Quality Control

The Thompson & Morgan laboratory carries out approximately 15,000 germination tests per year. When seed is bought, a small selection is passed to the seed laboratory for testing before packing. Seeds are tested in various ways depending on variety. A germination test can take anything from 7 days to 30 days depending on variety.

Quality Control Testing in the Labs

Quality control testing in the labs

Seeds are tested on filter papers in petri dishes in incubators or on a Copenhagen Bath.
All vegetable seeds have to meet the ministry standard of germination. All flower seeds have a standard germination that we set, this varies per variety but for most annuals this would be a minimum of 70%. This is done to ensure that only the best quality seed is used.