Harris seeds are very familiar for the gardeners. However, not so many of them know the history behind the brand. This old brand started out on 1879 when Joseph Harris first published his seed catalogue. He was one of the first businessmen to ever published a catalogue. He was a enterprising farmer and was known to have wide knowledge and extensive experience on his field. He was able to develop seed sticks and improve strains of seeds for years to result on some of the best seeds in the business.
Joseph Harris was born in the 1828 and he was the son of a tenant farmer and that is where he got his interest in the farming business. His father was not only introducing him to the farming industry, but also let him of to the best education in the agriculture. After the education, Joseph Harris then emigrate fo Geneee Valey and started his business. He was able to purchase a property and he named it Moreton Farm.
He continued his desire to the farming industry by growing different types of plants until he was finally able to produce his catalogue. He understood that his catalogue may not be the best catalogue, but he took comfort in the fact that he was going to give the 30000 copies of catalogues for free to whoever desired them. Despite that, the catalogue was found to be interesting and informative by many gardeners, especially those who are in the market of seeds.
His children helped out a lot in the property and in the seed business, and therefore there was no hesitation on the fact that the second generation would carry on the business and not only that, they also helped the company to grow significantly.
When Joseph Harries passed away on 1892, his son, Selah Harries who was 25 years old at that time, and his two sisters took over the business. They concentrated on producing high quality seeds and increasing the varieties of the seeds. Like his father, Selah Harris was known to be one of the most popular seeds man during the era.
When he died in 1931, it was his younger sister, Margaret Harris Sheldon who then continued the business, after all, she had been helping out in the business since she was still a teenager. But it was the generation after that, through Joseph Harris in 1979, who sold the company. Although the company is no longer in the Harris family, but the name of the seed remained the same and the family would be forever known to be the founder of the Harris Seeds.
