Hi Anna, I have gotten a lot of seeds from evergreen over the years and I never had problem with germination. Given that the amaranths and the gourds are all warm weather plants, is it possible that the soil temperature is too low? On their packets, they usually list the germination temperature.

I guess it all depends on the seed package you receive. Evergreen seeds does not have a lot of germination rate or date on their package.

Like Ikea_gw mentioned, temperature could be the cause. Wait till temperature gets warmer, or start them indoors should help. But like your experience, the gourd seeds I purchased from evergreen also were also a mix. Their Luffa gourd seeds usually have 100% germination, yet Opo gourd had 0% germination. Amaranth seems to be good around 80%. Many other seeds like Malabar, etc are less than 30%. Yet their asian brassica seeds usually have 100 germination compared to other company such as Johnn'y who's usually 50-80% for me (Johnny's has clear germination information on their package as a reference).

However, I still purchase from them because they have many interesting Asian seeds in one place so I don't have to order from multiple stores and pay multiple shipping. I just make note of what I should not order from them in the future.

Hi Anna,
I'm a big fan of Evergreen. Never had any problem with germination. Malabar spinach germinates ok for me. I had some trouble with bitter gourd but it likes lots of warmth and soak the seed 24 hours first. Amaranth I just press on top of soil. Keep soil moist and warm, germinates quickly. Not soggy though. Zone 6, first of May, soil probably too cool for gourds. May take longer to germinate if the seed didn't rot in the soil.