Dollar Tree garden seeds/Photo byGin Lee

Planting Dollar Tree garden seeds

Recently, I purchased some garden seeds at the Wynne, Arkansas, Dollar Tree for twenty-five cents per package. I couldn't believe that they were that cheap, and I couldn't pass up such a sweet deal, but I only purchased four packages. I waited to finish my article after planting the seeds so that I could share insight about how the seeds grew and actually are in comparison to others. I was curious, especially because I normally pay anywhere from three to seven dollars for heritage, non-GMO garden seeds. Generally, I start all my vegetable and fruit plants from either seeds or roots, and I have had some of the best gardening luck with Johnny's seeds and Baker Creek seeds.

Planting Dollar Tree garden seeds

Planting Dollar Tree garden seeds in containers/Photo byGin Lee

On day one, I planted the seeds in containers of fertilized soil. There is not much to share at this point.

Moving forward, I continued to water the soil daily, and almost all of the Swiss chard seeds began sprouting by the third and fourth days. Yes, I was excited!

Swiss Chard/ Planting Dollar Tree garden seeds/Photo byGin Lee

As the week progressed, we are now into day seven. All, or almost all, of the Swiss chard seeds germinated and are now tender plants. I also decided to try planting one packet of Swiss chard seeds in a hanging wall planter too, just to help save on floor space in my greenhouse. As soon as the plants get big enough, they'll get transplanted.

Cucumber plants grown from my own saved seeds from the previous year/Photo byGin Lee

The photos above and below are of vegetable plants that I planted one week prior to buying the Dollar Tree seeds. The Dollar Tree plants after three weeks are still looking somewhat puny and are not growing as well as my other heirloom non-GMO seeds are. Of course, two of the photos in the photo collage below are of sweet potatoes and red potatoes. If you'd like to know more about how I planted those, I have published articles at Newsbreak where you can go back to see how I grow both types of potatoes.

Okra, red potatoes, Arkansas tomato, sweet potatoes, Beefsteak tomato, and salad mix/Photo byGin Lee

I want to note that all of my other heritage seeds began germinating anywhere between the third and fourth days of planting. Most seeds will take anywhere from seven to fourteen days to germinate. However, I didn't have as much luck with the Dollar Tree eggplant and pepper seeds. Some of those seeds finally germinated after three weeks, but then a few died. The plants that did live are still about the same size as the day they first sprung up from seed.

Eggplant seedlings from the Dollar Tree seeds/Photo byGin Lee

To conclude, I had a good experience with the Dollar Tree's Swiss chard garden seeds that I purchased. Those seeds did just as well as the more expensive brands did for me.

The one thing that I noticed before planting the seeds that I purchased from the Dollar Tree was that the seeds all seemed to be smaller and drier, and there were several seeds in each package that weren't worth planting. Although I decided to plant all of them.

For 0.25 cents per package, I can still count my blessings, even though all the seeds weren't viable. Especially if all or at least some of the Swiss chard makes it. When you seriously think about it, you can't buy a head of organic Swiss chard in the produce section for less than four dollars. So, if you're on a budget, dollar store seeds may be a good choice for you.