We do not offer any GMO based seed products and all of our stock originates from open pollinated plants.
We steer clear of companies such as Monsanto.
The vast majority of our products are heirloom, aside from a couple of hybrid varieties.
Please do not confuse hybrids with GMO's.
On all orders of $20 or more.
All orders under $20 will ship for a flat rate of $2.85.
Just use the coupon code NEW30 at checkout.
Terms: This coupon can expire at anytime and can only be used once, with your first order.
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May 09, 2019
My plants don't look healthy. I've given them plenty of fertilizer, but it's not helping! If all you ate was fresh, wild-caught Copper River salmon, how do you think you'd feel after a couple months? Salmon is delicious, and it contains essential nutrients to keep us healthy, but it doesn't fit all our needs. Just as people do, plants need a variety of nutrients for healthy growth and disease resistance.
You don't have to have a degree in earth sciences to find out what minerals and nutrients your soil needs (your friends here at Seed Needs would be screwed if that were the case). All you need is a decent soil testing kit, a nearby garden supplier, and a couple bottles of wine.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the primary building blocks for plant health, and most plant foods will have some combination of the three. All soil nutrients work best when incorporated into the soil well before planting time, but timely applications balanced for specific growth and production stages can boost plant health.
By the way...Chlorosis is a condition that describes yellow leaves with green veins, sometimes with brown leaf edges (scorch). Chlorosis appears in this post about as many times as "the," but that's better than writing "yellow leaves with green veins, sometimes with brown leaf edges" a gazillion times.
This is the plant's primary "food" source and the key component for photosynthesis. It's also essential to creating plant proteins. Nitrogen doesn't just directly benefit plants—it also sustains the living ecosystems in soil and compost.
Plants need phosphorus to grow healthy root systems, but later on, they need it in greater quantities to produce flowers and set fruit. Phosphorus helps convert other nutrients into usable form, and it's essential for cell division and plant growth.
Also called "potash". Vibrantly-colored, flavorful fruit and veggies need lots of potassium. It's essential for the plant's ability to regulate and distribute moisture, sugar, starches, and nutrients, and aids in carbon dioxide uptake. Potassium boosts disease-resistance, promotes cell wall growth, and helps plants over winter and withstand drought. It also promotes enzyme production and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), essential to plant growth. Want delicious, gorgeous produce? You need plenty of "Special K."
As they say in Hollywood, there are no small roles. These are the "secondary" soil nutrients that enhance plant growth, health, and production. Some stick around in the soil for a long time, while others might become depleted in a season or two. Either way, your soil only needs micro-nutrients in very small quantities and if you're adjusting their levels with store-bought additives, be sure not to over-do it. We recommend contacting your local agricultural extension office for the most accurate soil profiles and advice if you're troubleshooting nutrient issues at the micro level.
If all you're feeding is NPK-heavy plant food, it could tip the scales against these valuable minerals. Most of the following affect a plant's ability to absorb and "digest" nutrients from the air or soil, largely through enzyme production and cell health. Deficiencies share most of the same symptoms, which is why you'll probably get a different diagnosis for yellowed leaves if you survey different gardening sites...or weekend-warrior gardeners.
Just because something sounds organic doesn't mean it is. Some livestock hay and concentrated rations—including alfalfa pellets and meal—contain aminopyralid herbicides that pass through the animal's digestive system and into the manure. You can easily find organic alfalfa pellets, but if you're raiding a stable or farm's "free manure" pile, you'll sound like a choosy beggar if you ask, "Hey, do you feed your animals 100% organic fodder?" Most horse, cattle, sheep, rabbits, and goat owners won't even know, because they probably outsource their hay anyplace they can...and due to invasive noxious weeds, the "best" hay comes from routinely-sprayed fields.
Have you ever heard of straw bale gardening? We have a couple of customers whose gardens spectacularly failed because they purchased straw cut from herbicide-laden grain crops. Chicken manure often contains nest and floor litter straw, and horse owners use straw in stall bedding.
Cotton is one of the highest-input crops, and cottonseed meal may have residual pesticides and herbicides. So might soybean meal.
If you can make your own compost and monitor what goes into it, you're far better off. We also suggest you check with your local 4-H clubs or FFA chapters to connect with (and support!) young livestock keepers who use organic feed. They may even talk you into buying some chickens, goats, and bunnies so you can have your own backyard poop factory.
Just like with soil, compost can suffer from nutrient imbalances—especially if you only use it to dispose of lawn clippings and dead leaves. If you have a composting system at home, feed it with as wide a variety of greens and browns (nitrogen and carbon materials) as possible. If you're going the store-bought or landscape supply route, mix at least two types or brands of compost before digging it into the soil.
Your soil and compost quality affects your garden produce's nutritional value and flavor. That's at least half the battle. When you plant heirloom seeds bred for quality rather than for shippability and shelf life, and grow them in microbe-rich, well-balanced beds, you can count harvesting backyard garden produce with the absolute best taste, texture, vitamins, and minerals.
We wish we could ship you bags of fertilizer and soil amendments, but our focus is sourcing and selling open-pollinated seeds from healthy parent stock. We're a small family operation, and hey... Mom wouldn't be too cool with having stacks of steer manure in the living room, and a certain member of the family is on "a list" and can't have access to large quantities of certain bomb-making ingredients. (Kidding! But now we're on a list for writing that!)
Do you have before-and-after garden photos? Want to tell us how you've improvised with your garden nutrients? Contact us! We'd love to hear from you, whether you want to share your successes, ask for help, or offer feedback. You can even give us crap if you have a problem with your order, and we'll work hard to make things right.September 19, 2019
September 12, 2019
September 05, 2019
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Seed Packet Favors are the perfect gift for any event! They are most popularly used in weddings, bridal showers, memorials and baby showers, but are also utilized as a promotional handout with businesses, fundraisers and charity events.
Seed Needs offers stock packets to choose from, as well as customized packets. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, then check out our blank seed envelopes section.
Blog Content coming Soon. Sorry Folks!
Blog Content coming Soon. Sorry Folks!
Blog Content coming Soon. Sorry Folks!
Blog Content coming Soon. Sorry Folks!
Blog Content coming Soon. Sorry Folks!
Blog Content coming Soon. Sorry Folks!
- Seed Needs LLC is a small, family owned and operated seed shop that is committed to providing all of it’s customers with the highest quality seed products on the market.
- The owner (James) started selling seeds at just 15 years of age. He has continued to grow the business over the past several years and happily works with his family.
- Seed Needs LLC is located in the mitten state of Michigan, and operates out of a single office space, that is less than 3,000 square feet. But don’t let the size of our office fool you, because we send out hundreds of thousands of seed packets to happy customers every year.
- All of our seeds are kept in optimal conditions that are free of moisture and are exposed to virtually no sunlight. Our facility is temperature controlled, which means our inventory stays fresh year round.
- Through the continued success of our business we are able to generously donate to 25 kids all over the world who are in need of basic necessities, such as food, clean drinking water and medical attention. We are blessed to be able to sponsor these children through organizations such as Childfund.org and Compassion International.
Thank you for allowing us to serve you for years to come!
Question: Are your seeds heirloom?
Answer: In short yes, a vast majority of the plant varieties we carry are heirloom. Heirlooms are varieties that have been passed down for generations.
Question: Are your seeds GMO?
Answer: No, we promise to never knowingly carry or supply any GMO based seed products and steer clear of seed producers from major GMO companies, such as Monsanto.
Question: Are your seeds Organic?
Answer: No, at this time we do not sell organic seeds.
Question: What is the difference between a hybrid variety and a GMO based seed product.
Answer: Hybrids are a NATURAL process of cross pollinating two species, thus producing a first generation hybrid (F1.) For example: Mixing a red, double blooming, single stem sunflower, with a yellow, multi branching sunflower might result in a orange-red, double blooming, multibranching plant.
GMO based seed products are a completely different and unatural process of gene splicing in a laboratory. The process entails the introduction of a separate biological kingdom, such as a bacteria, or a pesticide. This bacteria or pesticide is then eaten directly by the consumer when the crops reach maturity. (BAD NEWS)
Question: Do the packages have sowing instructions on them?
Answer: Yes, all of our seed packets have detailed sowing information on the reverse side as well as a QR code that leads to the original product page here on our website.
Question: Why is there no expiration date on your seed packages?
Answer: Our seeds are contained within a temperature controlled facility in airtight containers. When we ship our seed products to customers, we fill a small portion of packets that sell on a weekly basis. We do not print an expiration date on the packets since the large majority of seeds technically do not expire for long periods of time, IF they are stored in the proper conditions. If you plan to store or save your seeds for the following year, we suggest placing them in a ziplock bag, later storing them in a dark, cool and dry area of the home.
Question: Can I receive a catalog in the mail?
Answer: At this time, we are focused on remaining solely online. We do not send paper catalogs in an effort to save more trees, as well as keep our prices low.
Question: I did not receive an invoice for my order.
Answer: We do not send paper invoices with our orders since the invoice can be viewed online with your Seed Needs account. You will also receive an invoice / order confirmation through email.
Question: What if my seeds don't grow?
Answer: If you experience any problems with our seed products, contact us within 180 days of your purchase date for a resolution.
Question: Can you ship these seeds overseas?
Answer: At this time we only ship within the United States and Canada.
Question: How long will shipping take?
Answer: This can sometimes depend on the size of your order, however 95% of our orders will ship within 24 to 48 hours. All orders ship First Class by default and can take 2 - 5 business days to arrive. Orders placed on a Friday may not ship until the following Monday.
If the Questions & Answers displayed here do not prove helpful, please contact us for additional assistance.
We normally respond within 12 to 24 hours after your email has been received.