Suppliers Field Growing Demand For Seeds From Pandemic Gardeners

Enlarge this image

Seed companies are seeing historic levels of demand this year from home gardeners and commercial farmers, and they’re having a hard time keeping up.

Fedco Seeds

hide caption

toggle caption

Fedco Seeds

Life Kit
This Is A Good Time To Start A Garden. Here’s How

Last year, nurseries and seed companies reported historic levels of demand for their products. So far, this year is no different.

«The closest before COVID hit was during Y2K, and Y2K was this little blip compared to this, says Nikos Kavanya, a purchaser for Fedco Seeds based in Maine.

Since the pandemic started, they typically reach their daily order limit within 10 minutes.

«It feels to me like the gold rush, you know, and everybody’s at the starting line and the gun goes off and [boom], she says.

To keep up with demand, Fedco has hired more customer service representatives, increased the number of daily worker shifts and had to source seeds from additional suppliers. All this amid a pandemic, with employees mostly working from home and less room in the factory to account for social distancing.

But, a seed shortage? Kavanya says no.

«It’s not so much the shortage of seed, but it’s that we don’t have the staffing to ramp up that quickly, especially in COVID, she says.

Enlarge this image

Steve Larimore wants to triple the size of his garden this year near Bend, Ore. But he’s having a hard time acquiring all the seeds he needs.

Steve Larimore

hide caption

toggle caption

Steve Larimore

The Coronavirus Crisis
Pandemic Gardens Satisfy A Hunger For More Than Just Good Tomatoes

«We are now figuring out that that 50,000-square-foot warehouse is not big enough, McFarland says. «We’re looking to expand again already before we even have that one up and running.

While there’s currently no threat of an overall seed shortage, the run on seeds is causing shortages of certain produce varieties. And that’s causing problems for commercial farmers, who carefully plan their yearly crop based on specific factors, like climate, irrigation needs, harvest timing and yield.

Hans Bishop is in charge of seed acquisition for PrairiErth Farm located in central Illinois. This year, he says his job has been «riddled with challenges at every corner.

Bishop has had to make some adjustments to his usual order, including buying different kinds of onions.

«We don’t know how these different varieties are going to perform, he says. «If we’re trying something new, we’re just going to have to wait and see if it performs the same or better or worse than … the varieties that we have grown to trust over the years.

Next year, he says he’ll try to get in ahead of the home gardeners when ordering his seeds.

Steve Larimore, the Oregon gardener, says next year he’s aiming to avoid the mayhem altogether by saving seeds from this year’s garden.

«That definitely saves you a lot of money, he says. «And then you’ve got some bartering stock.