When winter weather starts to roll in, it seems like a great time to curl up with a cup of coffee and a seed catalogue. Sounds so relaxing! When I'm stuck inside because of bad weather, this is usually where you will find me. This is the time of year that we are dreaming about and planning the spring garden. It seems far away at this time of the year, but it will come! Let's go over a few things you should know before clicking "confirm order".
Check Your Seed Inventory
Before you start browsing for seeds, the very first thing you need to do is check your seed inventory. You might be surprised how much seed you have from last year which can save you money. Yes, seeds do last a very long time, so don't throw away your unused seeds at the end of the growing season! Take a look at what you have left over from last year. That 'sell by' date listed on your seed package is just there so that the consumer knows when the seeds were originally packaged to be sold. This prevents seed companies from selling older seed. They are required to sell fresh seed every year but that doesn't mean you should throw away old seed. If the seed is older, the germination rate may go down. So, you can put a couple extra seeds in each container in case they don't all germinate. Often times you will still have excellent germination. I have successfully grow seeds that were 5 to 6 years old without a problem. There are a few exceptions to this. Onions, Leeks, Chives, Parsnip, Corn and any seeds that come pelleted will lose significant germination rates by the next year. So for these I usually buy fresh seed. Pelleted seed is any kind of seed that come with a layer of clay around it. They are typically brightly coloured and easier to handle. This is especially helpful for small seeds that are hard to handle.
You Don't Need to Look for "Non-GMO"
You might see that your seed package says "Non-GMO" and think to yourself "Oh I better make sure all my seeds are Non-GMO!". But you do not need to worry because all seeds available to the home gardener are Non-GMO seeds. You won't accidentally buy GMO seeds because they are only available to commercial growers. Seed companies put it on their labels either for marketing purposes or simply because so many people ask this question.
Use Trusted Sources & Beware Of Fake Seeds
In an upcoming blog post, I will list some of my favourite seed companies! Be aware that there are some scammers out there who will try to sell you seeds that are not real. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. There is no such thing as a blue sunflower or a rainbow rose for example. Amazon and Etsy are two places you could run into this problem. Although, that doesn't mean you can't find trusted sellers on Etsy, there are certainly people selling real seeds. Just don't fall for tricks like this ones below.
I hope that this is helpful! Seed shopping is one of my favourite past times. When we explore growing from seed, there are so many more possibilities. We get the opportunity to try so many more varieties than what is available in the grocery store. For example, there are 100s of varieties of tomatoes waiting for you to try!
Happy Shopping!
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