Microgreens Seed Buying Guide, 2021 USA & Canada

Buying the right seeds isn’t really optional (more on why in my seed selection article here). It’s such a critical thing to get right, because it sets the direction of everything you do after.

If you buy low quality seeds, that were’t stored properly, or aren’t meant for microgreens or sprouts (have fungicides, pesticides, or other coatings on them) you can get poor crops, or even worse get sick.

Here are the main factors/my checklist that I took into consideration choosing the seed suppliers you find below.

• Germination rates, higher quality suppliers will test each lot of seed and make sure they sprout
• Labelling: more information is usually a good sign. Look for lot number, germination rate, organic certifications, harvest date
• Established: they’ve been up and running for a while. They’ve had time to sort out the kinds, they know what to do when they get bad seed in (they don’t sell it). They also usually have better return policies, can offer more support (more staff and expertise in the company), and better selection.
• Scale: a seed supplier that moves a lot of seed, usually has fresher seed.
• Safe for human consumption: you can find high quality seeds online for cheaper, but are they stored in pest and bird proof containers? Are they tested for pathogens like Salmonella, E. Coli and fungi? These are all critical for microgreen seeds.
• Selection: It’s nice to find one or two suppliers and stick with them. A large selection

Buying Seeds Online in the USA

In the USA there are a lot of really great options, people have built great seed companies over the years and in general you’ll have a great buying and growing experience. These are the companies that really stood out for me in terms of consistency, selection, customer service (and meeting my selection checklist above):

The Best Overall: True Leaf Market

True Leaf Market has been selling seeds since 1974. It specializes in selling microgreen seeds and supplies, non-GMO seeds, wheatgrass, and sprouting equipment.

They’re independent from the mainstream conglomerate seed suppliers, and have outstanding customer service, transparency, and high quality product.

My only problem with True Leaf Market is that their product is so premium that they sell out from time to time. But when that happens, they do an excellent job of communicating. They’re really quik to update the website, and they even put a feature into their website to notify you when seeds are available again.

You won’t go wrong with True Leaf Market, they’re as solid as it gets.

My Number Two Choice: Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Let’s clear one thing up, it’s a really close number two. Johnny’s Selected Seeds has been around for a long time, and tick all the boxes.

While you can expect their seeds to be excellent, I have noticed that their customer service wasn’t 100% last time I had to reach out. But: everyone has a bad day once in a while. The company, quality control, and product are solid.

Buying Seeds Online in Canada

Canada has a surprisingly good selection of microgreens seeds available online. While a lot of American seed companies do ship to Canada normally, they’ve suspended international shipping in the wake of COVID-19 trade restrictions.

It might have caused some issues for you as a microgreen grower, but it’s a great opportunity to support local! We have some incredible Canadian options.

The Best Overall

Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds

Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds knows microgreens from start to finish. They’ve selected their seed varieties specifically to germinate evenly and sprout into microgreens as evenly as possible. This has a huge impact on how easy they are to grow, and it’s nice to know they’re specializing to this degree.

I’ve found their shipping to be snappy, and never had an unpleasant phone call with their customer support. I haven’t had to return any product I’ve ever bought from Mumm’s, so that’s a huge plus.

I might just be getting lucky, or more likely they have microgreen seed quality control down to a science.

My number Two Choice

West Coast Seeds

West Coast Seeds has really great distribution across Canada is local gardening, greenhouse, and specialty shops.

These guys use an independent third party lab to verify their seeds, they’re non GMO, certified Organic and have excellent tracking and lot numbers. If you call in with your lot number (or ask on the phone when you’re ordering), they can pull up the testing dates, and germination rates for exactly the seeds you’ll be receiving.

Looking for other supplies and equipment?

If you’re looking for good quality microgreens supplies and equipment, I have other pages like this one recommending tools, supplies and equipment based on whether you’re a beginner or commercial operation. Check out my recommended supplies and equipment here.