The seed catalogs are arriving almost daily now, and the annual dog-earing of pages and highlighting of items has begun. While I buy some of my seeds from local nurseries every year (I can find Botanical Interests seeds in several local stores now) I do the bulk of my seed shopping through catalogs. Here are a few of my favorites.
1. Seed Savers Exchange — this company is familiar to most gardeners. They put out a catalog full of both common and unusual heirlooms. If you’re a member, the annual member’s yearbook will have you salivating.
2. Cubit’s Organics-– I became familiar with Cubit’s after interacting with them on Twitter, and I’ve ordered from them several times now. This Canadian company is small, family-owned and run, and they also have a great blog. The prices are reasonable, too.
3. High Mowing Organic Seeds — High Mowing carries a wide selection of organic seeds, potatoes, garlic, and onions.
4. Botanical Interests Seeds — Botanical Interests first caught my attention with their artful seed packets, but I keep buying their seeds because I love the variety of organic and heirloom seeds they carry.
5. D. Landreth Seeds — This is America’s oldest seed house, responsible for introducing the country to tomatoes and zinnias. Talk about a legacy! Their catalog is worth every cent of the $5 purchase price — it is full of useful information about the varieties they carry.
In addition to my picks, check out Mother Earth News readers’ favorite sustainable seed companies. There is a lot of overlap between the two lists. I know that many of us are concerned with making sure we’re not supporting companies like Monsanto, which owns 40% of all vegetable seeds sold in the U.S. I wrote a post about keeping Monsanto out of your veggie garden over at TreeHugger — worth a look if you like to know exactly where your money is going. I like spending my money with small, independent businesses, and for the most part, my list reflects that.
I hope this helps you discover some great, new-to-you seed companies. Which companies do you like to buy seeds from?