Burpee Seeds-Same Quality @ WalMart, etc as ordering direct?

Hello,
We got Burpee seeds early last year from Walmart and did not have the greatest germination - nasturtiums & morning glories in particular. So this year, we started to order from catalog, but for almost $9 shipping, buying locally is appealing. A new Menards opened near us and they are stocking Burpee seeds. What do you folks think? Would we get better seeds if we ordered from Burpee directly?
Thanks!

Sorry no one has answered you yet. I do buy seeds from WalMart and KMart if I forgot to order something, but mostly I order direct on-line from the seed companies.
Could be the way Walmart stores and ships the seeds extreme heat, cold, dampness, temperature changes.
Did you check the date on the seed packet?

Greetings --

I haven't bought enough Burpee seeds at retail outlets to answer your question with any statistical accuracy, but I suspect that the lower proce reflects a lower seed count.

However I can tell you that a few years ago I bought some Burpee seeds from WalMart and had zero germination. I called Burpee and they sent me a repacement packet (different variety). They said (at least at that time) that they backed their seeds however/wherever they were sold.

I hope this helps!

Liane

Thanks - the date was good on the seeds we bought. That's great news to know Burpee will back them up - this week Burpee seeds are on sale for 25% off at our local Menards, so I think I'll give them a try...

I have bought seeds from Walmart, Burpees, Parks, Home Depot, and others and never seen any difference. They all germinated.

It is possible that you didn't sow the seeds as recommended, or didn't give them enough time, or they rotted from too much moisture, dies from the lack of it, planted to deep, or not deep enough, wrong temperature. Also the type of plant mixture. It has to be sterile and light in texture. There are many reasons why seeds don't germinate, rarely is the the fault of the seed company. Seeds will not germinate unless their needs are met.

Morning glories have a hard seed coat that prevents moisture from penetrating. Did you nick the seeds before planting? Nicking outer cover of seeds is best done with a nail clipper or similar. It has to be done very carefully so the actual seed inside isn't injured.

I think LianeNY has identified the issue - the difference in germination was likely due to the number of seeds in the packet to begin with.

It was hard to compare the two because the catalog listed 30 seeds per pack and the store pack is 3.6 gm. Guess I could buy a pack and count them, but it really did not feel anywhere close to 30 in the store pack. Therefore, I'm thinking that if we were used to getting a couple dozen plants from a pack and the Walmart pack had 15 seeds, that would explain the problem.

Thanks!