About Us

History of West Coast Seeds

West Coast Seeds started in 1983 in Vancouver, British Columbia, under the stewardship of Mary Ballon. A nursing instructor at the University of British Columbia, Mary's love of gardening and fervent belief in "Growing Food" locally has helped motivate a generation of organic gardeners on the West Coast and right across Canada. As a regional family seed company, West Coast Seed only sells untreated seeds. We specialize in HEIRLOOM, HERITAGE and CERTIFIED ORGANIC seeds for your organic growing. Over 800 varieties of untreated, non GMO, open pollinated and hybrid seeds for your selection. West Coast Seeds is certified by the Pacific Agriculture Certification Society and our number is 16-205. West Coast Seeds is a Certified Handler of Organic Seed.

Please browse through our website, which is updated regularly with new varieties, trial results and seasonal gowing advice. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Our toll free help line is 1-888-804-8820.

Back Row: Mark, Brian (and Oliver), Maggie, Jeanette, Tina, Corry, and Sharon.
Front Row: Mrs. Sull, Baldev, Rachel, Kristen, and Iliana.

West Coast Seeds Declaration of Principles

West Coast Seeds believes, first and foremost, in the principles of organic growing. Namely, we believe that food and all plants should be grown without the use of synthetic chemicals. We believe that growers are custodians of the land they grow on — however large or small — and that by nourishing the soil through organic gardening techniques like composting and crop rotation, the plants they grow will be more vigorous, and less demanding. We believe that food should be grown in healthy soil.

We believe that a seed is a tool with which individuals and community gardeners can grow food. That is, each seed is merely a component within the broader conceptual approach to organic gardening.

We believe in supplying to our customers the freshest, fattest seed available to us, with the highest rate of germination possible. Our seed is never treated with insecticides, fungicides, or other chemicals, which we believe cause more harm than good. In the rare instance when our seeds are coated for easier handling, the coating will be organic and composed of natural ingredients such as clay, molasses, etc.

West Coast Seeds specifies to every supplier we deal with that genetically modified seeds are not acceptable to us. We believe that genetic modification is fraught with problems, and should not be a component of agriculture or food production on any level. To the best of our knowledge, the seeds we sell are free from genetic modification.

All of the seed products we sell meet the purity specifications of the CFIA and the USDA.
Our seed products are free from all noxious and prohibited weeds.

As part of our commitment to supplying fresh, fat seed with a high rate of germination, we have all our seed lots tested regularly for germination. Seeds that do not meet our high standard of germination, as well as all seeds returned from our retail partners, are donated to charitable organizations in developing countries.
In 2008, we donated over $31,000 worth of viable seed to local food growing projects in Nicaragua, Malawi, Nepal, and Burma.

Finally, we believe in the principles of eating locally produced food whenever possible, in sharing gardening wisdom, and teaching people how to grow food.

Eat local. Grow food. Grow from seed.