Dealing with Disappointing Vegetable Seed

One of the really difficult things to deal with when gardening is anticipating that a seed will grow and produce a specific way and having the seed produce something completely different. Especially if what the seed produced is less desirable than what the grower was anticipating. If a gardener planted seed anticipated growing a nice large red sandwich tomato, and ended up growing some yellow cherry tomatoes, they may be quite miffed. How can a seed supplier advertise one type of tomato, provide something completely different? Should gardeners and growers just take this in stride, or should they complain? What is the “right” thing to do? Should I just ignore the problem? Should I contact the seed company about the problem, or should I do something else?

 

 

This seed was no longer germinated at over 80%, from 2021.

 

 Although things like this can be frustrating, they are not uncommon when dealing with heirloom vegetable varieties. Not only do vegetable varieties change over time, but the incentive to maintain cultivars often wanes over the years. Unfortunately, while I would prefer to work with the very best genetic traits that are typical of a specific cultivar, I am sometimes provided with what seems to be the very worst seed. If no other source for the variety can be found, I have to consider the time and energy I have to clean it up and compare that with the opportunity I have to work with other varieties that may have much more promise. While everything in life cannot be quantified, because life is short – and despite disappointments – if I continue to work on varieties with the most potential, things will eventually work out.

 

 

Yet again in 2022, Newer seed germinating poorly.

 

 

So – what would most gardeners do? Beginning gardeners may do nothing, but most would likely experienced gardeners would just lose trust in the company they purchased from. Next season, they would purchase their seeds from another supplier.