Garden and Orchard

20 Warning Signs You’re a Seed Junkie

Seed Junkie pin
seeds

Are You a Seed Junkie?

Gardeners love seeds…of course, we do! But sometimes our seed collections can get a little bit out of hand, am I right? If you spend more money on seeds than you save on food with your garden you just might be a seed junkie!

So, what is a seed junkie anyway? First of all, I made up this term and I don’t think you’ll find it in Webster’s dictionary. However, here’s my definition…

Warning signs your a seed junkie...save the vintage seed packets as artwork!

Seed Junkie

(noun) A person who hoards or accumulates an unusually large number of seeds that they are unable to plant in a timely manner, ie. more seeds than they can plant before germination rates are negatively affected. Someone who is addicted to purchasing plant seeds.

Are you, or your family, concerned that you might be a seed junkie? Let’s find out if you need help!

My seed collection...no, I'm not a seed junkie!
No…I’m not a seed junkie…ahem.

Recognizing the Signs of Seed Addiction

The first step in recovering from an addiction to buying seed packets is recognizing that you have a problem.

If you answer ‘yes’ to 3 or more of the following questions, you just might be a seed junkie.

20 Warning Signs that You are Addicted to Seeds:

  1. You have more seed packets than you will ever be able to plant.
  2. Organizing your collection reveals that you have several packets of each variety … and you can’t plant an entire pack in a year.
  3. You just fainted at the thought of organizing your collection!
  4. You purchase seeds because the package is pretty or will look nice with your other packets, or because maybe you’ll increase the size of the garden this year.
  5. There are seed packets in your collection dating back to your Y2K preps.
  6. You can’t bear to give or throw away packages of seeds, because someday you’ll plant them.
  7. You dream about seed catalogs and wake up ranting that you ‘need a bigger garden!’
  8. You’ve ever run to the mailbox in your pajamas in December in anticipation of seed catalogs. You slip into a funk for the rest of the day when they don’t arrive.
  9. You begin purchasing seeds for next year before this year’s garden is put to rest.
  10. There are numerous drool spots in your seed catalogs and the pages are all wrinkled.
  11. The zombie apocalypse seems like a perfectly rational reason for buying extra seeds.
  12. Your family is considering an intervention and seed giveaway.
  13. People start giving you seed packets for holidays and your birthday because they don’t know what else to give you.
  14. You’ve ever lost a pet in your seed collection … and you still haven’t found it.
  15. The extra fridge in your basement has been overrun by seed packets.
  16. You forget your kids’ birthdays and give them seed packets in place of toys.
  17. You insist you can stop buying seeds anytime. (After this one last order.)
  18. Your spouse hides the seed catalogs, credit card, and checkbook starting around Thanksgiving.
  19. You hear the term ‘Seed Money’ and don’t realize they’re talking about a business start-up fund.
  20. You need to build a climate-controlled addition on your house to contain your seed collection.

Recovering Seed Junkie Tips

So you’ve taken the test and realize you need help. Join the club! Here are some tips to help you get through seed withdrawal:

  • Send all of your seeds to me…I’m here to help 😉
  • Cancel your subscriptions to seed catalogs through the mail & online
  • Test the germination rates and throw away seeds that don’t pass
  • Organize remaining seed packets and use them up this season (okay, in the next 2 years)
  • Empty and frame vintage seed packages so you can still enjoy them!
  • Learn to save heirloom seeds and reduce future purchases
  • Take all old seeds and plant them in a nursery bed in spring
  • Start a seed/garden journal to track how many packets you really need
  • Add up the cost of seed packets you throw away (for an incentive)

You too can learn to purchase only the seeds that you need each year and store them properly. Check out my article How to Make a Survival Seed Bank for more information on proper storage methods for best germination, which seeds last best, and ideas for keeping your seeds fresh!

Use up some of those seeds (so you can buy more!)…How to Start Seedlings Indoors

Are you a seed junkie? Are you recovering from a seed addiction? Do you know of any 12 step programs I can join? Leave a comment!

20 Warning Signs You are a Seed Junkie...and tips for getting help!
by The Self Sufficient HomeAcre

This article is a fun-loving look at those of us who collect too many seeds… it is not intended to make light of serious addiction issues. If you have an addiction problem, please seek help.

32 Comments on “20 Warning Signs You’re a Seed Junkie

  1. I just received another order yesterday and my husband took a picture of it all splayed out on the counter. I think he’s planning an intervention. I’m kind of turning into gollum about it….my precious.

    1. That’s funny! I’ve been downsizing a bit on my seed orders this year, but I can completely understand!

  2. I was in the hospital last March and my kids thought they’d help me out by cleaning my house before I got home. They threw away ALL my seeds. I was devastated. I’m making up for it with all my orders this year.

  3. also guilty, let me know if you ever hear of a 12 step program … I have a feeling that if I don’t find one for myself my family will

    … I intend to plant everything I have, eventually, but every year the collection grows and I’m running out of room to plant things … keep making more containers, grow beds, etc. … maybe if I plant one of each thing I’ll have room? ..haha ..might be time to think about getting an acreage of my own 🙂

    1. Hi Lynne,
      Well step one would be to admit that you have a problem…I haven’t made it through step one yet! 😉

      Oh, and getting a bigger place means you buy even more seeds! Trust me, I know!

  4. Hi Kaye,
    Here’s how I cope and make it much worse. 🙂
    Have a seed party on one of those cold, dreary days in mid-January and invite all of your seed junkie friends to come over and bring their new seed catalogs for coffee and something warm from the oven.

    1. Lol! Hey, you could make that a ‘buying club’ arrangement. If several people want to try a new variety, you could order it together and split the packet! 😉

  5. I don’t fit all the qualifications, mainly because there’s no off-season, but I do get excited when I get my seeds in the mail, and I have MANY more seeds than I could ever plant, and I DREAM of having more space to plant to use them, and I DID get really carried away with tomato seeds this year and have over 100 seedlings, hahahaha, even though I only have room for MAYBE 15 plants. 🙂 Great post, thanks!

    1. Hi Kaye,
      Oh gosh…sounds like me! But no matter how much space I have, I always plant more than I have room for! “Really honey, I’m going to give some to friends!”

  6. 21. You see the display in the picture at the top of this post and wish you had it at your house.
    22. You actually planted some of those seeds from the Nixon administration…checked yesterday and a couple have sprouted!

  7. My wife will save the seeds from any piece of fruit she ate that she enjoyed even if its tropical and unable to grow it in our climate.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.