Why Buy Seeds Online?
It's getting around to the time of year when I order my seeds, so I thought it might be useful to explain why I like buying seeds online.
Years ago, when I was first getting into gardening, I typically bought seeds in one of two ways. The first was to go to the garden center around the same time that things needed to be planted - such that I would buy tomatoes and peppers in late March; spinach, lettuce and other greens in late April; and everything else in late May. The other was to go to the garden center in March and and buy everything I thought I might need for the whole season - then go back a few more times in May and June for things I forgot to buy in March. Over time, I gradually shifted to buying almost everything online, because I think it is a better way to buy seeds. Here are all the reasons I have found that to be the case.
Needs, not wants
My process for buying seeds is that I go to an online store, click on the “vegetables” option, then I go from A to Z, like a kid in a candy store, making a list of everything I want. After I make the list, I then take a map of my garden, and decide where to plant everything. If I can’t find a space for something, I have to remove it, or something else off the list. It is a somewhat tedious exercise, but when I am done, I have my garden all planned out (making planting season so much easier), and I know that everything I have bought will get used.
Take your time
The act of travelling to a store and physically being there tends to have the effect of compelling one to buy something. By contrast, when browsing online, there is no long drive or bus ride; no pressure; and no need to commit to anything on any given day. One has time to think things over. I can make a few decisions in the morning, a few more in the evening, then a few more the next day - and it may take a week or more to decide on everything that will go in the “cart”. This works so much better than poorly planned impulse shopping.
Better selection
Imagine a store that sells almost every type seed that can be bought. That store is the internet. There is almost nothing that can’t be found if one looks hard enough. This level of access to variety can dramatically improve one’s success as a gardener, because cultivars matter. Some things grow better than others in a given growing environment. With the incredible variety that can be found online, gardeners can experiment year after year to find better varieties that grow well and taste great.
More information
In a garden center one always has the option to ask the staff for help - but garden center staff are not always experts. Sometimes they are just people who work at garden centers, and they don’t know much more than what it says on the seed packages, and have almost no experience at all. They might be people who need a job, or teenagers who live down the road. Or, maybe they know a lot about flowers - but nothing about how to grow vegetables. Or maybe they are just salespeople, and their main job is to sell things to customers. To anyone with years of experience, it is painfully obvious when someone is giving advice, but has no idea what they are talking about - and I've had this experience many times in garden centers. I’m not saying that all garden center employees are useless - but it never ceases to amaze me when I hear someone give really bad advice with complete confidence based on zero experience.
The best advice I can give anyone is to become your own expert by reading all the information you can find about the things that you want to grow in your garden. The great thing about shopping online is that, at any point in time, you can stop what you are doing, research anything, and take all the time you need to do it. If I am considering some new type of tomato, or a particular apple tree cultivar, or a perennial herb - I can read multiple articles about them, and compare reviews, and really think it through before spending money and committing a gardening season to that decision.
Better visuals
Garden is highly visual activity. When shopping at a garden center, the only image you can get for a particular variety of plant is the tiny picture on the seed package - and sometimes the image is just a drawing! If you ask someone working there for more information - they might bring up an image on their phone, or maybe they will go on a computer and show you the first few hits they get on a google search - but when you are shopping online - you can look at dozens or hundreds of images from range of sources, and get a really good sense of the product. This makes a huge difference for the decision-making process.
Final Thoughts
Some people like the annual ritual of going to the garden center. Some people like the social aspect of engaging with the staff and other gardeners. Some people like the tactile aspect of handling the seed packages. Some people like walking the isles, and putting things in a shopping basket (shopping therapy is still a thing right?) Some people just like the smell of all the plants and the soil and water and mist (I must confess I do like that part). And many people just do not like the idea of using their credit cards on the internet.
I get it. Buying online is not for everyone. I only really started doing it about 10 years ago - but I have to say that I never went back after doing it once - to the extent that I even buy trees and other perennials online now. I suppose mail order options have been available for years - but for some reason this option never appealed to me. For some reason, it is combination of the visual nature of shopping online; the access to additional information from multiple sources; and the the utter convenience of being able to do it any time of the day, that really appeals to my sensibilities. It’s also the case that I no longer have to organize an entire Saturday around a trip to the garden center just to buy seeds. If you have never given it a try - maybe give buying seeds online a shot this year. You can still go to the garden center and get your fix - and maybe I’ll see you there!
FREE SHIPPING FROM VESEYS SEEDS!
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Just for a little added value - here is what I intend to order from Veseys Seeds this year (of course I am still thinking about it):
Very practical and helpful And I like your list Greg. Maybe you could comment on using seeds from what you have grown. Like you, I have been at this a long time so have learned some lessons. Also comments on changes resulting from the climate crisis which has gone from glacial speed to breakneck speed
I love buying seeds online as well. I guess I prefer being at home versus in a store, so I can pour over the seed options with as much time as I want, sketching out and dreaming about what I want. Plus, then I can seperate out my immediate buy options, and future wish lists.