Frequently asked questions — SemiSauvage Permaculture

All orders placed before 2 p.m. are shipped the same day (business days). In metropolitan France, allow 2 to 4 business days for delivery. International delivery times vary depending on the destination and local postal service.

Shipping is free on orders of €25 or more, in France and internationally. Below this amount, a flat rate applies, regardless of the number of items in the order.

Yes, we ship worldwide. However, as each country has its own import rules for seeds and plants, it is the customer’s responsibility to find out in advance about the applicable restrictions or formalities. If the parcel is blocked or refused by local authorities, we cannot be held responsible.

As soon as your order is shipped, you will receive an email with your tracking number so you can follow its progress on the carrier’s website. Remember to check your spam folder if the email does not appear.

First, check the carrier’s tracking information. If the problem persists, contact us by email or via the contact form: we will open a claim and quickly offer you a solution.

As our orders are dispatched very quickly, contact us as soon as possible: changes or cancellations are only possible as long as the parcel has not been handed over to the carrier.

Bank cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex), Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay for simple and secure payment.

Yes, all transactions are protected by SSL and processed by reliable payment providers. No banking information is stored on our website.

Yes. An invoice with VAT is automatically generated for every order, regardless of the country. It is sent by email upon confirmation and remains available for download from your customer account. No request is necessary.

You have 14 days after receipt to return unused and unopened products in their original packaging. Returns must be reported by email. Exchange or refund once the return has been approved.

Contact us by email or via the contact form. We will provide you with the procedure and shipping address. Return shipping costs are borne by the customer, unless the error was ours.

Send us a photo and your order number upon receipt: we will process your request quickly (replacement or refund, depending on the situation).

By email at semisauvage@gmail.com or via our contact form. We personally respond to every message.

Generally within 24 business hours. During peak season, there may be a slight delay, but we remain responsive.

Vegetable, flower, aromatic, medicinal seeds, and varieties useful in permaculture (green manures, companion/repellent plants). All our seeds are reproducible, non-hybrid (not F1), and untreated.

Yes. Derived from open-pollinated/heirloom varieties, they reproduce faithfully from one generation to the next: you can harvest your own seeds every year.

No. We do not sell any F1 hybrid varieties.

They come from organic farming or untreated farmer-saved seeds, selected for hardiness, genetic diversity, and germination quality.

Yes. For the species concerned, a European plant passport is affixed to the packet, in accordance with EU regulations. Outside the EU, import rules vary: customers must check locally.

Yes, a small wooden label for identifying your seedlings. The packets protect against moisture and light and remain compostable/recyclable.

Generally 1 to 4 years under suitable conditions. Some species (e.g. lotus) can remain viable for much longer. The indicative shelf life is stated on each packet.

A dry, cool place protected from light (metal tin, airtight jar). Avoid humidity and temperature fluctuations.

Each kit contains liquid or solid mycelium ready to inoculate onto a suitable substrate (straw, wood chips, logs, etc.). Detailed instructions guide you through inoculation, incubation, fruiting, and harvesting.

Depending on the variety:
— Oyster mushrooms / button mushrooms: first fruiting in approximately 2 to 8 weeks after inoculation.
— Forest mushrooms (morels, porcini, etc.): several months to 2 years to become established before fruiting.
— Truffle: up to 6 years before the first fruiting.

Yes. The kits can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks before use to stagger your trials. However, the same substrate cannot be used indefinitely: it becomes depleted over successive cycles. To extend its use, inoculate a new, fresh substrate from the mycelium.

Each product page indicates the recommended sowing period. On our website, we also specify the ideal temperature, any stratification requirement, and the optimal period depending on the climate. In general: annuals in spring (after frosts); perennials/trees in autumn or spring (sometimes after a period of cold). For more information, see the blog The Seed Corner.

Stratification (moist cold treatment) breaks the dormancy of many perennials, shrubs, and woodland species. This is indicated on each product page. Also see our guide Everything You Need to Know About Stratification.

Useful for hard-coated seeds (lotus, peas/legumes, and certain flowers): soak them for a few hours to overnight in lukewarm water. The product page indicates whether this step is necessary.

As a general rule: sow very small seeds on the surface (with a thin layer of potting soil); medium-sized seeds at a depth of 2–3× their diameter; and large seeds deeper. Water gently so they are not displaced.

Suitable temperature (often 18–22 °C for vegetables), a moist but not waterlogged substrate, soft/indirect light, and good ventilation to limit mold.

Yes. Clear, illustrated articles on starting a vegetable garden, successful sowing (indoors/outdoors), and basic techniques (stratification, soaking, transplanting, etc.). Free access: Advice & Permaculture.

Varieties for pots/planters (herbs, flowers, compact vegetables). Discover our sets: Terrace & Balcony Flower Seed Set and Balcony/Terrace Vegetable Garden Seed Set. Each product page specifies whether the variety is suitable for pots, balconies, or open ground.

Spring: the preferred season for most vegetables, annual flowers, herbs, and fast-growing perennials.
Autumn: ideal for trees, shrubs, perennials, and species that benefit from natural winter stratification.
Summer: suitable for staggered sowing (lettuce, radishes, green manures) to extend harvests.

Select the best specimens (shape, vigor, taste). Avoid damaged or overly late fruits. Let them ripen fully, harvest in dry weather, sort, and store them in paper bags or airtight containers away from moisture and heat. Since our varieties are true-to-type, you can resow them year after year.

Spring is the broadest sowing season in our catalogue. It is the preferred time for summer vegetables (tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants), the vast majority of annual flowers, and most herbs: the soil warms up, frosts recede, and young plants have the entire growing season to develop before the following winter. It is also the best window for starting perennials and trees that have already undergone their winter cold period (stratification): their seeds are then ready to germinate.

Find the full selection in the Spring sowing collection, including our Nantes carrot seeds and our California poppy seeds.

Summer is not just for garden maintenance: it is also the time for succession sowing. This is especially when to sow short-cycle vegetables to extend harvests into autumn (radishes, carrots, beets, late-season cauliflower), fast-growing annual herbs that tolerate heat well (basil, coriander, parsley), as well as biennials such as foxglove and wallflower, sown in a nursery from June to July to flower the following year. It is also the ideal time to start tropical species grown in pots, which have no pronounced seasonal dormancy.

Discover our complete selection in Summer sowing, including, for example, our Half-long Radish seeds and our Purple Foxglove seeds.

Autumn is the most natural season for two major groups of plants to sow. On the one hand, garlic and wild alliums, which need a period of cold to develop properly and are traditionally planted from October to December. On the other hand, trees, shrubs, and perennials with hard seeds, which need cold stratification to germinate: when sown outdoors in autumn, winter does this work naturally, without artificial handling. This is also the season for sowing hardy annual flowers (cornflower, poppy, nigella, and opium poppy), which overwinter as young plants and flower earlier and more vigorously the following spring.

The full selection is gathered in Autumn sowing, including, for example, our White Garlic seeds and our Cornflower seeds.

Some plants do not have a true seasonal dormancy and can be sown indoors at any time of year, as long as they receive some warmth and light. This is the case for fast-growing annual herbs such as basil, parsley, chives, and dill, which can be resown in pots every few weeks for a continuous supply. The same applies to tropical and subtropical species grown in pots (tea plant, stevia, dragon fruit, weeping fig, and others), which grow indoors without being constrained by the outdoor season.

Find this selection in Year-round sowing, including, for example, our Basil seeds and our Curly Parsley seeds.