My Favorite Seed Companies

My Favorite Seed Companies

I buy from multiple seed companies because the various seeds all serve different purposes in my garden. I love open-pollinated/heirloom and hybrid seeds for different reasons. I love trying different varieties of seeds to determine which grow best in my garden. I also love various colors and tastes of different varieties of the same vegetables. Therefore, I buy from many seed companies. The following seed companies are the ones I buy from most frequently, but are not listed in order of preference; I purchase from them depending on my needs at that time. I also try to order from companies based further north in the United States  (some exceptions are Baker Creek and Victory Seed Company). I do this because the colder climate companies tend to have a greater seed selection that will perform well in my shorter growing season in central Wisconsin. If you are a Southern gardener, I would still recommend checking out the companies I like (most companies try to have seeds that perform well in different climates), but also look for some great seed companies that are further south and maybe even local to you. Lastly, I have generally had great germination with all of these seed companies, so I highly recommend them.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company

​I like Baker Creek because they only sell heirloom and open-pollinated varieties. These types of varieties are essential for anyone who wants to save seeds, as they will always grow true if they do not cross-pollinate in your garden. I love saving tomato and pepper seeds, so Baker Creek is one of the main companies I buy them from. I also love trying different varieties of tomatoes and peppers, and Baker Creek consistently offers new and unusual options. Baker Creek is also the last seed company I purchase from that still sends one or more free seed packets out with orders over a specific amount (3 free packets on a $65 order, 2 free packets on a $35 order, and 1 free packet on a $10 order), and they have free shipping on all seed orders. Additionally, their free catalog is quite impressive, but the larger one, which you can purchase, is truly amazing!

Fedco Seeds

​Fedco is based in Maine and therefore fits my criteria for a Northern climate seed company. They always have a large selection of shorter-season seed varieties, which are perfect for my gardening zone. They also have a tree division from which I have purchased many bare-root fruit trees and bushes. Although Fedco offers heirloom and open-pollinated varieties, they also offer hybrid seeds, which I prefer when I am looking for disease resistance, bolt resistance, or another trait that can be harder to find in heirloom seeds. Although hybrid seeds can be expensive, Fedco’s prices are reasonable, and they do have free shipping on orders over $50. Fedco also offers organic versions of many seeds if that is important. One last note about Fedco is that they are very open about where their seeds originate. They utilize a numbering system to show if their seed packets are coming from small seed farmers (which includes Fedco staff), family-owned companies, companies not part of a larger conglomerate, and multinational companies that are or are not engaged in genetic engineering. This allows you to purchase seeds openly based on personal ethics. Fecdo has also recently decided to drop all Syngenta-owned seeds, even though many of them are popular hybrids, because Syngenta manufactures neonicotinoid insecticides, which are known to negatively affect bees and other beneficial insect populations. In 2006, they also dropped all seeds from Seminis/Monsanto for similar ethical reasons relating to sustainability. This open-business practice is rare among seed companies, and probably most non-seed companies as well. 

Rohrer Seeds

I like Rohrer Seeds for a variety of reasons, one of which is that they are based out of my home state of Pennsylvania, and my family purchased their seeds when I was growing up. They have very reasonably priced seeds; you do have to pay for shipping, but their shipping is also very reasonably priced. Rohrer used to have a good selection of their branded seeds for 99 cents a packet. Those seeds have mostly increased to $1.99 a packet, but that is still the cheapest per pack of all my favorite seed companies. Another reason I like Rohrer is that they sell seeds from other companies as well. So, I can get seeds from Lake Valley, Rene’s Garden, Livingston, Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek, High Mowing (an organic seed company), and more, all in one location. The last reason I like Rohrer Seeds is that they have great customer service. I used to put in two separate orders, one for my vegetable seeds for my family garden and one for flower seeds that I would grow to sell on Etsy (back when I sold online). The workers at Rohrer would realize that the two orders were being shipped to the same place and ship them together, and either refund me the shipping cost for one order or send free seed packets as an apology if they could not refund the shipping. I never expected to be refunded or given free seeds since I had to order separately due to my orders being personal versus business purchases. Although I no longer buy from them for business use, I still get many of my staple vegetable seeds from Rohrer.

Johnny's Selected Seeds

Johnny’s is another Maine-based company and probably the most expensive seed company I order from for both the cost of the seed packs as well as shipping costs. So why do I still list Johnny’s as one of my favorite seed companies? Their seeds are of great quality, and although they have some heirloom seeds available, their hybrid selection is fantastic. If I have a problem with a disease in my garden (for example, one year I lost all my cucumber plants to downy mildew), Johnny’s is the first place I will look to see if disease-resistant varieties are available. Johnny’s also has a great selection of other gardening supplies, including plant stakes, frost and shade covers, gardening tools, soil blockers, and more. They also occasionally hold informational webinars about gardening, usually about their specific varieties, which is a great opportunity to learn more about the growing conditions and properties of their seeds. In addition to high seed prices, they also have expensive shipping, but all orders ship free if you spend $200 or more. I try to order every disease-resistant seed variety I need at once, sometimes enough for 2 years, to get free shipping rather than putting in a yearly order or multiple orders per year.

MIgardener

MIgardener is based out of Michigan, another northern climate state. They are very similar to Baker Creek in that they only sell heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, but they are a smaller company with (maybe?) less selection, although they have been growing steadily. Their seeds are very reasonably priced, and the company seems dedicated to keeping costs down for customers. All their seed packs are $2, and they have free shipping on orders $20 or more. They do not have a paper seed catalog, which is one of the ways they can keep costs down and provide great prices for their customers. I buy many of my tomato and pepper seeds from MIgardener since I know they are open-pollinated, and I can easily save seeds from their varieties.

Victory Seed Company

The Victory Seed Company, while not based in the north, is a company that I usually buy my dwarf tomato seeds from for my hydroponic setup. They sell seeds that were developed as part of the "Dwarf Tomato Project", which was started by tomato breeder Craig LeHoullier. However, I have discovered that micro-dwarf do even better in my hydroponics than dwarf seed varieties, and I get many of those seeds from another company (see below). The Victory Seed Company also has a good selection of both disease-resistant hybrid seeds and open-pollinated heirloom seeds. They also offer free shipping for any order over $75.

Forgotten Heirlooms

Forgotten Heirlooms is a small company that specializes in micro-dwarf tomatoes. They also have a large selection of less common heirloom tomato, pepper, and other seeds. One of my favorite purchases (other than the micro-dwarf tomatoes) was the Hobb's Goose beans. I purchased quite a few micro-dwarf tomatoes from Forgotten Heirlooms to test out in my hydroponics setup. They also have free shipping on any orders over $25 and send a free pack of seeds with every order.

Conclusion

​If you have a seed company you love, please let me know in the comments below or send me an email. I always love trying out new seed companies!