Where and how to find seeds or plants during confinement?

The confinement imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus limits our movements to the strict minimum, and obtaining seeds and plants is not essential purchases. But, with spring already on the calendar, bud burst underway and the sun taunting us, how do you prepare the garden for the coming season?

Which shops are still open to find seeds?

Since March 15, 2020, all stores and shops selling “non-essential” products have been closed, including garden centres, seed shops, nurseries, horticulturists, etc. As the markets are also largely canceled or maintained only for the food part, imagining getting supplies from the so-called flower markets is not an option.

The supermarkets will, in this regard, do well since the gardening department is not closed and allows customers to place a few sachets of seeds and sometimes a little more in their shopping cart (particularly potato seedlings, bulbs …).

Internet sales also save gardeners since delivery is still possible, so this is an opportunity to choose from the catalogs of “real” (as opposed to large seed groups) organic seed producers: Kokopelli, Biaugerme, Germinance, Semailles, Graines del païs, Sativa, La bonne graine, La Ferme de Sainte Marthe, etc. Be careful though because, who says delivery, says delivery couriers who take risks, so don’t forget that you have to concentrate orders only on what is really necessary.

Tap into its own seeds

You necessarily have, as a gardener, a basket or a drawer filled with seed packets started: it is perhaps the time to have recourse to this somewhat forgotten reserve. Even if the expiry date has passed, it won’t cost you much to test them to check that your seeds are still good to sow: the germination rate will probably be lower than normal, but it’s a try!

If you are used to harvesting your own seeds from one year to the next, you will think you are the king of the world because you will be able to respect the spring sowing schedule, which may be very difficult for your neighborhood. No doubt many will start making their own seeds in the future!

However, don’t rush too much to the garden, it’s still very cold in places!