Seed Catalogues…..
Tis the season to be…..jolly? Well, yes. But maybe not for the reasons you may think. For every gardener out there it is that most exciting time of the year when you can start gathering your arsenal for attacking that plot of soil as soon as is humanly possible. First on the list is the all important seed catalogue. Ah the seed catalogue. It not only holds between its pages a vast array of tempting prospects to grow along with various other ‘essentials’ to make you a gardening Goddess/God. No, it’s so much more than that. It holds hope. Suddenly all past failures fade away and are replaced with a new courage of conviction. One does not simply browse a seed catalogue. Oh no. It is to be studied with sticky notes and highlighters like one is cramming for that final exam.
The two most important things I will say about ordering seeds are: order to zone and order quality. Some of my past failures have been chalked up to: not enough water, too much water, improper starting, too hot, too cold, wrong zone, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. While all of those things are valid concerns, do not discount poor seed. Do your homework. Know your zone and what will grow there. Know the seed/plant and how best to handle it. And order from a reputable seed vendor. The following is just a sampling of Canadian seed companies.
A popular brand in B.C. 
Featuring a nod to B.C.’s top doc 😉
Because we live in B.C. I thought I would work our way from West to East. start with West Coast Seeds based out of Ladner. West Coast seeds was founded in 1983 and is now a household name amongst B.C. gardeners. They focus on untreated and certified organic seeds
Since 1896 Alberta-based McKenzie seeds has been dedicated to heirloom seed varieties. One would be hard pressed to find a gardener out west that hasn’t held a McKenzie seed packet in their hands.
Prairie Garden Seeds is a Saskatchewan based seed company founded in 1986.
Heritage Harvest Seed is a relative youngster in the seed community having been around for about 20 years. They are a Manitoba based company that specializes specializing in rare and endangered heirloom/heritage varieties of vegetables, flowers, herbs and ancient grain seeds.
OSC has been a landmark in Ontario landscape for the past 125 years and pride themselves on providing Canadians with quality seeds suited to Canadian growing needs.
Verseys was born in 1939 in P.E.I. in an attempt to provide fellow Canadians with high quality seeds that would flourish in a Canadian garden. 80 years later they are doing just that.
Corn Hill Nursery
2700 Rte. 890
Corn Hill, NB E4Z 1M2
506-756-3635
www.cornhillnursery.com
Mount Royal Seeds
www.mountroyalseeds.com
Richters Herbs
357 Hwy. 47
Goodwood, ON L0C 1A0
800-668-4372
www.richters.com
Online catalogue and free print catalogue.
Seed Bank
www.seed-bank.ca
W. H. Perron
2914 Cure-Labelle Blvd.
Laval, QC H7P 5S8
800-723-9071
www.dominion-seed-house.com
Online catalogue and free print catalogue.
William Dam Seeds Ltd.
279 Hwy. 8
Dundas, ON L9H 5E1
905-628-6641
www.damseeds.ca
Online catalogue and free print catalogue.
This is but a sampling of Canadian seed vendors. And if you endeavour to go paperless; I dare say there is hardly a one that is not available online. So whether you get your catalog online or in the mail; it’s time to get planning.
