A much needed expense…

In the early 1900s, the Harris Seeds set the standard by being first company in America to test seeds for acceptable germination and print the results on every package of seed sold. This quality control practice has been part of our business for over 100 years.

Typically, every lot of seed that comes through our door will have a sample drawn and it is sent to our germination lab for testing. Thousands of these quality control tests are conducted on various seed lots every year.

Fifty or 100 seeds are counted out and placed on a moistened blotter and stored in air tight plastic containers, or in specific germination chambers. Either light or darkness is required for proper germination. After a specific amount of time, germination counts begin. After the final count on any of the tests, a percent for germination is established. Weak seedlings are not considered in the final count.

There are two standards in the country for acceptable germination. Federal standards for acceptable germination were created some time ago, and all seed companies must comply with these regulations. Harris Seeds standards for acceptable germination have always much higher than the federal standards, as we believe it is essential for providing a high quality product.

In the event that a seed lot does not meet our standard for acceptable germination, the lot will get rejected and returned to the supplier for replacement.