Seed Selection

Average time to read: 2.5 minutes

Seed selection is an important part of growing food especially if you’re trying to make the most of a small space. Here are a few key things to consider when buying seeds.

Grow what you eat.

This might sound overly simple but it’s good advice. What’s usually in your grocery cart? Staples like green onions, beets, and leafy greens are great choices for small gardens. But if your favourite produce requires more space, you still have options.

For example if you regularly buy tomato sauce, you probably can’t grow enough tomatoes to make all the sauce you need. But that’s ok! Start with one tomato plant and see what you get. Or instead, try growing just the seasonings for tomato sauce. Infuse unseasoned store-bought tomato sauce with your homegrown basil, oregano, chilies, and garlic to make it your own.

That’s also a great way to celebrate potatoes, which require quite a bit of space to grow. If you love potatoes but your space is limited, try growing fresh chives instead. Serve them over your potatoes so you always have that fresh-from-the-garden flavour.

Jalapeno pepper plant in an 8” pot

Shop local.

Buy seeds from Canadian suppliers. Large Canadian seed suppliers must have their vegetable seed tested regularly for purity and germination by third party government-approved labs. Small, independent seed collectors probably won’t undergo the same level of testing. However, their supply is usually so minimal and fresh you can almost be certain the seed is no more than a year old. And if you’re wondering, just ask! Don’t be afraid to get to know your suppliers, big or small.

Either way, Canadian seed suppliers work within our Canadian climate. That means you can be sure their selection is generally suited to growing conditions in Canada.

Buy directly from seed suppliers.

Whatever you do, do not buy seeds from international marketplace e-commerce sites. You do not know what country those seeds are coming from. You do not know how they were produced or how old they are. You can’t even be sure they are what they say they are on the package. Riskier still, the import and distribution of seed is regulated in Canada. You might accidentally import harmless seed illegally or worse, acquire seed that is controlled or prohibited.

If you are looking for seed not carried by your favourite Canadian suppliers, contact their customer service. They should be able to point you in the right direction.

Don’t get carried away.

It’s easy to get excited when buying seeds. Without a doubt, you’ll end up with an unopened packet or two... or twenty. We’ve all been there. (Heck, we just ordered Escarole and we don’t even know how it tastes!) Just try to keep things simple, especially if you’re new to gardening. Stick to things you know you’ll eat and add to your plans as time goes on.

Your plans will keep changing.

Your garden will never be done. You will make changes all the time. Whether it’s to work around weather, deal with problems that pop up, or simply because you love something so much you just have to grow more, your garden plans will keep changing. (Check out our Garden Planning Guide here.)

This is one of the most important lessons we can learn from gardening. There is no “perfect.” There is no “done.” Rather, we understand this is a long, slow, process of improvement that will never end. There’s no sense in rushing. Slow down, take deep breaths, and let Mother Nature show you how it’s done.

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