Seed Needs, Wild Creeping Thyme Seeds for Planting (Thymus serpyllum) Single Packag of 5,000 Seeds - Heirloom & Open Pollinated

Ok... getting seeds to germinate isn't that hard, so I was concerned about the mixed reviews, but I want ground cover in shaded areas of our backyard, and I like the look of these Creeping Wild Thyme.Seeds arrived quickly, well packaged. I looked in the packages before refrigerating both - TINY seeds. Under the seal is a packing code, which if I decode right suggests they were packaged late Oct. 2020.I watched the suggested Youtube videos - nothing new there, but I did it anyway.SO... I screened potting soil to get the finest, fluffiest starting soil, and filled four 12x1"x1" germination trays, with clear lid. I filled each of the 48 1x1x2" seed uh... (pods?) about 3/4 full with the screened soil. Watered the trays, they drained & retaining moisture nicely.I opened one of seed package, poured the seeds into a glass dish (white, so you can see the seeds) & put a pinch (that's maybe 50-100 seeds) of seeds in each pod. Misted all four trays, put on the tops, put them out on the bench - good filtered sun for 10-12hrs, nice and warm late Spring weather. I had a few pinches left, so I sprinkled them in an empty spot in one of our flower beds (same potting soil), shaded - misted those too. Misted them daily, made sure they never got dry or flooded. After about 10 days, I counted THREE tiny green spots, that disappeared quickly. Three weeks in, NOTHING - Not a single sprout. Pretty dismal results.A few weeks later, I decided to just throw the second package into our flower bed. But they're too small for that, so I took a suggestion from one Amazon review, and mixed whole seed package with fine sand and put it in a screened kitchen shaker, then sprinkled it in every clear area in the flower bed, particularly the wedge shaped crevices where the retaining wall bricks meet. Misted regularly, twice a day.FIVE DAYS LATER, lo-n-behold, I started seeing tiny green dots. Now, ten days in, every crevice is filled with green sprouts. I don't know if they'll live, but they've definitely germinated.SO... Same soil... one package of seeds planted with precision & care... NOTHING. One Package planted with no prep at all... SPLOOSH - green everywhere. Both packages have the same packing code... I can't explain it.BUT it does make me concerned - I'd really want to order the large seed package & go wide scale, but I don't know if I'd get the live seeds... or the dead - because clearly, one package was non-viable.

I did NOT expect 5,000 seeds to fit in ONE 3x5-inch envelope, which could have been sent in a #10 envelope for 49-cents postage instead of the $3 postage and handling fee by Seeds Needs. If I were able to get 100% germination, this packet should cover an area of 5,000 square feet (1/9th of an acre).Based on reviews from other customers, I will be lucky to get 12 plants to germinate. I will update this review in two months: the time it will take to get past last frost and germination period. If germination is even 50%, I will change my rating to 5-stars, but until then, I remain skeptical.UPDATE: 6-10-2015Sprouted seed in 72 germination pods. Pre-soaked half of the seeds and the other half planted dry, Using the tip of my finger to transfer the seeds to the pods, I estimate that 70-seeds were placed in each pod (if there were truly 5,000 seeds in the package). I am seeing something like 20% germination after one week. The pre-soaked seeds have germinated the best, while the dry seeds have about 10% to zero percent germination... as soon at the plants are large enough to NOT be eaten by snails, I will transplant to the hillside in our yard.UPDATE 6/18/2015i LOST THEM ALL to heat - - put them in the sunlight to help grow the seedlings and they were COOKED even though they had plenty of water... Now I will have to start over. This time, I ordered 20,000 seeds, knowing that it really equals about 1,500 per package.UPDATE 6/23/2015I ordered a pack of 10,000 seeds and 2 packs of 5,000 seeds. FUNNY THING: I received 4-packs of 5,000 seeds. SO THE MORE YOUR ORDER, THE LESS THEY COST PER PACK, but the SHIPPING costs MORE. Planted in peat pods and now waiting to see them germinate. This time, I soaked ALL of the seeds in water and used a cotton q-tip to transfer them to the individual pods.

They are growing slowly but surely. The truth is that I just pour them over the soil and didn't take care of them a lot. I am on 8b zone.

Been container gardening for a year now (was previously not so good at it) and living in an "urban suburb" of Washington, DC in USDA plant hardiness zone 7b. I love plants that creep and spill over their containers, and I was looking for something that can take the all-day full sun that I get out on my raised deck. I wanted to try growing something from seed (my grandmother was a pro at it), so I bought these seeds. I followed the instructions on the packet; I didn't bury the seeds deep in the seed starter soil I bought, I used a spray bottle to mist the soil, I didn't let it dry out, and I put the pots on a sunny windowsill throughout the month of March only putting them outside on sunny days above 60 degrees. I saw my first tiny peeks of green on day 5, and the images above are from days 6 through 21. So far, so good! The weather is still in the upper 30s to 40s at night, so I'll keep bringing them in at night for a while longer, but I hope to start leaving them outside overnight soon. I've also switched from misting with the water bottle to gently drizzling water from the kitchen sink. Trust me when when I say if I can make these seeds work, anyone can. Haha!

In the last few months, I've purchased 80,000 of these seeds from Seed Needs. Out of 80,000 seeds, I got around 100 plants. Needless to say, I've been very disappointed with these seeds. I've tried growing them indoors, outdoors, in pots, directly in the ground. I've also tried different types of soil. I have a feeling that these seeds simply aren't viable. At this point, it really feels like a waste of money and time. I've purchased other seeds from this seller, and they've grown fine. The service from Seed Needs is good; price for seeds and shipping is great; but if the seeds won't grow (or won't grow for me), I see no sense in buying them again.