
Locally Grown, Locally Adapted
The Cowichan Valley is known for seasonal fresh produce, but did you know that you can also get a variety of locally grown seeds and garden transplants through Cow-op? You might think that it really doesn’t matter what variety of tomato plant you choose, where your pea plants were grown, or where you decide to purchase your garden plants from, but it does matter and there are several good reasons to consider when choosing what to put in your garden this season!

Our Local Seeds
Here at Cow-op, not only can you find transplants from many of our local growers, but you can also find locally cultivated seeds from some of the Island’s best seed producers such as Salt Spring Seeds and Seeds Of The Revolution from Saanich Organics.


Click here to learn about Seeds Of The Revolution From Saanich Organics. Click here for all the details about Salt Spring Seeds.
Our Local Transplants
There are many great reasons to buy local transplants for your garden. Locally grown transplants are often of an open pollinating, heirloom variety, and not genetically modified by a seed company. Instead of tinkering with seed genes, our local growers allow nature to tell us which plants will do best. Each season, growers harvest seeds from their healthiest, strongest plants and those seeds are used for the next growing season, thus giving plant varieties that are adapted to our local soil and weather conditions.
Another great reason is that local plants are fresher. Our local growers can time offerings better and adjust inventory to the marketplace more quickly than garden centres who need to transport their plant products over a long distance. These local plants also save on fuel and transportation costs. In addition, you are also not risking introducing foreign bug and disease problems to your garden.


Last but certainly not least, by purchasing locally grown plants you’re supporting Cowichan farmers. Winters are a quiet time with little produce growing and limited options for farm income. Buying local plants means farmers get a much needed kick-start to the season’s cash flow. It is more appreciated than you know!
Like most things in life today, you have purchasing options available. Surely now you can see that there are many things to consider when choosing seeds and transplants for your garden.

The Cow-op Team