Ordering Seeds

Planning Ahead & Ordering Seeds

It’s best to order seeds during the winter months and plan ahead. There are several decisions that have to be made:

• What you’re planning to grow for the season.
• Which varieties you would like to repeat?
• Which new varieties do you want to try?
• Where to order seeds from?

If you are growing organically, try to start with organic seeds as much as possible.  There are many companies, small and large, that produce organic seeds.  Some companies are very reliable, and others are not.  Many small companies offer great seeds and varieties that are somewhat unique. Ask friends for referrals on companies, varieties and anything they are willing to share.  If someone recommends a particular company, I will order a catalog or go online to see what they carry.

Many small companies will specialize in particular seeds.  Some will do potatoes and a few other seeds, while others may have other specialties.  The important thing is to keep track where you purchased the seeds.  Make an assessment as to what you liked, what varieties did well in your growing conditions, and which did poorly.  In this manner, you may want to repeat some of the winners and add one or two other varieties to try out. To learn greater understanding about organic gardening you can purchase ‘Garden the Organic Way‘ https://gardentheorganicway.etsy.com 

Did you have a disease problem with certain seeds or plants? If so, are there any resistant varieties that need to be used instead of those used the prior year?  There are many great heirlooms that do very well but sometimes there are diseases that make it impossible to use them, as they wipe out the whole crop. In such cases you should consider hybrids when ordering seeds for certain vegetables.

In addition, there are many companies that sell seeds with some fungicides already applied to them.  You will have to decide whether to go down this path, as the fungicide will definitely destroy the soil microorganisms and move you away from the organic path.

Then there are GMO seeds I would not touch under any circumstances. These seeds are not breed under the normal circumstances of crossing two types of plants.  Rather, they are gene-spliced, incorporating things that are not plant-related (like herbicide or fungicide, among other things) right into the seed.  The use of GMO is a major problem worldwide, as these seeds then cross pollinate with your regular heirlooms and destroy the existing heirlooms.

There is a reason why many parts of the world have banned GMO seeds.  However, here in the US it’s against the law for anyone to do research on GMO’s and try to show the ways they can harm people.  This is how much control over our food we have allowed large corporate giants to take. It’s important to become informed and realize that these seeds can be quite harmful and that it is best not to use them.

Learn more about seed viability, https://youtu.be/TJk5kcO0FE4 and Join my YouTube channel- GardeningTheOrganicWay. 

You can also download the eBook ‘Garden the Organic Way’ http://Amazon- Garden the Organic Way