Seed Catalogs

Links provided by clicking company names.

1. Baker Creek Heirloom Seed

2. Botanical Interests

3. Bountiful Gardens

4. Burpee

5. FEDCO

6. High Mowing Organic Seeds

7. Irish Eyes Seeds

8. John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds

9. Johnny’s Selected Seeds

10. Kitazawa Seeds

11. Le Jardin du Gourmet

12. Nichols Garden Nursery

13. Pinetree Garden Seeds

14. Renee’s Garden Seeds

15. Seeds of Change

16. Seed Savers Exchange

17. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

18. Sustainable Seed Company

19. Swallowtail Seeds

20. Territorial Seeds

21. Uprising Seeds

22. Westcoast Seeds

Seed Catalogs: A Few Reviews…(as I get around to it)

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed

With over 1400 heirloom seeds available, and photos that I swear were taken by an out-of-work  pin-up photographer, Baker Creek tops my list of seed catalogs that make you salivate.  As much coffee table book as catalog, there is not a page portrayed that is not ripe with the passion of growing great things and discovering new and forgotten varieties.

FEDCO

For everything the Baker Creek catalog is, FEDCO is not. And therein lies its charm and power to woo you; it looks, feels and reads like some dog-eared treasure found in an a dusty attic chest. Sketches, vintage etchings, descriptions, expert advice and humor are replete on each page in a chockablock fashion that compels you to make sure you didn’t miss a thing.

Pinetree Garden Seeds

Here’s another great seed seller who gives you the opportunity to buy smaller quantities at lower prices. I like to grow a lot of varieties, so this affords me greater range in the garden and on the table. The catalog also has a seed section for Asian, French, Italian, Middle Eastern, and Latin-American vegetables as well as dyeing and medicinal herbs.

John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds

This engaging catalog is a fine little work of art with Beatrix-Potter-like paintings of vegetables suitable for framing or decorating the warren of Peter Rabbit.  You’ll find great descriptions, interesting varieties and seed amounts clearly shown. And if you’re a flower fanatic, wait until fall and be blown away by their bulb catalog: Beauty from Bulbs.

Seed Savers Exchange

A non-profit, member-supported organization that saves and shares the heirloom seeds, Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) really put heirloom seeds and seed-saving on the map. The catalog and website are first rate, offering plant diversity rarely seen in other catalogs. SSE supplies me with seed for my favorite cool-weather watermelon: blacktail mountain.

Territorial Seeds

Territorial Seeds is a well known and respected seed catalog from the Pacific Northwest gardener and grower, a catalog that covers an amazing array of seeds tested in and for a climate where cloudy skies outnumber clear days.  Territory Seeds turned me on to my favorite French pole bean: Fortex — a curious name for an outstanding green bean.

Le Jardin du Gourmet

Artistic Gardens offers a seed catalog on a shoestring, but don’t let that fool you. As a loyal fan, I like their seeds because they have really inexpensive packets of seed sampler packets available. So if I want to try new varieties out, I can do so without breaking the bank. I mean who really needs 1,000 chard seeds. Packet prices range from 35 cents to $1.00 and they have exceptional shallot sets.

High Mowing Organic Seeds

This is my first year ordering from High Mowing Organics Seeds, but my farming friends have nothing to but accolades to share about this company.  I’d have to say it’s easy to support an operation with this philosophy, “…we believe in re-imagining what our world can be like. We believe in a deeper understanding of how re-built food systems can support health on all levels – healthy environments, healthy economies, healthy communities and healthy bodies. We believe in a hopeful and inspired view of the future based on better stewardship for our planet. Everyday that we are in business, we are growing; working to provide an essential component in the re-building of our healthy food systems: the seeds.”

Johnny’s Selected Seeds

My friend Anne is paying attention. I forgot to include Johnny’s Seeds on my list of favorites, so I’m here to correct that omission. As she said in her comment, “I have to put in a good word for the good folks up in Maine at Johnny’s Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com)  Do order a catalogue!– you’ll be glad of it. In addition to carrying loads of things to grow, they’re breeders who have won a number of AAS awards (I can attest to the excellence of their Sunshine, Confection and Black Forest squashes), they design tools, and their catalogue is such a trove of information that you feel like you’ve completed an agronomy course just by studying it (I like people who make me feel smarter). Plus, they’re employee-owned and strictly non-GMO. Their website is full of useful stuff, too…I’ve been buying from them for probably close to 20 years, and know a lot of commercial farmers who prefer their seed, as well.”  Thanks Anne, sometimes I need supervision.