Starting your garden with top-notch organic seeds makes all the difference. Not only do these seeds boost your plant’s health, but they also contribute to a more sustainable environment.
With their remarkable growth potential and promise of chemical-free crops, organic seeds are the gardener’s best friend. Ready to sow the seeds of change?
Organic seeds aren’t just a buzzword—they’re the foundation of eco-friendly gardening. But what sets them apart from conventional options?
Organic seeds are harvested from plants that have been grown under strict organic farming standards. This means no synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilisers. They come from plants that are robust and adapted to natural conditions, making them ideal for sustainable gardening practices.
How to Grow Plants for Free shows how to increase your plant stock by propogating them yourself. This book demystifies the art of taking cuttings and offers other ways to multiply your garden plants.
Use no-dig gardening to protect wildlife. Use fruit protection bags (over netting, which can trap birds and wildlife). Learn how to create gardens safe for pets (use humane slug/snail deterrents). Avoid facing indoor foliage to outdoor gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.
Learn the botanical science of propagation and then find practical chapters and plant profiles for the plants suited to each method. You’ll learn how to divide plants, save seeds, take cuttings and increase your collection of houseplants. the final chapters show how to grow new plants from kitchen scraps!
Benefits of Using Organic Seeds
Choosing organic seeds comes with a bundle of benefits. For starters, they’re healthier for you and your family as they’re not exposed to synthetic chemicals.
They also play a vital role in protecting the planet by reducing the reliance on harmful agrochemicals. Plus, they support biodiversity, ensuring that a wide variety of plant species thrive in our gardens.
Where to Buy High-Quality Organic Seeds
Arthouse Unlimited offers packs of seeds for beetroot, peas, carrots and sweet pepper. The difference is that these packs are beautifully illustrated by artists with complex neuro-diverse and physical support needs, providing them with jobs and income, with sales helping this wonderful non-profit.
The Seed Farmer is a comprehensive manual to save seed and money (and increase profits) for market gardens or small-scale farmers.
Learn how to develop your own heirloom seeds adapted to your location and climate, and learn about cross-pollination, crop-timing and seed genetics to choose the right types for your garden.
Includes detailed profiles plus tips on harvesting vegetable and flower crops, plus the economics of seed production and integrating organic seed production into your business.
Stocks & Green is a good place to buy quality seeds. Sold by a small Essex company, find seeds to grow everything from tomatoes to pumpkins, dwarf green beans to salads. Along with Nutscene raffia to stake your beans!
Seed Exchanges and Community Markets
Many seeds sold are F1 hybrid variety, so you can’t replant or save them, to make you buy new packs next year. Buy real organic seeds from The Real Seed Company or consider a seed swap like Brighton’s Seedy Sunday.
Evaluating Seed Quality
A quick glance at the seed packet can tell you a lot. Look for organic certification labels—they’re your assurance of quality. Check the expiration date too: fresher seeds boast better germination rates.
The experiences of other gardeners can be enlightening. Browse online reviews and ratings to get a feel for the reliability of a seed supplier. Honest feedback is invaluable when you’re committing time and space to growing something new.
Tips for Successful Seed Germination
Healthy soil is the backbone of successful germination. Make sure your soil is nutrient-rich and well-drained. Compost can work wonders here. A good rule of thumb? If it’s healthy enough to eat, it’s healthy enough to plant!
Watering seeds can be tricky; too little and they wither, too much and they drown. Aim to keep the soil moist but not soggy. A gentle spray from a watering can is often the best bet to avoid washing seeds away.
Seeds are quite particular about their environment. Most prefer warm, sunny spots. Ensure that the temperature in your garden or greenhouse is conducive to germination. If necessary, use a grow light to supplement natural sunlight, especially in the early spring months.
Open-Pollinated Seeds (you can grow next year)
Vital Seeds is a Devon company, that seeks to get around the silly laws these days, whereby F1 hybrid seeds cannot be saved to sow again the next year. In order to have to buy new packs of seeds, to make big companies more profit.
Use no-dig gardening and fruit protection bags (over netting, which can trap birds and wildlife). Learn how to create pet-safe gardens (use humane slug/snail deterrents). Avoid facing indoor foliage to gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.
This company offers organic and open-pollinated seeds that are grown locally (most seeds found in garden centres and DIY stores are produced thousands of miles away in countries with drier climates and cheap labour.
Such seeds don’t grow well, nor support heritage varieties, so important for bees, butterflies and bats to pollinate food.
Some of the seeds you can buy here include:
- Beetroot
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Courgette
- Celery
- Chard
- Cucumber
- Kale
- Leek
- Lettuce
- Onions
- Parsnip
- Peas
- Peppers
- Radish
- Runner Beans
- Spinach
- Spring Onions
- Pumpkin & Squash
- Sweetcorn
- Tomatoes
- Turnip
For more information, read Starting & Saving Seeds, a complete guide on how to save seeds from plants you have grown, to replant next year.
The Real Seed Company also sells proper seeds, and sells Community Support Seeds, which are low-cost for unwaged and struggling families. It also offers a free online seed-saving guide.
What are F1 Hybrid Seeds?
Years ago, you likely have memories of collecting flower seeds (like lupins – toxic to pets) to plant next year. The sad truth is that today, most seeds are hybrids, which not only gives poor crops, but means this is no longer possible.
The idea is that instead, you have to return to the store to buy new seeds. The way to get around this legally is to have seed swaps, like Brighton’s Seedy Sunday, which also keeps heritage seeds alive.
Another reason seeds are grown like this is to make them more ‘uniform’ for supermarkets etc, which means that non-uniform seeds end up as food waste.
The Real Seed Company offers translations of marketing speak:
‘Really uniform fruit’ means ‘inbred for the supermarket, may not adapt to your soil’.
‘Straight long shanks’ means ‘bred to fit the packing machine’
‘Leafless peas – easy to find in pods’ means ‘much smaller yield, as the plants have no leaves!’
If you want real organic vegetables with wonky shapes and proper taste, then consider proper organic seeds, that you can replant the next year!
We had a quick look at the main seed-selling sites in the UK, and found the following:
Sutton Seeds offer a ‘uniform beetroot’ that is F1 hybrid. Who wants a uniform beetroot? We want a knobbly organic beetroot full of flavour, sold cooked at the local greengrocer!
Mr Fothergill’s again sells ‘uniform carrots that are quick to grow’. Organic carrots are quick to grow anyway, and throwing out ‘non-uniform carrots’ is why we have so much food waste.
B & Q’s website grows F1 Brussel sprouts, made by an ‘EU responsible person’. Who on earth is that? Find a friendly organic seed company, and buy from them instead!
