About Seeds and Other Products
How many seeds in a pound, for those vegetable seeds that are sold by weight? This varies with different items. Please see each species page for weight to seed count conversion.
What is pelleted (Pltd.) seed? Some seed is offered in this convenient, easy to see and space, pelleted form. An inert material on each seed builds the seed size up, ensuring easier handling. Pelleted seed helps smooth your production operations and we urge you to give our selection a try!
What are the differences between treated seed and untreated seed?
- Treated seed has been treated in an appropriate manner to protect them from specific seed or soil-borne diseases and thus improve their performance for you. The treatment may be hot water, chemical or biological, depending on the pathogen involved. Such treatment is applied under controlled conditions, in a commonly recognized fashion at the manufacturer's recommended rate when appropriate.
- Untreated seed is offered in a clean, untreated condition. They should only be planted when soil conditions are ideal and quick germination can be realized to establish a successful field population. Some species are only offered as untreated seed such as lettuce, most herbs, gourds and endive.
How many seeds does it take to plant an acre? You can calculate your population per acre by taking 6,272,640 (number of square inches in an acre) and dividing by the number of inches between the rows (36), then dividing again by the number of inches within the row (9). 6,272,640 ÷ 36 = 174,240 and 174,240 ÷ 9 = 19,360 seeds per acre
Why do some varieties become back ordered or out of stock? Just as you have to work with nature in producing a crop of vegetables or flowers, our seed suppliers have to work with nature to produce a crop of viable seeds. Sometimes there's just not enough seed from a given crop to meet the demand. Harris sells only seeds that meet the highest criteria. We place multiple orders for seed throughout the growing year. At times you may have to wait for a fresh seed crop to be harvested before we can provide the seed to you. Sometimes there is an unprecedented demand for varieties that address disease or climactic conditions. In those cases, demand may simply exceed supply. Our suggestion for ensuring that you receive the varieties that you prefer: order as soon as possible after you receive our catalogs.
Why has Harris Seeds stopped carrying my favorite variety (vegetable or flower)? Unfortunately, each year our suppliers discontinue producing varieties that have been staples with our customers for many years. Breeding programs are producing new products at an unbelievable rate now and many older varieties are being replaced by the newer ones. Please call anytime you no longer see a favorite variety listed. We will be happy to recommend a suitable substitute.