This is a quiet time of year for most gardeners. A time to dream about your spring garden and to make plans. Yes, it’s seed catalog time! I’m sure they’ve been arriving in your mailbox as they have mine!
I love seed catalogs! I just love slowly pouring over my catalogs, looking at all the different varieties of flowers and vegetables that are available. Reading the descriptions – they all sound so good! I always circle all the ones I would order if I had no budget limits.
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Normally I order my seeds in February/March but this year I’m placing my order tomorrow. We have had extremely mild temps all winter and I think we’re going to have an early spring. The forsythia is starting to bloom and some of my daffodils are popping up!
There are quite a lot of seed catalog companies out there. Here’s a guide to my favorite seed catalogs.
- Southern Exposure Seed Exchange – certified organic seeds that grow well in the midatlantic region
- Seed Savers Exchange – they’re dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds and the sometimes they’re the only ones to have certain varieties.
- Bountiful Gardens – untreated open-pollinated non-GMO seed of heirloom quality for vegetables, herbs, flowers, grains, green manures, compost and carbon crops
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds – carries one of the largest selections of seeds from the 19th century, including many Asian and European varieties
- Fedco – your source for cold-hardy selections especially adapted to the demanding Northeast climate
- Renee’s Garden – All their seeds are carefully trialed and evaluated in test gardens in different climate zones before being added to their line.
- Territorial Seed Company – Each year Territorial’s research garden staff grows and evaluates thousands of varieties for best taste, Northwest hardiness, and good germination. More recently they began reclaiming older, favorite vegetable varieties sometimes shelved by their seed suppliers.
- High Mowing Seeds – Great personal customer service and they are commited non-GMO (genetically modified organism) seed
Feel free to add your favorite seed catalog in the comments!
P.S. One year I didn’t have the budget to order seeds and got my seeds at the Dollar Tree – 4 for $1.00. I had a perfectly wonderful vegetable garden that year. It’s great if you can afford heirloom, non-gmo seeds but don’t let it stop you from trying to grow from seed if they are out of your budget.
Thanks for this post, I haven’t seen some of those catalogs. Pinetree Gardens is my favorite and one I order from almost every year. They package things like tomatoes in small amounts and only charge about a dollar. Good value.
Thanks for this list. My dd has been starting seeds and having good luck so I think I’ll try it this year.
I did very little in my garden last year and it certainly showed by the end of the summer. This year I hope to do much better. But I have to admit that so far I haven’t given it much more than a passing thought, although I do have a gardening magazine that I haven’t opened yet.
I’ve had good luck with Nichols Garden Nursery seeds, which is local to my part of the world (Oregon).
https://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/
Wish it was warmer here, but at least the sun is shining today!
Ha! No, I am sure that the seed companies send the catalogs to warmer climes first, we haven’t had a one! But I see some here that I have never seen before and I’m sure I still have time to request a catalog. Thanks for shaing your sources!
Oh you are WAY ahead of me:) as usual! No seeds here at my house but I sure like to look at the catalogs! Have a blessed evening, dreaming of Spring flowers! HUGS!
I really like Seed Saver’s Exchange. But I seem to have a lot of disease problems with the heirloom seeds, so I’m buying hybrids off the rack this year.
Thanks for sharing!
What a pretty post. I’m a city girl and no garden, but I enjoyed visiting here.
What a wonderful post Manuela…I especially liked what you said at the end.
“One year I didn’t have the budget to order seeds and got my seeds at the Dollar Tree – 4 for $1.00. I had a perfectly wonderful vegetable garden that year. It’s great if you can’t afford heirloom, non-gmo seeds but don’t let it stop you from trying to grow from seed if they are out of your budget.”
Such good advice. Like you I’ve used the seeds from the dollar store on several occasions. Thank you for sharing your sources and links. I am off to visit them all once I post this. Currently (as in yesterday and today) we are working on choosing bare root trees for my Dad’s house and our little plot of edibles. ;). I believe that trees with edibles are the best bargain for the garden but definitely an investment in the beginning…of money and time.
Also, another frugal source is the 99 cent store…surprisingly. I found several potted herbs at our local store for …99 cents each…similar 4-inch potted herbs are currently selling for $2.49 to $3.99 at nurseries and home stores. I’ve already transplanted them and they made it through our recent cold snap…with the help of some newspaper blankets for a few rare nights when we went below 35 (didn’t want to risk them)!
Well I am off to explore your links!
Love,
Tracey
XoX
The snow is piled high and we’ve been lucky to have a high somewhere close to freezing–so dreaming over seed catalogs is all the gardening I can do right now (other than browse through my garden photos from summers past)! I’m trying Renee’s Emerite pole beans this year!
Oh, this post excited me! Thanks so much for sharing this list! I ordered a couple of the catalogs.
I have admitted this before I think, but I am such a lousy gardener that I generally use bedding plants even for vegetables. I so admire those of you with the green thumbs. I’ve been away for family reasons so am just now getting a chance to catch up. I can’t wait to read the post on contentment. I’m positive it will speak to me.
LOL! That ok whatever works for you. I don’t start a huge amount of plants from seed. I have found that getting a jump on certain veggies like zucchini lets me not have to deal with their bug problems. Also this year I’m going to try growing popcorn – I wouldn’t be able to find that as a start.
That’s too weird about your bathroom!! All my bathroom walls are in bad shape for the same reason. That’s why I did Venetian plaster on the other ones and I’ll probably do it on this one too or maybe beadboard wallpaper. Yes, I was surprised that the yellow looked so good with the brown! I have blue tiles in there and I had a brownish shower curtain in there for a while. Too much brown! What really brightened up that room is changing the light bulbs to daylight ones instead of soft yellow. It’s almost like having a window in there now!
I sighed on this post!!!…definitely NOT thinking of seeds to plant right now. Today we have an arctic front, and the reading right now is -1 outside, so I can’t even THINK of planting anything…but I WILL…I know it!! I have HOPE!!! 😉 so this is inspiration for me,…that I will be in your place – just have to be patient for a little while! In the mean time I will READ your posts!!! I have a gut feeling this Winter will not be as mild as last years. ((hugs to you Manuela)) xoxo Have Fun for me!!
Johnny’s Seeds…
I just enjoy looking, though I do not rely on seeds. In fact, I seldom use seeds as our growing season is much too short. We are just as happy to start with well established plants in May…using somebody else’s window sills or greenhouses. Gotta love the great graphics on seed catalogs…hope that you get off to a nice early start.
I have just move to a new home which finally has a yard big enough for a garden without driving ten miles o work in my space t a immunity garden! My issue is trying to decide how much space I will need. Is there a formula for figuring this out? Thx