You can learn lot about gardening by reading seed catalogs. The online versions of seed company catalogs are quick and easy to use. Plus, they tend to be more up-to-date.
PEYTON BALDWIN
Whether your garden is frozen over or your first freeze is yet to arrive, it's never too early to start dreaming about next year's garden. If you set aside a little time this winter to plan what to grow next year, you'll be rewarded with an early start come spring. Plus, you can make your green thumb even greener just by reading seed catalogs. New gardeners, especially, should read seed catalogs to learn about fruit and veggie varieties that are naturally pest- and disease-resistant, are fabulously prolific, or offer superior flavor and nutrition. It's also a good way to introduce yourself to underappreciated but fun-to-grow fruits and veggies such as kohlrabi and mouse melons.
Lucky for us, it's easier than ever to find healthy garden seeds that were grown organically and come from solid, open-pollinated stock. Even some of the largest seed companies are beginning to offer a wider selection of organic, non-hybrid, and non-chemically-treated seeds. When possible, order garden seeds from companies based in your area. Their varieties are more likely to be well adapted to your soil and climate. The following seed companies (organized by state; skip to the end for Canadian listings) have a great selection of open-pollinated and organic vegetable and herb seeds, and you'll learn a lot from their informative catalogs. Their extensive offerings are available online and/or via traditional print catalogs. For help finding even more seed sources, check out our handy tool, the customized Seed and Plant Finder.
Seed Companies By State
ALABAMA
Sand Mountain Herbs (Fyffe, Ala.)
ARIZONA
Native Seeds / SEARCH (Tucson, Ariz.)
Seeds Trust (Cornville, Ariz.)
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CALIFORNIA
Bountiful Gardens (Willits, Calif.)
J. L. Hudson, Seedsman (LaHonda, Calif.)
Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants (Lomita, Calif.)
Mountain Valley Growers (Squaw Valley, Calif.)
Natural Gardening Co. (Petaluma, Calif.)
Ornamental Edibles (San Jose, Calif.)
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply (Grass Valley, Calif.)
Redwood City Seeds (Redwood City, Calif.)
Renee's Garden (Felton, Calif.)
COLORADO
Botanical Interests (Broomfield, Colo.)
Golden Harvest Organics (Fort Collins, Colo.)
The Garlic Store (Fort Collins, Colo.)
CONNECTICUT
Comstock, Ferre & Co. (Wethersfield, Conn.)
John Sheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds (Bantam, Conn.)
New England Seed (Hartford, Conn.)
FLORIDA
Eden Organic Nursery Services (E.O.N.S.) (Hallandale, Fla.)
The Gourmet Gardener (Live Oak, Fla.)
The Pepper Gal (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
Tomato Growers Supply Co. (Fort Myers, Fla.)
ILLINOIS
American Organic Seed & Grain (Warren, Ill.)
Underwood Gardens (Woodstock, Ill.)
INDIANA
Great Harvest Organics (Atlanta, Ind.)
The Chile Woman (Bloomington, Ind.)
IOWA
Blue River Organic Seed (Kelley, Iowa)
Mark Seed Co. (Perry, Iowa)
Sand Hill Preservation Center (Calamus, Iowa)
Seed Savers Exchange (Decorah, Iowa)
KANSAS
Pendleton's Country Market (Lawrence, Kan.)
Skyfire Garden Seeds (Kanopolis, Kan.)
KENTUCKY
Ferry-Morse Seed Company (Fulton, Ky.)
Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center (Berea, Ky.)
MAINE
FEDCO Seeds (Waterville, Maine)
Johnny's Selected Seeds (Winslow, Maine)
Pinetree Garden Seeds (New Gloucester, Maine)
Wood Prairie Farm (Bridgewater, Maine)
MARYLAND
Pepper Joe's (Timonium, Md.)
MICHIGAN
Krohne Plant Farms, Inc. (Hartford, Mich.)
MINNESOTA
Albert Lea Seed House (Albert Lea, Minn.)
MISSOURI
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (Mansfield, Mo.)
Granny's Heirloom Seeds (Humansville, Mo.)
Pantry Garden Herbs (Cleveland, Mo.)
NEW JERSEY
Thompson & Morgan (Jackson, N.J.)
NEW MEXICO
Gourmet Seed International (Tatum, N.M.)
Plants of the Southwest (Santa Fe and Albuquerque, N.M.)
Seeds of Change (Santa Fe, N.M.)
Seeds West Garden Seeds (Albuquerque, N.M.)
NEW YORK
Harris Seeds (Rochester, N.Y.)
Seedway (Hall, N.Y.)
Stokes Seeds Inc. (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Turtle Tree Seed (Copake, N.Y.)
NORTH CAROLINA
Appalachian Seeds (Flat Rock, N.C.)
Cornerstone Garlic Farm (Reidsville, N. C.)
OHIO
Bobba-Mike's Garlic Farm (Orrville, Ohio)
OREGON
Abundant Life Seeds (Saginaw, Ore.)
Horizon Herbs (Williams, Ore.)
Nichols Garden Nursery (Albany, Ore.)
One Green World (Molalla, Ore.)
Sow Organic Seed (Williams, Ore.)
Territorial Seed Co. (Cottage Grove, Ore.)
The Thyme Garden Herb Company (Alsea, Ore.)
Victory Seed Company (Molalla, Ore.)
Wild Garden Seed (Philomath, Ore.)
PENNSYLVANIA
Container Seeds (Wellsboro, Penn.)
Heirloom Seeds (W. Elizabeth, Penn.)
The Cook's Garden (Warminster, Penn.)
W. Atlee Burpee Co.(Warminster, Penn.)
SOUTH CAROLINA
Park Seed Co. (Greenwood, S.C.)
R. H. Shumway's (Graniteville, S.C.)
Seeds for the South (Graniteville, S.C.)
TENNESSEE
Marianna's Heirloom Seeds (Dickson, Tenn.)
New Hope Seed Company (Bon Aqua, Tenn.)
TEXAS
Garden Store-N-More (LaPorte, Tex.)
Willhite Seed Inc. (Poolville, Tex.)
Bob Wells Nursery (Lindale, Tex.)
Brown's Omaha Plant Farms (Omaha, Tex.)
Dixondale Farms (Carrizo Springs, Tex.)
VERMONT
High Mowing Organic Seeds (Wolcott, Vt.)
VIRGINIA
Garden Medicinals and Culinaries (Earlysville, Va.)
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (Mineral, Va.)
WASHINGTON
Filaree Farm (Okanogan, Wash.)
Garden City Seeds (Ellensburg, Wash.)
Osborne Seed Company (Mount Vernon, Wash.)
WISCONSIN
Botanikka Seeds (Iron Ridge, Wis.)
Totally Tomatoes (Randolf, Wis.)
Vermont Bean Seed Co. (Randolph, Wis.)
Seed Companies in Canada
Boundary Garlic Farm (Midway, British Columbia)
Gardeners Web (Bowden, Alberta)
Hole's Greenhouses & Gardens (St. Albert, Alberta)
Salt Spring Seeds (Salt Spring Island, British Columbia)
Stellar Seeds (Sorrento, British Columbia)
West Coast Seeds (Delta, British Columbia)
William Dam Seeds (Dundas, Ontario)
Richter's (Goodwood, Ontario)
For more help planning your spring garden, check out the following articles from the Mother Earth News Archive:
Do you order seeds from a great seed company that isn't on the list above? Tell us about it below!
There is also a small farm out of Fort Collins, Colorado that is selling Garlic Seed/Cloves http://www.thegarlicguys.com/
Sorry, I didn't make the link clickable, here it is again: http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/ViewPage.aspx?pageId=261. Also, this list is a bit outdated.For Arizona they should add: http://www.sherizona.com http://arizonaseed.com
Mindy, here's the list of companies that AREN'T related to Monsanto (they signed Safe Seed Pledge), hope that helps you: http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/ViewPage.aspx?pageId=261.
Kayelldee, Might you happen to have a list of any seed companies that are related with Monsanto (in any way). Looking for a list from a trusted resource. Thanks!
You should include The Growers Exchange in this list. http://www.thegrowers-exchange.com/
It is so important to know who's affiliated with Monsanto, and equally important to know who's not. Territorial Seeds is NOT owned by Monsanto. They bought seeds from Seminis before Seminis was bought by Monsanto, and when that happened, Territorial phased out their relationship with Seminis. They currently DO NOT do any business with those companies, so please do your research before deciding to boycott a business.
My wife and I just found out about and purchased from www.terraedibles.ca. They are a supplier of heirloom seeds, some of which are certified organic also. They are located in Ontario, Canada.
I recently learned that several of the bigger seed companies buy their seeds from Seminis, which is owned by Monsanto. I do not want to support Monsanto in any way. If you feel the same, I suggest finding out before ordering if the company buys seeds from Seminis. Also, I think this list would have been eassier to navigate had you listed the companies in alphabetical order.
I would like to know the seed companies from which to buy open pollinated seeds. Best companies in my area. Please send any gardening advice, help.
I have a great seed link to try out-75 Heirloom seed varieties for a full garden all in one affordable ($50)set. www.backyardheirloomseeds.net They also sell medicinal herb and culinary herb sets....
in response to Laura in Seattle. I too am curious to know which of these are associated to Monsanto. I agree wholeheartedly. They poison are envoirnment and get away with it by lining the pockets of corupt politians. I have health problems related to toxins and do not want to support Monsanto in anyway.
What I want to know is which of these companies are NOT owned by Monsanto. Several on the list (Territorial Seeds among them)are, and I do not want to support Monsanto in any way whatsoever. They own at least 30 seed companies, some you'd never expect (e.g., Territorial Seeds). Nothing in this article or on the seed packaging suggests the corporate ownership. I think we all need to pay attention to this.
Have discovered a seed company in central Ontario. Wall Flower Studio Seeds. The owner is also an artist, and sells organic, heirloom and heritage seeds for the most part. I ordered some Sweet William and herbal vinegars. Was very happy with my order. Prompt shipment and nice person to deal with. Here's a link... http://wallflowerstudioseeds.blogspot.com Cheers, Flora
I tried to go to the link for the garlic farm in New Hampshire, and was given a 404 message. If anyone finds the right address, please post it!
Don't miss Vesey's Seed Company in Prince Edward Island! Besides having an active, incredibly useful website, their catalogs are fantastic and come out several times a year. Their products are great, and I order from them even though I live on the other side of the country! They have a Canadian and a US site, which you can get to at www.veseys.com. Celebrating their 70th year in 2009.
Please add Kitazawa Seed Co. to your list for California. They have a great selection of Asian cultivars that are known to grow well in the U.S.A. Also, they have excellent customer service.http://www.kitazawaseed.com/index.php
Under your heading for Pennsylvania, please add the D. Landreth Seed Co. -- the oldest seed company in America. It has a new and very lovely fall catalog to follow its regular spring catalog. They have wonderful flowering bulbs and heirloom garlic. landrethseeds.com/
Try Seeds of Italy, either by mail or online:www.growitalian.comI met Bill McKay online when we both spent several years on a project called Internet Tomato Trials.Honest and forthcoming, as far as I know, he still tests all the seed he offers. The Italian imports come in large packages. Order his catalog or read it online. It's filled with terrific information.