Never thought I would write that.. but this year I have seen peaple asking questions like

I am on a budget? Where can I get the most reasonable priced seeds?

I am looking at getting a bulk seed kit?

I am getting seed from the dollar store 3 packs for a dollar

I am deeply saddened to see replies that I feel are off-putting to the honest questions being asked..

When I was a child at the age of 8 years old, I got my first garden seed bucket.. it was a pink bucket with a adorable strawberry shortcake type little girl with flowers and a watering can. In that bucket kit was flower seeds for my own little flower bed and basic seeds for my own little garden inside my mom’s big (acre plus) garden..

I had pea’s, beans, beets and so on.. that garden kit in a bucket with the most basic seeds, helped create the passion I have for my gardens.. I would dance with excitement for a number of years after that looking for my bucket of seeds..

Yet this week I have been sad to see so many peaple come down on seed buckets/kits like they are a) new b) bad.. o my gosh, how dare you buy from a company that put together a kit of basic seeds for a basic garden.

Now I would like to say that its just a intense dislike of the fact that they said the words “amazon” in regards to the kit, but its beyond that.. I mean I have seen them get just as worked up by the garden kits offered by solid company’s.. Big company’s that have bulk seeds and are looking at zones.. I have seen many of them offering a basic garden kit and yet the Seed Snobs are fully out there saying .. No

The kind gardeners are explaining in ways that matter.. a solid example of a kind and thoughtful answer could be

Grow what you eat.. no point in having hundreds of a kind of plant you and your family will not eat that came in a kit.

Watch your garden zoning in terms of the kit.. fair point

But the seed snobs are focused solidly on buying small, buying local and yes I am sad to say.. they are the seed version of keeping up with the jones..

It started about 10ish years ago when we had a huge push for open pollinate heritage seed saving, and what a wonderful thing that is! O my gosh, Seedy Saturdays are amazing and awesome!

But like so many good things its gone to far for some.. It used to be about buying good seed..

This past while on different homestead groups, garden groups and so on..

Its like they are trying to out do themselves.

I only buy from a local small company..

Well I only buy from a family owned small company

Well, I only buy from a this does not even have a website, came down from grandma, pay 5 dollars a package for 10 seeds of this special seed saved for X gens on this Y land.

I do not buy seeds at all, I only use my local seed saving libary..

O my gosh peaple.. Stop it! Do NOT become a Seed Snob!

Be proud of being a seed saver, Bless you

Be proud of being a plant grower, Bless you

Be proud to grow heritage seeds, Bless you

Be proud of Supporting small seed houses-Bless you

but its about growing food! The child that pulls a fresh raddish out of the ground does not care if that seed came from a dollar store package of seed, from a tiny seed grower, from the mid size grower or from the biggest 100 plus year old seed house in your state or province..

If it not been sprayed, if its not been owned gene wise by a company if its not a GMO and you can grow it in clean soil, with clean water and save its seed.. then its all eqaul across the board..

I know that you can buy all kind of “different raddishes” and that is awesome and its worth it to try new colors, flavours and so on..

However in todays world, in this pandemic its more important to put food on the table and in the belly for many peaple in the most economic way possable.. that means for a lot of peaple, the good old red radish is that can be picked up for a fraction of the cost of the fancy new green/white one is not just good enough.. its perfect..

The good news is that most old time gardeners are kind sharing souls.. we are so happy to reach into our seed collections and gift out seeds.. the plants give so freely.. one saved perfect tomato can gift us dozens of saved seeds and we remember that plant that grew just a bit fast/bigger with the amazing fruit with the texture and color and o the flavour.. and we want to share and save.

It seems to be the newer garden folks that are on a learning curve, and I am glad they are on the path.. but no.. I hate to break it to you, the goal is not to pay the most for the smallest, biggest, most different, oldest and so on..

The goal is fresh food, healthy soil, time spent with nature, learning to work with the season’s, learning about a plants life cycle, harvesting and using it to create lovely melas that nurish our minds and body’s

Like so many things this past year, everyone has more time on their hands and are online so much more and they want to feel that they are HEARD and I get that.. I do..

Whenever possable.. please be kind, be thoughtful, expand your mind just a little and remember that not everyone right now has extra money to spend, please do not make them feel bad when they seek to find ways to grow food within their means.