Harris Garden Center

Our history from yesterday to today

In Rochester, New York the name Harris has much meaning to the gardening community. Many of the people had their hands into creating new hybrid seeds for their own gardens.  You may have crossed pollinated tomatoes, tasseled out corn, acting just like a bee. You can’t mention the name Harris without someone saying, “Yes my Granddad, Aunt, or friend, did this”. Do you remember going to the farm to see the production of seeds for the catalog?

Harris has been a gardening tradition since 1879. The Harris Seed Company continues to produce new varieties of vegetable seed. Some of the favorites include Espada beans, Warrior Beets, many corn varieties, pellet seeds and pepper, to name a few. They published their first seed catalog in 1879. The catalogs are sent to many gardeners and farmers to this day.  In 1930 the community made a request to buy seed directly from the farm. Hence, the garden center was created!

In the last 125 years many changes have taken place.  The Seed Company was sold along with the three garden centers. Joseph Harris bought back the garden centers shortly thereafter with his focus being to develop them into a friendly all around center that would help the novice to the experienced gardener. They opened a fourth center, a florist and landscape division in the 1990’s.

History Continued >>>