A number of people have asked me where they can find organic seeds for their organic gardens. This time of year, you can pick up regular seeds at garden stores, supermarkets, and “big box” stores like Home Depot or Kmart. But most seeds are not organic (unless they say it right on the front of the package). The brand you are most likely to find in your supermarket that is organic is Seeds of Change [seedsofchange.com]. It’s a great seed company, and I highly recommend it.
But if you are looking for more choices than you can find in your local supermarket or nursery (lucky you if you have a nursery that carries a wide selection of organic seeds!), here is where I recommend you shop online:
Seed Savers (seedsavers.org): A nonprofit group devoted to rescuing heirloom seeds from extinction, its catalog has all sorts of unusual varieties. Not all of them are organic, but many of them are.
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply (groworganic.com): Just an all-around excellent source for products, information, and supplies on growing anything organically.
Park Seed Company (organicseed.com): Has been around for more than 140 years, but also has a fairly new organic seed business.
High Mowing Organic Seeds (highmowingseeds.com): A fairly new company based in New England with a lovely philosophy; I confess I have never ordered from them…until today.
And don’t forget Seeds of Change (seedsofchange.com), which has an online catalog with a broad selection.
I have to say, the easiest part of gardening is shopping for seeds. But then you have to remember to plant them, weed, and eat them when they grow into the food they were meant to be. Have fun ordering seeds, and don’t forget to plant them!
If you know of other places that offer organic seeds, I’d love to know about them!
In Idaho (Boise area) you can buy organic seeds in both Zamzows stores and the Co-op.
In the far West, Territorial Seeds – with a good selection of organic seeds and some plants – reliable shipper.
Another source from my neck of the woods is http://www.stclareseeds.com/, owned by the son of someone I interviewed for another garden story for the newspaper I work for. It’s based in Cecil, Wis., about 30 miles west of Green Bay. They specialize in Non-GMO, non-hybrid, non-treated heirloom and
open-pollinated vegetable garden seeds. Hope the book tour is going well. Have fun, Maria!
Seeds Trust, now 25 years old, has a full selection of organic seeds adapted to cold short seasons, including Siberian tomatoes.
http://www.seedstrust.com/joomla/
Thank you! Just ordered from Peaceful Valley for my lazy version of a home garden.
Fedco Seeds has an amazing selection and many seeds are available organically grown. http://fedcoseeds.com/
I like Johnny’s too. Their seeds are really reliable, and I was surprised by how many varieties are now offered as organic.
Two other good sources: Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, specializing in heirloom varieties appropriate for the Mid-Atlantic region, and Sustainable Seed Co., a relatively new California-based company. Both carry many organic varieties and others that are sustainably grown (usually “philosophically organic”, as SESE puts it, but non-certified). Fedco & High Mowing are two other favorites.
http://www.southernexposure.com
http://www.sustainableseedco.com
The advice I’ve been giving myself for the last few years? Save your own seed. Now I just have to listen to my own advice and do it!
Just received my order from Seeds Of Change. Our family has ordered from them for several years and have been very happy.
I used to order from Seeds of Change, but was disappointed to learn that the company is owned by Mars. So we’re switched to supporting High Mowing Seeds and Seed Savers. What do you think?