Are you elbow deep in seed catalogs?
Do you know which one is better to order from over the other one?
I know when I stared at my pile of seed catalogs this month. I was surprised at how many there were. A few were old favorites and few I had never seen before. I looked through all of them and found an assortment of wonderful seeds but one question kept holding me back from ordering. Is this Seed Company a company I could trust? Was this seed company sustainable? Would the seeds I order for them be worth the money I spent on them.
That is when I decided I should do a little research before I ordered anything. What I found was surprising. Did you know that there are more than 100 mail-order seed companies in the USA. Honestly after gardening for the past 16 years I have only ordered from about 5. But I narrowed it down to the Top 15 Sustainable Seed Companies in the USA.
Top 15 Seed Companies in the USA
Johnny’s Selected Seeds is a 100% Employee Owned company located in Winslow, Maine. This company is a well rounded company that offers every variety of seed that you can think off. They have organic seeds, non-gmo seeds, heirloom seeds, vegetable seeds, flower seeds, herbs seeds, and farm seeds. This company is so good at what they do that they supply large farms with bulk seeds. They even sell tools for any gardener from the backyard gardener to the professional market gardener.
But what impressed me the most is their knowledge. When looking at different varieties of seeds, I found that each was described in great detail. You could plan your garden layout right from the information they give you without having to wait for the seed packet to arrive. And the advice they supply is endless, with their Growing Library. This Library is full of instructional videos, webinars, calculators, guides, key growing information, and ask the grower. This where you can ask your questions to the grower who grew and harvested that seed for you!
They are just an amazing company and rightly deserve the Top Spot on the list of Seed Companies!
Seed Saver Exchange is a seed company with a mission. A mission to keep heirloom seeds in our backyard gardens and growing and protecting the biodiversity of seeds so they can feed the world one seed packet at a time!
Here is their Mission Statement : Seed Savers Exchange stewards Americaʼs culturally diverse and endangered garden and food crop legacy for present and future generations. We educate and connect people through collecting, regenerating, and sharing heirloom seeds, plants, and stories.
Seeds Saving Exchange is part of the largest seed exchange in the world. And what is cool is that you can be part of that exchange. It is truly amazing all they do! They sell vegetable seeds, flower seeds, herb seeds, organic seeds, and all of these seeds are heirloom seeds. They also sell a variety of education material in their gift shop.
I have ordered seeds from this company for years. I am so glad they made the top three. They are another company on a mission to supply seeds that will help develop a sustainable food system and keep heirloom varieties available for the future generation. They are so dedicated to keeping the old ways of growing that their headquarters in Missouri has an old time pioneer village.
The wide variety of seeds at Baker Creek is not limited to that of just North America as they also offer a large variety of European and Asian seeds and over 1,000 varieties of heirloom seeds. It is hard to believe that this company only started in 1998!
Did you know that this company did not get it started as a seed company? It actually started out as a livestock and poultry mail order company. In fact was one of the forerunners in that industry. It was until the company needed to get a more sustainable income, by increasing yearly repeat customers did begin to sell seeds in 1880. The Founder, W. Atlee Burpee, made tours through Europe every year to collect seeds and bring them to America. He was also an avid believer in Mendel's theory of plant hybrids, so as result began to develop and sell many of the seed varieties that he developed himself.
The seed company has continued this tradition of developing their own varieties that grow best in all the different growing zones. They sell vegetable seeds, flower seed, herb seeds, organic seeds, heirloom seeds and even non-gmo seeds. They also sell a large variety of fruit trees and plants. They also have a large How-To Section with instructional videos and tools to help all gardeners.
Territorial Seed Company is a seed company that prides itself on helping others gain food stability, gain self sufficiency and to produce abundance all year long. One thing that is unique about this company is that they sell a digital garden planner and have a gardening journal you can use! They also have a plethora of growing guides.
They sell vegetable seeds, flower and herb seeds, fruits and vine plants, garlic and potatoes, gardening tools and supplies, organic seeds, heirloom seeds and open-pollinator seeds. I also love how detailed their catalog is!
Seeds of Change are a very unique seed company because they don’t only sell seeds but food as well. What a brilliant way to share the love for growing vegetables than have a line of spices and sauces to help the vegetables you grow taste amazing. I have always believed gardeners should only grow what they love to eat.
They also have a beautiful mission of spreading the love of gardening to children and all who want to garden no matter their financial means. They do this through their strong influence in developing thriving school and community gardens as well as giving grants to those who just may need assistance getting a garden growing.
Besides selling spices, sauces, beans and rice for your plate. They have a large variety of vegetable, flower, herb seeds and a few collections to help you choose the right variety for you. They also sell what they like to call “Gardens in a Pouch”. A Garden in a Pouch is a pouch that lets you grow your seeds that come with the pouch right in the pouch, you just add seeds and water! They truly are an innovative company!
This company stands by its name home gardening as they provide everything a backyard gardener needs. They even have a Home Decor and Inspiration section. This company started in 1856 and they pride themselves on only providing fresh! Fresh seeds, fresh plants and seedlings!
And the customer reviews on their homepage truly show that people love ordering from them as they are helpful and a company that provides what they need!
It would be hard for me to list all that they sell because from what I see they have everything a home gardener needs for success!
This a small little company with a big heart. They do specialize in varieties grown in Mid-Atlantic and Southeast but they also say that many of their variety will grow anywhere. This company is also not a single farm providing you with seeds but a co-op per say of small farmers working together to provide with your seed needs.
They so firmly stand behind the mission of growing non-gmo seeds that they have even joined in the fight to expose Monsanto. This little company may be small but what they stand for is huge!
I would say that their reason to choose High Mowing Organic Seeds tells all you need to know about this company’s mission.
“We offer 100% certified organic seed, bred to perform best in organic conditions with robust, vigorous genetics and modern disease resistances. All of our organic, Non-GMO seed is regularly tested for germination rates, disease and GMO contamination. Our team is knowledgeable, communicative and dedicated to the stewardship of our planet.
We are passionate about supporting the important work of our organic growers and we know that together we can build a greener, more just and community supported world, one seed at a time.”
They offer vegetable seeds, flower seeds, herb seeds, cover crop seeds, microgreens seeds, and collections of seed and they are all certified organic. They even have supplies to help you in the garden. And a blog to help with any questions you might have!
FedCo is an original company as it is a cooperative meaning, there is no single owner. In fact 40% of the company is owned by the workers and 60% is owned by the consumers. Consumers and workers share in the profits of the company. To be part of this coop, you become what they call a member. You do not need to be a member to order but members do get exclusive deals and discounts!
FedCo started 1978 selling seeds and now sells seeds of all kinds, trees, bulbs, potatoes, onions and exotics, and organic gardening supplies.
The first thing you see when you land on their homepage is that they do sell seeds but they also sell some great homesteading products, like sourdough starter and Clear Jel. Clear Jel is used in canning and preparing pie fillings. They also sell a large assortment of spice to help you bring those tasty veggies out of your garden and get them on your plant.
This seed company has been bought by Burpees but all Burpees has kept this little company as it’s individual little shop on the Burpee website. They have a variety of seeds just for gardeners who love to cook!
They are a seed company that is all about giving you all the information you need to grow their seeds. The owners believed this so deeply that they have developed a unique seed packet that gives you more than just the basics but beautiful artwork, landscape ideas, garden tips, recipes, fun facts, and organic gardening know how.
I have a few of these seed packets from this company and let me tell you they are beautiful. And the seeds inside of them have been top notch!
Renee’s Garden is another company that prides itself on growing varieties that will taste good on your table. Their website sells seeds but they also provide recipes. But that is not all; they also have a mission to provide seeds for community gardens, organizations, and educational projects.
Peaceful Valleys mission is to make organic gardening affordable for everyone! This little company started in 1976 in the first owner's garage with just a four page catalog and has grown to over 60 employees and tens of thousands of customers.
The list of things they sell to help the home gardener is amazing. There is no way I could list them all here. But that is what makes this company worth a look!
This list of seed companies is based on some research I did while searching other blogs' recommendations and looking into the mission behind each of these companies. I have always believed that before you buy from a company you should see how they are using their money. If they are using it to better the community then they are who I want to purchase from.
I pray you found this list helpful in your search for the perfect seeds for your garden!
Have a blessed day,
Crystal
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