With all this talk of garden planning, we thought it’d be helpful to put all our favorite gardening resource in one place. This first article will cover our favorite seed sources. In a future article, we’ll compile all the other gardening resources from our favorite books and blogs to where to seed starting supplies. This is not by any means an exhaustive list of seed suppliers, this is just a compilation of our very favorite seed companies and brands we love to support. These days, you can get seeds anywhere from Amazon to Home Depot to the Natural Food Stores and numerous online seed companies. Here are the ones we trust and use for our own garden.
There are a few things we look for when it comes to purchasing seeds. First, we tend to stick to heirloom or open pollinated varieties. In terms of sustainability, we want to be able to save seeds from our crops and (assuming they haven’t crossed in our own garden) get predictable results when we grow our own seed. Hybrids are unpredictable. You might get something similar, or you might get something wildly different than what you expected.
We also like to purchase high quality seed. Lots of big box stores sell cheap seed packets, but I’ve found that the germination rates on many of those brands is low and the seeds don’t tend to last year to year like those from more quality brands. And call me crazy, but those cheap seed packets are annoying. For some reason they always have a hole in the top for the seed rack and once open, they are really hard to store and keep the seeds inside. Finally, where possible, we always like to support smaller businesses.
Victory Seed Company
Hands down, my very favorite seed company is Victory Seeds! They are a smaller company based out of Oregon, probably the closest proximity to our own farm (even if they are a state away). Victory seeds is definitely not flashy like some of the bigger seed companies, but they do some really cool things that I appreciate. First of all, I love the idea behind their company name. Victory Gardens were a way people contributed to the war effort during WWII and that is where Victory Seeds gets their name. Second, I love their broad selection of unique tomato varieties. If you’re looking for rare or unusual heirloom varieties with a story, you won’t find a better selection anywhere else.
Another thing I love is their packaging. The seeds come in little army green re-sealable mylar packets. This will likely make the seeds last longer. And, If I happen to set my seeds down in a wet spot in the garden, the seed packet won’t soak through and my seeds will be safe.
Every time I’ve purchased seeds from Victory Seeds, the germination rates have been off the charts. The seeds are definitely more reliable than a lot of other seed companies and I think this is due to a higher level of quality control allowed by the fact that Victory Seeds grows much of their own seed rather than outsourcing. And I don’t think I’ve had any crops from Victory not produce fruit either.
Seed Savers Exchange
My next favorite source is Seed Savers Exchange. I love the goal of Seed Savers to preserve treasured family heirlooms for future generations. They have one of the prettiest seed catalogs with the most useful supplemental information like recipes, how to save seed and more. Seed Savers Exchange also has really good variety. If you want unique heirlooms that are also reliable options for any level of gardening experience, you won’t be disappointed. I love reading the stories of historical varieties and treasured family heirloom seeds. Someday, I would love to visit the Seed Savers Heritage Farm in Iowa where you can see many of the varieties growing in their gardens.
Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook
The next option is not really a seed catalog, but it’s usually where I go when I’m looking for a specific variety I can’t find elsewhere. It’s also where I go when I need to get just one or two types of seed because I can order one packet without having to pay extra for shipping. The Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook is a place where gardeners can list seed that they have saved. The fees cover the cost to ship the seeds, but the seeds are free. The idea is to preserve heirloom varieties that aren’t being sold by seed companies for whatever reason and keep the seeds and their stories alive.
On the Exchange, you can find popular heirloom varieties or varieties with nothing more than a name and a bit of intrigue to recommend them. Some of our very favorite varieties, ones we grow year after year have come from the exchange. You have to create a profile on the exchange website and then you can search for seeds and request them from listers across the country.
SSE Heritage Farm
One of my favorite listers, is the SSE Heritage Farm. Technically, this is the same as Seed Savers Exchange, but they offer more varieties in the yearbook than they do in their seed catalog. The seed packets do not come in fancy printed packaging with pictures or growing instructions, hence the lower cost. But if you’re looking for a real gardening adventure or treasure hunt, this is the place to go.
Botanical Interests
Now, I used to think Botanical interest was super boring because nearly every grocery store, hardware store, and farm store carries a rack with their seeds. That said, Botanical Interests usually carries mostly heirloom seeds. Their seed packets have beautiful artwork. And, the information the include on the back of the seed packet is actually really helpful (unlike a lot of other seed packets), and their germination rates are good (something that cannot be said of other seed varieties carried in big box stores). Botanical Interest’s seeds are also very reasonably priced.
So, if I am just looking for one or two kinds of seed (or lets be honest if I happen to pass a rack of their seeds in the grocery store) I will go with Botanical Interests. And if one grocery store is out of a certain variety, I don’t have to go far to find another store that still has it. In my local area you can find Botanical Interests Seeds at Ace, Natural Grocers, North 40, Huckleberry’s, and lots of other places too. You can also order from Botanical Interests online.
Baker Creek
Now, if I want to spend all day just looking at pictures of fanciful varieties like yard long carrots, jelly melons, or butterfly peas, this is where I look. I don’t love Baker Creek’s prices (compared to those of other heirloom suppliers; however, they are still better than places like Johnny’s that sell hybrids and generally larger quantities). That said, they have the most unusual selection of fruits and vegetables. I do find, that a lot of these unusual crops are better suited to warmer climates than my growing area.
But Baker Creek also carries all the usual suspects: Beans, Carrots, Tomatoes, Peppers, Pumpkins and the like. Shipping is Free (though definitely covered by the higher price per packet and you also get a free mystery seed packs with every order. Baker Creek also offers a variety of live plants in addition to seeds. Things like sweet potatoes, blueberries, garlic, and fig trees. So if the unusual and fanciful is what you’re after, definitely take a look at Baker Creek.
Other ways to get seeds on a shoestring budget
Another great way I have found to get interesting seeds is by trading with other gardeners. Now, this isn’t as reliable as an option as you may not get exactly what you’re looking for and the seed purity isn’t guaranteed, but it’s usually a lot cheaper and more fun (and the fruits/veggies are still perfectly safe to eat even if they aren’t always what you expected). You can find lots of Facebook groups and probably groups on other platforms too, that encourage seed trading and are fun to participate in.
