x 3 feet deep x 12" high. Shading cloth is attached to a frame, which is hinged to the back of the coldframe. It sits on bare ground about 1" deep. I removed the top 6" of the original soil and replaced it with good garden soil, peatmoss, humus, and manure. It is now 8 years old and ready for the 2008 crop of seeds as soon as soon as the weather turns cold. A coldframe can be made in any size to suit your need.
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One package of seeds can yield many plants as opposed to buying one plant, then waiting for it to become large enough to divide. Often, many unique varieties can only be obtained from seeds since garden centers don't offer them as plants.
Unfortunately, seeds don't always germinate. That is because seeds, like people, have different needs and condition have to be right for seeds to sprout. This is especially true for hardy perennials, including those of trees and shrubs. Seeds don't have to be fresh to germinate. If your seeds don't germinate, most often it is not the seeds, but the condition they were sown in. Wrong temperature, planted too deeply, or not deeply enough, seeds were not conditioned to bring it out of its dormancy, lack of moisture or too much. Finally, not allowing enough time for germination.
Some seeds take a long time to absorb the water they need to germinate. This process is speeded up by soaking them in hand hot water overnight. Don't soak seeds for more than 24 hours, unless specifically recommended on the packet.
#1] Nick, chip, or scarify:
Some seeds have hard seed coats that block the uptake of water into the embryo. To speed germination, you need make a tiny hole in the seed coat. You can either nick the surface of the seed with fingernail clippers (much safer than a knife), or rub the seed against a piece of sandpaper. Be careful not to damage the embryo by removing too much of the seed coat. It's best to nick or scarify the seed on a side away from the growing point, which is usually located on either end of the seed.
A percentage of the seeds will sprout without nicking. If you don't want to nick all of them, just soak them overnight, plant the ones that swell up, then nick the remaining seeds and soak them again.
#2] Refrigerate, pre-chill, or stratify:
Some seeds like Asclepias germinate best after a period of cold and wet that simulates the winter season. This is called cold-moist stratification. The easiest way to stratify seeds is to sow them into their pots, water them, cover the pots with plastic, and place them in the fridge for the recommended amount of time.
If fridge space is limited, try this method: Place the seeds in a paper napkin, then fold it and moisten with tap water. It shouldn't be sopping wet, just damp. Place the napkin in a ziploc bag, and put it in the fridge. After the recommended amount of time, remove the seeds from the fridge and pot them up. This method won't work for very tiny seeds, which are difficult to handle individually. You can try stratifying these seeds in a bag with moist peat moss, which can then be scattered over the surface of the soil. The only drawback to this method is that you can't tell how thickly you're sowing the seeds.
After stratification, place the seed pots in a sunny window or under lights for germination.
#3] Freezing:
Some seeds like those of trees and shrubs germinate best if they are placed in the freezer for a week before soaking and planting. Other seeds prefer alternating warm and cold temperatures. It's best to sow these seeds outdoors in the fall and let nature work on them over the winter. They can be direct sown in the garden, or they can be sown in pots and kept in a cold frame or a protected location like the north side of the house. Check the pots frequently, and add enough water to keep them moist but not soggy. Neither of the two methods stated above offer a high germination rate because it is too difficult to simulate Nature in timing. But, for a few plants it is ok.
MY TIP ON SOWING PERENNIALS OUTDOORS
I used to start all my perennial seeds in the house under plant lights. Now I start them in my cold frame. Depending on the variety, I start sowing in the fall after the weather cools. Sown this late, the seeds will germinate during Spring when temperature is right for the variety I sowed. I'm rewarded with a higher germination count when including Mother Nature.
Lacking a cold frame you can achieve the same result easily with a cheap plastic shoe box. I use it for small seeds in the cold frame. You can sow seeds outdoors either 2 months before frost, or wait until cold weather in the fall for spring germination.
Remove the bottom of the box, then bury the box up to 3/4" from the top edge in a garden spot with morning sun, or light shade. Fill it with moistened seed sowing mix, or quality potting soil like Miracle-Gro, up to 3/4" from the top. Water to settle the soil. Sow your seeds according to direction. Water just enough to settle the seeds. Do not cover the box. This is an excellent way to sow hard coated seeds. The soil should be kept moist, but not wet. Seeds will germinate when all the elements are right for the variety of seeds you sowed, usually in spring. Once the seeds have germinated, water regularly. Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle, usually after the second set of true leaves have formed.
Nicking seeds doesn't alway work, nor does soaking. Leaving germination in Mother Nature's hands does.
When in doubt, experiment with different germination methods. Keep notes. Then you'll know what works the next time around.
#4] SOWING 2 MONTHS BEFORE FIRST FROST
Sow in flats July through August in the North and leave outdoors in the shade until germination. Do not allow the soil to dry out. Once the seeds have germinated, move to a sunny spot if sunlovers. Transplant where they are to grow, or to a coldframe (recommended) when large enough to handle. This gives seedlings time to establish before frost. By the following spring, the seedlings are husky plants---and depending on the variety---will bloom at their usual time.
UPDATE FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED:
Since days and nights finally became colder, I sowed several varieties of the following seeds in my coldframe on 10/27/08 for spring germination:
Dianthus---Oenothera---Asclepias---Echinacea---Rhus typhina (tree)---Xanthoceras (Yellowhorn tree)---Salvia---Callirhoe---Iris---Hemerocallis (Daylily)
At this writing, 1/4/09 all the seeds in my coldframe are blanketed with a 4" deep snow cover.
Both Daylily and Iris seeds I collected from my own plants for the fun of it. Maybe I will get something unique.
I left space for additional varieties of seeds to sow early this spring. These seeds do not need the same condition. Some, like the iceplant, are tiny seeds that will go in a plastic container and placed in the coldframe.
Have a great 2009 gardening season.
As far as buying seeds from Ebay, I used to. Unfortunately the seller I bought from is no longer registered due to ill health. I received many varieties from her that came true from seeds.
I now mainly buy from Parks Seeds. There are too many seller on Ebay who use commercial photos often taken from the package of seeds, rather than of their own plants. Also, many are not familiar with the plant they are selling. I have seen too many miss-labeled plants and wrong information which steers me away. Many of the seeds offered are open pollinated, meaning nature took care of it, rather than hand pollination under isolation. A good example is Gaillardia. It will never come true from seeds, unless hand pollinated. The variety Fanfare is actually a self-sown sport from a Gaillardia. I had the exact plant come up in my garden that was self-sown. That is how nurseries obtained these odd plants---accidental. They will not come true from seeds, only by division.
Having said all that, I will add that if there is only one variety of a genus growing in your garden, most likely it will come true from seeds. I have collected seeds from my Callirhoe and sowed the seed the following year. They came true because it is the only variety I have.
The photo is a mixture of Gaillardia grandiflora that I got from one package of mixed seeds. The photo is mine. When I collected and sowed seeds from the yellow plants, it did not come true. It reverted back.
Thank you! That is a lot of really great information.
BlueRibbonTomatoes For rare and delicious heirloom tomato seed sample packs and others. My friend Maria who lives here in Kentucky grows Heirloom Tomatoes and sells her wonderful collection of seed on E-Bay. I would never buy seed from someone I didn't know but I assure you that you would be doing yourself a favor by looking at her special sale of 20 varieties(sample size) seed for $9.99. Scroll down for sample varieties. She has other Kentucky Heirloom varieties, some of which I shared with her. This is a perfect amount of seed for folks who want to grow several varieties and don't need a full packet of seed.
Gary Millwood
Louisville, Kentucky
BlueRibbonTomatoes
For rare and delicious Kentucky heirloom tomato seeds, visit www.blueribbontomatoes.com
__________________
Every blade of grass, each leaf, each separate floret and petal, is an inscription of hope ...
Richard Jefferies -- June 1883
I too start my prenneils outside, I have a nice crop of cone flowers, 4 colours, sedums, lobelias and monardas all ready to shoot up a few more inches after this snow melts..
I saw this thread and thought I would post my comments as well.
I have bought seeds on eBay before. Most of them have been fine but a few have been bad. But then, I have had about the same results from the major seed companies as well.
I have been growing a huge vegetable garden (more like a farm at almost 3 acres) since I was 10 years old along with the help of my younger brother. We are both in college now and as a way to work our way through school, I turned to eBay as a way to sell my seeds. I have been growing and saving tomato seeds for years and have begun quite a collection. I grow about 60 varieties each year and I add new varieties each year. I isolate each variety and do germination tests on all of my seeds before I sell them to make sure that my customers won't be disappointed. Furthermore, if the instructions that I include with each order are followed, I will always guarantee at least an 80% germination rate for all of my seeds. I use eBay as my way to run a business. (I'm not very computer savvy or I would start my own website.) But I do know that there are sellers on eBay that use it as a way to get rid of old, outdated and ruined seeds. My advise would be for a potential buyer to check the seller's feedback before you purchase from them. There are a lot of people out there trying to run a legitimate small family business but the crooks make it hard on the rest of us.
This message was edited Jan 27, 2009 9:07 PM
Yes check out her ebay store at http://stores.ebay.com/White-Oak-Valley-Farm. Really nice.
This message was edited Jan 27, 2009 12:20 AM
I bought a bunch of seeds from Ebay - hope they germinate! I have purchased blue poppy seeds a couple years ago and not one sprouted but then to be honest, I didn't know what I was doing. I'm a little more knowledgeable now. I think I just scattered the seeds thinking they would sprout like my annual poppy seeds. But I did buy a bunch of stuff because the flowers were unusual. I wintersowed them. Hope they work. I also purchased from Jonna in the marketplace and wintersowed her seeds. I'm confident I'll have success with her seeds.
Can't remember the ebay seller but I think angel was in her ebay id.
That's what I heard. I will keep trying to
Ilovejesus99: (nice name)
Your link didn't work for me. Did it work for anyone else?
NisiNJ
Not for me either
Hi! Bought seed from a private vendor on e-bay, hopefully they will be ok...also found a good tomato, the San Margano, seeds from a catalog...am looking for a good cucumber that is resistant to mildew....checking out the catalogs...any suggestions??