Growing your own weed is a perk of legalization and most provinces allow Canadians to grow up to four plants per household. A homegrow is a great opportunity to understand the plant on a deeper level, as well as save a ton of cash.
And it all starts with a seed.
While most people know how and where to buy legal cannabis products, accessing legal cannabis seedscan often be a more challenging process (and in some places in Canada, functionally impossible).
Three years on, access to legal seeds — like much of the rest of the cannabis market — depends entirely on where you live.
British Columbia
Is it legal to grow here? Yes
Are seeds available? Yes
Where can I buy? Seeds are available through both the private retail stores and the provincially-run BC Cannabis Stores.
British Columbia is often considered the epicentre of cannabis cultivation in Canada, with “BC Bud” known worldwide. It’s hard to deny the influence the west coast has had over Canada’s entire cannabis culture.
At the time of writing this article, the provincial supplier only had one variety of seeds listed — Bubba Kush Seeds by 34 Street Seed Co. The province’s independent retailers have more seed selections on their store menus, and some even have a couple of varieties to choose from.
Our top picks:
Alberta
Is it legal to grow? Yes
Are seeds available? Yes
Where can I buy? Seeds are available at many of the province’s private retail stores.
On a per-capita basis, no province has a greater saturation of cannabis retail than Alberta, with one store for every 6,300 citizens. In early March 2022, the government stepped out of the retail game, allowing the private sector to takeover the responsibility for sales and delivery.
So it should be of little surprise, Alberta is one of the better provinces for seed access. Nearly every dispensary menu we looked at has at least a few types of seeds available, and most have at least two or three options.
Our top picks:
Saskatchewan
Is it legal to grow? Yes
Are seeds available? Yes
Where can I buy? Seeds are available at most private stores, and through private delivery.
If you were inclined to make the case that an entirely private cannabis market is better for consumers, Saskatchewan’s seed market could help make your case.
Virtually every store has something available, both for in-store shopping and for online sales. And to boot, the prairie province has the best deal we found nationwide at Kiaro, La Ronge: four Pink Limeade seeds for ten bucks. Seeds for the people of Saskatchewan!
Our top picks:
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Manitoba
Is it legal to grow? No.
Not much else to say about Manitoba. Right from the get-go of legalization, Manitoba chose, according to the government “to set the limit at zero, effectively prohibiting the cultivation of non-medical cannabis in the home.”
(There are still many ways to get your hands on some seeds in the Postage Stamp Province, but “legally” isn’t one of them. Use your imagination on this one; loose lips sink ships.)
Ontario
Is it legal to grow? Yes.
Are seeds available? Yes.
Where can I buy? OCS.ca, and select retail stores.
Ontario has some of the best selection of products and a flourishing private retail market. It also has—with the utmost respect for my Ontario stoner friends—one of the strangest and most frustrating cannabis markets in the country.
At first, there was only online retail; then there were physical stores, but only a handful. Now there are “too many“. Private stores at first couldn’t do delivery—then they could, then they couldn’t again, and now they can once again.
Seed prices are kind of high in Ontario, but the variety is unparalleled. Most packs of seeds will run you north of $30 but the province has the widest selection of strains, with 28 different products available at the time of writing (including a rare find when it comes to seeds — a high CBD strain).
Our top picks
- Weathered Islands Craft Cannabis – Sunshine Pine
- CRG Pharma – Charlotte’s Diesel seeds
- Great Gardener Farms – CBD Rene seeds
Quebec
Is it legal to grow? No.
Though the ban on home cultivation in Quebec was temporarily lifted following a court ruling in 2019, in 2021 it was reinstated, and Quebecers who are caught growing pot plants at home face a $750 fine per plant.
As such, no seeds are available for purchase through Quebec’s provincially-run SQDC stores.
New Brunswick
Is it legal to grow? Yes.
Are seeds available? Yes.
Where can I buy? Seeds are available at all Cannabis NB locations and online.
If you’re regularly growing cannabis plants year-round using legal seeds, then consistent availability is important—and New Brunswick’s seed market, sold through provincially-run Cannabis NB—is nothing if not consistent.
At the time of writing, there were nine strains of seed available. All are regularly in stock at each of the province’s 20 dispensary locations, in addition to being available for online orders.
All of the packs are typically the same price—5 seeds for $54.99—and most are supplied by 34 Street Seed Co., a brand owned by Alberta-based ANC Cannabis.
Our top picks:
- 34 Street Seed Co – Pineapple Express
- Parkland Flower – V.Kush 1:1
- 34 Street Seed Co – Zkittles x FPOG
*Our dispensary finder searches cannabis retail menus based on your location. The retailer gets 100% of their sales, Leafly doesn’t take a percentage.
Prince Edward Island
Is it legal to grow? Yes.
Are seeds available? Sometimes.
Where can I buy? PEI Cannabis, if they are selling.
While it’s perfectly legal to grow the usual four cannabis plants in Prince Edward Island, as of February 2021, there were no seeds available through the provincial retailer.
Zip. Zilch. Nada. All we can suggest is that you check the PEI Cannabis website regularly.
Nova Scotia
Is it legal to grow? Yes.
Are seeds available? Yes.
Where can I buy? Seeds are available through the provincial NSLC Cannabis stores.
Nova Scotia’s provincially-run NSLC Cannabis stores have a decent amount of reasonably priced seeds—six seeds for $29.99 in most cases. Much like other provincial markets, seed availability and access vary. At the time of publication, the NSLC had 18 types of seeds from 3 producers.
Our top picks
- Dutch Passion – Critical Orange Punch seeds
- 34th Street Seed Co – Double Chocolate seeds
- Jax Genetics – Sweet Release
Newfoundland & Labrador
Is it legal to grow? Yes.
Are seeds available? Sometimes.
Where can I buy? Provincially run Cannabis NL website, and private retail stores.
Much like PEI, Newfoundlanders are legally able to buy seeds. But in reality, it can be difficult to do so.
While seeds have been available for purchase in the past, they are only sometimes in stock through the provincial retailer. At the time of writing, no seeds were available to order online, and none of the store menus we were able to access listed seeds for sale.
Yukon
Is it legal to grow? Yes.
Are seeds available? Yes.
Where can I buy? Seeds are mainly available through private retail.
Cannabis seed availability is by no means widespread in Yukon Territory, that’s likely because the territory only has three stores outside the capital city of Whitehorse.
Still, for those living in the urban core, accessing seeds should be no trouble—we were able to find at least two stores with seeds in stock in Whitehorse, and one in Carmacks. Selection, of course, is limited.
Our top picks
Northwest Territories
Is it legal to grow? Yes.
Are seeds available? Yes.
Where can I buy? ReLeafNT, and potentially in other retail stores.
It is hard to offer too much advice about buying seeds in the Northwest Territories, as there’s not a lot of info online (and Leafly isn’t about to expense me the airfare to conduct a speculative fact-finding mission…)
Late in 2021, the territory closed its online sales making ReLeafNT the de facto online retailer for the territory. They do sell seeds — although what was in stock fluctuated depending on when we checked.
Our top picks:
Nunavut
Is it legal to grow? Yes.
Are seeds available? Not currently.
Cannabis consumption remains pretty stigmatized. The legal market also hasn’t really taken root there yet — there is only one retailer, Nuna Cannabis in Iqaluit, but that store doesn’t currently sell seeds.
