Burpee Seeds shuts down to new orders as run on seeds to start "pandemic gardens"

[Demovictory9]

I didn't need seeds this year as when spring came, Kale, Parsley, and other veggies started growing spontaneously.

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As millions of Americans hunker down at home, the coronavirus outbreak has led to runs on everything from toilet paper to baker's yeast. Now people are reporting another shortage: seeds to start their "pandemic gardens."

Some seed companies said they've temporarily stopped taking new orders after seeing an overwhelming surge in demand. The increase in orders is "just unbelievable," said George Ball, chairman of Burpee Seeds, a 144-year-old seed company in Pennsylvania. The company closed to new orders last week because it needed time to catch up, although it plans to start accepting them again on Wednesday.

With Americans largely stuck in place, many are turning to home-based activities that are boosting sales of home improvement goods, alcohol — and gardening supplies.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-seeds-americans-grow-food/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Can't you save seeds from produce like cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, etc.?

[Demovictory9]

2. Yes, but I think you need to know if they are hybrids...bred not to produce productive seeds.

[spooky3]

3. And I would bet many are first time vegetable gardeners. Nt

[NickB79]

44. Hybrid vegetables will usually produce fertile seeds

They just won't be the same as the parents.

[Demovictory9]

57. ok thanks.

[MissB]

7. As someone noted as long as you know it's not a hybrid

You might grow a tomato that tastes nothing like the one you enjoyed from the market.

Best to save your own seed from plants you’ve grown from known heirloom seeds. That way you self select the best offspring from the strongest plant and the next year’s seed is already proven to grow in your exact area.

You can do that with most veggies. I personally have a hard time finding non hybrid zuchinni and some hot peppers, so I don’t save those seeds.

Some people will plant things from the fridge or pantry (green onion roots, celery remnants, dried beans and lentils). Most of that is just fine to do but the one I’d caution against would be sprouting potatoes. I personally wouldn’t plant them because I’d be concerned about potato mosaic virus.

[Blue_true]

37. I have been too busy with other stuff to garden, but when I was gardening,

I bough heirloom seeds to start. Once plants had produced, I selected fruit and vegetables that had the most appealing characteristics as my gross seed stock. Once the gross seeds were removed, washed and dried, I sorted seed by seed to select only the most robust seeds as my planting stock. My methods were scary if applied to people, but for getting the strongest plants and top fruit or vegetables, they excelled.

[Mariana]

20. Yes, you can save seed from all of those

but most of them will cross-pollinate, and you won't get a plant with the same traits. Beets/chard, carrots, squash, melons, cucumbers, most peppers and some tomatoes normally won't come true from seed. Lettuces, beans, peas, and many tomatoes usually will. Hybrids practically never come true.

My father used to toss some cross-pollinated seeds in a corner of the garden most years, just to see what they would produce. Most weren't great. Once he got a plant with giant, sweet, delicious cucumbers, loads of them. Another time he got a weird-looking pumpkin/squash cross that we made our jack-o-lanterns out of.

[Blue_true]

39. One way to eliminate cross pollination is to put some good

distance between plants that can cross pollinate. The practice produces predictable outcomes. Bees, when they are drawing nectar, stay within a few feet of where they start, then when loaded, they leave. If a grower has enough plants, bees won't fly to other parts of a field or big plot, there is no need for them to.

[mahina]

46. Seeds from a yummy butternut squash and acorn squash aei

Are growing like wild.

[cwydro]

4. Growing your own food is a great thing to do.

Maybe this will stick.

Lots of seeds still in the stores though, so this is an odd article.

[MissB]

10. Yeah but I've seen this online for weeks now.

Territorial seed company has been out for weeks. Pretty much everything out of stock.

The only thing I was caught short on was spring peas. I’ve had to pick up a packet at the store as territorial was out and j mi y local nursery that carries territorial seeds was closed.

[Tink41]

15. Quarantined?

We are not supposed to leave the house. Mail order it is. I havent left my house since sometime in February.

[cwydro]

17. I've been out twice.

Loads of seeds in the stores.

Good for you staying home! My one trip to the grocery scared me to death!

[Tink41]

24. But why?

Why are you confused as to the article about a run on mail order seeds, if you know we aren't supposed to be out? There isn't anything I haven't been able to acquire by home delivery. Or have the store pull it and pick up at curb.
It's odd to say good for me, we are ALL supposed to be in our homes until... god only knows

[Mariana]

21. Lots of other mail-order sellers with plenty of stock, too.

Most of them cheaper than Burpee, and just as good.

[GP6971]

5. We found plenty of seeds at Walmart yesterday.

Got the basic four...zukes, lettuce, sweet corn and climbing beans.

[Kali]

6. yep, same with Seed Savers Exchange

glad I did my order in February.

[LeftInTX]

8. It sure is better than hoarding baby chickens!!!

[MissB]

12. Ha!

I’m still hoping there are some baby chicks when my best brooder goes broody. I want a couple more chicks but none of the work.

[cwydro]

18. My ladies still keeping me (over) stocked with eggs.

Four ladies make more eggs than one person (and a friend) can keep up with, but my dogs eat well too lol.

Maybe a good idea to get some chicks though, and I do adore the babies.

[MissB]

29. I have 11

One or two aren’t producing at all and a couple are getting up there in years. I get 6-8 eggs a day, and keep several family members/neighbors in eggs.

The only time I don’t share eggs is when one of my college aged sons is home. They eat a lot of eggs each day.

[cwydro]

31. It's wonderful to have them, isn't it?

And mine love to cuddle too. People don’t realize how smart they are.

I haven’t bought eggs in over 10 years.

Eleven! Now I’m going to get some chicks lol!

[mahina]

47. We'll never run out of chickens. They're

Going like wild here. Like the pigs

[snort]

9. Nailed me.

I'm guilty of drunk farming.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. Don't we have a resident expert with tomato seeds?

I have started my pandemic garden with herbs sold at Lowes and potatoes from the store. I even stuck some scallions in a pot and they seem to want to grow. I prefer not to start anything from seed, if I can help it.

[redwitch]

40. NRaleighLiberal

He knows tomatoes!

[Disaffected]

60. Hey NRaleighLiberal,

if you are listening here, I'm trying to grow cherry tomatoes indoors and have a ton of stems & leaves but little fruit. As well, most of the (few) tomatoes get no bigger than a pea before they ripen. I fertilize with "tomato fertilizer" and keep them properly watered but no luck. They are in a south facing window and I use a grow lamp.

Any advice please??

[Blue_true]

42. One poster, NCRaleigh, I think, is an expert on tomatoes.

I have grown tomatoes as a hobby and have started from my own seeds (preferred), but I am no expert on growing tomatoes.

[Baitball Blogger]

43. I'm still a few weeks away from preparing a spot for tomatoes, green peppers and onions.

Hopefully Lowes has starter plants.

[SunSeeker]

13. You can get seeds at Home Depot and Lowes; and the plants themselves.

i personally would just buy the plant if I want to start a vegetable garden at this time of year.

[Tink41]

16. Confused

We are not supposed to be out shopping. The less contact with people the better.

[GulfCoast66]

19. I don't really see a difference between going somewhere to buy starts or sees to grow food,

Than going to the grocery. We gotta eat.

[Tink41]

22. Delivery.... NT

[EllieBC]

25. They are asking people to slow down on delivery

in some areas because it’s taking a week or more to fulfill orders. I have 3 kids. We can’t wait a week for bananas.

[Tink41]

30. Leaving the house for bananas??

Wow. I am apparently truly out of touch. We aren't supposed to go anywhere. You can freeze bananas. Slice and freeze to make it easier. Did you see the videos from South Korea?? EMPTY STREETS and STORES!! They shut it down. I'm absolutely terrified for people who have to work because we are not protecting them. STAY HOME!! Figure it out. I'm sorry but it seems like this is being deemed a decide for yourself the risk. But really it's not. There are plenty of recent blogs, videos, lists, on how to improvise w food during this time.

[cwydro]

32. Dude, you've missed some threads here obviously.

People going to more than a few stores looking for a cut of meat, others looking for cookies...I could go on.

Liquor stores are open, and I can guarantee you that DUers are frequenting them lol! Check out some threads in the Lounge.

[Tink41]

33. Yes

I have noticed!! And Im shocked everytime?? Feel like I inhabit a different world. WTF is going on? Honestly thought the caliber of people here were smarter than this. We used to be.... DU used to take pride in being educated, even if it didn't necessarily involve a degree.

[cwydro]

35. There are usually a half dozen threads about "I went to the grocery today."

It’s become a thing lol.

[Tink41]

36. Perusing it now!

I'm stunned at the Walgreens pic in Deerfield Il. Jesus Christ!! Honestly I had a taste for a Big Mac last week (I know) but I questioned whether it was worth dying for. No. No it wasn't. My only child is due w my 1st grandbaby soon, I will do whatever necessary to make sure I'm here as well as them. ETA: I'm curious how you feel about this whole thing?

[cwydro]

41. I didn't see the Walgreens pic.

All I know is I ventured out last week to get fruit. First time in weeks.

I’m not an easily frightened person, but within minutes I was shocked at how people were milling around way too close. I had thought about checking out some other aisles since I was there, but instead I simply fled with my grapefruit lol. I was amazed how stressed out I was.

I rarely eat out, so that’s not an issue for me, but I miss being able to go to the store. I grow my own veggies for the most part, and I have chickens...so I’m pretty set. But this whole thing has me feeling very depressed.

[EllieBC]

45. Oh I didn't know we were welded in yet.

See in BC we can go to grocery stores and pharmacies and gas stations and even doctors who request we come in.
And our health minister has asked us to make sure we get out and walk.

I haven’t heard of anyone living anywhere that groceries are forbidden.

[LeftInTX]

49. Pretty much like this in Texas

Wanna hear something cool:

Many places do curbside. (Our grocery curbside is nightmare for this...cuz it's booked for several weeks) But, I did it with Office Depot and Kohl's Department Store. They had my orders ready within 9 minutes!

[EllieBC]

50. Yeah all of our grocery stores are asking people

to just come in and shop if they can because delivery and pickup are backed up now.

We also have limits on everything so it’s not like I could buy enough to feed a total of 6 people (we take care of my father in law) for very long. Oh and we are in a small condo so storage is at a premium. This is all the opposite of good times.

[GulfCoast66]

26. Not from Burpee apparently! And that works for seeds. But not starts.

And for novice gardeners starting seeds in more often than not a failure.

[Tink41]

27. Burpee

Taking new orders tomorrow at noon. Regardless no one should be out and about unless its an emergency

[GulfCoast66]

28. Well. Some of are still working in critical fields.

And have to shop for food once or twice a week.

[SharonClark]

56. Some states allow people to go to garden centers to buy seeds and plants because

they're growing food. Some states, like Iowa, are not in lock down, just "go out only if necessary and keep it under 10 people". I've been going to the grocery store every week to 10 days but haven't been to any other stores. When mid-May comes, I'll go to a local garden store and get tomato plants.

[Tink41]

58. Amazing

Yeah they are allowing you. But should you?? You are risking catching it, and also passing it off to people making minimum wage?? One of my local garden centers is offering drive thru shopping. Point to what you want or place online order for pick up. Pop trunk and they put it in. I just cannot understand why anyone would leave the house unless absolutely necessary. Just because your state decided not to lock down, THEY ARENT TESTING!! How many threads are devoted to this. You may not "have" many cases because they are not testing, not because no one has it!!!!

[TlalocW]

14. I've long been wanting

To find a large piece of land where I could have bees, chickens, a huge garden, and fruit trees and become more self-sufficient. Looks like I waited top long and with diminishing savings will have to wait longer.

But I've learned one important lesson from the pandemic and toilet paper shortages .. plant corn.

For the cobs.

TlalocW

[GulfCoast66]

23. I'm in the horticultural field in Florida. Soon won't be for a while! Furloughed this weekend.

But I’m sad to see so many people in Central Florida starting gardens for the first time. Most moved from up north where they are just entering the gardening season.

Here in Florida we are about to exit our gardening season. There are a very limited number of traditional veggies you can successfully start here after late April and realize a yield. Okra, eggplant, field peas. Not much more unless you have a taste for tropical stuff like yucca, Mirliton, tomatillo and some exotic squash you cannot really find.

So they will fail and determine you can’t garden in Florida and never try again. I’ve watched it happen for over 30 years.

I harvest the last of my greens and all my cabbage this weekend. Tomatoes will last for maybe another month if we get a few breaks from our unusual heat this time of year.

[LeftInTX]

34. Yep! In South Texas, okra is pretty much it for the summer

Most experienced gardeners just clean out their beds for the summer and start over in the fall. Although I've heard Malabar Spinach does well with the heat.

[GulfCoast66]

38. It does. But I hate that shit! Calling it spinach should be illegal. Grew it years ago.

I love eggplant as any real Louisiana native does. But the wife is from the Midwest. I give her credit. She now likes green, smothered baby Lima’s and butter beans. Even crowder peas and purple hulls. Which she did not 30 years ago. But she can’t stand eggplant. So I don’t grow it.

She does like Mirliton, as we call it in Louisiana. In Texas y’all probably call it chayote squash. It loves the heat and you can stuff it like eggplant. If you garden you should try it.

Have a nice evening.

[MissB]

54. New Zealand spinach is probably better

It isn’t mucous-y like Malabar.

[Blue_true]

48. I have seen farmers set in collard greens in August, sweet potatoes in May, peanuts in May.

I think that if a person really know what they are doing, they can get good yield. When I was a kid, I started planting tomatoes in late April, got good results.

The biggest problem with growing in the summer is the crazy bugs that attack plants. As an adult, I learned to use companion plants to control bugs and undesirable soil bacteria.

I have had an interest in nutrient dense, no till farming for the last 2 years, but my primary business is time consuming. I have a lot of ideas bouncing around in my head, just no time to test them out.

[GulfCoast66]

53. Collards in August is too early. Maybe not 30 years ago but we don't cool down now till November.

They will bolt or be eaten up by caterpillars and snails.

Peanuts, yeah. Certainly. But how many gardeners can grow them? You get what in a normal sized garden? Half gallon.

Tomatoes? No way. Their pollen is not fertile if the nighttime temps are above 70. I’m sitting outside now. Our low tonight is 73. Maybe sweet 100s the best cherry tomato ever. It can do better. But Big Boy, Better Boy or any of the heirlooms? No way.

Sweet potatoes of course. Another tropical crop. But how many urban gardeners have the space. And you can’t eat them till late fall.

[Blue_true]

61. You are a PRO at this type of stuff.

I am just recounting what I saw simple minded dirt farmers do. Recollecting, the collards did tend to be in heavily shaded areas though, to the point that you made about temperature.

I can swear that I grew a bevy of beef stake tomatoes and was tending them in July. But, I could be wrong, even though I was born and raised here, I have always been lousy about matching temperature and time of year.

[GulfCoast66]

62. He could have still had tomatoes in July.

Plants planted in April. But they would be about done by July and would not be producing new fruit. I’ve never gotten them past mid June. But Florida is way hotter than even when I moved here 33 years ago. We hit 96 here yesterday. The high night time lows do not kill the plant.

[EllieBC]

51. I never thought of that regarding planting times!

Then again most of my life but 10 years were spent in northern climates. But still it’s never something that occurred to me.

[RussBLib]

52. I just got an order delivered from Baker Creek

They are almost exclusively heirloom seeds, and we've had very good luck with them.

[Demovictory9]

59. congrats

[ismnotwasm]

55. I always have Rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries

Chives, Oregano, thyme. A couple a lame blueberries and my dogs destroyed my beautiful new blueberry bushes. I have sweet yellow plums in the fall. A few random medical plants

I should get a couple of tomato warriors in my new from last year back garden, and a few onions but we will see.

I was planning on veggies, starts are easy, I hope there will be some basics. Potatoes will sprout on their own...

I used to have a zombie Brussels spout, I neglected it and it lived for three years. It took a lot of abuse.

I’m keeping lemon grass alive in the house, I baby it like, well a baby.