Understanding the Heirloom Seed Catalog Icons

"Quantity in Stock":   How many times have you ordered heirloom seeds only to find out when you finally get your seed there is a refund taped to your invoice from the seed company?  Now you don't have the vegetable seed you wanted and it may be too late in the season to get more!  We are gardeners and we understand this frustration.  You never have to worry about in our heirloom seed catalog.  Always look above the price to see how many items are in stock.  If we are sold out of that seed, the system will tell you we are sold out so that you don't ever have to go without your favorite heirloom seeds again!  

( __days)   Days to Harvest:  Before every description of our heirloom seeds you will see an approximation of days to harvest.  This serves as a guide to understanding when this variety may bear fruit or is ready to harvest.  This is only an approximation as many things play a factor like the temperature for example.  

Package Size:  Almost everything we sell has multiple size packets.  Please hit the arrow on the drop down menu to choose the size seed packet you desire. Remember, .99 sample packages are fantastic for a variety on a budget, but do not contain a great deal of seed. 

Sustainably Grown Seed:  Is our seed "organic", is it "biodyanmic" or...______ fill in the blank.  There seems to be many ways for vegetable seed companies to market themselves.  Yes, we sell "biodynamiclly" grown  heirloom seeds, we sell organic seed, but we believe there is something even more important and that is growing in a sustainable way.    You might ask what is sustainable?  Well in our business it means asking the following questions.  Is the seed grower choosing to farm with manures and herbal insecticides or his he farming with  petroleum byproducts in the form of fertilizer and pesticides?  Is the farmer a good steward of the land protecting wildlife from harmful farming practices?   How do they treat their employees?  What does she do to reduce her carbon footprint on her organic farm and business?  How is he meeting his needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs?  You see to us at Sustainable Seed Company there many more things to ask when buying our seeds from local organic farmers. If you see the shovel icon you can rest assured that we feel these heirloom seed growers meet our idea of sustainable practices.    

Seed Package Size:  This icon represents the weight of the vegetable seed package.  Many times we will give an estimation of seeds per unit of measure.  This is just estimation as vegetable seed size may vary from variety to variety.  If heirloom seeds are large or in short supply we may give an actual count.

Dry Farmed Line:  Dry farming is not new.  The Greeks were masters at it.  A very simple explanation means farming without water.  California like the rest of the world is facing some real water shortage challenges.  One of our responses to this is to produce a line of vegetables and grains that perform well under dry farmed conditions.  The seeds you see with this caption were produced under dry farmed conditions.  Very simply put if they didn't survive this type of farming they didn't produce seed.  We are selecting plants that not only survive, but excel under these conditions. 


Bee Friendly!  Any plant with this logo will let you know that it is extra friendly to either wild pollinators or honey bees.  This means the plant may provide pollen, nectar or both to pollinators.  Some plants would be only beneficial if you let them go to seed like broccoli for example, but then you need the bees to make heirloom seeds!  We know, we are beekeepers. 

Root Cellar Storage Ability  We are big homesteaders ourselves and search for varieties that store well.  When you see the bushel icon you will know that this variety will be a good keeper!

Canning   This is for those of you home canners like ourselves.  When you see this symbol you can rest assured this particular variety has performed well in the past as a canning variety. 

Historical/Homesteading Use  This is for all you homesteaders out there.  We try to grow or obtain plants that are not only valuable as food, but have many other uses.  This make also indicate the history of the heirloom seeds use.

Regional Information  Look to this icon to tell you if a particular cultivar will do better in a certain bio-region.


Historic Medicinal Use   Medicinal use provided for education only.  All information and material contained within www.sustainableseedco.com site is strictly for informational and educational purposes only. We make no express or implied warranties, representations or endorsements whatsoever (including without limitation warranties of title, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose) with respect to any products or services that may be referenced, described, or to which our web site may provide a hyperlink to from time to time.

You expressly understand and agree that sustainableseedco.com shall not be liable to you for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, including intangible losses, resulting from: (i) the use or the inability to use our web site, our services, or any services or products of any third party; or (ii) statements or conduct of any third party.

None of the statements on this site are a recommendation as to how to treat any particular disease or health related condition, nor have they been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  Information and advice is based on our own research and experiences. Please consult your physician or other qualified health professional before ingesting plant material of any kind.