Flower seeds in a packet --?

Im an excellent gardener.


I havent been able to get packet seeds to grow in several years now.


If anything grows at all, it will only be 1-2 plants out of the entire packet.





Im not talking about hard to grow things. Im talking marigolds, ziennias and such.





I asked this on my discussion board, and found they do not grow much for anyone else.





Then I found a gardening website from the UK ( Im in the US) . They said, the seeds theyve bought, dont grow either.





Are we just being scammed ?

Flower seeds in a packet --?
I live in Canada and we have the same problem as well. this year i went out and bought a jiffy mini greenhouse and planted a bunch of seeds. they grew but then started to all die. along our bulevards we have many different flowers that the city plants and i use to take the dead heads off the marigolds while walking by and dry the seeds, then plant them . they use to grow. a couple of years ago i tried the same thing and none of them would grow. i think they have done something to them so that you can not regrow the seeds, and if that is so then maybe they are taking those and putting them in the seed packs for us unsuspecting gardeners to by, or maybe the seeds are just bad all together. which ever the case. i have just resorted to buying seedlings.
Reply:don't bother with seeds just buy plug ins don't cost much more
Reply:Most people buy the cheap 10 cent seed packets. Sometimes they grow, sometimes they don't. Check the date printed in light ink on the end of the packet to make sure the seeds are this years. Avoid last years seeds.





This method will give you almost 100% germination but requires a little work.





Take two styro foam or real plates, place a damp paper towel over one. Sprinkle the seeds on the paper towel. Cover with a second damp paper towel, the turn the second plate upside down over the plate with the paper towels. Place both plates inside a large ziplock bag. Set in a warm dark place.





In two weeks most seeds will have sprouted. Plant the sprouted seeds very shallow in pots, or in your flower bed.
Reply:I do best with collecting my own seeds. I buy a market pack or two of ones I like (zinnias, marigolds, impatiens, vinca, snapdragons), then collect those seeds at the end of the season, placing them in envelopes, identified and dated. I usually have good germination and TONS of seeds each year. I'm in zone 7 and even have return flowers by sprinkling spent blossom seeds in the garden in the fall. You have to know how to identify them by the leaves to thin when they pop up.