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Knowing how many seeds are in a package helps greatly when ordering seed and planning. Large seed companies usually include this information on the package as either the number of seeds or the weight of seed. It helps to know that 1M means 1,000 (one thousand) seeds. More often, the weight of the seed in the package is listed followed by the number in a larger weight unit (gram, kilogram, pound, ounce). You do the math to figure out roughly how many seeds are in the package. However, since the seed of different cultivars/varieties, examples include snapbeans, sweetpeas, and sweetcorn, often differ in size and weight, the number of seeds per package will vary with each variety. If you want the same number of mature plants for each variety, then you likely have to adjust the number of packages to be sure to have sufficient seed.
Sometimes, the number of seeds per package of each type of seed can be found on the website or in the catalog under ordering information or under the propagation/germination information. When compariing seed from several companies or across varieties, be sure to consider if the seed is pelleted or not pelleted as that affects the package price and the number of seeds per package.
Then, to determine how many seeds you need to plant to get the same final stand in the garden, the germination rate for each variety should be considered plus your personal "over plant" allocation to ensure that there will be sufficient plants to mature. It is easier to thin out extra seedlings than to have open space later. Will increasing seed costs, it is important to order sufficient seed for your needs yet not waste seed or plant more than are needed. Surplus seed often can be saved for a later planting date.
