Reading & Understanding Seed Packets

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Growing an affordable garden begins with a seed, a seed packet that is. Learning how to read and understand seed packets and all the information that little jacket holds is key to creating a successful garden.

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Growing a garden from seed is maybe the most affordable way to grow an abundance of fruits, vegetables, herbs, perennials, and flowers. Unless you are sourcing your seed directly from someone who saves their own (maybe yourself?), you will be purchasing seed. Understanding the wealth of knowledge that’s included on every seed packet can be daunting.

Not all seed packets are created equal. Information one company shares on their packets can often vary greatly from another. Some will provide great detail & others are vague at best. Frustrating, I know. But arming yourself with a bit of knowledge prior to ordering or purchasing will save time, aggravation and ultimately, money if the wrong choices are made.

WHERE TO PURCHASE SEED

Sourcing organic, heirloom, and quality seed is now an easy task. First place to look? Keep it local. By purchasing locally grown seed you rest assured that the variety and plant will grow. It’s already acclimated to your area’s growing conditions.

Ask at farmers markets, local seed banks, and even your neighbor where they source their seed. Here at IMSL we source a large portion of our seed from New England based companies for this very reason. Johnny’s Selected Seed and Fedco are two of our favorites. By the way no renumeration is received from promoting either company. We are happy to do so as we believe in their product.

That being said, we do still order from other reputable companies that we love. Be sure to visit these two articles for complete listings of our favorite companies.

• “It’s My Favorite Time Of Year! Buying Heirloom Seeds”
• “When Life Hands You Heirloom Seeds Just Plant ‘Em!”

SEED PACKET TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW

When we first began growing from seed, standing in front of the massive displays of seed offerings at our local nursery & feed stores, I remember thinking what the heck does this mean? Just as seed packets are not created equal, the seeds within those packets were not created equal either. Familiarizing yourself with a few terms regarding how the seed was grown will help you navigate the sea of growing references you may find.

ORGANIC SEED

Organic seeds are seeds that are harvested from plants grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, fungicides, & pesticides. These seeds cannot harbor any genetically engineered traits and are grown in organic soil under strict regulations.

Certified organic seeds are grown under strict certification guidelines, and are not exposed to chemicals during the growth period in the fields, harvesting or processing. This type of seed is sustainably grown and in turn beneficial to all.

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HEIRLOOM SEED

Referred commonly as “rare seeds”, these seeds are open pollinated (pollinated naturally by birds, wind, etc.), and may be saved and replanted year-to-year.

HYBRID SEED

Hybrid seed is seed that has been purposely crossbred to create a new specimen plant. Typically, they are bred with the thought of creating a more dependable plant that’s disease resistant and may create higher yield.

In no way are these seed considered GMO (genetically modified) as many believe. The “hybrid” term is not applied to seed that has naturally crossbred in nature.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM – GMO

Simply put, these seeds are ones that have been created in a lab environment. These seed would never have been created in Nature, and in our humble opinion, should never exist in nature.

These seeds are created in a lab setting using “various genetic engineering techniques” where foreign genetic material is artificially inserted into the DNA.

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CONVENTIONAL SEED

Conventionally grown seed is seed that has not been altered genetically, but has been grown in the field utilizing the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, many known to be carcinogenic.

DETERMINATE

Determinate seed create, plants that grow only to a height of roughly 3-4 feet, and are also referred to as “bush” plants, . Requiring little to no staking or support, these plants stop growing once fruit is set on the top bud. The fruit typically will ripen at approximately the same time & are wonderful choices for planting in pots.

INDETERMINATE

Indeterminate seed create plants that can reach a height of 6-12 feet and will continuously grown until killed by frost. Requiring substantial staking for support, these plants will set new fruit that will ripen at the same time throughout the growing season.

Armed with the knowledge of how your seed has been produced and how that plant will eventually grow will set you up for creating the type of garden you desire. Trust me, you don’t want to plan on growing and planting 10 indeterminate tomato plants when you only have one raised bed space to grow them in.

HOW TO READ A SEED PACKET

Exactly what information is included on most seed packets? Let’s take a closer look, both front and back.

FRONT OF SEED PACKET EXAMPLE

Below is an example of the front of a Johnny’s Selected Seed Packet.

1. The company that is providing the seeds. In this case, Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They may also include any company information and contact/website information. Many companies offer growing tips and suggestions on their websites and can be a good resource for gardeners.
2. How the seed was produced, in this case they are certified organic by MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association)
3. Several bits of information are listed on this line. “Korist” is the cultivar or variety of Kohlrabi. F1 is a reference that this seed is considered a “hybrid”. F1 is an abbreviation Filial 1 which literally translates to “first children”.
4. The Latin name of the cultivar/variety.
5. The Lot number is listed on all seed packets and may come in handy should there ever be a recall.
6. Minimum of number of seeds within the packet.
7. An approximate time from sowing to maturity that can be expected.
8. Coated or pelleted seed are typically very small seed that have been covered with inert material to create round or evenly shaped seed for ease of planting, especially when using mechanical seeders.
9. Germination rate, meaning in this case 95% of seed from this lot germinated successfully. “How To Test Seeds For Viability” discusses how you can test your old seed for viability and why you should.
10. The date the germination test was completed.
11. Lot number once again.

By comparison, shown below is a typical front view of a seed packet from Fedco Seeds. Pretty much the same information, just in a different format. Fedco seed packets are typically only one sided, and what you see for information is what you get.

Again, companies information can vary greatly as to what they share on both the front and the back of their packets. Often times further listings of sun requirements and any disease resistant traits may be included.

BACK OF SEED PACKET EXAMPLE

With the example of the back of the seed packet of Botanical Interest, you can see there is a LOT of information included.

1. The type of fruit, vegetable, herb, or flower/perennial name, the cultivar name, and the Latin Name
2. The number of days to germination and seed planting information.
3. Specific planting instructions for spacing.
4. Space needed between rows.
5. Thinning information. More on what “thinning” means below.
6. Description of the plant itself, what & how it can be used.
7. Recommended sowing times.
8. Starting recommendations.
9. Specific labels that apply to the seed. In this instance, no GMO’s.
10. Company contact information.
11. Lot number, year packed, and year sold by.

Often you will find instructions on how the seed needs to be treated prior to planting. This may include “pre-soaking” (soaking the seeds for a period of time prior to planting), “scarification” (nicking the seed to penetrate the outer coat of the seed allowing it to become more receptive of water), and “stratification” (exposing the seed to natural conditions, temperature for example, to allow for germination).

DEFINITION OF “THINNING”

Instructions for “thinning” are included on many packets. Many plants such as carrots will call for “thinning”. Thinning is the term used to remove emerging plants that are overcrowded or weak. Often the directions on the packet will state how far apart the remaining plants need to be spaced. For example: “thin to 2 inches” apart.

For more on the thinning process, be sure to look at “Thinning Carrots The No Waste Way”.

For some, this may be a refresher of information they already were aware of. For many, hopefully this can answer a few of the questions that may arise. Hopefully there will be fewer standing in front of the seed display cases with baffled looks on their faces 🙂

What’s on your garden plan this year? Join the conversation below and be sure to follow on all social media to stay up-to-date with what’s “happening on the hill”.

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