The garden catalogs start arriving in December, and I am utterly fascinated by them. The colder it is, the more I read. Indeed, from December through February, I barely read anything besides gardening catalogs.
A lot of catalogs are ridiculously stupid, so full of hype you can barely tell what the seed actually is. You read a whole description and finally realize the seed is for stevia plants, but they've never said a word about stevia in the entire ad. There's way too much marketing crap in some catalogs and way too little actual information.
Or other catalogs push "organics" to yuppies, selling organic seed for twice what anyone else sells it for, and sneaking hybrid crap into their supposedly "pure" catalogs. ARGH!
But a few are very clueful, useful for both novices and experienced gardeners, and packed full of good information. Here's my favorites:
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
This is the company I've been ordering from the longest, back before I knew anything about open-pollinated versus hybrids, or intensive gardening, or anything. IMO, the print catalog is worth having even if you never order from them as it includes cultivation information for each type of vegetable, germination tables, all sorts of useful information. Johnny's is located in Maine, so I'm relatively certain anything they sell will grow here in PA. I've also found them very helpful if you email or call and ask advice, going way above and beyond my expectations from a seed company. They also carry a lot of really gorgeous tools and implements, I've ordered several from them over the years, though nowhere near as much as I'd like. I'd hit their web site nearly instantly if I won the lottery! Though Johnny's has never specialized in herilooms, they've added more open-pollintaed and organic seed choices over the years. I'm a very loyal customer because they've been there for me long before I understood a darned thing about gardening.
- Bountiful Gardens
This catalog is my most useful catalog today. BG is an offshoot of a gardening system that includes intensive gardening, so they provide useful information for me since I was converted to intensive gardening via Square Foot Gardening. I don't have to scour the catalog as everything on offer is open-pollinated, no hybrids at all. But the really useful information is in the header for each item, which tells you what type of weather the plant likes (spring/fall vs. summer), how long it takes to maturity, how long the harvest lasts, the yield (pounds of harvest per 100 square feet), intensive spacing for the seed, and the area planted by a packet of seeds. If you are the sort who likes to plan out their garden with spreadsheets, this catalog is invaluable. And I always feel good ordering from them, knowing I am supporting a company that exists as an offshoot of a project to teach a calorie-intensive system of gardening in third world countries.
- Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
This is another company that sells only open-pollintaed seed. I discovered them accidentally, as the name implied to me that they were a company that specialized in seeds for the south. However, I was looking for some neck pumpkin seeds once and found this company, which is only a bit south of here, located in VA. They actually speciailize in seeds for the mid-atlantic region, so are a good choice for me. SESE is a company owned by a group of folks who live in an intentional community and their descriptions of seeds are based on their own experience growing crops not only for seed, but for their community's use. Their catalog has a lot of good informaiton like Johnny's does, plus they support other things I like, such as LocalHarvest. They have an herb-growing workshop every year that I'd really like to get to one day.
- Pinetree Garden Seeds
As much as I like other seed companies, if I had to order from only one, it would be PGS. Like many of my other favorite companies, they sell only open-pollinated seeds, no hybrids. But they have a larger variety of the specific varieties I prefer than any other company. When I go through the catalogs circling the stuff I am most interested in, the PGS catalog always winds up with the most circles in it.
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
This company always makes me wish I lived in the Ozarks, where they're located. Aside from being a seed catalog, they hold all sorts of festivals, have a company stores, and even a small "old fashioned" town. But the real reason I like BCHS even though I'm not conveniently located to party with these folks is their method of saving seeds. The owner of the company travels the world, going to open-aired markets in undeveloped countries and buying products to save seeds from. Thus, unlike most folks who work to save heirloom seeds from extinction, he is working to save seed from places other than the US. The catalog has an incredible amount of unusual seeds that you just won't find anywhere else.
- Territorial Seed Company
Unfortunately, Territorial is gradually succumbing to a catalog of market-speak; the catalog would be much improved by firing the marketing folks and having someone who's actually had dirt under their fingernails write up the descriptions. Like Johnny's, you have to pick-and-choose to avoid hybrids. However, they remain on my list because of their plant sales. Most places that will sell you seedlings only have a handful of lame varieties available, whereas Territorial has a HUGE selection of seedlings. While I prefer starting my own seedlings, real life often interferes with that, and I can easily fill out of gardening plans by getting a big order of seedlings from Territorial.
So those are my most favorite seed companies and why I like them. What are your favorites?
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