Check Out the 2026 Member Seed Exchange
It's a whole new year, and the gardening season starts with seed catalogues. Canadians are fortunate to have over 100 garden seed companies to choose from, but one of the most interesting ways to find new seeds is to discover what home-grown seed savers have to offer.
Our Member Seed Exchange is Canada's largest gardener-to-gardener seed network, where members offer more than 3300 different kinds of seeds from their own gardens. Vegetables, flowers, herbs, grains, fruit, and some plants you've never heard of. It's a great way to get truly home-grown seeds, and the diversity is second to none.
It's free to join, so if you haven't renewed your membership for 2026, do it now and get your password to activate the full seed exchange.
Memberships normally expire each December 31. Check the box on the right-hand side of your e-bulletin to see your current membership status.
Renewal is free! We just want to keep our mailing list fresh, and make sure that our current members are still active and engaged.
Thanks to all of you for your support!
Find a Seedy Saturday or Seedy Sunday near you!
Seed events are happening in communities all across Canada. Check our list to find where and when you can enjoy the fun, learning, and seeds offered by gardeners near you!
This year there are over 170 Seedy Saturday/Sunday gardening events across Canada, and you should visit one near you. These low-cost events are full of gardening advice, speakers, connections with friendly gardeners, and of course - seeds! Local seed vendors, community seed libraries, and backyard seed savers are the backbone of these events, and they will help you find the perfect, locally-grown seeds for your garden this year.
Where to Buy Canadian Seeds!
Did you know that most of the vegetable seeds sold at big stores, and retailed by large seed companies, are produced in other countries, particularly the U.S.?
Check the labels and look for Canadian-produced seeds. Canada has lots of great home-grown seeds, and we'll help you find them!
Use our Canadian Seed Finder
It makes sense that seeds produced near you will grow better than seeds produced in a different climate. That's why we've listed all the vegetable seeds available from 120 Canadian seed companies, and made it easy for you to filter them by region. You can even search for certified organic seeds, and bulk quantities.
You have to check the details on each company's web site to find out which seeds are produced in Canada, but if they're home-grown the companies usually make a point of saying so.
While you're browsing the Seed Finder, look for varieties that are only available from one or two companies. Those are the important ones to save, and we encourage you to take the "Save One Rare Variety" challenge!
Join Our Community Seed Growouts 2026
Every year, we invite our members to participate in seed saving projects for beginners and experts.
If you're new to saving seeds, or you have a few years of experience, we invite you to join the Community Seed Grow-out projects below. These are aimed toward gardeners with good experience growing plants, enough space for proper seed-saving isolation, and an enthusiasm for multiplying seeds for next year's projects and for sharing with other gardeners in your community next year.
If you have lots of experience saving seeds, we especially need your help with our Core Seed Library grow-outs (please scroll to the bottom).
Reserve your seeds by March 7 !
Dwarf Tomatoes : They Aren't as Small as You Think
When most gardeners see "dwarf tomato" in a seed listing, they naturally think of small plants with small tomatoes. You might have seen those miniature plants sold in small pots, in full-bloom with tiny fruit - a treat for a windowsill but not a real source of food. But we're here to convince you to take another look.
Dwarf tomatoes just have short plants. They have a wide range of flavours, colours, and - surprise - a full range of fruit sizes: some up to half a kilogram!
Stop GMO vegetable seeds being sold in Canada
From now on, 2026 will be the year that we will say genetically-modified (GM) vegetable seeds became a real issue in Canada. For decades, we've had GM field crops like corn, soybeans, and canola, but we've always been able to trust that our vegetable seeds were non-GMO. That's because regulations prevented them, or the seed companies themselves only wanted to focus on large-scale agricultural crops that they could control through anti-seed-saving measures.
This year, genetically modified tomato seeds are for sale to gardeners here. More alarming, they can breed true seeds, so anyone can multiply them.
More Highlights from Last Year's Community Seed Grow-outs
Every year, we invite gardeners across Canada to participate in seed saving projects that support conservation and sharing. Those who are new to saving seeds, or who have a few years of experience, are invited to get involved in Community Seed Grow-out (CGO) projects. These are aimed toward gardeners with good experience growing plants, enough space for proper seed-saving isolation, and an enthusiasm for multiplying seeds for next year's projects and for sharing with other gardeners in their communities.
Last fall, member Stephen March told his story of growing the Petitbec tomato as part of the 2025 CGO. We received a few other highlights from growers which we are delighted to share with you now. Take a look!
If this article has inspired you to join this year's projects, registration is open now for 2026!
In this issue
Join Our Community Seed Growouts 2026
Dwarf Tomatoes : They Aren't as Small as You Think
Stop GMO vegetable seeds being sold in Canada
More Highlights from Last Year's Community Seed Grow-outs
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