Choosing which catalogue seed groups to stock at all

Before a shop shortlists a single variety, it has to decide which seed groups it can carry at all. The published catalogue is organised into broad groups — vegetables, flowers, herbs, microgreens and sprouts, houseplants, and additional varieties — plus separate species records inside each group. This overview uses that structure to help you make an in-or-out decision for each group, and to separate what belongs in your main enquiry from what is better handled as a separate request.

Why the group decision comes before the variety decision

A wholesaler enquiry is reviewed item by item, so the depth of a group matters as much as its name. Committing to a whole group means accepting the breadth behind it: the herb group, for example, spans aromatic herbs such as basil, chives, coriander, dill and lavender as well as medicinal herbs such as mint, oregano and rosemary. Each of those is a distinct species page, sometimes with several catalogue records. Decide group by group whether your shelf space and customer base can absorb that breadth, then choose varieties. Reversing the order usually produces a long enquiry that is later trimmed.

Start from what your customers already ask for

The catalogue does not tell you what sells in your area, so the first filter is your own sales pattern. A garden centre with a strong kitchen-garden following can justify vegetables and herbs together; a shop serving balcony growers may lean toward herbs and flowers. Use the group structure as a checklist and mark each group as in, out, or later. Keeping a written note of the reason for each decision makes it easier to explain, later, why a group was left out of an enquiry or held back for a separate request.

Treat each group as a separate request

The catalogue is built for enquiries, not instant purchase: adding items to a basket or sending a form does not conclude a contract, and availability, pack sizes, prices, taxes, shipping and payment terms are set out separately in the quotation. This makes it practical to split your intended range into one request per group. A focused vegetable request and a focused herb request are easier to check against the catalogue than one combined list, and if a group turns out to be too broad, you can postpone or narrow that request without reopening the rest.

Match the group to your storage and rotation

Seed is stock that has to be stored and turned over, so the in-or-out decision is also a logistics decision. A group you cannot store properly, or cannot sell through before the next season, is better handled as a separate or later request than folded into the main range. The catalogue organises species under groups and letters, which lets you size the commitment before you ask: a group with many records under one species represents more shelf lines than a group with a single record. Compare that breadth with the space and turnover you can realistically give it.

Vegetables, flowers and herbs as the core candidates

The three largest groups are the natural core of most retail seed ranges. Vegetables are subdivided into sections such as artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbage and kale, carrots, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, gourds, leafy greens, lettuce and salad greens, melons, tomatoes and more. Flowers are organised by their own growing-cycle distinctions, and herbs by aromatic and medicinal sub-groups. Each subdivision can be treated as its own scope decision, so you can commit to, say, the tomato and lettuce sections while leaving root crops to a later request.

Microgreens and sprouts as a distinct commitment

Microgreens and sprouts appear as their own crop group in the catalogue, not as an extension of the vegetable or herb listings. That separate placement is the signal to decide on them separately. They serve a different buying pattern from packet seed for outdoor growing, and a shop without the space or customer base for them can leave the group out entirely without weakening a vegetable or herb range. If you do want to test them, a dedicated request keeps the experiment apart from your established lines.

Houseplants and additional varieties as supplementary groups

Houseplants and additional varieties sit outside the main outdoor seed groups and can be treated as supplement decisions. They are the kind of group that a shop adds once the core range is settled, or postpones when shelf space is tight. Because they are separate from vegetables, flowers and herbs, including or excluding them does not disturb the rest of the enquiry. Decide them last, after the core groups are confirmed, and record them as either part of the main request or as a follow-up.

Recording the decision before writing the enquiry

Once each group is marked in, out or later, turn the decisions into a working list: group, scope within the group, and whether it goes into the current enquiry or a separate one. Then check the mechanics before sending. An enquiry should carry your business name, contact details, requested items and destination, and quantities and units should be checked before submitting, because a price per kilogram and a price for a stated number of seeds are different bases. If you need to change an enquiry already sent, contact the wholesaler with its reference rather than starting a fresh list.

What the catalogue cannot settle for you

The catalogue entries describe catalogue records; they do not confirm current stock, batch-specific test results, or the documentation needed for a particular shipment. Descriptions and listed prices relate to catalogue entries rather than guarantees. Any named selection or cultivar should be treated as a distinct article, because common trade names can cover more than one botanical identity. When a group decision depends on a certification or import requirement for your destination, that question belongs with the quotation or official guidance, not with the group listing. Deciding groups first simply keeps those later questions clearly scoped.

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