Organic gardeners who start their vegetables and flowers from seed may notice an increasing number of organic seed varieties offered in catalogs and online. It’s worth exploring the reasons behind paying a bit more for organic seeds, and seeking out one’s favorite variety amongst the organic offerings.
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Gardeners who strive to maintain organic methods in their gardens mustn’t overlook the first step in the growing process, which is seed production. While it’s true that the infinitesimal amount of chemicals present on treated seeds will never harm the consumer of the produce that seed ultimately yields, conventional seeds may harm the environment and the farmers that produce them. For example, seed treatments may include chemical fungicides like captan, which is very toxic to aquatic life and is a suspected carcinogen.
Another reason to buy organic seeds is to avoid the introduction of genetically modified seeds. This means no genes or traits from other species are present in the organic seeds. While researchers haven’t proven that genetically modified foods pose a specific health or environmental threat, naysayers argue that the long term effects are unknown, and may include such risks as human DNA damage or the extinction of native plant species.
Johnny’s Seeds provides such a large number of organic seeds to its customers because part of its growing and handling facilities have been certified organic since 1979. This certification, combined with the research and breeding activities at the 40-acre Maine farm, means that Johnny’s can offer over 300 organic seed varieties to gardeners, including cover crop seed. The company is a valuable resource to organic farmers as well, offering many organic seed varieties by the pound.
Park Seeds is celebrating more than 140 years of service, and organic gardeners will celebrate the large selection of USDA certified organic herb, vegetable, and flower seeds this company provides. The organic seed selection includes some unusual offerings, such as oriental greens, stevia, and broccoli raab.
If Seeds of Change isn’t as familiar to gardeners as some of the older and more established seed catalogs, it deserves a permanent spot in the internet favorites bookmark list. This company sells only 100% certified organic seeds, and it touts more than 1200 varieties to tempt the gardener. This doesn’t mean that the company offers poor performers, however. Extensive field trials on the farm mean each variety must prove its robustness before it’s offered to customers. Seeds of Change also provides gardeners with hard-to-find organic plants and trees to round out the organic garden, including asparagus crowns, strawberry plants, and apple trees.
Perhaps one of the oldest seed providers was late on the organic seed scene, but they are making up for it by providing green and organic seed starting supplies to their more than 40 varieties of organic vegetable and herb seeds. Burpee gives a silent nod of recognition to the horticultural industry’s reliance on cheap petroleum-based seed starting flats, and gives organic gardeners an alternative: an eco-friendly seed starting kit. The kit comes with sustainable growing pellets, which means they’re peat-free, and a 25-cell seed starter that can go right into the compost bin.
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