# Where to buy seeds



## George6020 (Apr 18, 2014)

Everything I planted here is growing well on our small farm. Most of the vegetables and fruits are very common here..........but in my next stage of plantings, I want to try for higher quality, especially with tomatoes and green peppers. Also would like higher quality squash, watermelon, onion, carrots. Does anyone know where to buy in Cebu........or online? On another site, the University of Hawaii has very good quality seeds for tropical climates, but can't/won't ship to the Philippines.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Not sure of the availability of what you want here in the Phils, but can you go online and buy from some seed sellers in the states. No idea of what the laws would be about importing some non-native seeds though.

Fred


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

fmartin_gila said:


> Not sure of the availability of what you want here in the Phils, but can you go online and buy from some seed sellers in the states. No idea of what the laws would be about importing some non-native seeds though.
> 
> Fred


A lot of non natives don't grow here, it's very hit or miss.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

For bell peppers, what look like hatch peppers, the tiny peppers, and dragon fruit we just used seeds from veggies we bought at the market. They work great - and know this variety will grow here. The bell peppers turned out bigger than anything we have seen at market.

My sister sent me some American radishes, and various lettuces... we will try them but I do not expect much out of any of it. Big tomatoes don't seem to work well, except in Baguio, I think the lettuce will be the same. I hope the American eggplant works...

I have seen seeds at the chemical stores, and hardware stores (chemistry as in fertilizers, not the chemist shop). No idea on the quality.


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## John1850 (Oct 31, 2014)

I should imagine that it is highly illegal to bring seeds/plants/or animals into the Philippines or most countries. Australia for one,has extremely strict laws because of the havoc alien species have on the local population. 
I have also seen seeds for sale in Manila, but probably more fun to use the seeds from the fruit and vegetables that you buy in the market; at least you will know what they will taste like and that they will grow here.


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## George6020 (Apr 18, 2014)

Thanks for all your replies and info. As much as I would like bigger, better, healthier plants common in the US and other countries..........I might just have to focus my attention on improving the soil, keeping the farm clean, weed free. I have heard that seeds from the US and other places might not grow here........as well as possibly being illegal to import. I'm thinking that by taking better care of the plants and soil, that in itself, would produce healthier fruits and veggies. Then I can use the seeds from healthy plants for the future. 
I'm all for trying to improve things around me..........I'm still a bit shocked why the locals will settle for low quality and substandard products........as long as its cheap.


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## northwoods (Nov 14, 2013)

george6020 said:


> thanks for all your replies and info. As much as i would like bigger, better, healthier plants common in the us and other countries..........i might just have to focus my attention on improving the soil, keeping the farm clean, weed free. I have heard that seeds from the us and other places might not grow here........as well as possibly being illegal to import. I'm thinking that by taking better care of the plants and soil, that in itself, would produce healthier fruits and veggies. Then i can use the seeds from healthy plants for the future.
> I'm all for trying to improve things around me..........i'm still a bit shocked why the locals will settle for low quality and substandard products........as long as its cheap.


try to contact , heirloom seeds companies in the usa .
They should know ,,the in's & outs ,, international shipping .
As well as the laws ,, or suggest companies who could provide ,, 
tropical proven cultivars . Green thumb people , tend to know others .


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

George6020 said:


> Thanks for all your replies and info. As much as I would like bigger, better, healthier plants common in the US and other countries..........I might just have to focus my attention on improving the soil, keeping the farm clean, weed free. I have heard that seeds from the US and other places might not grow here........as well as possibly being illegal to import. I'm thinking that by taking better care of the plants and soil, that in itself, would produce healthier fruits and veggies. Then I can use the seeds from healthy plants for the future.
> I'm all for trying to improve things around me..........I'm still a bit shocked why the locals will settle for low quality and substandard products........as long as its cheap.


You are correct about the illegal import of plants, seeds or plant materials from other countries into the Philippines...however, with that being said, many edible plant seeds can be brought into this country as they are not considered invasive. The real question is if that particular variety will grow readily in this climate. I have purchased seeds on two occasions and had them shipped here without any problems and I am not even sure that the packages were opened and inspected because after I received them, (about 30 days later), they looked like they were in their original condition and I could see no signs of tampering or inspection by customs officials...but then the packages were so small, they looked like regular envelopes and may not have even raised a red flag. But on the legal side, the companies I ordered from stated that they could ship to the Philippines.

In both cases, my orders were flower seeds and not vegetable seeds, (which are far more difficult to get shipped here than food seeds), and I ordered online, paid online with my credit card and received both packages after about 30 days from the date of order.

One thing to always remember about seeds...scientifically seeds are seeds and can be germinated ANYWHERE! If you have soil, water, heat and sunlight, the seeds will germinate and sprout. The real question is "IF" the plant can tolerate the climate here after it has sprouted from the seed...and you can control a lot of that. So don't let this climate dictate whether you try a new variety of seed or not. Seeds are not expensive and you can try several different varieties until you hit on a great seed that does grow well here and is so much more superior than the local varieties.

Many local varieties were originally a better quality but the local farmers will not properly take care of their plants when it comes to soil quality or the correct amount of water needed to grow top quality produce. Soil amendments, fertilizer and water are expensive here and most farmers are poor. So, they stick the seeds in the ground and whatever comes up is what they sell to the markets.

If it is too hot here for that particular plant that you wish to grow...build a canopy with some shade cloth over the plants...you can effectively reduce the temperature by 15 or 20 degrees and reduce the amount of hot sunlight by as much as 50%. Shade cloth comes in a variety of densities so you can select the amount of heat or light you wish to reduce...and shade cloth IS available here in the Philippines. Make the frame work for the shade cloth retractable so you can open it up to allow the better morning sun and then close it up when the hot afternoon sun arrives. Shade cloth will allow the rain in but it is better to retract the cloth for better watering from the natural rain but still close the shade cloth if the rain is too heavy as from a typhoon. A good quality shade cloth frame can do many things...protect the plants from heavy rains, wind, too much light or too hot temperatures or open up to let in nice morning sun and gentle rains.

Simple PVC frames with shade cloth and a good irrigation system will allow you to grow anything you want here in the Philippines as you will be able to control the heat, sunlight and water as the plants require and all of these items are very cheap if you build them yourself.

I had a shipment of a plant, (Hosta), sent here to the Philippines from the US and these plants do NOT like heat and high temperatures. The Hosta Plant originates in cold climates and the cold triggers the plant into dormancy so it can regenerate and produce flowers the next spring. Mine are growing well and look healthy after nearly two years here and they are flowering for the first time. So, again...do not let the temperature here or the climate dictate whether you try a new variety of seed, *NATURE IS AWESOME* and always finds a way! Things that are not supposed to grow here just might do very well if you give it a shot.

Another thing to remember...a lot of US vegetable farms are in the Mid-West, (like Kansas), and Southeastern States, (like Georgia), and Southwestern States, (like Arizona)...it is very hot in all of these States during the growing season and all of those seeds should do very well here...like:

Vidalia Sweet Onions, considered the BEST white onions in the world and grown in the HOT southern climate of Georgia.

Broccoli and Cauliflower along with many varieties of Lettuce and Cabbage are all grown in Arizona. Can't get much hotter or more humid than that, with annual temperatures in the triple digits and very little rain fall!

Carrots will grow anywhere as long as you remember that the tuber needs a lot of water to develop properly...this is why the carrots and potatoes here are so small...because the local farmers will not waste their time and money supplying the plants with the correct amount of water needed to product the better quality fruits and vegetables.

The same with watermelon...water, water, water...

If you have good rich soil and concentrate your efforts into improving the soil on your farm and set up a good quality irrigation system that will greatly reduce the amount of wasted water used and a shade cloth canopy...I feel confident that you will have great success and eventually become the most popular farmer in your area once the people start hearing about the high quality of your vegies...

Not only will you have nice big good quality vegies with great color and size but the taste will be better also...more flavorful and healthier for you and your family!


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

George6020...here is something else you may want to try. I have done this before back in the US and it is an awesome way to conserve your resources and produce amazing results in your vegetables!

*Have you tried Companion Planting?*

Companion Planting is where you grow several different types of plants, (seeds), in the exact same hole in the ground, whereas each different seed provides the other seeds with a distinct advantage.

A very good example is this: Sweet Corn, Green Beans and Cucumbers...

Sweet Corn robs the soil of Nitrogen and this is why most farmers cannot grow corn year after year in the same ground...it becomes weak poor soil that will not sustain most any plant after a few years of yielding corn because there is no nitrogen left in the soil. However...green beans are legumes and legumes are nitrogen fixers...which means they put nitrogen into the soil but they also drain a lot of the moisture out of the ground which is needed by the corn...so you add cucumbers which are a vine that creeps across the ground and shades it from the harsh sun and protects the soil from excessive ground water evaporation.

The sweet corn, green beans and cucumbers are all planted at the exact same time in the exact same hole. The corn comes up first, (shortest germination time), and provides a "pole" for the beans to climb on but robs the soil of nitrogen, then comes the green beans, which climb up the corn stalks and add nitrogen to the soil to produce a better crop of corn but robs the soil of moisture, then comes the cucumbers which shade the ground from the hot sun and eliminates ground water evaporation. Hence...these three plants all contribute to the well being of the others and make a great "companion" to each other.

AND on top of that, they are all grown in the same space, so you have more room to grow other plants in much less space! After you harvest the corn and green beans and cucumbers...you simply grind all the plant waste into mulch and till it into the soil which increases the quality of your soil and the next years crop...nothing is wasted and everything is gained.

You save space by planting three crops in the same space, save a tremendous amount of work by only having to dig one third the number of holes, save materials, not having to build or buy trellises for the beans to climb on, you have healthier plants and vegetables, and you will have richer soil year after year.

Search online...there are dozens of great companion planting ideas available for most any type of vegetable plant. I hope this helps and I hope you will have great success in the future providing for your needs.


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## George6020 (Apr 18, 2014)

Cebu Citizen said:


> You are correct about the illegal import of plants, seeds or plant materials from other countries into the Philippines...however, with that being said, many edible plant seeds can be brought into this country as they are not considered invasive. The real question is if that particular variety will grow readily in this climate. I have purchased seeds on two occasions and had them shipped here without any problems and I am not even sure that the packages were opened and inspected because after I received them, (about 30 days later), they looked like they were in their original condition and I could see no signs of tampering or inspection by customs officials...but then the packages were so small, they looked like regular envelopes and may not have even raised a red flag. But on the legal side, the companies I ordered from stated that they could ship to the Philippines.
> 
> In both cases, my orders were flower seeds and not vegetable seeds, (which are far more difficult to get shipped here than food seeds), and I ordered online, paid online with my credit card and received both packages after about 30 days from the date of order.
> 
> ...


Thanks CC.............great info and very encouraging. My dream/goal is for people to remember where they got our fruits and veggies.........knowing that they are of good quality, clean, and well-cared for. I'm telling my wife that we will try to do things right, start small, get a good reputation.........currently, we give away most of our harvest to neighbors in 2-3 puroks from our barangay, but hopefully in the future, we can send some to the market to be sold, and continue providing for the locals. We don't have a business name yet, but I'm thinking of naming it after my wife, Genlap Farm products.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

George6020...here is another idea that can save you a tremendous amount of time and money after the initial investment...which will be minimal. Sorry for all my ideas but I seem to be full of it today...hahaha...

There certainly is no shortage of water here in the Philippines but the rain can go from one excess to the other. One month we are receiving too much rain and the next month we might not see any.

Try building a underground cistern or underground storage tank to collect excessive rain water in times of plenty. You can drain all the water from your home and other buildings into the tank and you can also bury the tank deep enough that you can grow your vegetables right on top of the buried tank. Vegetable seeds/plants typically do not have very deep roots and if your underground water storage tank is buried about two feet underground, you will have plenty of room to back fill two feet of soil over the top of the tank, thereby giving you enough soil to grow crops and NOT waste the space where the tank is located.

This underground tank method is great if you do not have a lot of land and cannot waste the space. Bury the tank under your garden areas. I have even helped a friend build an underground tank in the ground and then he built his home on top of it to save space. The tank could be accessed as if it were a basement...simply go down the stairs and you were in the tank. It made it very easy to access the tank for inspection and any necessary repairs that might be needed in the future.

All you will need to do is have an access door or trap door to gain access to the tank for any periodic cleaning or repairs that might be needed over the years. A small trap door large enough for you or a worker to gain access to a ladder that reaches the bottom of the tank is all that is needed. The ladder can even be built into the wall of the storage tank. If the ladder is made of aluminum, there will be no deposits or residue collecting in the water supply.

It would be extremely easy and inexpensive to build a simple concrete block "room" down in the ground with a concrete slab roof and then seal it and waterproof it and you are done. Collect all the water from every building on your property and run the water lines to the tank and you will have free water for irrigation during those times when the rain does not come soon enough for the benefit of your vegetable crops.

If your underground tank is large enough, you can even water your livestock, (if you have any), such as chickens, goats or pigs or pets such as dogs and cats.

If you have a large enough parcel of land, you can have an above ground water collection pond and raise/grow catfish in the pond for a great source of protein and use the rich pond water to irrigate your vegetable crops with.

I had the privilege to use a lot of these ideas when I went into the Peace Corp after college. One of my destinations was the Philippines, (my first visit here), where a lot of the locals did not have enough protein in their diet and the water in the rice paddies was a major health risk...so our Peace Corp team went to Mindanao and introduced catfish into the rice paddies. The catfish cleaned up the nasty water and drastically reduced the amount of health related issues due to contaminated water contact and the catfish provided the farmers and other locals with an awesome source of free protein. And the rice paddy water was also rich in nutrients so it was a valued source of irrigation water for the vegetable crops.

These projects also created a large number in the increase of local available jobs...people to harvest and clean the catfish and sell them to local vendors, etc.

But alas...my first and original stay in the Philippines was very short lived as it was the time of the Marcos Presidency and we were awaken in the middle of the night and whisked away to the airport and evacuated because foreigners were not safe at that time due to rebel activity in the area. We lost everything because when they woke us to go to the airport, we had only enough time to grab a few clothes and get dressed in the truck on the way to the airport. But we did get to introduce the catfish into many of the area rice fields before our stay was cut short.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*American Egg Plant*



Tukaram said:


> For bell peppers, what look like hatch peppers, the tiny peppers, and dragon fruit we just used seeds from veggies we bought at the market. They work great - and know this variety will grow here. The bell peppers turned out bigger than anything we have seen at market.
> 
> My sister sent me some American radishes, and various lettuces... we will try them but I do not expect much out of any of it. Big tomatoes don't seem to work well, except in Baguio, I think the lettuce will be the same. I hope the American eggplant works...
> 
> I have seen seeds at the chemical stores, and hardware stores (chemistry as in fertilizers, not the chemist shop). No idea on the quality.


I grew the American Egg Plant it will grow very well here but I found out that I'm more partial to the long john style egg plant here.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

George6020 said:


> Thanks CC.............great info and very encouraging. My dream/goal is for people to remember where they got our fruits and veggies.........knowing that they are of good quality, clean, and well-cared for. I'm telling my wife that we will try to do things right, start small, get a good reputation.........currently, we give away most of our harvest to neighbors in 2-3 puroks from our barangay, but hopefully in the future, we can send some to the market to be sold, and continue providing for the locals. We don't have a business name yet, but I'm thinking of naming it after my wife, Genlap Farm products.


One particular item you mentioned was Tomatoes. The most important item to remember when growing any fruit or vegetable that is primarily made up of liquid matter such as watermelons, cucumbers and tomatoes, and tubers such as carrots and potatoes, is that biologically, at the appropriate time, these plants need a LOT of water to produce the large and brightly colored quality and healthy fruits.

The biggest reason why a lot of the fruits and vegetables here in the Philippines are so small and poorly colored, it that the local farmers for the most part are very poor and cannot afford to waste their time or money on watering their crops. They basically rely on the rain to provide the majority of their watering needs. They simply dig a hole, drop in the seeds and then leave everything to chance. The crops are basically unattended during the growing season for the most part.

The most significant thing you could ever do for your farms success is to build an inexpensive gravity fed irrigation system to effectively water all of your crops on a daily basis without wasting unnecessary water. This will ultimately save you a tremendous amount of time, water and resources after the initial expense of building the irrigation system. You will simply get up each morning and water your crops in the cool early morning hours before it gets too hot and then the hot afternoon sun will slowly dry and bake the ground again but the plants have already had their daily supply of water and can now tolerate the hot afternoon sun. Every day the plants are refreshed and can grow to their full potential because they are adequately watered when they need it most.

Here in the Philippines, it has never been about the quality of the seeds or quality of the plants, or quality of the soil, etc. It is simply about the need for the plants to produce their flowers and fruits and this...scientifically and biologically...means an adequate amount of water at the appropriate time for the given length or period required by each variety of plant to adequately produce their offspring.

You can build a small simple and cheap tank above the ground, about ten feet high, (about 500 gallons in size). Every morning in a few minutes, pump the water from your storage tank up to the aerial tank and this will then feed your gravity irrigation. It will take far less electrical power and time to turn on a pump and quickly fill your above ground tank...then save electricity and turn the pump off for the rest of the day and irrigate your crops slowly by gravity feed from the above ground tank...a nice slow trickle that allows the water to seep into the ground and nourish the plant roots. A simple ball set of ball valves will control how much water is used and how fast it is allowed to flow and to which planting beds it goes to. If you water too quickly, the water pools up on the top surface of the soil and a lot of it will evaporate into the air and NOT feed the plants...

If you water the plants daily, it actually takes far less water to keep them healthy than if you water weekly, allowing the ground to become dry and hard. It takes awhile for the hard ground to finally begin to absorb the water and thus avoid ground water run-off. A lot of water can be lost pouring water onto dry hard ground. The plants are well taken care of and healthy and refreshed from the day before and they are never allowed to dry out, so just a small amount of water each morning will keep them strong for bearing their fruit.

It is kind of like using an air conditioner. People who try to save electricity by turning their air conditioning system off every day while they are at work, only waste more money when they return home by running their air conditioner full blast for hours.

The same is true with farming or gardening...maintain the rich soil conditions in a raised bed configuration and keep the plants watered more frequently actually uses less water, nutrients, maintenance and labor to maintain a great crop.

If I were building a future for a vegetable farm here in the Philippines, I would build a grid pattern of raised beds about six feet wide and as long as you want them for each variety of vegetable. The six feet wide allows you to easily reach from either side. The beds would be far enough apart so that I could take a small vehicle like a golf cart or something down the rows of the beds for easy harvesting and transporting of the produce or any maintenance materials, fertilizers or mulch compost. Steel rebar can be pounded into the ground at the inside corners of each raised planting bed and periodically along each side, (about every four or five feet). Leave the rebar sticking up about six inches out of the ground. Then you can easily slide a piece of one inch PVC pipe onto one of the rebar posts and then bend the PVC over the top of the planting bed in an arch and stick it onto the corresponding rebar stake on the other side of the planting bed. Now you have effectively created a PVC arch over the top of the planting bed where shade cloth can be draped to keep off the extremes of the hot afternoon sun and wind if needed. The length of the PVC pipe will determine the center height of the PVC arch.

Steel Rebar is cheap here and so is PVC pipe. So you can effectively make little mini shade huts over all of your beds without spending much money at all and will last you for many years without any maintenance. These shade cloth huts will not only reduce heat and sunlight but also wind. Wind alone is responsible for the highest levels of water evaporation. There is moisture in the air and as the wind blows, these microscopic droplets of moisture are swept away...but now the dryer air soaks up more moisture from your freshly watered vegetables while attempting to balance the moisture level between the dry air and the moist ground. As long as the wind is blowing, you are constantly losing moisture. Shade Cloth works for heat, light, water and wind...you can control it all with a simple and retractable shade cloth system.

The raised beds are for the purposes of water and plant food containment, compost much, etc. and it makes it so much easier on the back and knees to work in the gardens if the beds are slightly raised above the ground. It also makes it extremely easy to control pests and varmint's that might want to get at your prized vegetables. These raised beds can be constructed from a single row of concrete blocks. Just level out an area as absolutely level as possible. The more level the area is, the less water run-off you will have from slopes. Outline the planting bed with a single row of concrete blocks and fill the inside area with nutrient rich soil. Install your irrigation lines. Pound in your rebar stakes. Install your PVC arches. Cover with shade cloth...and now you can grow any type of plant you want with the greatest of success with very little labor or maintenance.

A nice grid pattern of inexpensive raised beds, separated far enough to drive a small cart between them, each covered with a frame and shade cloth and supplied with a simple trickle type gravity fed irrigation system and you will undoubtedly have the makings of a farm that will certainly produce top quality vegetables for a very minimal amount of work or finances. And remember...this type of farming system does not have to happen overnight. You can build one raised bed at a time and then add another at a later time and then another until you have the size of farm you want or that your land will allow.

These ideas are designed to maximize your growing output while simultaneously minimizing your work load. All successful farming operations are based on a good viable plan up front that will significantly reduce your work load and labor costs in the future. Labor alone is the single most significant reason for the costs of food items such as vegetables.

A good example of planning ahead is the space between each of the planting beds to allow for a cart or small motor vehicle. In the beginning it would be easy to think that such a conveyance is not needed...but what do you do later when your farm becomes such a success and you cannot keep up with everything so easily and you have to manually carry all of your materials and supplies and harvests back and forth from the garden area to the barn or storage area or pay someone to do it...effectively raising your labor costs and time consumed in achieving these tasks. Or the costs of moving planting beds because there is no room to drive between them and you decide later to add space for a small roadway. Plan or your success up front and avoid redoing everything later down the road. And your farm will also look neat and clean and organized and professional and that in itself is a part of success!

Imagine how easy it would be for you or your wife to get up each morning and just jump into a little golf cart and cruise out to the carrot planting bed and harvest the days crops and drive back to the barn for storage, packing and distribution to the local markets. Quick, easy, no stress...just a relaxing little cruise out to the garden to enjoy the fresh morning air and the fruits of your labor.


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## George6020 (Apr 18, 2014)

CC...........companion planting is a good method. Last week, I just planted the combo of sweet corn and beans, but I never thought about adding cucumbers...........i think i will go get some cucumber seeds soon and add them. 
Another idea you mentioned was the gravity irrigation..........I had wanted to try that back in North Carolina, but just couldn't find the time. I have 2 smaller areas, where I want to try growing more sensitive veggies/herbs............I think that will be the perfect place.
Thanks again for your ideas


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