I always get pretty excited every spring when I receive a Johnny’s seeds catalog in the mail. Since we live in Maine; we are able to drive to Johnny’s and pick up what we need without having to wait on shipping. With that being said; it seems that Johnny’s is always out of several items that I am looking for. Luckily I am usually able to find the seeds I am missing at Walmart.
The Burpee Seed company has been selling their products in Walmart’s across the country for quite a few years now and I have noticed the selection is expanding every year. John Kohler does an excellent job in the video above reviewing the seed selection he has at his local store.
One thing I’m not to big a fan of getting from Walmart though is seedlings. We had a devastating blight problem here in New England in 2009, and The New York Times reported that it was tracked back to the nursery that supplies most of the big box stores.
[quote_box_center]Professor Fry, who is genetically tracking the blight, said the outbreak spread in part from the hundreds of thousands of tomato plants bought by home gardeners at Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Kmart stores starting in April. The wholesale gardening company Bonnie Plants, based in Alabama, had supplied most of the seedlings and recalled all remaining plants starting on June 26. Dennis Thomas, Bonnie Plants’ general manager, said five of the recalled plants showed signs of late blight.[/quote_box_center]
If you do buy your seedlings; instead of starting your own; I recommend supporting your local economy and buying them through a greenhouse. Peace
