Seed Packets - all the info you need for successful growing!
January evenings in our home typically involve some large graph paper, multiple colors of pens, two or three garden books sprawled open, and google. Information is glorious but it can be conflicting and overwhelming. One google search for when to start a tomato seed will yield a lot of results and range anywhere to “when the soil warms” to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. This can be really hard to navigate as a new gardener. I have found the best, most consistent, and more applicable information to be on the seed packet.
Every seed company is a little different but the information on the seed packet is going to be specific to that variety (not all tomatoes are created equal) and will give you the basic info you need to know in order to plant, maintain, and harvest from that plant.
Seed packets are akin to food labels, it seems no one really reads them anymore and if they do, they aren’t sure what they’re reading. There’s a lot of jargon that I often take for granted - hardiness zone, hardening, direct sow, transplant, maturity, annual, biennial, and that’s just on the seed packet! Let’s decode some of this info so you can get growing with confidence this season!
When to Plant
Most seed packets will give you information on when to plant. Sometimes there’s a map that is color coded and shows you a general month or time of year to plant based on your geographic location. Other times it will tell you when to plant based on your average frost date. You can look up your frost dates here! Most of this info will focus on planting outdoors, so keep that in mind if you want to start seeds indoors.
Seed packets may also indicate if a plant is cold hardy, meaning it can withstand cooler temperatures. This is super helpful when planning a fall or winter garden. You’ll want to plant cold hardy plants if you live in cooler zones for a fall or winter garden even if you have row covers or cold frames.
Where to Plant
Seed packets will tell you how much sun the plant needs to thrive. Full sun is typically over 6 hours per day of direct sun. Partial sun is between 3-6 hours, and shade is less than 3 hours of direct sun per day. This info has come in handy for me when trying to find plants for shadier areas of our property. It also helps when companion planting since some larger plants, like tomatoes may shade smaller plants like lettuce.
When to Harvest/Planning for Succession Planting
Days to maturity is a common tidbit of info that can be found on seed packets. This info can be used in a lot of ways!
You can figure out the length of your season (last spring frost to first fall frost) and compare that to the days to maturity on seed packets. This can help you determine which plants you may want to start indoors, which you can plant multiple successions of, and which you may not have enough time to grow at all.
Type of Seed/Plant
Seed packets will be marked with information that tells you what type of seed it is (open-pollinated, hybrid, organic, heirloom, etc. - read more on our seed ordering and organization post!). This info is helpful if you plan to save your seeds. It’s recommended to save open-pollinated seeds (which can also be organic and always includes heirlooms) since they will be genetically true to their parents (as long as they’re self-pollinated) so you know what to expect when you plant the seed.
Seed packets will also tell you if a plant will be annual or perennial in your zone. Growing zones are mostly beneficial to think about in terms of perennial plants since zones indicate the coldest temperatures you can expect. You can look up your zone (and coldest temps) here. If a plant is a perennial in your zone it will theoretically be able to survive a typical winter (and the coldest temperatures) where you live.
Side note: growing zones do not indicate the length of your growing season, high temperatures, or even rainfall in your area. I am in growing zone 6, the same as some desert areas in Nevada where the temperatures are so extreme and the growing season is only 90 days (ours is 160+). When planning a vegetable or annual garden it’s important to think about your own specific climate as opposed to following zone-based advice!
How to Grow
A lot of seed packets have super helpful information that will increase germination and yield. There’s often pointers on the type of soil that’s best, type of fertilizer or amendments, and even pruning tips. If your seed packet doesn’t have this info you can check the company’s website. For example, I buy most of my seeds from Fruition or MIGardener and both have a TON of resources for gardening, harvesting, and even seed saving.
