You’ve probably seen the posts. The ones that say “The global seed market is dominated by just four companies.” They’re usually shared with a sense of alarm - and rightly so. But like most viral facts, they’re only part of the story.

Yes, it’s true. Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and Limagrain hold a huge share of the global seed market. They’ve shaped how food is grown on an industrial scale, especially in crops like maize, soy, and cotton. Their focus? High-yield, genetically modified, hybrid seeds designed for large-scale agriculture. Think tractors, monoculture, and chemical inputs—not raised beds and community gardens.

But here’s the thing: that dominance doesn’t extend to the world you and I grow in. The world of home growers, allotment keepers, balcony gardeners, and seed swappers. The world where biodiversity matters more than uniformity, and where seeds are shared, saved, and celebrated.

And while I don’t agree with all the methods used in industrial agriculture, I do believe this: the world needs to eat. We’re a growing population, and growing food at scale is no small feat. As gardeners, we know how tricky it can be to coax a broccoli into forming a proper head! Now imagine doing that across thousands of acres, reliably, year after year. That kind of consistency doesn’t happen without serious investment in seed technology.

So yes, the big four dominate the agricultural seed market. But for a home gardener to worry about their impact on their raised beds is a bit like scrubbing your fish pond because the oceans are polluted. The scale is different. The systems are different. And the solutions need to be different too.

In the UK alone, we’ve got a rich patchwork of seed suppliers who serve the home-growing community. From heritage champions like Suttons and Chiltern Seeds, to ethical trailblazers like Real Seeds, Vital Seeds, and Tamar Organics. These companies aren’t chasing global market share - they’re nurturing resilience, flavour, and joy.

And then there are the tiny ones. Like us.

At Collie Flowers, we don’t just sell seeds. We hunt them down, trial them, grow them, photograph them, and tell their stories. We learn from our community, from the successes and the flops, and we feed that learning back into everything we do. We’re not trying to compete with the big four - we’re trying to offer something they can’t: seeds with soul, grown and shared with care.

We believe in open-pollinated varieties, in seed saving, in growing for the joy of it - not just the yield. But we also believe in balance. That’s why we grow and sell F1 hybrids too - because I feel they have a place in our gardens. They offer reliability, vigour, and sometimes the kind of performance that makes the difference between a meh harvest and a great one. It’s not about purity - it’s about purpose.

So next time you see a post about seed market dominance, pause for a moment. Ask what kind of seeds they’re talking about. Ask who’s growing them, and why. Because the facts might be true - but they’re not the whole truth.

And in gardening, as in life, it’s the small truths that matter most.

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If this resonates with you, if you believe in gardening as a way to build community, protect biodiversity, and reclaim joy, then come grow with us.

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