Wondering where you can buy plant seeds online this year? Check out this list of my favourite Canadian seed companies.
If you’re trying to figure out where to order plant seeds online in Canada, I’ve got you covered! Scroll down to see the full list of Canadian seed companies.
Even though there’s snow on the ground, it’s time to start thinking about what you want to plant in your garden this year!
Whether you’re container gardening on a balcony, or have a full garden bed at your disposal, ordering your seeds early will set you up for success later in the season.
By ordering your seeds online now, you’ll have access to more varieties before they sell out. Plus, you’ll be able to get a jump-start on the growing season.
I used to buy all of my seeds at work (which was a big box store that had a designated garden centre). But when COVID hit last year, we ran into an issue where seeds couldn’t be sold during the province-wide lockdown.
We had so many customers who were frustrated because they couldn’t buy their seeds in-store and honestly, I had no idea where you could buy seeds online.
But this year, I’m ready! I’ve found a whole bunch of Canadian companies that sell plant seeds and gardening supplies online.
This year I’ve ordered my seeds from Veseys and West Coast Seeds. When the orders arrive, I’ll update this post to let you know how my orders turned out!
In the meantime, I hope you find this list useful!
Six Tips for Buying Seeds Online
Before we dive into the list, here are a few things that you should keep in mind when shopping for seeds online.
- Make a Plan: Seeds catalogues and websites are designed to encourage you to spend your money. Don’t get caught up in the pretty pictures – make a plan so you know exactly what you need to buy! This is especially important if you’re container gardening and have limited space.
- Pay Attention to Hardiness Zones: This is less important when buying annuals, as they are unlikely to survive year-to-year. But if you’re shopping for perennial plants, or edible plants that are supposed to come back after winter, you’ll want to make sure that the plant is suitable for your hardiness zone. If you’re not sure which zone you’re in, click here to find your Canadian hardiness zone or click here to find your American zone if you’re in the United States.
- Find Out How Many Seeds You’re Getting Per Plant: Seeds are best used the year you buy them (the vendors at my garden centre job would throw out any seeds that didn’t sell at the end of the growing season), and their ability to grow can diminish if they’re not stored properly. So you don’t want to buy too many seeds or too many of a similar kind if you can’t use them up or share them. This can be tricky, as not all websites list the number of seeds that are being sold at each price point. For example, one company may list red beets as 100 seeds for $4.25, while another may just list a “packet” for the same price, or give you the weight in grams. If you’re not sure what’s being offered, reach out to the company to find out.
- Buy Plants to Suit Your Growing Area: If you’re container gardening, look for varieties that are good for containers. These are usually compact varieties, but read the descriptions to be sure.
- Look for Easy to Grow Varieties: This is especially important if you’re new to gardening, as your plants will have a better chance of surviving. Most seed suppliers will list which varieties of each plant are easy to grow and are resistant to diseases.
- Only Buy What You Want to Grow/Eat: This seems obvious, but again, those catalogues and websites can be enticing! Think about how much care the plants will need, and how much time you want to invest in your garden before you overcommit yourself. You want this process to be enjoyable – not stressful.
Canadian Seed Companies That Offer Online Shopping
Here’s a list of the Canadian seed companies that I’m familiar with. I’ve so far placed online orders from Veseys and West Coast Seeds, and I’ll update this post as I try new companies.
Veseys
This PEI-based company is a popular option for seeds, bulbs & perennials, fruits & berries, herbs, as well as other garden tools and accessories. You can order a catalogue by using the link before. They’ve already sent me two catalogues in the mail (one had a code for free shipping!) and their website is easy to use. I just placed my order from them today, and they had all of the items I wanted in stock. They have an excellent variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers to choose from.
West Coast Seeds
This company is located in Delta, BC. They are known for their certified organic, heirloom, and open-pollinated vegetable, herb, & flower seeds. Out of all of catalogues that I’ve received so far, West Coast Seeds has the nicest one. It’s full of gardening tips and charts to help you grow everything successfully. Their website is also very user-firneldy. I don’t see an area on their website to order their catalogue right now, but you can try reaching out to their customer service to request one. I have ordered seeds from this company and will let you know how that turns out.
William Dam Seeds
William Dam Seeds is a family run company located just outside of Dundas, Ontario. They supply Canadian farmers and gardeners with vegetable, herb, flower, and greencrop seeds.
Stems Flower Farm
Stems Flower Farm is a family-owned flower farm just outside of Cookstown, Ontario. Their online seed shop offers over one thousand different flower and vegetable seed varieties, and this year they are adding an additional 150 varieties of vegetable seeds to their already broad assortment.
Ontario Seed Company Ltd.
OSC Seeds is one of the largest Canadian-owned and operated seed packet company. They offer a full line of products including over 30 herbs, 250 vgetables, 240 annuals and 100 perennials and biennials suitable for Canada’s various climates. I had a list of things that I had planned to purchase from this website, however, they seem to have a limit to the number of orders they can accept each day. If you want to purchase from this website, be sure to place your order early in the day to avoid disappointment.
McKenzie Seeds
This is another popular seed brand and one that I’ve used quite a bit since we sold these when I worked at the garden centre. McKenzie Seeds carries a selection of flower and vegetable seeds, and they are all non-GMO. You can see a photo of their sow-easy coated seeds at the top of this post. This brand is located in Brandon, Manitoba.
Do you know of another great Canadian company that lets you buy seeds online? Let me know in the comments below!
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