Wondering where to order seeds for your garden? Get the scoop on my three favorite companies for high-quality, non-GMO heirloom seeds!
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I love seeds. I collect them like some ladies collect cats. Yes, that’s right, I am a crazy seed lady!
I truly do just love seeds, and I buy a variety of seeds from a number of producers! So, let me preface this post by saying that these are the three seed companies that I recommend the most. It doesn’t mean they are the only seed companies that I use or that my favorites don’t rotate from time to time. But, if someone asks me where to buy seeds, these three companies are almost always included in my recommendations. Each of the companies is a bit different in what they specialize in, but they all are committed to producing high-quality heirloom seeds.
There are various reasons that these seed companies are in my top favorites. Those reasons include the following:
- The quality of the seeds
- Their commitment to growing non-GMO, heirloom, open-pollinated seeds
- High germination rates
- Positive personal experiences with their customer service staff
- Their commitment to give back to their customers, community and world through education and gardening programs
Company #1: SeedsNow
Why I love them:
I stumbled upon SeedsNow several years ago and have been a faithful customer ever since. They are a family-owned company specializing in heirloom, non-GMO seeds. They are one of my favorite seed companies to recommend to new gardeners because they truly make it easy for beginners with resources, planting guides, sampler packs and variety packs. Overall, they just have a lot of fun products!
- They often have sales on their products, and if you sign up for their emails, they will send special deals to you as well!
- Their seed packaging is on point! Their seeds all come packaged in heavy-duty waterproof sealable bags. These make for easy storage and help protect and lengthen the shelf-life of your seeds. When I empty a bag, I always save it for future use with seeds that I have saved. They also sell mylar bags, seed storage vaults, and seed saving kits!
- SeedsNow has a lot of great information on their site. If you are new to gardening, this is a great place to start! You can read through posts about growing seeds, use their planting calendar or even search for seeds best suited for your geographic growing zone!
Where they are located:
The physical location for SeedsNow isn’t present on their website. I did find a mailing address for them through a search on another site, which listed their mailing address in Thousand Oaks, California.
Type of seeds they sell:
All seeds sold by SeedsNow are non-GMO, heirloom seeds. They are all raw/untreated seeds that are open-pollenated. Some of the seeds are certified and labeled as organic, but not all.
Favorite products:
- The sampler packs are fantastic! For only $0.99 you get a trial-size pack of seeds. I like to order a bunch of new types and varieties to try every year!
- I also love the variety packs offered by SeedsNow. They include multiple sample-sized packs of seeds all centered around a common theme. Some of the variety packs I have ordered include the medicinal herb pack, the chicken garden pack and the bunny garden pack. They have a lot to choose from and it can make ordering seeds easier for a beginning gardener.
- One of these days, I’m going to get my hands on some of their seed saving banks! Again, they have a variety to choose from, including a homestead seed bank, mega seed bank, and microgreeen seed bank! The mega seed bank even comes with a vacuum-sealed storage vault which can easily keep seeds viable for 5+ years of storage! I think this would be a great way for a new gardener to build their supply of seeds without having to shop for each one individually.
Company #2: Snake River Seed Cooperative
Why I love them:
What’s not to love?! I get totally geeked out by the work that Snake River Seed Co-Op does to adapt and preserve unique seeds!
- The seeds are grown by a group of passionate gardeners and family farmers primarily located in my home state of Idaho. They are the ultimate example of supporting people who are passionate about growing and preserving high quality heirloom plants.
- They offer educational classes and seed swaps in the community to teach others how to grow and preserve seeds.
- They specialize in seeds that are naturally adapted for the unique growing conditions of the high desert regions of the US (Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Eastern Oregon, Eastern Washington, and even parts of New Mexico and Arizona). They have even adapted a peanut variety (the Tenacious P) which I was able to successfully grow last summer in Southern Idaho! It blew my mind!
- There are some unique varieties, like the draught-tolerant finger millet. According to the Co-Op, due to the great work of the local seed grower, Wayne Carlson, Idaho is now the largest producer of this crop outside of it’s native Ethiopia! C’mon, the seed geek inside of you thinks that’s cool too, right?!
Where they are located:
This company is based out of Boise, Idaho, but works cooperatively with local seed growers throughout Idaho, as well as Utah, Montana and Washington.
Type of seeds they sell:
Their seeds are Non-GMO, open-pollinated and open-source. They are not certified organic, but they are grown using organic practices. Just to note, for many small growers and co-ops, the expense involved in becoming certified organic can be very cost-prohibitive. This is something to keep in mind when assessing any seeds, produce or other farm-grown products. Growing practices are often much more important that a certified organic label!
Favorite products:
As if the work they’ve done for heirloom seed preservation wasn’t enough, they also give back to causes within the community! My favorites are their Add the Words Rainbow Carrot seeds (which support LGBTQ anti-discrimination protection laws) and their Refugees Welcome Rainbow Carrot seeds (which supports Global Gardens, an agricultural training program for refugees).
Company #3: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Why I love them:
Baker Creek is a familiar name to most gardeners! This family-owned company is one of the premier seed providers for heirloom gardeners and has a wide array of rare, heirloom seeds!
- By far and wide, Baker Creek boasts the largest supply of heirloom seeds! If there is something rare or hard to find, chances are that they have it! Their website makes a great place for one-stop shopping. I know I can certainly rack up a large order in no time on their site!
- Baker Creek sells more than just seeds! They also sell starter plants and have the widest variety of rare plants… Like these Aronia berry bushes that I’ve had my eye on for some time!
- Baker Creek works with different organizations to supply seeds for school gardens and to farmers in economically-devastated countries. In fact, I just saw a post on their Facebook page the other day about the seeds they give away to educators!
Where they are located:
Their primary farm is located in Mansfield, Missouri, although they also have a second location in Petaluma, California. If you are ever in the Mansfield area, be sure to stop by their farm and village! It’s definitely on my life’s “to do” list!
Type of seeds they sell:
Baker Creek is well-known as a highly ethical seed producer. Their seeds are non-GMO, open pollinated, and pure/raw.
Favorite products:
- If you aren’t sure what seeds to pick for your new garden, you might be interested in purchasing one of their seed collections to get started! They even have a jumbo pack (one for warmer Southern climates and one for cooler Northern climates) that comes with a huge variety of seeds and two reference books!
- I love their variety of live plants! We have a great organic nursery here, but there are often rare plants that I can’t find locally. Baker Creek is my go-to for these!
What are you waiting for? Go buy some seeds and get planting! 🙂
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Oh this is such a good resource! I am starting a small backyard gardent this year and need to buy seeds asap to start indoors. Thank you for this great information!
How exciting! We started with a small backyard garden as well. It was a disaster the first year! ? But, the more you grow the easier it becomes! If you are growing from seed, be sure to harden off your seedlings properly before you move them outside. And, enjoy the process! I’m excited for you! 🙂
We don’t currently have a yard, but we hope to this fall. I kind of kill everything I grow sadly, but I will keep this on hand for future reference! And hopefully I won’t kill our seedlings when the time comes.
There is definitely a learning curve! Our first garden was an absolute disaster! Stick with it and go easy on yourself! Seedlings can be tricky, so starting by buying healthy starter plants from a nursery is a great way to go when you are learning! Keep it up – you’ll be a pro in no time!
I hadn’t heard of Seeds Now – thank you for the tip! Baker Creek is just up the road from me and I have to be very discipline about not going in there just to browse. I have a list and I stick to it – mostly. I still spend way more than I have budgeted, but…
Oh my gosh, I would be broke if I lived that close!! ? It’s literally on my bucket list of places to visit in life ? Good for you being so disciplined!
This article is exactly what I was looking for as a beginning homesteader! Thanks so much for the recommendations!
You are welcome! I’m so glad it helped! Best wishes for an abundant and productive garden this year! ?