It’s the start of the gardening season, that time when we eagerly look to the mailbox with anticipation. Not for the electric bill, but the seed catalogs. Even though many of us will eventually place our orders online, the seed catalogs are a great resource for planning and postulating. 

But, whether looking at the print version (request one here) or the online catalog, there’s more to it than just the pretty pictures. Understanding what the various numbers, abbreviations, and descriptions mean enables us to select the most suitable varieties for our future garden.

What’s in a name?

Sometimes, a variety name can provide a lot of clues. The tomato variety ‘Jetsetter’ Hyb. VFFNASt has a lot of information in its name alone. The abbreviation Hyb. indicates this is a hybrid variety, meaning that the best traits of several parents are combined, but that the plant won’t reproduce a true-to-type next year if you save seeds. You may also see hybrid plants denoted by the (F1) symbol. VFFNASt are all disease codes. See below for more on those.

You might also see words describing growth habits, like ‘dwarf’ or ‘bush’, clues to the size, maturity, or use cases, like ‘Patio Hyb. FASt, which is a compact tomato plant well suited for container growing. 

More important for flowers and less so for vegetables, you’ll also find the botanical name on many listings. While we typically call a cucumber a cucumber everywhere in the country, many flowers have varying common names in different regions. Double-checking the botanical name is a way to ensure you are purchasing what you think you are. Botanical names are in Latin and are italicized. Often, the first word in the botanical name, the genus, is abbreviated. For instance, Helianthus annuus (annual sunflowers) might be written as H. annuus instead.

Disease resistance codes

Breeders have worked hard to select and develop varieties that are resistant to common diseases. You can bet that information will be listed if applicable, but it may not be immediately obvious to find. While resistance doesn’t mean the plant is immune to those problems, it does mean they’ll be less susceptible, which can give you an edge if a particular disease has been a problem for you in the past.

Depending on the catalog, you may see disease resistance written out in the description, as it is for Autumn Frost hybrid winter squash, calling out this variety’s resistance to powdery mildew, a common problem for squashes. Ambrosia Bicolor sweet corn has strong resistance to Stewart’s Wilt, and is called out in the summary table and the description on our website, as well as our print catalog.

Many catalogs will also use abbreviations to save space, but you don’t need to be clairvoyant to figure them out. You may see a master list of abbreviations at the beginning of a catalog, but it is also common to find a shorter list in each section, since not all plants are subject to the same disease issues. For example, you may see a code of V for resistance to Verticillium wilt, or TSWV for tomato spotted wilt virus. Codes are often combined. VFN or V/F/N would be a variety resistant to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, and root-knot nematodes. For Seeds ‘N Such, our early spring 2026 catalog has our tomato disease resistance codes on page 9. 

Days to maturity

Days to maturity is an estimate, based on ideal conditions, of how long a plant will take to fruit or flower. It doesn’t mean you should mark your calendar to expect ears of ‘Peaches and Cream’ exactly 83 days after planting. These numbers provide a guide to use when choosing varieties for shorter growing seasons, planting different varieties to extend harvest windows (a common practice for sweet corn), or simply comparing varieties. 

Days to maturity is also useful for figuring out how late you can get away with planting a specific variety and still have time for it to mature. But remember, it’s an estimate based on good soil, proper spacing, adequate moisture, and no abnormal weather. A week-long cold snap, a month without rain, or crowded plants can delay things considerably. In general, assume that the days to maturity represent a best-case scenario, and while the plants may be ready later, they won’t be ready much sooner.

For example, ‘Moon & Stars’ is a watermelon variety with a maturity of 90-100 days. ‘Sugar Baby’ has a maturity of about 75 days. If you garden in a location with a growing season of 110 days, ‘Sugar Baby’ is a safer bet than ‘Moon & Stars’, all else being equal. If your growing season is 170 days, you’ll have no worries with either. ‘Bull’s Blood’ is a quick-to-mature beet perfect for a fall crop. With a 58-day maturity, you’ll need to count backwards from your first frost date 58 days, plus another week or two for a safety factor, to find your latest planting time.

The days to maturity clock starts counting from the sowing date for plants direct-seeded into the ground, and the outdoor planting date for those plants typically started indoors and then transplanted outside. For example, days to maturity for lettuce would be how long between sowing the seeds and when the leaves are ready for harvest. For tomatoes, days to maturity refer to how long it takes after transplanting a seedling for the first fruits to be ripe.  

How many seeds do you get?

While this sounds straightforward, it often isn’t. Seeds are packaged in many quantities. I once misread the packet size when ordering and received 250 squash seeds, not the two dozen I expected. I’m still giving away squash seeds of that variety. 

Seeds may be packaged and sold in packets, grams, ounces, or even pounds. You probably don’t need a pound of snapdragon seeds unless you are a big-time flower farmer. Most non-pelleted seeds can be saved and used the next season, but they won’t stay viable indefinitely, so avoid buying way more than you need. Many seed vendors will list how many seeds are in a packet to help you select the right size.

Seeds sold by weight will often specify either approximately how many seeds are in an ounce or pound, or the size of an area that the weight of seeds will plant. For example, the Seeds ‘N Such listing for buckwheat, a common cover crop, states there are about 4,000 seeds in ¼-lb, and to sow 1 lb. per 500 sq. ft.

Other good information

You’ll find many other tidbits of information in a seed catalog to make selecting varieties and planning your garden easier. Here are a few more clues to look for.

• Growth Habit: Does the plant sprawl out, climb, vine, or is it a bush-shaped plant?

• Height and width: Many descriptions will tell you not only how tall the plant will be at maturity, but also how wide, if applicable. You may also find approximate vine length, which is handy when planning vertical growing spaces. 

• Heirloom or Open Pollinated (OP): Open-pollinated varieties will come back true to the parent the next year, provided there is no cross-pollination with another variety. Heirloom selections are open-pollinated and generally an older variety with an established history and sometimes a cool backstory. Heirloom vegetables are a great way to rediscover old-time flavors and colors, but may not have the disease resistance of our modern hybrids. If that gives you worry, plant some of each to cover your bases.

• (F1): A common code that denotes a first-generation hybrid plant. In other words, it will have hybrid vigor, but will not reproduce true in the following generation if you save and replant seeds.

• Symbols: You may find symbols like a pair of scissors denoting a variety good for cut flower use, or an image designating a variety that won awards. Other common symbols include the heat level of hot peppers, a snowflake for cold tolerance, or a drawing of a bumblebee indicating pollinators like this variety. 

• Climate clues: Descriptions may also include notes like ‘heat tolerant,’ ‘bolt resistant,’ or a USDA hardiness zone range (for perennials). If you have problems with your spinach bolting before you get a chance to harvest, a heat-resistant variety could be a good choice.

You’ll also often find good and helpful growing information worked in between the listings. On pages 26 and 27 of our early spring 2026 catalog, we provide information on successful bean growing, including inoculation, soil temperatures, spacing, planting depths, germination timeframes, and more.