Seeds are the tiny keepers of life and diversity, so I take choosing seeds and where I get them pretty seriously. The number of seed companies out there seem daunting and there are a few issues I keep in mind when choosing to shop at a source, first I ask if their values align with my own – organic vs. conventional, patent protected seeds, large corporate seed consolidation, or buy from smaller sustainable farms/companies. As a personal choice, I do prefer to purchase from sources not held by large, unrelated corporations or private equity or other investment firms. I’ll save this discussion for a more in depth discussion to come.
There are so many choices out there for good seed companies, and this list does not come even close to covering them all. My list below is just to give an idea of some of my favorites seed companies who I have purchased from and had great experiences with their seeds and other products. All of these companies are dedicated to selling only non-GMO seeds.
Fedco Seeds – Is a member-worker cooperatively owned company in Maine. What’s not to love about a good co-op? Fedco boasts a safe seed pledge and offers transparent seed sourcing, which is important since they do sell conventionally grown and organic seeds. They offer both hybrid and open-pollinated varieties and clearly label both. Even though they offer a broad range of seeds and fruit trees for the entire US, I now live in USDA Zone 5 and appreciate their emphasis on short growing season varieties. They also offer a great selection of fruit trees and garden supplies. Getting snail mail seed catalogs is such a treat, from the surprise appearance in the mailbox to the wonderful descriptions and graphics, but Fedco’s catalog is a special treat with their creative hand drawn pictures – and puns, so be sure to order one from their website, it is an old-school delight on newsprint paper.
High Mowing Organic Seeds – They have been a leader in organic gardening and agriculture for almost 30 years and offer only organic grown seeds, both hybrid and open pollinated varieties. They grow some of their own seed but also have partnerships with other sustainable committed growers, including their own staff, to source seed.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange – Their mission includes encouraging small scale, cooperative agriculture and to conserve rare, open-pollinated heirloom seeds. This is where to find some unusual varieties. I once grew a green tinted variety of cotton, an interesting note is that cotton does grow in other shades than just white and SESE carries about five different shades! As the name implies, they specialize in seeds for hot and humid southern environments, but I know gardeners in the north (including an USDA Zone 6 seed grower who provides seeds to them) who have great success with some of the varieties of seeds. So just like Fedco above emphasizes cooler, shorter climate growing, SESE is their southern counterpart in this way, but with an added emphasis on conservation of old varieties for genetic diversity.
Pueblo Seed & Food Company – Is a truly artisanal, family owned and operated seed company based in southwest Colorado. Their mission is “to renew and strengthen communities by stewarding the land and guiding the health of seed, food and people.” They moved their farming operations from a high-intensity conventional farming area to a more isolated mountain valley to preserve the genetic integrity of their crops, notably their heirloom corn varieties. Here seeds are purchased directly from the grower, all USDA certified organic seeds are grown using some of the most thoughtful and sustainable methods. If you find yourself in Cortez, Colorado, they also have a shop featuring a menu of carefully crafted foods made from grain and other foods produced on their nearby farm. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this small seed and food company, their seeds germinate as expected and grow into wonderfully healthy plants.
Vibrant Earth Seeds – I am including them in my list even though this is my first season growing their seeds. They are a passionate family owned small company dedicated to bringing locally adapted, heirloom and ancestral, open pollinated, chemical-free seeds to high elevation growers and desert. They grow many of the seeds themselves, but what they don’t grow they do have transparent seed sourcing practices.
Renee’s Garden Seeds – Renee Shepard has been selling seeds since 1985 and is known for introducing new and interesting varieties of vegetables and herbs to US gardeners. Like the other vegetable and herb seeds sources on my list, they offer both organic and conventional seeds, but pledge to keep their seed free of chemical treatment and GMOs. I love the watercolor artwork on their seed packets, they were some of the very first seeds that I purchased and sold as a young gardener and garden center employee.
Johnny‘s Selected Seeds – this is basically an organic gardener and farmer warehouse! They carry everything, tons of plant varieties, and their prices are fair. This is the go-to source for many market gardeners and farmers. As one of the original signers of the Safe Seed Pledge, they are committed to providing GMO-free seeds, but they do offer fungicide treated seeds for some varieties, but are clearly labeled. What is not to love about an 100% employee-owned company who keeps their employees and customers in mind with no outside shareholders or private equity firm to report up to?
Native American Seed – I would be remiss if I didn’t include a native seed source! Native American Seed is not just a grower and seller of seeds, their website and catalog are full of high quality information. They work with universities and extension agencies in addition to land restorationists of all types. They sell seeds by ecoregion to ensure the seeds are a good fit for each location. Native American Seed is the only native seed company that I have personal experience with, to find seeds for native plants that are more local to your soils and climate (yes, it makes a huge difference even for the same species!) join a nearby Native Plant Society.
Neighborhood/Local Seed Swap or Seed Libraries – Because sharing is caring! These are great events for so many reasons! Check with local libraries, garden clubs, and independently owned garden centers to find one or to get a seed swap started. Seed swaps are a good place to start building a seed stash or share from your burgeoning seed library. This is where to get varieties grown and doing well in local conditions, where to meet fellow plant enthusiasts, and exchange out extra seeds from your own seed stash. These are truly unique experiences to learn from others and can be a place to get rare and interesting varieties.
There are so many great sources that I have used over the years that I intend to come back and keep adding to this list over time.