Why We've Switched to Generic Packaging

By Jordan Freytag

We've received many questions about our new packaging and what it means for our seeds. Rest assured, our seeds are the same high quality seeds that we've been providing for decades. In short, our new packages help up to stock inventory and to ship your orders out to you at a fast rate.

In order to offer such a wide variety of heirloom seeds at the lowest prices, the majority of our paper packets do not have variety-specific photos. Please visit our website for photographs and detailed planting instructions. By shifting to generic packaging for many of these varieties, we are able to quickly fulfill orders. Due to increased seed demand resulting from the pandemic, many companies in the industry have been forced to stop taking orders for extended periods of time. Our move to generic packaging enables us to continuously sell seeds and ship them quickly.

Due to seasonality and socio-environmental factors, different seeds are available at different times. We print information on our packages immediately before filling them with fresh seed. In this way, we avoid wasting paper when certain seeds become unavailable.

Our Labels on our generic packaging clearly state what seed is in the package and whether it is organic or a hybrid. If it does not state on the packaging if it is a hybrid, it is an heirloom. We have chosen the not state that directly on the label since the majority of the seeds we carry are indeed heirlooms, and to state that repeatedly on the labels would be redundant and take up space where more valuable information is placed.

There is no officially accepted definition of “heirloom”. In common use, the term is most universally used to indicate an open pollinated seed which has remained consistent for several decades. In our product line, we use the term Heirloom for open pollenated strains with which we have had experience for 30 or more of our 43 years in the seed business. Some people claim heirloom seeds are the “original” variety of a plant, but that’s not necessarily true. If you trace a plant’s genetics back far enough you will find that these now heirloom varieties likely came from an intentional or lucky crossing of two different plants. Read our Seed Type Guide, to learn more about heirlooms, hybrids, and more.