From my research at local retailers I found the cost of vegetable seeds to be between $.20 to $2.89 per packet. For small area gardeners, each packet contained enough seeds for their needs. But, it should be noted that the quantity of seeds in each packet varies greatly.
Last year I was watching a YouTube video on the Impatient Gardener channel and she discussed having a chives hedge. I liked the look and the seemingly ease of care for a chives hedge. As a result, this year when seed starting for the Spring/Summer garden, I decided to start chives for my own hedge.
Comparison of Seed Brands
I also felt that this would be a good time to do a seed price comparison of my local retail seed sources. These include Walmart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General. The chart below shows my finding on prices for the different brands I found being sold at these stores. I’ve included the quantity in each packet for actual cost comparison.
Seed Packet Prices Comparison
| Brand | Quantity | Price | Price per mg |
| Ferry-Morse | 700mg/.025 oz | $1.78 | $0.0025 |
| American Seed | 100mg/.0035 oz | $0.20 | $0.002 |
| Burpee | 1000 seeds/4 grams | $1.69 | $0.0004 |
| Back To The Roots | 140mg/.0049 oz | $2.89 | $0.02 |
| Seeds Of Change | 260mg/.009 oz | $2.79 | $0.0107 |
As you can see, the American Seed brand was the cheapest an The Back To The Roots brand was the most expensive when looking at price alone. The Ferry-Morse seed packet contained the largest quantity while the American Seed brand had the smallest. Quantity of seeds is important information for those who have larger garden plots. Of course, if every seed in the packet germinates and you successfully grow the seedlings to maturity, you will have more plants than you need in most situations.
Shipping Costs
There are many seed sources online but you have to pay shipping on top of the cost of the packet of seeds. For example, one of my favorite online sources is MIgardener.com. Each packet of seeds is only $3.75 but to have one packet of seeds sent to me has a shipping of cost of $3.75 making the total cost of that one packet of seeds $5.75. Of course, the more you buy, the less shipping will be per packet. I do remember that MIgardener has a Fall seed sale of leftover seeds from that season. Shipping is free if you buy a certain amount at a discounted price.
It should also be noted that the prices in the table above do not include my time or any vehicle expense incurred driving to and from the store location.
Actual Germination Of Seeds
The next phase of the Chives hedge growing for me is to plant a tray of seeds with one row dedicated to each of the seed packets above and do a successful germination comparison. We’ll need to consider the percentage of actual germination to figure the actual cost of the seeds. When completed, I will add my findings here.
I allowed 19 days for all the chive seeds to germinate. All seeds were planted the same way, in the same soil medium, and moistened the same way. The tray has been kept under a grow light which is on for 16 hours per day. An oscillating fan blows across the tray during that period of time. The end result is that the Burpee seeds have germinated in every cell and are strong and healthy. Two out of five cells of the American Seed chives germinated. No seeds germinated in the cells of Ferry-Morse, Seeds Of Change, or Back To The Roots seeds. And as I stated previously, all were treated exactly the same.
I’m not sure what this says about the various seed companies or chives seeds specifically, but it was an interesting experiment. I will do more of these in the future with different types of plant seeds. The small plants to the right of the rose of chives are Marigolds. Marigolds planted nearby should not have caused any issue with the germination of any of the seeds.
Summary
I have a tendency to root for the small guy. This means I may pay a little more to support a local business or an online information source such as a YouTube channel hosted by someone I want to see succeed. If they have helped me by providing quality and valuable information for my gardening success, I like to return the favor, and support their endeavors.
At the same time, there are those moments of impulse and imagined urgency where I will run to a local big box store to pick up a packet of seeds. Also, as an avid gardener, there are no guarantees that I won’t stop by every seed display in any store where I happen to be and look through the seed packets. I might find something I’ve never grown before and want to give it a try.
Although this seed price comparison is based on buying Chives seeds, the prices and quantities for other types of seeds in small packets are similar.