Grass seed is something that we often take for granted. We see it every day, we walk on it and we play on it. It is the starting ingredient for a healthy lawn and at the heart of every lawn care plan. But where does grass seed come from and how are lawn seed made? Grass seed production is a specialist business and in this article we will explain the process from the farm all the way to your lawn.

Grass Variety Breeding

What is Grass variety breeding? It’s the process of developing new types or cultivars of grasses through selective breeding techniques. This practice plays a significant role in the production of grass seed, as it ensures the availability of improved and desirable grass varieties for various applications such as lawns, sports pitches, golf courses, parks, and pastures.

Grass seed is not just grass seed! There are many different grass species and within each grass species group there are grass varieties (sometimes called grass cultivars). A grass seed variety is created when a plant breeder selectively breeds grass plants for particular qualities. For example, in perennial ryegrass  the focus is often on creating a hard wearing grass seed for football pitches. Bentgrass often gets used in golf greens, so the focus of the breeder there is to create something grass plants with dense grass blades to create a smooth surface.

Selective grass seed breeding and production of grass seed varieties was pioneered by Joseph Barenbrug, founder of the global seed breeding company the Barenbrug Group. The first recognised variety of Perennial Ryegrass, a Perennial Rye grass called Barenza, was produced by Barenbrug was launched in 1948.

Selective breeding of different types of grass seed has resulted in the quality of grass seed increasing dramatically over the last 70 years.

Sowing a Grass Seed Crop

Farmers treat a grass seed crop much like a crop of wheat or barley. They start by selecting a field that’s relatively free from weed grasses, which could otherwise contaminate the crop. Then they cultivate the soil to create a fine, firm seedbed that encourages successful germination.

Once the seedbed is ready, sowing begins. Unlike sowing a lawn at home—where you’d typically use 25–35g of seed per square metre—farmers sow grass seed crops at just 1g per square metre. Why the lower rate? It’s all about the goal. A lawn aims for a dense covering of small plants, while a seed crop focuses on fewer, larger plants that can produce more seed.

Farmers can sow grass seed in either spring or autumn, though autumn is usually preferred. Autumn sowing takes advantage of more reliable weather and avoids the risks of extreme heat or drought. In either case, a spring-sown crop won’t be harvested until the following year, as the plant needs to experience winter to trigger its reproductive cycle—a process called vernalisation..

Once sown using a precision seed drill, the seed is rolled into the soil. This crucial step improves seed-to-soil contact, locking in moisture and boosting germination rates. Moisture and soil temperature are key to successful germination, and rolling helps keep conditions just right for the seeds to sprout.

Looking After a Grass Seed Crop

Once the seed is planted, has germinated and has begun to grow, it is a low input crop due to grass seed crops not needing huge amounts of fertiliser. The main task is to ensure it stays free of weeds. There are only a limited number of weedkillers that can be used, so often it is the old fashioned method of pulling out unwanted grass seed heads by hand. This is often performed by large groups of labourers who are mainly looking for unwanted grass seed types.

During the growing process the crop will be subject to periodic crop inspections. These are carried out by a licenced crop inspector who will check that the crop is of a suitable quality and that it meets the descriptive criteria of the individual variety.

A grass seed crop looks just like a field of long grass, so they are very hard to spot. The grass is allowed to grow tall and will produce a flowering seed head, just like a crop of what or barley. It is within this flowering seed head that grass seed is formed and held.

Harvest Grass Seed

After months of careful management, the seed crop begins to mature and reaches a harvestable stage from July onwards. At this point, the crop becomes highly vulnerable to damage from heavy rain or hail, which can flatten the plants and knock the seed loose. That’s why it’s crucial for farmers to begin harvesting as soon as conditions allow.

Farmers use a combine harvester—often slightly modified for the task—to cut the grass to about 125mm and separate the seed from the leaf blades, stalks, and other plant material. For the process to work effectively, the crop must be dry.

Once harvested, the seed is transferred to barns with ventilated floors that blow fresh, cool air through it. This further dries the seed and prevents overheating, which could reduce germination quality.

Where is Grass Seed Grown?

A significant amount of grass seed is grown right here in the UK, particularly in the south-east of England where the climate offers ideal growing conditions. The main species cultivated here in the UK are Perennial Ryegrass and Slender Creeping Red Fescue.

Across Europe, major grass seed production also takes place in countries like Holland, Denmark, France, and Germany. The biggest production area in the world is in the USA, specifically in Oregan. The main area famous for grass seed production is the Willamette Valley area. Main grass species grown in the USA are Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue and Kentucky Blue Grass seed.

Where does Grass Seed Online’s seed come from?

We’re proud to grow a significant amount of our grass seed right here in the UK.. We are proud of this because;

1. We are supporting UK farmers.
2. Home grown is more means it has travelled less miles, which all helps to reduce our carbon footprint.