Seed catalogs and nursery catalogs provide a wealth of information that can greatly increase productivity in the vegetable garden and the fruit orchard. At first glance, catalogs may look like collections of pretty pictures but don’t be fooled. Once you know how much crucial growing information they contain, seed catalogs look more like reference books—reference books you can take outdoors with you and even drop in the mud.
Seed companies and nurseries take pride in their annual catalogs and each catalog has a personality that reflects the company’s heritage, specialties and customer service. Technology and tastes may change, but a collection of antique seed catalogs shows that some companies have endured for a century or more. Generations of experience go into producing garden catalogs, so read them carefully and follow their advice.
Think of seed and nursery catalogs as garden tools. They can be every bit as important as shovels and watering cans.
What Growing Information Is In Seed Catalogs?
Here are eight pieces of basic information that can be found in most seed catalogs.
1. Names: Along with the plant’s common name, the seed catalog will list the botanical (Latin) name. When you compare plants or seeds from various sources, using the botanical name will ensure you’re getting accurate information, as some plants may have multiple common names or multiple plants may share the same common name.
2. When To Plant: Not all seeds are planted in spring or summer, and the correct planting date makes a tremendous difference in the success of your crop. Some seeds only germinate in the warm soil of summer or early fall, while others only germinate in the cool soil of early spring or late fall.
3. How Deep To Plant: Like the time of year you plant, depth of planting matters greatly. Lettuce seeds, for example, must be sown practically on the surface of the soil or they won’t germinate, while garlic cloves and seed potatoes are planted several inches deep for best results. Catalogs take away the guesswork.
4. Spacing: There’s no need to over-plant—it wastes seeds and money. Instead, use catalogs to determine how close together to plant seeds or starts. Likewise, many seedlings must be thinned early in the growing process to allow maturing plants the space they need.
5. Germination Rate: Radish seeds are famous for germinating within a few days of planting, while crops like carrots and parsley seem to take ages to emerge from the ground. Knowing the germination time can help you plan your garden layout so that fast-growing crops lie within easy reach and slower-growing plants can occupy back portions of the garden.
6. Days To Maturity: Here’s one of the most important bits of information you need for garden planning and proper harvest. Catalogs list reliable harvest times, which can range from a mere 20 days to 120 days or more. Knowing days to maturity can also help you make succession plantings so that you have crops ready to harvest over a long period rather than too many all at once.
7. Seeds Per Packet or Ounce: Another planning aid, seeds per packet, combined with the length of rows in your garden, can tell you how many packets you will need. Some companies list seeds per ounce instead. Either way, do the math and save money by buying the right quantity.
8. Heirloom, Organic or Non-GMO Designation: Many gardeners like to know how their seeds have been produced, so look to catalogs for current designations.
Seven Helpful Seed Catalog Features
Below are seven features of seed or nursery catalogs that can be helpful for garden planning.
1. Photographs or Illustrations: How nice to see what your garden plants will look like at maturity, from beans to greens, and from turnips to tomatillos. Nursery stock for fruit trees, fruiting vines and bramble fruits can add long-term beauty to the landscape.
2. Shipping Times: Some crops are only shipped in spring or fall and must be planted promptly. Catalogs will inform you about special ordering and delivery times so you can have beds prepared.
3. Seed Viability: In some cases, seeds can retain their viability—the ability to germinate—for many years, but sometimes seed viability lasts only a year.
4. Frost Tolerance: For gardeners everywhere, it’s helpful to know if plants can tolerate sub-freezing weather and still keep producing. Northern gardeners may need to plant during a narrow window of time, while southern gardeners may be able to plant for year-round harvest.
4. Companion Plantings: Catalogs often sell seeds for flowers that do well alongside your herbs and vegetables. Double your pleasure by enjoying crops and ornamentals together.
5. Accessories and Books: Many seed and nursery suppliers sell their favorite garden tools, soil supplements and books.
6. Planting Guides: A particularly helpful feature is a complete planting guide that lists planting times and all other relevant information in a table or chart.
Know Seed Catalog Lingo
There’s a wealth of information in a good seed catalog, but there can be a lot of short-hand and confusing terminology, too. Here are three sets of terms that are good to know.
1. Open-pollinated (OP) and Hybrid (F1) Seeds
Open-pollinated varieties are necessary for saving seeds, tend to mature over a longer harvest window and are often cheaper. Hybrids (often called F1, for first filial generation) tend to mature into a very consistent, uniform crop, might show better vigor than OP varieties, are more expensive and cannot reliably be used for seed saving.
Some seeds are usually open-pollinated, like beans and lettuce, and some are more frequently hybrid, like cauliflower. Some, like tomatoes and corn, can be found in both open-pollinated and F1 versions. If your goal is to save seeds, you’ll want to stick with open-pollinated seeds. Otherwise, pick whichever seed best suits your needs. I tend to pick hybrid seeds for more finicky crops, such as cauliflower and Brussels sprouts; otherwise, I prefer the price point of open-pollinated seeds.
2. Heirloom
Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated varieties that have been saved over multiple generations and aren’t used in large-scale commercial cultivation. There isn’t a consistent standard for how old a seed variety must be to be labeled an heirloom, but gardeners generally disqualify varieties introduced after World War II.
Heirlooms have proven their worth by being extremely hardy, tasty or reliable in someone’s backyard for a very long time. But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything for your farm or garden. Seed adaptation is local. The romantic history of an heirloom can be captivating, but unless your garden can provide conditions similar to those to which the heirloom is adapted, the variety might fail to live up to its full potential.
Gardeners particularly interested in helping preserve seed diversity will find their best selection in heirlooms.
3. AAS Winner
All-America Selections, an independent nonprofit gardening organization, tests new plant varieties and recognizes the superior performers. Past winners include Honey Bear squash (an adorable acorn), Siam Queen Thai basil, the now ubiquitous Bright Lights Swiss chard and (way back in 1937) Bloomsdale spinach, a variety that’s still a garden and farm favorite. An AAS Winner variety in your seed catalog is likely to perform well.
Go for Built-in Disease Resistance
Various blights and fungal diseases can ruin your harvest, and prevention is typically easier than attempting cures. Stack the deck in your favor with varietals that tend to grow healthy and robust. Many vegetable varieties have resistance or tolerance to multiple diseases, and a good seed catalog will list these.
Disease resistance means a certain variety is less likely to be infected by a particular pathogen; tolerance indicates a variety that is less damaged by the disease even if infected. Choose varieties bred to withstand pathogens in your area.
Watch for Keywords
Even the most forthright seed catalog won’t describe a variety as “poor-tasting and hard to germinate.” The catalog writers do want to sell seeds, after all. Read between the lines to discover if a particular variety is right for you. Beware of phrases like “with a little extra effort,” “well worth the extra time” or “harvest promptly for best quality” unless you know that you can provide your crop that extra coddling.
Phrases like “consistently high producer,” “quick, vigorous germination,” “particularly resistant to bolting” or “excellent quality even at larger sizes” indicate varieties that are easier to cultivate and harvest successfully.
Buy Local
Despite your locale, there’s a seed house that’s right for you. In the Maritime Northwest where I live, we need seeds that germinate in cool soil and summer crops that can handle chilly nights. In the South and Southwest, resistance to bolting is an important consideration for greens and Brassicas. Different regions have different gardening challenges, and a seed house that specializes in your region is more likely to sell seed that will thrive and provide information that is relevant for your farm or garden.
A good seed house sells locally adapted seeds, but a great seed house trials them, too. Seed houses that grow their own offerings are able to fairly evaluate the merits of different varieties and provide accurate information, such as days to maturity and flavor development, that more closely reflect what you can expect in your own garden.
This article about seed catalogs was written by Nan K. Chase and Erica Strauss for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
