Q : What payment methods do you accept?
A : Please refer yourself to the Shipping and Warranty page.
Q : When will I receive my order?
A : Please refer yourself to the Shipping and Warranty page.
Q: In what type of packaging are the seeds shipped?
A : Our seeds are mainly packaged in flexible unbleached kraft paper, which can easily be recycled. In some instances, when the seeds are very small, we place them in small glassine envelopes to make handling easier. Orders are then sent through Canada Post in white paper envelopes or stuffed recyclable kraft envelopes. Only the biggest orders and some of our more fragile tubers are sent in envelopes padded with (plastic) bubble wrap.
Q : I’m missing half of my order, what is going on?
A : Sometimes, when orders are too big, we have to ship them in two or three separate envelopes. Even though the envelopes are sent on the same day to the same address, they sometimes get separated and sent with a delay at the Canada Post sorting center. To know if this is the case with your order, please check if something along the lines of 1/2 or 2/2 is written on your envelope. If it’s the case, the rest of your order should arrive shortly. If not, please contact us.
Q : I live outside of Canada, what can I order?
A : All our seeds can be sent around the world, but tubers (Apios, Chinese artichokes), bulbs (Ste-Anne shallots, Catawissa onions) and roots (horseradish) cannot be sent out of Canada.
Q : Which carrier do you use?
A : We only use Canada Post for shipping. We can therefore not accommodate special requests in regards to delivery. You will receive your order with your daily mail.
Q : Are my seeds going to freeze during shipping?
A : There is no risk in exposing dried seeds to the cold. However, tubers (Chinese artichokes, apios) and bulbs (Ste-Anne shallots, Catawissa onions) might be damaged from freezing temperature. That’s why these products are only sold at specific times of the year.
Products
Q : Are your seeds organic?
A : Our seeds are not certified organic. For a small business like ours, we consider that obtaining an organic certification is an expensive and restrictive process. However, all our products are grown ecologically. We do not use any synthetic or chemical input (no pesticide nor chemical fertilizer), and our compost is certified organic.
Q : Where do your seeds come from?
A : Initially, we got our seeds from passionate gardeners, people who have kept seeds bred by their family over several generations, the Canadian Seed bank and the Seeds of Diversity Catalogue. We have carried on our selection over several years and now almost all our seeds are grown on our farm. However, if a crop fails one year or if we run out of stock, we order from other seed farms to be able to offer an interesting selection to chose from.
Q : How many seeds are there per packet?
A : The amount of seeds per packet is written on each envelope and on the description page of each variety. We fill each packet by hand and, although we try our best to be as precise as possible, it is difficult to get an exact quantity each time. That’s why we write an approximate quantity (ex. : Around 100 seeds) on the packets.
Q : For how long can I keep the seeds?
A : The lifespan of a seed varies from one variety to the next. Many reference charts are available online, for example this one (in French): https://jardinierparesseux.com/2017/02/11/mes-semences-sont-elles-encore-bonnes/
Q : What is a germination rate?
A : The germination rate is assessed with a germination test, which tells us the seeds’ ability to germinate. For example, if we test 100 tomato seeds and 80 of them germinate, the germination rate will be 80%. We carry germination test every year for every variety before putting them up for sale. Some seeds have a naturally low germination rate or will need a special treatment in order to germinate, notably perennials. In these cases, it’s best to sow a large quantity of seeds to obtain a good result. All the information on this matter will be written on the envelope and the description page of the variety.
Q : What’s the best way to store my seeds?
A : The best way to keep your seeds for the longest time possible is to store them in an airtight glass container in a cool place sheltered from the light. You don’t need to freeze the seeds. If you wish to keep the seeds in the fridge, it’s important to avoid any condensation in the container. Adding a silica gel packet can help with that.
Cultivation
Q : Is it too late to sow?
A : We write the best sowing time on every packet as well as on the description page of every variety on the website. It’s important to keep in mindthat some seeds need to be sown early indoors because their growth cycle is too long for our season length. Also keep in mind that most vegetable crops are annuals, which mean they will not make it through Quebec winter.
If you see a small house with a date underneath on the envelope, you must start the seeds indoors before transplanting them outside. Tomatoes, bell and hot peppers, eggplants, groundcherries and most fruit vegetables should be started this way. If you sow these seeds directly outside, the fruits won’t have time to reach maturity before the first fall frost.
The shovel symbol on the packet tells you the best time to plant outside in the garden. If there is both a house and a shovel symbols, the house tells you when the sow the seeds indoors, and the shovel tells you when to transplant them outside.
Some perennial plants require a dormancy period at low temperatures before germinating, which can play on germination rates. If there is a snowflake symbol on the envelope, it means that the seeds need cold stratification. To do so, sow the seeds in a container filled with moist soil or sand and place it in the fridge for at least two or three weeks. Make sure the substrate remains humid for the whole period. This step must be completed before starting the seedlings indoors or sowing the seeds outside. To skip this step, you can also sow your seeds directly outside the previous fall so that they spend the winter outside.
Q : I live in a colder region, what can I grow?
A : The climate map of Quebec is divided into hardiness zones. These zones are mainly used to know the lowest temperatures in different regions to identify which plants are hardy where (meaning, where will they survive winter). What’s of most interest to the gardener however isn’t necessarily the lowest temperature during the winter, but the time between the last frost in the spring and the first frost in the fall. This gap, which can be slightly lengthened for crops that can withstand light frosts, represents the growing seasons for that region. A map showing the different climate zones in Quebec and highlighting the growing season length can be found at Agro Météo.
As an example, Montreal’s growing season lasts between 161 to 173 days, while Alma’s last between 109 and 121 days. A short growing season doesn’t necessarily mean to give up on tomatoes and cucumbers, but rather that a careful planning is necessary to obtain a bountiful harvest in a short time lapse. You can find the key information for this planning on the seed packet: the days to maturity.
The days to maturity are written on the packet under the vegetable symbol. However, the interpretation of this number depends on how to seeds are sown. In the previous question, we introduced the symbols for indoors sowing (house) and outdoor transplanting (shovel). In the case of seedlings started indoors, the days to maturity start when the seedling is transplanted outside. For varieties that are sown directly outside, the days to maturity start as soon as the seed is sown outside.
Q : How many seeds should I sow?
A : The quantity of seeds you need to sow depends on the amount of plants you want as well as the germination rate of this specific variety. The lower the germination rate, the more you need to sow. It’s an option to sow more than necessary and then, when the seedlings are a few centimeters tall, to only keep the amount necessary. This will allow you to chose to most vigorous seedlings and discard the odd ones. This step is called thinning. It is also possible to sow more than one seed (3 to 5) in the same hole. This technique is called multisowing. You dig the holes at the recommended spacing for the variety and, once the seedlings are tall enough, choose the best one and carefully remove the others. This way, you are certain of having at least one seed that germinate for each hole with optimal spacing.
Q : Why won’t my seeds germinate?
A : First of all, you must make sure that your seeds are still viable, meaning that they are not too old to germinate. A seed’s lifespan varies depending on the variety and the storage conditions. See : For how long can I keep the seeds?
To germinate, seeds require a constant and high humidity rate. A transparent plastic dome will make germination easier and faster by maintaining this humidity. The ideal temperature for the germination of most seeds is between 19 and 24 °C. Heat mats can be very handy to help maintain these temperatures. If not available, lamps can also do a good job. Lastly, some perennials require cold stratification (a period in a cold and moist environment) in order to germinate properly. You can refer yourself to the snowflake symbol explanation.
Of course, all this information is provided in detail on the description page of each product.