Are Aldi Gardenline Garden Seeds Good?

Spring is here, and those of us who enjoy gardening are gearing up for another growing season. We’re building or repairing raised beds, taking stock of our collection of pots and planters, and planning what we want to grow and where.

Aldi can take you a long way toward accomplishing your gardening goals, whether you want to purchase live plants, garden tools, greenhouses both large and small, garden soil or potting mix, or grow lights.

Each spring, Aldi usually includes a few different types of garden seeds among its gardening supplies. But are seeds from a discount grocery store any good? Do they actually grow?

Seed packets at my local Aldi during April of 2022.

I’ve used several different types of seeds from Aldi over the years, and I’ve always had a good experience growing them. Aldi sells seeds under its Gardenline private label, which includes all kinds of gardening accessories and supplies.

In the spring of 2022, Gardenline Garden Seeds cost 59 cents for a small packet. That’s more than what seed packets at Dollar Tree or Dollar General cost, but you may get slightly more seeds in Aldi packets versus dollar store seed packets, and if you’re already at Aldi to buy groceries, you can combine shopping trips for efficiency.

Gardenline Garden Seeds are an Aldi Find, which means they’re only in stores for a short time. Aldi does not offer online ordering for its specials if they aren’t in stock at your local store. So if you see garden seeds at Aldi and want them, don’t delay buying them.

Seed choice is pretty similar from year to year at Aldi. In 2022, I spotted the following varieties at my local Aldi:

• Carrot
• Romaine lettuce
• Jalapeno pepper
• Yellow sweet banana pepper
• Chives Squash (zucchini)
• Pumpkin
• Cilantro
• Lemon Balm

Because Aldi is a low-inventory store, the seed selection is small when it’s available. If you want a large variety of seeds to choose from, you’re better off shopping at your local garden center, nursery, or big box retailer. Even dollar stores such as Dollar Tree and Dollar General carry a larger selection of seeds compared to Aldi. But if all you need are some basic veggie or herb seeds, or if you want to supplement what you buy at other stores, Aldi seeds are decent.

So, do Aldi seeds grow well? In my experience, yes. Seeds I’ve purchased from Aldi have germinated at a similar rate to pricier name brand seeds I’ve grown. Those seeds also grew into healthy, vigorous plants that produced well. I’m not yet sure about the 2022 growing season, but Aldi seeds I’ve purchased during past growing seasons all were produced in the U.S. by The Page Seed Company, and they were labeled as all natural, environmentally friendly, and non-GMO.

Some gorgeous peppers I grew one summer from seeds purchased at Aldi.

In particular, I’ve grown prolific crops of early Calwonder bell peppers from seeds I purchased at Aldi. I often grow bell peppers in large planters and they do very well, producing more large peppers than I would expect considering that the containers they’re in aren’t all that big. I usually end up with more peppers than my family can eat right away (we tend to use them mostly in soups and omelets), so I often dice them and freeze them so we can use small amounts through the winter.

Lemon balm grown from seeds I bought at Aldi.

I also picked up a packet of lemon balm seeds from Aldi a couple of years ago and planted some in an outdoor planter, where they grew vigorously and smelled wonderful. (Keep in mind that lemon balm is a member of the mint family and therefore spreads readily, so it’s a good idea to grow it in a container or somewhere you can control its tendency to creep out to other areas.) You can add the lemon-scented leaves from this bushy plant to oils, vinegars, salads, sauces, fish, poultry, pork, and more.

I’ve also tried growing beefsteak tomatoes from seeds purchased at Aldi, but they were less prolific than other tomato varieties I’ve grown. It might be telling that I haven’t seen Aldi sell tomato seeds this year.

Aside from the tomatoes, if you want some inexpensive seeds for a gardening project, Aldi seeds can be a good bet. Just be aware that the variety is limited. I’ll continue to purchase garden seeds from Aldi when I want to grow certain vegetables or herbs.

The Verdict:

Gardenline Garden Seeds include a limited selection of veggies and herbs including different types of peppers, lettuce, carrots, chives, pumpkin, zucchini, cilantro, and lemon balm. While the variety is very limited, the quality is good and we’ve always had success growing Aldi seeds.