From Design to Packing
Frustration about lack of information for growing food in The North led from, ‘But what can we do about it?’ to literally sitting down and creating a solution. It's taken time and dedication to seeing this to fruition. The seed packets are designed with all the information we wished for and still need for seed starting to harvesting.
There is no other seed packet out there for Northern gardeners.
The cover pictures are hand drawn vintage engravings of the plants from 100+ years ago. At the time, the engravings were not expected to be exact replicas of the plant in every garden, as it was drawn based on what the artist saw locally, maybe even his own garden. Gardeners began their own seeds, often saving and passing them down, resulting in variations. These hand drawn images brings gardening back to our hands. There are a few plant drawings that elude our dogged search ~ acorn squash, Russian Kale, and pear cherry tomatoes. Should you find them, let us know!
The front also includes the family name and species. This helps with crop rotation in your garden, just moving plants to a different row next year benefits soil health and pest management. As you plant the seeds, these plant families will become more familiar and take on meaning in your garden journey.
The envelope is made of heavy duty Kraft paper ~ blocking out light, plastic free, resealable, waterproof ink, and completely compostable. Often there is an inner vellum envelope to keep seeds safely tucked away from rolling out (onto the floor and under the stove to remain forever, but we digress). The envelope is larger for all the needed growing information and different seed sizes.
Where the seed meets the Soil
The flap begins with who packed the seeds, year packed, germination rate and number of seeds. This is USDA required for all seed packets. No matter from whom you buy them.
Next, is the plant description answering three questions:
- What makes this variety unique?
- How does it taste, look or produce?
- What are the best ways to eat it?
Below this, is the infographic about seed starting and planting ~ where the seed meets the soil. With open seed packet in hand and seed trays prepped, no one has time to run to a computer to look up how to plant, then cross reference three sites to get all the information.
Explore the infographic information in the drop down section below.
Lastly, the bottom paragraph addresses:
- how to start your seeds indoors and/or direct sow.
- fertilization needs at transplanting/direct sow and up to harvest.
- when and how to harvest your produce.
This is the key information you need to start growing your own food.
Back of the seed packet
Infographic Definitions
Soil Temperature to Germinate:
too cold or too hot and seeds will go dormant or sprout and die.
# of Seeds/Pot:
number of seeds to plant in a cell/pot with the expectation one (or more) may not sprout or will be weaker and need to be terminated.
Seed Depth:
planting too deep and the seed may rot, too shallow it may not sprout or perish thereafter. Some seeds need sunlight to germinate.
Direct Sow:
this answers the question if the seed can be directly planted. Direct sowing may increase the days to maturity (harvesting) and/or may lower the germination rate.
Plant Spacing:
how far apart in the row to transplant or direct sow. When direct sowing, we use the same spacing as transplant, as we don’t have time to go back and thin the seedlings. Just keeping it real.
Row Spacing:
how far apart the rows should be to another row of plants. We err on the side of closer spacing to maximize garden space, being every inch is precious.
Days to Germination:
how many days it takes for a seed to sprout. Generally, the fewer days is for indoor starting and more days for direct sow. Sometimes, it just takes a seed a really long time to sprout. It’s a defense mechanism for survival.
Days to Maturity:
alternative phrasing is ‘days to harvest’. It’s like the weather forecast of ‘partly cloudy' for ‘mostly sunny’. There may be a wide range here to accommodate direct sowing and transplanting. The longer days is for direct sowing; shorter for transplant. We may have also tacked on a few days based on our experience in northern climates. It’s no guarantee, but the most likely.
Succession Planting:
information on when this seed can be planted for a continuous harvest, e.g. radishes. Some seeds may be planted multiple times in a growing season (lettuce, pac choi), others may only be planted once more (beans, peas). Succession planting is not necessary for a successful garden. In your growing journey, we encourage you to experiment with this and develop new skills!
Frost Tolerant:
so key for Northern gardens! Can the plant (not including transplant or direct sown sprout) handle a light frost? It’s darn close to black and white. The plant can or cannot. And sometimes the harvest is literally sweeter for the frost; e.g. Brussel sprouts, carrots.
Cool Weather:
Can the plant (not transplant or direct sown sprout) handle cool temperatures above freezing? Some plants will bolt or stop producing with cool temps, while others thrive in cool weather; e.g. spinach.
Open Pollinate:
almost all of our seeds are open pollinate. Meaning you can save seeds knowing they will be true offsprings of the parent. Caveat ~ some seeds require isolation so they do not cross pollinate; e.g. corn, melons, squash. In your growing journey, we encourage you to experiment and develop this very important skill in seed saving.
Plant Type:
annual (for us, does it die in freezing temps) or a perennial (will it survive harsh, deep cold temps). This also helps in knowing where to plant for its life span. All of our vegetable seeds are annuals, except spinach, which may be overwintered with deep mulch. Our herb and flower seed varieties are a mix of annual and perennials.
Average Seed Life:
addresses how long seeds are viable when kept in ideal conditions of a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. There are always exception to the rule, but germination rates takes a severe drop with time and not ideal storage conditions.