Seed catalog season is fun, but it can also be overwhelming. If you’ve ever ordered way more seed than you can possibly plant, chosen a variety that just did not perform in your climate, or gotten confused by all the codes, abbreviations, and marketing language this episode is for you.
Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to talk about how to read a seed catalog.
We’ll cover:
1. Why seed catalogs are tools, not just wish books
2. The key pieces of information in a catalog listing (and what they actually mean)
3. Days to maturity, and why that number is not as simple as it looks
... and more
By the end, you’ll be able to flip through a catalog and quickly decide, “Yes, this variety makes sense for my garden” or “Nope, that’s just clever marketing” and make a wish list that can actually be fulfilled.
Let’s dig in.
Resources:
1. Washington State University Extension. Tips to Making Strategic Vegetable Seed Selections (EM057E), 2025: https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/wp-extension/uploads/sites/2073/2025/01/Vegetable-Seed-Selection.pdf
2. Oregon State University Extension. “How to Read Seed Packets Before You Buy.”: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/how-read-seed-packets-you-buy
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