Funny you should mention this. I was just noticing yesterday that I got 100 percent germination (9-of-9) from my Amish Paste tomato seeds. They're from Totally Tomatoes.

Alas, the Gerbera Daisies from Park's gave me 2-of-7 germination, and that was inside, not wintersown. Not happy at all with them.

Caryl

Wow! I thought it was me. Purchased seeds gave me so-so or worse germination. Traded seeds (most) gave me incredible germination and I'm guessing closer to 95% than the piddling few sprouts I got from purchased seeds. I got blackberry lily seeds in a trade and every one of them has sprouted. The gaura seeds I bought online have just 3 or 4 sprouts per milk jug. Tomato seeds are running at just 50% germination. I'm going to let the seller know just as a a heads up, not a complaint.
I bought peony poppy seeds from Hazzard's and have to say those look as though the germination rate is up around 75%. I split the seed order with gardencrazy in Ohio however and she's had virtually zero germination from those seeds.
Some seeds have yet to germinate but they're either new to me or known to be late sprouters. I'm not giving up on them and have moved the jugs onto the sunny side of the breezeway.
I kept a chart of when seeds were WS and when they germinated so I'll have a general guide if I'm crazy enough to WS again next year. I could easily start my own nursery with the seedlings I've got so far from this first year's effort. ;-~

I find that I either get GREAT germination on traded seeds or nothing at all. I chalk this up to better quantities in the packets from traders than in the commercial packets and also that often the seed is very fresh from peoples garden and has been harvested carefully from their "best plants" where as who knows how commercial seeds are harvested, stored,etc. One thing that is often VERY clear is that the seed count in those packets is extremely low (and even when they are honest and say you will be getting a piddling 10 seeds right up front, you soemtimes only get 7!!) The trade seeds where I get zilch germinating, I try to imagine that the harvester was inexperienced and just didn't know when to get them or how to store them or something. Or they are just plain hard to grow all on their own with no blame to be placed!!!!!

Best germination? Seeds from my own garden. Not just because I harvest and store carefully but because we all tend to harvest from plants that "like it at our place", so they are happy to produce seed that makes babies!!!

My germination rate for purchased seeds was very low....I am sooo disappointed. The seeds from trades or gathered myself have done very, very well. Go figure.

My dud jugs were almost all traded seeds. My only purchased complete dud so far is Nepeta faassenni (however the heck you spell that) 'Felix' from Park Seed. Some purchased near-duds were a viola from Park and Burpee seeds at WalMart (gomphrene globosas, at least two varieties). I agree that the biggest problem isn't the germination as much as the quantity. Those Wal Mart seeds were pretty scantily packaged. I won't buy from there again. (It's getting to the point that I actually try to buy as little as possible of most things from Wal Mart.) My best purchased germinations have been from the seeds at our local nursery, mostly Livingston brand. I was beginning to wonder if I'm a Thunbergia moron as a trade never sprouted and I've been watching my recently sown Park Seed Thunbergia closely. But, I'm finally showing life from the Park Seed--good news because they are a ridiculously expensive variety! I'd say overall I've had good purchased germination from those other than the above-mentioned duds.

I have had very few seeds of my own to trade this year as I'm just getting started. I had to be conservative, in my opinion, in my trading. However, a large number of people in trades I've done sent extremely small packs. I know some people prefer this because they say they only need a few plants, anyway. I, however, being a bit of a sowing novice, need many seeds! I've lost too many to bad soil and slugs. The huge majority of my seeds lived, but I hate to lose any varieties. One pack had less than 10 seeds of a common variety, and the slugs, of course, got in that one. I have one seedling left and I think it's still living in the ground. Got my fingers crossed! I hope to be a generous trader so people will have healthy hunk-o-seedlings and also be able to have some spare in case their first sowing is ruined.

Somebody sent me lupine seeds last year, and, boy, was she a generous trader. I really appreciate the quantity she sent.

I've been wondering about asking Parks about their Nepeta seeds, but given their recent problems I'm not jumping to get on the phone. They gave me great customer service with a problem with my order, and most of my packs had more seeds than advertised.

That's funny...I've generally had not good germination for traded seeds.
For store-bought- my best success has been Crosman's -
which does not have a great selection, but they are very reasonable - zinnia's for ex. 89 cents a pack, I don't remember how many came in a package, but I got good germination on both the zinnias I purchased.
Shipping from Crosman's is also very inexpensive.

compared to Park's which are very expensive for seeds and shipping, and I have had terrible germination from everything from them, except the celosia.

In my experience it depends on the plant. I think somethings just WS easier than others. For example agastache I got in trade, but it germinated generously.
(Still giving sprouts away!)

Salvia (my own seeds) germinated tremendously, altho not the Yvonne's.

To me, it's a gamble, hit or miss.

I'm so glad it isn't just me. I won't buy from Wal Mart again. Like Deanna I try to buy less and less there but it is hard. Last yr.it was Parks and this yr I tried T&M & Valueseeds which was better. I ordered seeds that I couldn't find and since I didn't have anything to trade I felt I should buy. The free seeds I have been given have been great. But when you treat all of the seeds the same it is disappointing when you don't get plants as they aren't cheap. The postage is sometimes more than the seeds.

I too had excellant results with Crosmans. Good germination and no transplant dieback.