It’s time to start garden planning and ordering seeds for this year’s garden so thought I would put together a list of my favorite seed companies that I order from. I don’t order from all of them every year and to be honest most of my seeds come from seed swapping or saved seeds so I don’t typically order a lot but I do order at least a few every year.
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company
Baker Creek has hands down the most beautiful seed catalog of them all and only sells heirloms (no hybrids). The photographs on their website, catalog and seed packets are amazing! They have a very wide variety of heirloom seeds and their catalog is free however they do offer what’s called their Whole Seed Catalog (currently $14.95) which is even better than the free one which may be hard to believe. The Whole Seed Catalog contains more seeds than the free catalog and includes recipes, seed history, and more. They currently have free shipping though have in the past had a minimum order requirement for free shipping and always include some free seeds with each order. Their seeds are also a little higher priced than some other companies. The seed packets include planting instructions on the back. - MIgardener
This may be my new favorite seed company. They offer lots of heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers. They had several seeds I had originally planned to order from Baker Creek but decided to order here because you can’t beat the price. Their seeds are currently only $2/packet which is a crazy good deal for seeds these days, at least half the price of other seed companies. They also sell my favorite fertilizer (Trifecta) that I have been using every year for my peppers and tomatoes. They have an online seed catalog but don’t believe they offer it in print. They offer free shipping on orders over $19.99. The back of the packet has very good detail on how to grow. The onions even include a little map showing where the type of seeds are best grown. Long Day types grow best in the northern states for example. I will definitely be ordering more seeds from MIgardener in the future. - Survival Garden Seeds
This is a fairly new seed company that specializes in seed collections/kits which is great for new gardeners but they also sell individual packets for a decent price. All of their seeds are heirloom and open-pollinated. They have a free growing guide available to help new gardeners. Their seed packets have beautifully displayed photos on the front and helpful growing instructions on the back which includes days to germinate, soil temp, light requirements, planting depth and seed saving tips. Free shipping offered on orders over $26.95. However, you can use my discount code “gapeysgrub” to get 10% off on the 30, 50 and 100-pack seed collections, 5-pack microgreens or 36-pack medicinal herb collection. - High Mowing Seeds
High Mowing has 100% organic seeds and has both heirloom and hybrids. It is usually the first seed catalog that comes in the mail. The catalog is filled with colorful photos and is probably my 2nd favorite seed catalog. They include good descriptions and days to harvest info which is useful especially for those with short growing seasons. There are no photos or drawings on the packets, Unfortunately free shipping is only offered for orders over $200. Seed prices are similar to Baker Creek though many of the hybrids are priced much higher and have less seeds and the seed packets don’t include planting instructions so you may need to do some research before starting unfamiliar seeds. - Floret Flower
Floret has been my go to for flowers, but they have recently reduced their offerings to only flower varieties bred by their farms so the variety they offer has been significantly reduced. I will still order some flowers from them but the majority of my flowers will be ordered elsewhere. The packets are in manila envelopes with nice drawings of the flowers on the front and detailed planting instructions on the back that includes plant height, sun requirement, days to maturity, spacing and harvesting/vase life info. They offer online workshops in growing flowers and a free mini-course. Some of their seeds are in high demand and may sell out quickly so it’s good to sign up for their newsletter or keep an eye on their Instagram for any announcements on when they add new varieties to the shop. The seeds are on the pricey side and they don’t offer free shipping.
Additional seed companies I order from occasionally:
- Adaptive Seeds – Free shipping over $75, PNW grown, open pollinated, organic
- Experimental Farm Network – Some fun varieties you won’t find anywhere else, no free shipping
- Johnnys Seeds – Free shipping over $200, heirlooms and hybrids, same day shipping, catalog available
- Botanical Interests – Free shipping over $200, now owned by Epic Gardening, heirlooms and hybrids, catalog available
- Territorial Seed Company – $8.95 shipping on all orders, heirlooms and hybrids, catalog available, seeds are more pricey
Gapeys Grub 