As I am prepping for early planting in my seed trays, I am distressed to discover the shortage of seed availability. I logged online to my normal suppliers to fill in holes in my seed stock and look for new varieties only to discover many companies are out of seeds, are only selling to large growers, or are taking limited orders, especially from small conventional farmers. Many tried and true vegetables are unavailable. Now, while I do experiment with new species every season, I do rely on the proven varieties I have grown in past seasons. I normally have seeds left from one year to the next, but try to keep a rotating stock to allow for good germination and experimentation. It is a basic fact that the older the seed the lower the germination, in my experience. Upon researching this problem, it ties back to the issues of the previous year with COVID-19.
Many producers had closings and limited productions as a result of the pandemic. With everything that’s happened over the past year, we came to expect limited supply in many things: toilet tissue, meat, disinfectant wipes, Lysol, antibac, and paper towels. I never really gave consideration to there being a limited supply of seeds. I do in some limited cases harvest seed and save for the next planting, like zinnias, marigolds, and amaranth. Many things – especially flowers – readily produce seeds that are viable. Some vegetables are not as easy to harvest seeds from. I have always considered it beneficial to blend in new seeds to produce stronger plants for cross-pollination. I will be doing some research into seed harvest to curtail this problem in the future. I never would have believed I’d have a hard time finding seeds for my garden. The world has definitely changed……but here I grow again….new varieties in the works!