Organic Seeds Worth the Investment

Finding good-quality organic seed isn't difficult, but finding organic seed with strong disease resistance, verified germination rates and a really good selection can be another story. That's one reason Johnny’s Selected Seeds is worth a look.

Johnny’s carries a wide range of certified-organic vegetables, herbs, flowers and other crops, including open-pollinated varieties and disease-resistant hybrids. What particularly stands out is their approach to seed quality. Every seed lot is germination tested, and the germination results and date of the last test are printed on the seed packet. Johnny’s also uses certified seed laboratories for germination testing and maintains its own germination standards.

Organic AND Disease Resistant

One of the biggest advantages is the number of organic varieties available with disease resistance. For gardeners dealing with our often cool and wet Lower Mainland growing conditions, disease resistance can make a significant difference.

While Canada has some excellent organic seed producers, we haven't found the same combination of organic selection and extensive disease-resistant varieties from Canadian suppliers. That makes Johnny’s particularly interesting for gardeners who want to grow organically without giving up some of the benefits of modern disease-resistant varieties.

But What About the Exchange Rate?

There's no getting around it: the current exchange rate makes American seed more expensive.

And tariffs?

Fortunately, most quantities purchased by home gardeners fall within Canada's small-lot seed exemption. The CFIA limits are less than 5 kg for large-seeded crops such as peas, beans and corn, and less than 500 g for small-seeded crops. These small lots are exempt from certain seed-import documentation and assessment requirements, although additional requirements can apply to particular types of seed.

Given the quality, testing and selection available, we think Johnny's seeds are worth the extra investment, particularly when you're choosing varieties for disease resistance.

Save Your Seeds and Save Money

That investment can also pay for itself over time. Many organic varieties are open-pollinated, which means gardeners can save their own seed.

When seeds are properly harvested, carefully prepared, dried and stored, they can be used in future growing seasons, reducing the need to buy new seed every year.

Just remember that F1 hybrids are different. Their saved seed won't reliably produce the same plant the following year, so concentrate your seed-saving efforts on open-pollinated and heirloom varieties. That being said, hybrids shouldn't take all the fun out of seed saving. Save a few seeds and grow them anyway! You never quite know what you're going to get, and that's what makes it interesting. Maybe it will be disappointing, or maybe you'll discover something fantastic. Sometimes you just have to plant the seed and see what happens.

Good seed may cost a little more, but considering the time and effort we put into our gardens, starting with healthy, high-quality seed is an investment worth making.