The COVID Gardening Renaissance Depends on Seeds—if You Can Find Them
Demand for seeds is sky high once again. Many say that signals a longer-term shift towards growing food at home.
By Lisa Held
Civil Eats
February 22, 2021
Excerpt:
Seed ordering among home gardeners generally peaks in February and March, Mueller said, and as that moment sets in, companies that cater to gardeners are hustling to keep up with volumes that are double, triple, and in some cases five times as high as typical years prior.
While demand is extremely high, five popular companies all told Civil Eats they did not anticipate seed shortages. But many are having to adjust their processes to handle the rush, causing alarm among customers. For example, some companies are turning off online ordering to allow time to restock. And Johnny’s Seed Company, a Maine-based seller that is the go-to source for many small-scale vegetable farmers, is limiting sales to gardeners to prioritize commercial producers. Additionally, shipping is delayed all over, due to both demand and a slowdown at the U.S. Postal Service.
Despite the chaos, many say the seed scramble—combined with an increased interest in saving and sharing seeds—are evidence of an American vegetable garden renaissance, ushered in by the food and health scares of the pandemic.
“Judging by the volume of interest we’re seeing now, it does make me feel like maybe it wasn’t a temporary response,’” Mueller said. “There might be social change [happening].”
