I start the majority of my vegetables and flowers from seed. And I love the seed-starting process! But there’s something you need to know about pelleted seeds: they’re not necessarily a good thing.
As you can see by the photo to the left, pelleted seeds have a coating on them. The photo shows ‘Bauer’ lettuce seeds — coated (L) and non-coated (R). The coating is generally made from clay.
Seed suppliers occasionally offer coated seeds, especially for tiny seeds that are hard to handle. I get that. But I’ve learned that coated seeds have a much shorter shelf life than uncoated seeds.
Pelleted seeds vs. non-pelleted seeds
Regular, non-coated lettuce seeds typically have a shelf life of about 6 years. That’s actually pretty impressive when you compare that to most other vegetable seeds. I created a Seed Viability chart on this website several years ago. It’s definitely worth checking out. Onion, parsley and parsnip seeds are typically viable for only a year. That’s not very long! In contrast, beet, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, kale, pumpkin, Swiss chard, tomato, turnip, and watermelon seeds last about 4 years.
I’ve grown ‘Bauer’ lettuce for a few years now and it is definitely our favorite variety. I started out with a packet of non-pelleted seeds and got great germination. When I bought a new seed packet, I noticed the seeds were pelleted. I wasn’t sure what to expect but figured I should put them to the test.
As you’d expect, the germination was fine that first year. In the second year, the seed germination was fair. And this year, the germination rate was pretty poor.
(Before I go on, I wanted to clarify something important. In the photo at the very top, you can see the packet of ‘Bauer’ seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds. This post is not intended to disrespect them in the least. They are an awesome seed supplier that offers a wide variety of organic seeds. I’ve bought seeds from them for years and have always been very happy with them. I just happened to buy these seeds from High Mowing. It’s probably safe to say that ALL seed companies sell some pelleted seeds for the reason I mentioned earlier. Just wanted to clarify that!)
The purpose of this post is to raise your awareness on this issue. Here are my suggestions:
- If you have trouble handling and sowing little seeds, then pelleted seeds are probably your best bet. Or you can use one of those little hand seeder tools.
- What if you want to plant a specific vegetable or flower variety that only comes in pelleted form? If you really have your heart set on it, go ahead and buy the pelleted seeds. But be aware the germination rate in subsequent years might not be so great.
- Search multiple websites or garden centers to see if you can get regular seeds in the specific variety you’re after.
- If you have a choice between regular and pelleted seeds, I’d recommend sticking with the regular kind. That way, you’ll get your money’s worth because you’ll get good germination rates for a longer period of time.
I’d love to hear about your experiences with pelleted seeds. Just drop me an email at Susan@SusansintheGarden.com.