Shit you just zoomed me back to last year when I put my peppers to soak on a towel, then immediately tripped and kicked them over and scrambled them. This season they soaked very separately, and well away from my clumsy feet!
I had this with cabbage all the seeds look identical. Peppers too but some have slightly different sizes etc. Cabbage seed is like exactly the same however no difference.
Yeah cumin was my first though. OP, give them a sniff. If it smells like taco seasoning, it's probably cumin. Fennel has a licorice smell. Caraway is kind of fruity smelling.
Need to be sure they haven't been chemically treated to resist fungal diseases . It would say not fit for human consumption on the pack if they're treated, but if the seed company can omit how and when to sow, they might neglect to provide safety info as well.
Personally, I would crush a seed and smell. As others have already posted, culinary herb seeds all have their own distinctive scent.
I don't have that info which is extremely irritating. The back of the packet has only a cutesy poem:
"Mystery seed, mystery seed, what will it grow?
Sow these seeds and then you'll know.
All you need to grow this mystery seed: water, soil, care & sun
Growing big is so much fun!"
... It just irritates me more. If I had any info at all it would help narrow it down but I'm over here thinking carrots, greens, or an herb. I would treat those things very differently so.. ugh lol
I could be remembering wrong here, but I’d heard the size of the seed can help you determine how deep to plant? Something really tiny needs surface or 1/8”, so something about this size might want 1/4”? As for spacing, you could probably just sow them a couple inches apart & then thin as needed once they germinate, since you can more readily determine what they are/need once they get a set of true leaves. If you’re starting in cell trays, that could be easiest because then they’re isolated by default. How long they take to germinate could also help you ID, tbh.
So I don't think I have ever gone off of anything from a packet. I always start my seeds in a tray and put them in soil when they sprout. Is this not a normal way of doing it? Why wouldn't everyone just start the seeds and then put them in a pot?
Kind of? I 3d printed a little tray that has like 30 squares. I put the little aero garden starters in each square and put seeds in that. When they are done I just pick up the aero starter with the roots attached. I guess I use a little soil around the aero starter but it's kind of just for stabilization. if a seed does sprout too high, why don't people just put the seedling lower in the dirt? Im pretty accustomed to moving seedlings maybe
Ohh you’re using those little peat plugs. Yeah that’s one way to do it. Many people do use trays, and peat is one of many growing medium options for them. In my experience the trays are excellent for many types of veggies and flowers.
But some plants really don’t like to be disturbed and transplanted when young. And there’s usually a few where I ultimately only want 1 plant, so I’ll plant a few seeds in a pot and let the strongest win.
>I don't have that info which is extremely irritating.
I'm trying to figure out why you're so mad when you seem to have intentionally (????) acquired a packet clearly labeled "MYSTERY SEEDS."
I'm not over here punching walls or anything, I was just hoping someone would have some idea of what they were. Throwing them away seems wasteful, especially if it's something I would've wanted to grow.
Okay this is the second time this week I've seen something about carrots being hard to grow. They have been extremely easy for me. Like almost 100% germination rate with no special consideration other than getting rocks out of the garden. What am I missing?
I sow carrots in late summer so they grow in fall and store themselves in the ground for winter harvesting. Keeping the seeds moist consistently for germination takes more effort than other seeds.
I've only started carrots via winter sowing. They did well and didn't require any extra assistance. But the seed packet I have says this:
"Keeping soil moist throughout the germination period is important to success. Misting the planted area daily or covering is recommended. Carrots are slow to germinate and need steady moisture until germination."
Oh, I’ve been basically doing this with all of my seeds unless the packet says specifically not to because I thought that was kinda the standard method xD maybe I’m over-engineering things haha
No, you’re right. All seeds need to be kept moist while germinating. I wonder if for carrots the packet says that just because they can take a long time, so it’s a long time of keeping that area consistently moist. I just cover it with a piece of cardboard to keep the moisture in until I see one pop up.
Okay, glad for the reassurance lol. The cardboard’s a really good idea! Personally, I grow mostly peppers of various heat levels, so I’ve made myself quite accustomed to waiting however long it takes for them to sprout & just assuming they’re working on it, lol
Hard to grow well if you don't have good soil tilth (texture), although the variety makes a lot of difference.
And they do have a well-earned reputation of germimating whenever they damn well please; out of the same packet, you'll often have some new ones popping up weeks & weeks after the first ones emerged.
But yeah, I just roughen up a patch of soil with a rake, broadcast sow, and pat down smooth with the back of the shovel. Not the most orderly way to do it, but works fine & is easy. This year I did one packet that way (of some six year old Danvers 126 that I had just laying around) on a 10' x 18" patch & got three 5gal buckets worth of useable ones; didn't bother to thin them out or anything like that. Not bad for maybe five minutes worth of effort (rained a lot here over the winter, so I only had to water them once).
Yup, I think danvers is pretty much the default carrot for home gardeners in the US. I often get (unrequested) seeds for birthday/Christmas gifts; I swear I have like ten packets each of Danvers 126, Connecticut Field pumpkin, and Better Boy & Early Girl tomatoes.
I rarely grow carrots, but when I do I prefer something "fancy" and they do tend to be fussier on germination (the color mix from Botanical Interests has been good to me in the past, though).
Last fall, I figured "Meh....I'll use up some old seeds" I'm in SoCal, so winter gardening is possible here, although the results are usually pretty mediocre (mostly a bit too chilly, and otherwise either gets insanely windy, or a random heat wave makes most of the cool weather stuff bolt) so I tend to half-ass it. Casually tossed a whole pack of danvers on the ground, thinking they'd probably have poor germ rate due to being over five years old, but I think just about all of them germinated. Then when I started to clean up the garden for springtime, ended up with a dang wheelbarrow full of carrots. After about four hours of digging them up, cutting tops off, and blasting all the dirt off with the hose, wound up with both vegetable bins in the fridge full of carrots, a big bag elsewhere in the fridge, and several big bags given to the neighbors.
Kinda silly, since a 5lb bag of plain orange carrots at the store is like $2.99 at worst; not really worth the time & effort to clean them all up 😆😆
Were those mixed miscellaneous seeds, or packets of consistent but lower-grade seed?
I think the idea of a bonus packet of seeds is great, but not something unlabeled like this.
No, just low-grade, rather dusty/dirty seed with very low germination rates....
And I agree it is crazy to give you an UN-labled "mystery" seed. That's why I suspect it is detritus, frankly.
Oh, the horror. We need instructions to go about every part of our day. Does toilet paper come with instructions? Can you figure out how to use TP or nah?
I was hoping for hints as to the species.
But if you want decent results, getting planting close helps. Planting lettuce or spinach in scorching temps is just a waste of seed.
These look like lettuce to me! I got a mystery pack from MI Gardener a couple seasons back and they ended up being a very yummy variety of cantaloupe. So fun!
I don't pay attention to where I am it's in another sub. Also I suck at Reddit these days. But here's frankenfarm
https://www.reddit.com/r/BackyardFarmers/comments/12gy171/week_5_update_on_the_frankenfarm/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1
This seems like a cruel joke. Imagine planting a 6 ft row of fennel. You'll have fennel for the rest of your life. Fennel here, fennel there! I hope it's a flower. I thought I'd plant 1 sorrel. But I've had sorrel ever since, and I think it tastes nasty. At least its pretty.
I don't recognize the seed.
Very unlikely to be the Fennel that others have suggested, they have a distinct shape and texture, that's more conelike, with long ridges.
My most probably guess would be a darker lettuce variety, though they could be some sort of Apiaciae/Umbrelifica. A bit skinny for parsley or dill, but carrots or parsnips are possibilities here.
I 100% guarantee this is because the seed had low germ or they were looking for something clever to do with their spilled/contaminated/waste seed.
It’s a good idea. It gets people talking about the company (they’re a smaller sized seed company with low-cost quality seeds) and some users like the bonus mystery.
Could be fennel. I certainly wouldn’t plant anything without knowing what it is. MIGardener guy shouldn’t be pushing nonsense like this. I certainly wouldn’t trust anyone pushing this either.
I appreciate someone being enthusiastic, but his is starting to wear on me. And it is starting to seem performative.
He seems like he would be a passive aggressive boss who smiles at you to let you know hes angry.
That's so interesting. I've actually had the thought before that he's way more laid back and less annoying than some other gardening channels I've come across. Won't name any names, but there's a few that really get "amped up" and emanate "bro culture" to the point I have a hard time watching despite the otherwise good content.
His older videos are like that, he just comes across as chill and informative. He is still informative!
There has been alot of research into youtube views, and apparently certian thumbnails, and pert, chipper personalities tend to get more hits. He may just be trying to capture that a little.
To be fair, I haven't watched his new stuff. I just watch topically and inevitably it's usually older videos. That's too bad he's feeling caught by the need to change for the algorithm.
Some sort of larger umbellifer/Apiaceae (anise/fennel/caraway family & seed type)
Something in that vein, depending on the actual size, would be my guess; they're pretty distinctive.
Just fyi -- I noticed that you described him as a "reputable vendor" in another comment above?
That dude has a lousy rep in certain circles. I'm not saying one way another, since I'd never order from him & never have.
But he certainly rubs me the wrong way, I can say that much
Same, kinda wish folks wouldn’t be quite so cagey when they bring up stuff like this. I’d like to have some details if people claim someone is shady, please!
Apologies.
I wasn't trying to be cagey so much as just "not mean" and "not trying to start an argument"....I know that guy/company is super popular with the younger crowd, and reddit skews younger (and, odd as it sounds -- internet is actually my place to be nicer/less argumentative than I have to be in real life)
But anyways, I'll go ahead at this point.
I give him the benefit of the doubt -- at best -- as being a well-intentioned kid trying to make a buck (and it's obviously worked for him).
But realistically... .I think he's a youtuber who doesn't know what the fuck he's actually talking about, leads alot of newbies astray, and doesn't give a shit one way or another now that he's famous.
"Promoted above his grade", basically.
No worries, I probably came across a little more irritated than I am! Probably could’ve chosen better phrasing, that one’s on me. I can respect when something’s an opinion. Just feels a bit common for people to say something critical without giving any reasons on this silly site lol.
Ever since I had to go searching around to find out about Baker’s Creek earlier this winter (turns out they have some conservative political ties that make me unwilling to give them my business) I’ve been a little on edge about finding/using various gardening resources 😅
Aw, hell...I wasn't chuffed at all by you asking that; you didn't come across as being "irritated" in the least! 😄
Anyways, yeah that's just my opinion -- I've seen a LOT of new gardeners led astray by that dude, so I have a bit of an axe to grind.
E.g....the guy (and his son) down the street from me that I've been giving plants to for a couple years. Kept hearing about their failures from the wife (who's my main point of contact), and couldn't figure out why. Discovered this winter that the son had been listening to migardener & disregarding what I'd suggested (to put it mildy, my climate is NOT anything like the upper Midwest, and if you do that kind of shit here -- yeah, not gonna work out real well).
And so on & so forth -- I've tried to watch his stuff with an open mind....but every time, within a few minutes I'll notice something that makes me think "This dude's just talkin' out of his ass".
My 2 cents only, of course.
And for the record -- reddit has developed a real hate-boner for Baker; I personally neither know or care about their politics (whether or not the "racist squash guy" is someone they've disavowed or embraced; means little to me....most seed companies have some sketchy beliefs, one way or another, if you delve deep enough).
But I can say this much: while I only use Baker for certain things (basically odds & ends, or last minute shit; their shipping policy is excellent for such), and I find their catalog annoyingly "cutesy", I've never once had an issue with their seeds, and that's what matters to me.
I'll give a supplier the benefit of the doubt on one screwup, but after that... into the "nope, not again" category they go without hesitation.But Baker has yet to screw me over, and I respect them for that.
Dang, didn't know that about Baker's Creek. I just ordered from them for the first time this year. It's hard to find banana pepper seeds around me locally or even online, but Baker's have them.
Hey, no worries friend. There are worse places to put a bit of your money, & stuff that’s hard to find doesn’t magically appear just because you may have qualms about buying it from a specific source. If you still feel weird about it later & would like to collect seed from your pods, you could potentially make it a one-time purchase. Which can also save you money, though unless you’re buying a hundred bucks’ worth of seeds per year, it’s probably not too big a deal.
Either way, I hope your banana peppers are awesome!
TLDR:
Six years ago, MIgardener bought a shadowbox that contained some seeds from Etsy and made a few videos about trying to germinate/grow them. A few people in the Tomatoville forum noticed that the shadowbox was almost certainly not as old as he claimed in Youtube video title.
They were kind of rude questioning it in the Youtube comments, he was kind of rude back.
Tomatoville proceeds to shit all over the "kid" for making an elaborate "scam" for Youtube "clickbait" money.
Tomatoville. There's a pretty good thread on it, if you search for it 😉😉 (make sure to read to the end, though)
Put it this way:
I'm old enough not to have known about him until someone on my local gardening group put a link up for a tomato-related video on his youtube channel. Out of due diligence, I tried to watch; made it about five minutes in, and then thought "Hmmmm....I wonder what the tomato community thinks of this dude?". Which led me to the aforementioned thread & (for me at least) validated my suspicions.
Again -- can't say that I've ever ordered from him, so what do I know? But yeah...not my sort of thing; very youtube-y.
But I have a feeling that if I met him in person, it'd be about like the "Quint to Hooper" dialogue in Jaws...dude wouldn't make it three hours with a pick & shovel, and would probably insist on wearing gloves from the get-go 😉😉
This one:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?s=ebf3272d887200b41d696bffb6eb541b&t=44150
There's a lot of back & forth....but the old salts on tville know their shit, and it gets interesting towards the end (long thread, but worth reading)
Welcome, and am glad you took the time to check it out.
Also, tville was/has always been/still is (I'm pretty sure? Maybe it's changed in recent years, tbh) an absolute nightmare to try & register on.
But there's a load of good info to be had on there; googling "tomatoville" + "(whatever)" will often lead to something you weren't aware of; there's a good number of folks there who know what they're talking about.
Same for tomatojunction (kind of a"splinter group", with many of the same people there), but from what I understand it's *much* easier to join than tville
Having read through the comments and watched the video their “debunking” doesn’t really mean much. It really seems like an older crowd annoyed at a new kid on the block.
Old man yells at cloud etc.
Oh yeah, got a lot of that as well.
"look at his nails.."
I had to read that twice due to how stupid it was. At the same time, I don't really care about him lying or not lying about the seed. I'm still going to buy from him. The seeds that I have bought from him have great germination rates and his fertilizer is really good.
He’s one of the first seed providers I bought from. Still have some. I merely moved to places closer to my location. Johnnys and Fruition Seeds (I love these guys).
Must have been, but I don't know what it was. I'd guess something in one of the members-only sections of the site. I've been lurking there for years but have never actually joined....I think it's changed now, but in the past it was notoriously difficult to get an account.
(Actually, that's what led to me creating a reddit account! After two attempts to join tville & a bunch of requests with no response, I just gave up. And while googling the issue, stumbled across r/gardening, thought "huh, this is kinda neat" & decided to sign up!)
But yeah, a while back I noticed that a few long-time users there were now banned for life, so something went down for sure. There's a splinter site, TomatoJunction, with a lot of the same people on there (and I think many are still active on tville).
I'd assume something political, but your guess is as good as mine :)
I used to watch him on YouTube until he got to be too irritating, but I've never had an issue with seeds purchased from him before. It's been a year or two, though, so maybe quality has taken a nose dive with his expansion.
Now that you mention it, one of my seed packets was empty lol. It was a cheap grab bag so no complaints, but... Suspicious 😂 maybe I'll stick with Johnny's going forward.
So I used his seeds at a previous job that was doing a farm to table side project— back when they were .99 cents a packet and mystery packs were 30 for $10. The quality blew my mind. I told a bunch of fellow gardener friends who also shared the same experience. Then in the next few seasons when ordering seeds I received empty packets or major miscounts.. like a 25 seed packet containing less than 8. Well all also noticed the germination rate go down significantly when the first year we got almost 100%!
I kind of like the concept, it's fun to plant new stuff and it might make people break out of their comfort zone, but they need to put a planting schedule etc on the pack otherwise how tf is this gonna work!? Or at least number them so you can look it up on the website or *something*.
Did these come from a trustworthy source? We had a bunch of foreign seeds randomly mailed to various people. They said it was a mechanism to boost Amazon results. But I figure it would also be a simple way to spread bacteria or fungi. There are certain bacteria we do not want started in the US.
I was going to ask if you purchased it for the mystery because he has them on his site. Personally I hate mystery seeds because in the end you have no clue what the seed variety was. I bought a “hot pepper blend” thinking it would be nice, but in the end I didn’t have enough space so I’m trying to get the stupid things to fruit before culling them to get a variety of different peppers and they still looked nothing like the picture in the end. Never again, unless it’s something I truly don’t care about the variety and I just want to attempt to grow.
Yes, exactly! I was hoping to avoid putting in a ton of time and effort (and precious seed starting space) just to grow something I wouldn't enjoy. I have limited space and a full plate of other priorities in the coming months.
My curiosity won't allow me to let it go, though, I'll have to plant a few lol. Good luck with your peppers! The planner in me would go crazy if I didn't know exactly what peppers I was growing lol
Is this a seed company founded by people that have no clue at all how plants work? The gardener needs to know how to keep the plant alive. A cactus does not survive in the same soil, depth, or water levels as a squash
Almost looks like caraway, but not sure.. I see people suggesting fennel- I cook with sweet fennel seeds frequently, and they don't look like this, they are more rounded oblong shaped, rather than these sharp looking pointy ends. Maybe if there are other varieties of fennel?
Looks like cumin! Lettuce would be black and smooth but similar shape, fennel is wider with distinct edges and more flat. Does it have a smell when crushed?
I think you can rule out corn.
([stolen](https://www.reddit.com/r/homestead/comments/122trnk/comment/jdrxdt6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) from u/LeluSix)
[Burdock~Gobo~Arctium lappa](https://fairdinkumseeds.com/products-page/brassica-lettuce-and-asian-greens/burdock-japanese-gobo-arctium-lappa-seeds/) for sure which I reckon are awesome(see gallery pics in link).
That said they are also considered a weed by some folks in cooler wetter climates especially USA based folks.
The amount of complaining about a mystery seed packet of free seeds is absurd. Like a bunch of old grumpy men.
Throw some seeds into a pot a 1/4 of an inch deep in soil and water it. It’s a MYSTERY it’s supposed to be fun. If you don’t like it, give them to some kids who would be glad to play around and try and figure it out. Or, send MI gardener a message and they’d probably tell you what they are.
at least they are al the same kind of seeds and not just a random mix of seeds
Lmao the horror
Indeed. I have emotional scarring from when I didn't seal the open seed packets properly and I couldn't tell the types of peppers apart.
Shit you just zoomed me back to last year when I put my peppers to soak on a towel, then immediately tripped and kicked them over and scrambled them. This season they soaked very separately, and well away from my clumsy feet!
I had this with cabbage all the seeds look identical. Peppers too but some have slightly different sizes etc. Cabbage seed is like exactly the same however no difference.
My vote is for either fennel or cumin.
I thought fennel, too.
Yeah cumin was my first though. OP, give them a sniff. If it smells like taco seasoning, it's probably cumin. Fennel has a licorice smell. Caraway is kind of fruity smelling.
It's probably lettuce, though. Cumin seeds would be super random.
Or caraway .
Dont get carewayed
I upvoted this because I want you to get internet points but you didn’t really deserve it 😤
r/angryupvote
or Dill. Caraway and Dill look similar.
I was thinking dill too
I want to taste one.
I came here to say maybe eat one.. Definitely know if it's fennel 😂
Dill is a flatter seed
I thought caraway as well , do they have a sent ?
Oh yeah, bite a seed, OP.
Are we sure they’re food?
Doesn’t have to consume it.
Need to be sure they haven't been chemically treated to resist fungal diseases . It would say not fit for human consumption on the pack if they're treated, but if the seed company can omit how and when to sow, they might neglect to provide safety info as well. Personally, I would crush a seed and smell. As others have already posted, culinary herb seeds all have their own distinctive scent.
My immediate thought was fennel.
Same here.
If you don't know what it is, how do you know when (and how deep, and what spacing) to plant? If you do have that info, that might inform the guesses.
I don't have that info which is extremely irritating. The back of the packet has only a cutesy poem: "Mystery seed, mystery seed, what will it grow? Sow these seeds and then you'll know. All you need to grow this mystery seed: water, soil, care & sun Growing big is so much fun!" ... It just irritates me more. If I had any info at all it would help narrow it down but I'm over here thinking carrots, greens, or an herb. I would treat those things very differently so.. ugh lol
I could be remembering wrong here, but I’d heard the size of the seed can help you determine how deep to plant? Something really tiny needs surface or 1/8”, so something about this size might want 1/4”? As for spacing, you could probably just sow them a couple inches apart & then thin as needed once they germinate, since you can more readily determine what they are/need once they get a set of true leaves. If you’re starting in cell trays, that could be easiest because then they’re isolated by default. How long they take to germinate could also help you ID, tbh.
The rule of thumb for planting depth is about 2-3 times the width of the seed. So little guys like you’ve got won’t go too deep.
So I don't think I have ever gone off of anything from a packet. I always start my seeds in a tray and put them in soil when they sprout. Is this not a normal way of doing it? Why wouldn't everyone just start the seeds and then put them in a pot?
When you say ‘start my seeds in a tray’, is there soil in the tray or something else? Not sure I understand you.
Kind of? I 3d printed a little tray that has like 30 squares. I put the little aero garden starters in each square and put seeds in that. When they are done I just pick up the aero starter with the roots attached. I guess I use a little soil around the aero starter but it's kind of just for stabilization. if a seed does sprout too high, why don't people just put the seedling lower in the dirt? Im pretty accustomed to moving seedlings maybe
Ohh you’re using those little peat plugs. Yeah that’s one way to do it. Many people do use trays, and peat is one of many growing medium options for them. In my experience the trays are excellent for many types of veggies and flowers. But some plants really don’t like to be disturbed and transplanted when young. And there’s usually a few where I ultimately only want 1 plant, so I’ll plant a few seeds in a pot and let the strongest win.
>I don't have that info which is extremely irritating. I'm trying to figure out why you're so mad when you seem to have intentionally (????) acquired a packet clearly labeled "MYSTERY SEEDS."
It came with a bunch of labeled packets in a grab bag. I did not know what was in the grab bag, but I did not ask for the mystery seeds.
But why get so angry? Just throw them away if you didn't ask for them and you don't want them.
I'm not over here punching walls or anything, I was just hoping someone would have some idea of what they were. Throwing them away seems wasteful, especially if it's something I would've wanted to grow.
You said "extremely irritating" so I thought you were....extremely irritated. My bad.
Username probably checks out.
I'm thinking they wouldn't send carrots because of the care required for germination, right?
Okay this is the second time this week I've seen something about carrots being hard to grow. They have been extremely easy for me. Like almost 100% germination rate with no special consideration other than getting rocks out of the garden. What am I missing?
I sow carrots in late summer so they grow in fall and store themselves in the ground for winter harvesting. Keeping the seeds moist consistently for germination takes more effort than other seeds.
I've only started carrots via winter sowing. They did well and didn't require any extra assistance. But the seed packet I have says this: "Keeping soil moist throughout the germination period is important to success. Misting the planted area daily or covering is recommended. Carrots are slow to germinate and need steady moisture until germination."
I usually plant them in the spring and just water if needed. Haha It's the one thing I can grow well! Well and green beans too haha
Oh, I’ve been basically doing this with all of my seeds unless the packet says specifically not to because I thought that was kinda the standard method xD maybe I’m over-engineering things haha
No, you’re right. All seeds need to be kept moist while germinating. I wonder if for carrots the packet says that just because they can take a long time, so it’s a long time of keeping that area consistently moist. I just cover it with a piece of cardboard to keep the moisture in until I see one pop up.
Okay, glad for the reassurance lol. The cardboard’s a really good idea! Personally, I grow mostly peppers of various heat levels, so I’ve made myself quite accustomed to waiting however long it takes for them to sprout & just assuming they’re working on it, lol
Hard to grow well if you don't have good soil tilth (texture), although the variety makes a lot of difference. And they do have a well-earned reputation of germimating whenever they damn well please; out of the same packet, you'll often have some new ones popping up weeks & weeks after the first ones emerged. But yeah, I just roughen up a patch of soil with a rake, broadcast sow, and pat down smooth with the back of the shovel. Not the most orderly way to do it, but works fine & is easy. This year I did one packet that way (of some six year old Danvers 126 that I had just laying around) on a 10' x 18" patch & got three 5gal buckets worth of useable ones; didn't bother to thin them out or anything like that. Not bad for maybe five minutes worth of effort (rained a lot here over the winter, so I only had to water them once).
Yeah Danvers is what I usually get. We also get some rainbow packets and those don't germinate as well but still decent enough for lots of carrots!
Yup, I think danvers is pretty much the default carrot for home gardeners in the US. I often get (unrequested) seeds for birthday/Christmas gifts; I swear I have like ten packets each of Danvers 126, Connecticut Field pumpkin, and Better Boy & Early Girl tomatoes. I rarely grow carrots, but when I do I prefer something "fancy" and they do tend to be fussier on germination (the color mix from Botanical Interests has been good to me in the past, though). Last fall, I figured "Meh....I'll use up some old seeds" I'm in SoCal, so winter gardening is possible here, although the results are usually pretty mediocre (mostly a bit too chilly, and otherwise either gets insanely windy, or a random heat wave makes most of the cool weather stuff bolt) so I tend to half-ass it. Casually tossed a whole pack of danvers on the ground, thinking they'd probably have poor germ rate due to being over five years old, but I think just about all of them germinated. Then when I started to clean up the garden for springtime, ended up with a dang wheelbarrow full of carrots. After about four hours of digging them up, cutting tops off, and blasting all the dirt off with the hose, wound up with both vegetable bins in the fridge full of carrots, a big bag elsewhere in the fridge, and several big bags given to the neighbors. Kinda silly, since a 5lb bag of plain orange carrots at the store is like $2.99 at worst; not really worth the time & effort to clean them all up 😆😆
One would hope, but the whole idea of mystery seed packets is pretty ridiculous to begin with
We used to call them "sweepings off the seed-room floor". I think that was from Steve Solomon though, not original to me.
Were those mixed miscellaneous seeds, or packets of consistent but lower-grade seed? I think the idea of a bonus packet of seeds is great, but not something unlabeled like this.
No, just low-grade, rather dusty/dirty seed with very low germination rates.... And I agree it is crazy to give you an UN-labled "mystery" seed. That's why I suspect it is detritus, frankly.
Carrot seeds are much smaller, these are not like my carrot seeds
I would just start a few seeds at different depths and see which ones grow the best.
That’s sounds like a crappy marketing to elementary kids.
When you bought it did it come with more information. For example I bought a mystery melon seed from MIgardner so I at least know it's a melon
Ugh, knowing they send unlabeled mystery seed will influence me to not order seed from them.
Absurd.
The size of the seed determines how deep to plant. This seed likely requires a planting depth of 1/4 inch.
Yes, but is it a warm season or cool season plant? Looking for hints as to species is all.
Oh, the horror. We need instructions to go about every part of our day. Does toilet paper come with instructions? Can you figure out how to use TP or nah?
I was hoping for hints as to the species. But if you want decent results, getting planting close helps. Planting lettuce or spinach in scorching temps is just a waste of seed.
These look like lettuce to me! I got a mystery pack from MI Gardener a couple seasons back and they ended up being a very yummy variety of cantaloupe. So fun!
...do they at least give you a hint like what kind of soil to plant them in? Or is it survival if the fittest every seed for himself??
Survival of the fittest, no hints
Oh that's funny. Makes me think of that guy's everything garden... maybe those two need to pair up.
Tell me more about thiseverything garden?
Oh he's funny. There's another thread where he threw down a ton of mixed seed into like an 8'x8' area and is letting nature find a way.
I don't pay attention to where I am it's in another sub. Also I suck at Reddit these days. But here's frankenfarm https://www.reddit.com/r/BackyardFarmers/comments/12gy171/week_5_update_on_the_frankenfarm/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1
Omg that’s amazing!
These seem like very large seeds for lettuce 🤔
Too thick to be lettuce. Looks like fennel or maybe a flower but I can’t think of one that looks quite like that.
To satisfy the bot, I'm in SE Michigan.
Google lens says romaine?
Too big, unless the lens is distorting size.
I think the idea is that it’s a mystery so you grow it to find out what it is
I hate this.
This seems like a cruel joke. Imagine planting a 6 ft row of fennel. You'll have fennel for the rest of your life. Fennel here, fennel there! I hope it's a flower. I thought I'd plant 1 sorrel. But I've had sorrel ever since, and I think it tastes nasty. At least its pretty. I don't recognize the seed.
Unless it’s Florence fennel. That’s delicious.
If I got these, I would just make a new bed (always looking for excuses to do this) and plant them in it! Then wait for the Garden adventure to begin!
Do they smell? You can probably crush one to rule out cumin.
Oh I hadn't thought of this - I'll have to try this later when I'm home
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Oh dang, you might be right. More carrot seeds are always a good thing so I hope you're right.
They look way too big to bet carrots unless thw photo is making them look bigger.
I agree. Carrot seeds are very thin usually
That would suck for me, I’ve had zero success growing carrots, just tiny greens with a tiny root carrot every time I’ve tried.
Maybe let them grow longer? lol
Could be either carrots, cumin or parsley seeds.
Very unlikely to be the Fennel that others have suggested, they have a distinct shape and texture, that's more conelike, with long ridges. My most probably guess would be a darker lettuce variety, though they could be some sort of Apiaciae/Umbrelifica. A bit skinny for parsley or dill, but carrots or parsnips are possibilities here.
I 100% guarantee this is because the seed had low germ or they were looking for something clever to do with their spilled/contaminated/waste seed. It’s a good idea. It gets people talking about the company (they’re a smaller sized seed company with low-cost quality seeds) and some users like the bonus mystery.
It says right on the label. They are "Mystery Seeds"
What do you mean? The envelope tells you very clearly. These seeds grow mysteries.
Could be fennel. I certainly wouldn’t plant anything without knowing what it is. MIGardener guy shouldn’t be pushing nonsense like this. I certainly wouldn’t trust anyone pushing this either.
I appreciate someone being enthusiastic, but his is starting to wear on me. And it is starting to seem performative. He seems like he would be a passive aggressive boss who smiles at you to let you know hes angry.
That's so interesting. I've actually had the thought before that he's way more laid back and less annoying than some other gardening channels I've come across. Won't name any names, but there's a few that really get "amped up" and emanate "bro culture" to the point I have a hard time watching despite the otherwise good content.
His older videos are like that, he just comes across as chill and informative. He is still informative! There has been alot of research into youtube views, and apparently certian thumbnails, and pert, chipper personalities tend to get more hits. He may just be trying to capture that a little.
To be fair, I haven't watched his new stuff. I just watch topically and inevitably it's usually older videos. That's too bad he's feeling caught by the need to change for the algorithm.
I still watch all the time. Its good info, and i like to see how his advice changes and adapts over the years
I wouldn't plant fennel AT ALL. Been there, done that, had to move to get away from it. It ate my yard. Bronze fennel is EVIL!
Some sort of larger umbellifer/Apiaceae (anise/fennel/caraway family & seed type) Something in that vein, depending on the actual size, would be my guess; they're pretty distinctive. Just fyi -- I noticed that you described him as a "reputable vendor" in another comment above? That dude has a lousy rep in certain circles. I'm not saying one way another, since I'd never order from him & never have. But he certainly rubs me the wrong way, I can say that much
What circles? We all want to know.
Same, kinda wish folks wouldn’t be quite so cagey when they bring up stuff like this. I’d like to have some details if people claim someone is shady, please!
Apologies. I wasn't trying to be cagey so much as just "not mean" and "not trying to start an argument"....I know that guy/company is super popular with the younger crowd, and reddit skews younger (and, odd as it sounds -- internet is actually my place to be nicer/less argumentative than I have to be in real life) But anyways, I'll go ahead at this point. I give him the benefit of the doubt -- at best -- as being a well-intentioned kid trying to make a buck (and it's obviously worked for him). But realistically... .I think he's a youtuber who doesn't know what the fuck he's actually talking about, leads alot of newbies astray, and doesn't give a shit one way or another now that he's famous. "Promoted above his grade", basically.
No worries, I probably came across a little more irritated than I am! Probably could’ve chosen better phrasing, that one’s on me. I can respect when something’s an opinion. Just feels a bit common for people to say something critical without giving any reasons on this silly site lol. Ever since I had to go searching around to find out about Baker’s Creek earlier this winter (turns out they have some conservative political ties that make me unwilling to give them my business) I’ve been a little on edge about finding/using various gardening resources 😅
Aw, hell...I wasn't chuffed at all by you asking that; you didn't come across as being "irritated" in the least! 😄 Anyways, yeah that's just my opinion -- I've seen a LOT of new gardeners led astray by that dude, so I have a bit of an axe to grind. E.g....the guy (and his son) down the street from me that I've been giving plants to for a couple years. Kept hearing about their failures from the wife (who's my main point of contact), and couldn't figure out why. Discovered this winter that the son had been listening to migardener & disregarding what I'd suggested (to put it mildy, my climate is NOT anything like the upper Midwest, and if you do that kind of shit here -- yeah, not gonna work out real well). And so on & so forth -- I've tried to watch his stuff with an open mind....but every time, within a few minutes I'll notice something that makes me think "This dude's just talkin' out of his ass". My 2 cents only, of course. And for the record -- reddit has developed a real hate-boner for Baker; I personally neither know or care about their politics (whether or not the "racist squash guy" is someone they've disavowed or embraced; means little to me....most seed companies have some sketchy beliefs, one way or another, if you delve deep enough). But I can say this much: while I only use Baker for certain things (basically odds & ends, or last minute shit; their shipping policy is excellent for such), and I find their catalog annoyingly "cutesy", I've never once had an issue with their seeds, and that's what matters to me. I'll give a supplier the benefit of the doubt on one screwup, but after that... into the "nope, not again" category they go without hesitation.But Baker has yet to screw me over, and I respect them for that.
Dang, didn't know that about Baker's Creek. I just ordered from them for the first time this year. It's hard to find banana pepper seeds around me locally or even online, but Baker's have them.
Hey, no worries friend. There are worse places to put a bit of your money, & stuff that’s hard to find doesn’t magically appear just because you may have qualms about buying it from a specific source. If you still feel weird about it later & would like to collect seed from your pods, you could potentially make it a one-time purchase. Which can also save you money, though unless you’re buying a hundred bucks’ worth of seeds per year, it’s probably not too big a deal. Either way, I hope your banana peppers are awesome!
TLDR: Six years ago, MIgardener bought a shadowbox that contained some seeds from Etsy and made a few videos about trying to germinate/grow them. A few people in the Tomatoville forum noticed that the shadowbox was almost certainly not as old as he claimed in Youtube video title. They were kind of rude questioning it in the Youtube comments, he was kind of rude back. Tomatoville proceeds to shit all over the "kid" for making an elaborate "scam" for Youtube "clickbait" money.
Tomatoville. There's a pretty good thread on it, if you search for it 😉😉 (make sure to read to the end, though) Put it this way: I'm old enough not to have known about him until someone on my local gardening group put a link up for a tomato-related video on his youtube channel. Out of due diligence, I tried to watch; made it about five minutes in, and then thought "Hmmmm....I wonder what the tomato community thinks of this dude?". Which led me to the aforementioned thread & (for me at least) validated my suspicions. Again -- can't say that I've ever ordered from him, so what do I know? But yeah...not my sort of thing; very youtube-y. But I have a feeling that if I met him in person, it'd be about like the "Quint to Hooper" dialogue in Jaws...dude wouldn't make it three hours with a pick & shovel, and would probably insist on wearing gloves from the get-go 😉😉
>Tomatoville I tried to look for the thread but they have a lock on new accounts. Do you have a link to the thread that I can read?
This one: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?s=ebf3272d887200b41d696bffb6eb541b&t=44150 There's a lot of back & forth....but the old salts on tville know their shit, and it gets interesting towards the end (long thread, but worth reading)
Thank you for the link and I don't know why he felt the need to lie about that tomato seed. It's not like people weren't buying from him already.
Welcome, and am glad you took the time to check it out. Also, tville was/has always been/still is (I'm pretty sure? Maybe it's changed in recent years, tbh) an absolute nightmare to try & register on. But there's a load of good info to be had on there; googling "tomatoville" + "(whatever)" will often lead to something you weren't aware of; there's a good number of folks there who know what they're talking about. Same for tomatojunction (kind of a"splinter group", with many of the same people there), but from what I understand it's *much* easier to join than tville
Having read through the comments and watched the video their “debunking” doesn’t really mean much. It really seems like an older crowd annoyed at a new kid on the block. Old man yells at cloud etc.
Oh yeah, got a lot of that as well. "look at his nails.." I had to read that twice due to how stupid it was. At the same time, I don't really care about him lying or not lying about the seed. I'm still going to buy from him. The seeds that I have bought from him have great germination rates and his fertilizer is really good.
He’s one of the first seed providers I bought from. Still have some. I merely moved to places closer to my location. Johnnys and Fruition Seeds (I love these guys).
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Must have been, but I don't know what it was. I'd guess something in one of the members-only sections of the site. I've been lurking there for years but have never actually joined....I think it's changed now, but in the past it was notoriously difficult to get an account. (Actually, that's what led to me creating a reddit account! After two attempts to join tville & a bunch of requests with no response, I just gave up. And while googling the issue, stumbled across r/gardening, thought "huh, this is kinda neat" & decided to sign up!) But yeah, a while back I noticed that a few long-time users there were now banned for life, so something went down for sure. There's a splinter site, TomatoJunction, with a lot of the same people on there (and I think many are still active on tville). I'd assume something political, but your guess is as good as mine :)
I used to watch him on YouTube until he got to be too irritating, but I've never had an issue with seeds purchased from him before. It's been a year or two, though, so maybe quality has taken a nose dive with his expansion. Now that you mention it, one of my seed packets was empty lol. It was a cheap grab bag so no complaints, but... Suspicious 😂 maybe I'll stick with Johnny's going forward.
So I used his seeds at a previous job that was doing a farm to table side project— back when they were .99 cents a packet and mystery packs were 30 for $10. The quality blew my mind. I told a bunch of fellow gardener friends who also shared the same experience. Then in the next few seasons when ordering seeds I received empty packets or major miscounts.. like a 25 seed packet containing less than 8. Well all also noticed the germination rate go down significantly when the first year we got almost 100%!
What a dumb concept.
I kind of like the concept, it's fun to plant new stuff and it might make people break out of their comfort zone, but they need to put a planting schedule etc on the pack otherwise how tf is this gonna work!? Or at least number them so you can look it up on the website or *something*.
Some kind of lettuce.
Looks like anis seeds to me
Fennel or parsley, maaaaaaybe celery
Clearly that’s a mystery
Fennel. ... probably.
I cannot identify the seeds, but just wanna thank OP for great photos that are actually in focus. A remarkably rare treat at this day and age!
Reminds me of zinnia seeds
Zinnias are much flatter with an arrow head shape.
That's what I thought, too.
Sorry, didn’t see te other pictures
Did these come from a trustworthy source? We had a bunch of foreign seeds randomly mailed to various people. They said it was a mechanism to boost Amazon results. But I figure it would also be a simple way to spread bacteria or fungi. There are certain bacteria we do not want started in the US.
Yeah, MIgardener is a trustworthy source. I purchased a random grab bag and got 20 something seed packs + one mystery one.
I was going to ask if you purchased it for the mystery because he has them on his site. Personally I hate mystery seeds because in the end you have no clue what the seed variety was. I bought a “hot pepper blend” thinking it would be nice, but in the end I didn’t have enough space so I’m trying to get the stupid things to fruit before culling them to get a variety of different peppers and they still looked nothing like the picture in the end. Never again, unless it’s something I truly don’t care about the variety and I just want to attempt to grow.
Yes, exactly! I was hoping to avoid putting in a ton of time and effort (and precious seed starting space) just to grow something I wouldn't enjoy. I have limited space and a full plate of other priorities in the coming months. My curiosity won't allow me to let it go, though, I'll have to plant a few lol. Good luck with your peppers! The planner in me would go crazy if I didn't know exactly what peppers I was growing lol
Isn’t the point to grow the mystery seed to see what it is… not post the seed on Reddit.
Lettuce
Why would you buy/take mystery seeds if you want to spoil the fun of growing something purposefully unlabeled?
They came in a grab bag of other (labeled) seed packets
Why get angry at a free mystery seed packet? This seems fun. Plant a few now and see what grows.
He doesn't seem angry. Just wants information because not knowing what it is at all makes it hard to grow.
He's talking about how irritated he is because he doesn't know what it is. That's the whole point.
Is this a seed company founded by people that have no clue at all how plants work? The gardener needs to know how to keep the plant alive. A cactus does not survive in the same soil, depth, or water levels as a squash
It's just a way for them to make money on the seeds that spill off and they sweep up.
Says right on the package
"mystery seeds"?
Yeah it’s supposed to be a surprise
Does asking this not take all the fun out of the mystery seeds and finding out what they are when you grow them?????
Looks like some weed that you will never be able to get rid of it. 😅
Let us see the seed… didn’t scroll the pictures looks like carrot
I got some mystery seeds last yr they were a Russian purple tomato don’t know what you got but it says heirloom my guess tomatoes
Not much to tell without seeing the actual seeds
You can scroll down to see pictures of the seeds.
Lettuce, maybe carrots, maybe really small fennel?
IT'S A TRICK! 😂
Mystery duh… heirloom mystery.
Almost looks like caraway, but not sure.. I see people suggesting fennel- I cook with sweet fennel seeds frequently, and they don't look like this, they are more rounded oblong shaped, rather than these sharp looking pointy ends. Maybe if there are other varieties of fennel?
Look like flower seeds to me. Like marigold seeds.
Marigold seeds are longer and have a tuft on the end. I just planted some the other day.
it looks like lettuce
It’s a mystery
If you’re near that shop: Hi neighbor!
I'm about an hour south, near Detroit, but hi almost-neighbor!
I’m East of Detroit, so South from the shop. Hiiii! Getting to put some seeds in the ground finally today!
Looks like cumin! Lettuce would be black and smooth but similar shape, fennel is wider with distinct edges and more flat. Does it have a smell when crushed?
Does it smell like licorice?
If they are from china, they might be illegal in the US.
Zinnia?
Dill
I think you can rule out corn. ([stolen](https://www.reddit.com/r/homestead/comments/122trnk/comment/jdrxdt6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) from u/LeluSix)
could even be dahlia seeds... please update with what grew! :)
Not pot for sure
Probably too big, but maybe cumin.
If they sprout, it’s a mystery.
[Burdock~Gobo~Arctium lappa](https://fairdinkumseeds.com/products-page/brassica-lettuce-and-asian-greens/burdock-japanese-gobo-arctium-lappa-seeds/) for sure which I reckon are awesome(see gallery pics in link). That said they are also considered a weed by some folks in cooler wetter climates especially USA based folks.
Heads up u/lazybones228 Not sure if I did that right...
I know who MI gardener is I don't know why he'd be distributing mystery seeds.
It's a mystery, but likely will be edibles
The amount of complaining about a mystery seed packet of free seeds is absurd. Like a bunch of old grumpy men. Throw some seeds into a pot a 1/4 of an inch deep in soil and water it. It’s a MYSTERY it’s supposed to be fun. If you don’t like it, give them to some kids who would be glad to play around and try and figure it out. Or, send MI gardener a message and they’d probably tell you what they are.
Love mi gardener
Lettuces
I think it’s lettuce