Our Answers to Your Questions
Why am I getting an error?!?
The window for sowing grains in the fall is relatively small and we focus our efforts on our fall-planted grains, as a result only cultivars in our 2024 Fall Shipped Grains Collection are available at this time. If you try to order seeds from a different collection you will get an error. Our full seed inventory, including spring planted crops, becomes available early 2025. Our Digital Resources Collection is always available.
Whoa! You are now offering someone else's seeds?!?
Yes, since we first offered seeds December 2017, Great Lakes Staple Seeds has been committed to selling only the seeds from crops we've grown on our southeast Michigan homestead. A significant motivation for this is a firm belief local food security is undermined when the seed sources are outside the bioregion. January 2025 inaugurates the partnership between Great Lakes Staple Seeds and Indiana Seedsman John Sherck, of the recently rekindled Sherck Seeds, who took a sabbatical from seed sales a few years back. John and his original company greatly inspired GLSS' incorporation and development and we are more than excited and honored to help him return to "active duty" status as a staple crop seed specialist. John's seeds are identified by the "Sherck Seeds" (as opposed to "Great Lakes Staple Seeds") under the seed variety name on its product page; they also form the Sherck Seeds Collection. John shares our dedication to ecologically responsible, sustainable cultivation methods. Sherck Seeds always did well for us on our southeast Michigan homestead and we confidently offer them to you as a means to meet your plant-based lifestyle goals.
Why do you seasonally close?
We are truly a family business. Each and every facet of Great Lakes Staple Seeds, from growing the crops for seeds to website maintenance to order fulfillment is accomplished by two people with one of us having a full-time, off-farm job. (It's true we get seeds from John Sherck, but in reality the majority of the "behind-the-add-to-cart" logistics still falls on our southeast Michigan homestead team of two.) Seasonal closures allow us to focus on the important tasks of seed production while maintaining some semblance of sanity. I do list alternative sources for your consideration on our Community page.
You are open after a seasonal closure but your inventory isn't fully updated yet?
Yes, that is probably the case and it stems from society's unfortunate "instant gratification" mindset. Yes, I am fully aware there are companies that are open year-round with their full catalog available 24/7. Those companies typically are larger, with operational teams that consist of more than just two people. "Team Great Lakes Staple Seeds" truly is two people (with the one having a full-time, off-farm job) and a LOT goes on behind the scenes before you can click "add to cart" on a seed listing. Our opening date for our full inventory is chosen in response to the urgency of wanting seeds "now now now!" since other companies are offering their seeds "now" and not because the site is completely updated. I do recognize this is source of frustration if you place an order and discover later there are varieties that are newly added or that have had their inventories updated. It's a balance between expediency and maintaining sanity in a stressful resumption of orders and I mean no inconvenience.
Ugh, why do I need to have an account to place my order?
Sadly yes, you now need an account to place an order and it isn't some nefarious scheme on my part to collect and monetize your personal data, it's because requiring an order to go through an account greatly reduces bot activity. The files in our Digital Resources Collection are free and before I instituted the account requirement bots were spamming these free orders every few hours. Rest assured I never even consider your personal information much past printing your order's shipping label, so I hope you won't hold this change against me.
But I live in [insert warm climate location] and can plant now!
Well, we are GREAT LAKES Staple Seeds for a reason! Perhaps you'd consider starting a seed company for your region. We'll gladly offer our help as mentors as this is how we started. That and as mentioned above, I do list alternative sources for your consideration on our Community page.
So why don't you have outside help?
Well, when people are already upset our prices are "too high", hiring someone would require the addition of a rather large budget item that is not supported by our current cash flow. To maintain any slim sliver of profitability, adding an employee would necessitate higher prices, which isn't a popular idea. What about interns and volunteers you ask? Well, finding reliable, interested, trustworthy agricultural help is way more difficult than imagined.
Wow, your seeds are expensive!
Not really when you consider purchasing a seed pack from Great Lakes Staple Seeds is an investment in your personal future food security. All our seeds are open-pollinated which means with a bit of intention, you can save your own seeds from what you plant and never have to buy that variety from us again. Good sourdough pretzels are my "guilty pleasure"; retailing for at least $4.75 for a one pound bag, they represent a one-time, disposable event; once I've eaten the pretzels, what do I have left but an empty bag. Open-pollinated seeds, whether sourced from us or from other small-scale producers, represent an investment that could last a life-time - after all, what is an heirloom but a variety that was passed from generation to generation.
Why don't you offer larger sized seed packs for your grains?
A significant motivating influence in my selection of cultivars to include in our inventory is biodiversity with the goal of enhancing and expanding the choices available to growers in short-season northern climates. With smaller packet sizes more growers are able to experience these cultivars. Based on our experience, Scott, my "grains department," compiled a table on how to scale up from a small packet with successive plantings, just scroll down this FAQs page.
Why are many of your varieties marked "Unavailable"?
The Great Lakes Staple Seeds inventory represents a partnership of two small-scale seed producers growing every seed we sell, unlike most seed companies which distribute bulk or contract grown seed, in addition to their own grown stock. Our inventory is fixed and available first-come, first served. Once our seed stock is depleted, we are sold out for the season. (Spring planted crops are marked unavailable in the fall as we are focused on our fall-planted grain inventory.) Due to the overwhelming increase in demand for seeds and the popularity of our varieties, our inventory tends to sell out quickly, even before many growers begin garden planning. 2023 saw over 58,000 visitors to my site. Just 1% of those new users placing an order meant over 580 NEW customers ordering my seeds; accommodating that volume in demand is beyond our capacity as a homestead seed company. If you are interested in a variety marked unavailable, please email us for suggestions on a similar variety.
Can I place an order through the mail?
I understand a hesitancy to place on order online; however, you must first contact me if you want to place an order through the mail, as I am not set up to accept orders that don't go through the online payment system.
What happened to all your cool beans?!?
Great Lakes Staple Seeds began literally on a "let's give it a try" whim in late fall of 2017 meaning we only had what we had grown that season to offer as inventory. At that time many of the beans I grew were more because they were pretty and I was interested in developing a pretty bean collection. Since then, and especially in light of the pandemic and now increasing global conflict, my goals have evolved. I am still enthralled by the stories of so many bean varieties and such but my focus has shifted to varieties that are Great Lakes region specific. The recent turmoils reinforce the importance of locally sourced seeds for community and personal food security and I believe it worthwhile to maintain varieties that are connected to our wonderful region. This doesn't mean that I'll never offer the "old" beans again, it just means they are not priority in the grow-out rotation schedule, and are safely tucked away in our mini seed vault until their time again in the gardens arrives.
Do you offer gift certificates?
Unfortunately the behind-the-scenes legal requirements of gift cards are such they present a liability too great for us, preventing us from implementing their issue. Perhaps, though in time this will change and if so we will announce the change on our homepage and on our Facebook page. Regardless, thank you for your interest in our seeds!
Wow, why is your shipping fee is so high?
When you shop at a brick and mortar store, do you expect the store to pay for your gas? Of course not. To remain a viable business, I charge a "shipping" fee. This charge recovers the fixed fees assessed me (postage and electronic payment transaction fees) and covers the cost of the packaging and shipping materials. In most cases the amount charged is not enough to cover all these components. I am not that large a business I can afford to absorb these costs nor do I believe it right to hide "free shipping" through increased packet prices. I promise you in no way do I profit from the "shipping" fee. As an interesting aside - apparently shipping fees were even an issue in 1889!
I live in Hawaii - why can't I place an order?
Unfortunately due to Hawaii: Summaries of Exterior Quarantines I do not ship to Hawaii.
Do you ship to an international address?
If there is no stated restriction against shipping seeds into your country, I am willing to ship. For more information please see International Shipping, Shipping to Canada, or our NO SHIP Country List. Please note I do NOT have an export license or plant health certificates.
Well, why don't you have an export license or the ability to offer a phytosanitary certificate?
We are just too small a company that the ability to meet these requirements is well beyond our budget.
I am ordering for a Michigan tax-exempt organization, what do I need to do?
Please email me with your state tax ID and create an account. I can then mark the account tax-exempt.
Where is your merch?!?
Great Lakes Staple Seeds is a seed company - our "merch" is both our seeds, each lovingly grown in the Michiana area of our Great Lakes Bioregion, and our educational outreach material, including our extensive Digital Resources Collection, to enable your success meeting your plant-based lifestyle goals. At this time we don't feel the need to dilute our focus with additional non-seed inventory.
Seriously?! Where are your "Survival Seed" kits?!
In this unsettled era, it appears increasingly popular to offer these "survival seed" kits but no, I will never offer a survival seed kit. We are all different - from our knowledge and experience level, to our location, to our eating preferences and wants & needs. I honestly believe a "feel-good-but-possibly-impractical one-size-actually-DOESN'T-fit-most" survival seed kit plays on a fear of uncertainty to make a sale. That and I firmly believe the best preparation for a future "survival situation" is active participation NOW in growing your own food. If you are truly looking for varieties to increase your personal food security and want suggestions, please shoot us an email at [Seeds at GreatLakesStapleSeeds dot com] - we'd love to have a conversation on this very relevant topic.
Dude, where's yer Bohdi or Blue Dream?
Dude. Wrong website. Really. Different company.
I am not finding your position statement on < insert social issue here >?***
And you won't. Essential to our existence, seeds are apolitical. Everyone has the right to grow their own food and create their own seed stock. An increasingly polarized society suggests people exercise their right of choice and only support businesses that reflect the agreed upon "correct" position on an issue be it political, social, or religious, rejecting those holding positions deemed "objectionable." So, as this works, the collective "you" get to pass judgement on me for issues totally irrelevant to seeds, their cultivation, and their stewardship; however, should I not then get to refuse sales to those who hold personal positions counter to my own? It'd be fair, right? But how can I know your beliefs? Am I to institute a required questionnaire and screen potential customers? Of course not. Regardless of our personal beliefs, seeds are an integral part of our shared humanity; and no, I will not post position statements, no matter how trendy.
***Okay, so I've since reconsidered - here is an official position statement: Please Donate Blood. Seriously, it is a safe, straightforward, effective procedure that makes a considerable difference to lives, far more positively impactful than changing your social media banner. Throughout my life I've participated in various blood drives but it's only been in the last few years that I've made it a regular event after a loved one needed emergency life-saving blood transfusions. I've even successfully convinced someone with a strong aversion to needles to become a regular donor. So if you want to be a part of something that is truly beneficial, please look into becoming a regular blood donor. For approximately an hour of your time and a pint of your blood every eight weeks or so, you really can be a hero.
What?!? You pack your seeds in plastic zipper bags?!?
Yes, we pack our seeds in 4-mil LDPE zipper bags - intentionally. Why? Several reasons - first it allows you to easily view your seeds without opening the pack. Packs are easy to open, and more importantly easily re-sealed. Plastic offers protection against moisture and bugs. Most importantly the bags are versatile and are re-usable after you've planted the last seed. Along those lines, they enable you to package your own properly dried, saved seeds as you create your personal seed stock.
What?! You don't carry zucchini?!***
No, I currently do not carry zucchini or other summer squashes. (*** ETA: Okay, so I now offer a zucchini. At Scott's request, we've added Costata Romanesco Zucchini, and I admit I am glad we did!) Our focus is on staple crops that extend the nutritional value of our gardens into fall and winter that are stored in the pantry without the need of energy inputs. While it is possible to eat immature winter squash (mentioned in a variety's description if possible), I cannot store a zucchini harvest on the shelf without first canning or dehydrating it. That and I absolutely love winter squash on a blustery Michigan day and have enough trouble as it is deciding which varieties to plant each year in my already limited space. Another biggie for me is that most summer squash belong to the Curcurbita pepo group which is the same group of many my beloved winter squash. If I grew zucchini it would be one more variety of squash I need to hand-pollinate to keep the seeds true to type and my playing bee routine is already pretty full... Please see our Community page for a list of great seed companies that do offer summer squash.
How do you select your varieties?
We grow varieties based on several criteria.
- First they need to grow successfully and produce a sustainable quantity of viable seed with little attention from us within our 145ish frost free days.
- Next they must be good eatin' or serve a useful purpose – why grow something we don't enjoy eating or that isn't useful to us.
- A third criteria is versatility – crops with multiple ways of preparing them maximize use of our garden space. Consideration three and a half is also related to versatility, the variety must preserve well through multiple methods with as minimal energy requirements as possible.
- A fourth important aspect is history or story – is the variety culturally or personally significant, does it have a story to share.
Why so many beans?
Why not? Mother Nature provides us with a diverse and wonderful abundance of beautiful beans that are not only easy to grow but are flavorful, nutritious, versatile and easy to preserve / store. Also, it is important to us that we do our part to preserve open-pollinated varieties at a time where the large corporate seed companies are dropping them in favor of hybrids and patented varieties. And don't forget the captivating stories! So many beans are associated with people and places from our past and yet they allow us a common connection with the present and future. So please, explore & enjoy these fabulous Fabaceae!
Why do you include Latin names?
Latin names tell us to which groups a plant belongs. Knowing how a plant is grouped helps us harvest seeds that are "pure" or true to type. Mixed Cornfield Bean and Kurzer's Calico Traveler Lima both belong to the bean family. Both are in the large genus group Phaseolus but they are in smaller, different species groups. Kurzer's is in the lunatus species and Mixed Cornfield is in the vulgaris species. Because the beans do not share the same species, they will not cross-pollinate. If they are the only two beans we grow, the seeds we harvest in the fall are "pure".
How do you keep all your varieties from crossing?
The key to keeping plants from crossing is knowing their species. If plants do not share the same species, we don't have to worry about cross-pollination. Some species we only grow one variety a season. Others we can grow many varieties if we use different commonly accepted methods for commercial seed production, alone or in combination, such as isolation by distance, barrier crops, isolation by maturity dates, hand-pollination, or use of blossom-bags. While we do actively plan and work to reduce cross-pollination events, Mother Nature may have other plans. We regularly practice techniques central to stewarding a variety by identifying and roguing out plants that do not meet varietal traits. Please see the Seed Saving page for more information.
You are a seed company, why do you want us to save our own seeds?
Honestly, simply, the best seeds for your garden come from your garden. Saving the seeds from your garden fosters self-reliance and sustainability as each season seeds adapt to the micro-climate that is your garden. That and humans have been saving and sharing seeds and their stories for millennia - it is a vital part of our collected culture. Let us add new varieties to your garden, but by all means, please save and share your seeds.
My package shows you spent only <insert price> to ship my order. Why did you charge me more than that for shipping?
As indicated on our Important Details page, the "Shipping" fee includes fixed fees associated with processing your credit card or PayPal payment in addition to actual postage and shipping materials. Some companies hide their costs in their packet prices, I believe it is more fair to my customers to recover some of my costs through a one time "shipping fee". I am not making a profit on shipping fees.
Do you donate seeds?
While we at Great Lakes Staple Seeds support community food pantry gardens and seed libraries, the overwhelming increased interest in donated seeds far outstrips our ability to fulfill requests beyond those local projects we currently sponsor. For the foreseeable future, we are not able to accept new donation requests.
Do you trade seeds?
I am open to trading seeds if they are ones of interest to me. I am primarily interested in open-pollinated staple crops suitable for growing in Michigan, especially legumes and grains. I am specifically interested in Robert Lobitz varieties, John Hartman varieties, and Ralph Stevenson varieties. Varieties with some significance to Michigan and/or the Great Lakes region, and Slow Food Ark of Taste varieties are also of interest. I look for large enough quantities (at least 20 seeds for legumes) to ensure healthy genetics. I send seeds in a protective mailer with tracking id and request similar for seeds sent. If this is of interest to you, please send me your list of available seeds and let's chat! (or find me on Facebook...)
How many seeds do I need for a plot [this sized]?
Well, it depends, but as a starting point for grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and triticale, Scott compiled this table based on our experience:
Keep in mind an acre is 43560 square feet. This table assumes you will 'drop' one seed per 4 inches along the row, with 9 inches between rows.
Updated 2024 December 7th