Our seeds
We have roots in both Sweden and the Netherlands. This shapes our entire way of thinking about growing.
Most of our customers are based in the Nordic region and Northern Europe. That’s why it’s crucial to us that the varieties we sell can handle Nordic climates. Everything we offer is selected with shorter summers, cooler temperatures, and changing weather in mind.
We trial-grow what we sell in zone 3 in Sweden, roughly at the latitude of Stockholm. There, we evaluate taste, appearance, and vigour, but also resistance to disease and how the variety actually performs in a Nordic climate. If something doesn’t meet our standards all the way through, it simply doesn’t make it into our range.
A carefully considered selection
Our seeds are grown in many places around the world. We are constantly looking for growers who share our values: respect for the soil, nature, and biodiversity. Wherever possible, we prefer regenerative methods, minimal or no use of pesticides, and organic or ecological fertilizers that support the microbial life in the soil.
At the same time, we have great respect for the challenges growers face: weather, disease, economics, and harvests that must be secured. Growing is complex. That’s why we want to be a long-term partner rather than someone who sets demands, working together to find solutions that function in practice.
The seed as something shared
To us, it’s important that seeds are democratized and made accessible to everyone. We want to inspire more people to start growing and discover the joy, pride, and calm that gardening can bring. Seeds should not be something exclusive or out of reach, but something that is shared, saved, and passed on between people.
We see seeds as a shared resource, almost like a human right. At the same time, we fully respect that dedicated and skilled breeders can create varieties with unique qualities and should also be rewarded for their work. To us, this is not a contradiction. There is room for both.
Gardening is something positive. It is joyful, creative, and inclusive. It is for everyone.
Flowers, vegetables, and genetic diversity
Many of our flower varieties are so-called F1 hybrids. This means they have been developed through controlled cross-breeding to achieve specific traits, such as color, shape, and long vase life. This is especially important when it comes to cut flowers.
When it comes to vegetables, a large part of our range consists of open-pollinated heirloom varieties. These include Swedish, German, and Dutch varieties that have been grown and refined over a long period of time. We like the mix of the well-proven and the newly discovered, always with the same basic requirement: that the variety performs well in Nordic conditions.
There are also F1 varieties among our vegetables. In those cases, the focus has often been on improved disease resistance, better drought tolerance, or specific flavor characteristics, such as extra sweetness in tomatoes. We don’t see F1 hybrids as something negative simply because humans have influenced their development. In the right context, they can be something truly fantastic.
However, it’s good to know that seeds from F1 varieties cannot be saved for the next season with the same results. They rarely produce the exact same variety again.
Why we choose open-pollinated varieties
Most of our vegetable varieties are open-pollinated, meaning they reproduce through natural pollination via wind, insects, or self-pollination. These varieties are excellent for saving your own seeds and growing them again the following season.
We choose them because:
- They suit home growers who want to become more self-sufficient
- They are often more adaptable to local conditions over time
- They help preserve older varieties and genetic diversity
- They are commonly used in organic farming and traditional seed growing
Organic whenever possible
Part of our range is organically certified. This means the crops have been grown without chemical pesticides and only with approved organic fertilizers, and that the land has been farmed organically for several years. The certification is verified by an independent third party that reviews both cultivation and procedures.
Other varieties are grown according to the same principles but without formal certification. In these cases, we can guarantee that no pesticides have been used, but since they have not been reviewed by a third party, we do not label them as organic. To us, transparency matters more than labels.
All of our seeds are, of course, non-GMO.
A growing network
Our products come from a large network of growers around the world. We are always open to new partnerships, especially in Sweden.
If you are curious about growing seeds and supplying us, even if it’s your first time, you are warmly welcome to get in touch. We will guide you through the entire process, from planning and cultivation to harvesting, cleaning, and drying the seeds. For us, it’s about relationships, not just raw materials.
Feel free to email us at hello@floreagarden.com.