Most consumers are familiar with The Home Depot as a one-stop shop for home repair, renovation and improvement. They also have a decent garden section. If you're working on multiple projects in your home and just want to place an order, The Home Depot is a great place to do so. In addition, they have physical stores, so returns are generally easier than online-only retailers.
Now that you know what my criteria are for choosing a great organic seed company, here is my list of 11 of the best ones I know. Founder Jere Gettle founded Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company in 1998 as a hobby, and since then it has grown to be the largest heirloom seed company in North America with nearly 1,000 heirloom varieties. Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Wheal and Kent Whaly in Missouri and is now their home on 890 picturesque acres in Winneshiek County, Iowa. They maintain a collection of more than 20,000 different varieties of relic and open pollinated plants, varieties with the capacity to regenerate year after year.
Now headquartered in Winslow, Maine, with administrative offices in Fairfield, Maine, they employ more than 100 full-time employees and many seasonal workers to provide excellent service. This company is mainly recognized for its cold-resistant varieties, specially adapted to the demanding climate of the Northeast. Fedco divides its inventory into 5 divisions: seeds, potatoes, onions and exotic products, organic producer supply, trees and bulbs, and works in three warehouses in Clinton, Maine. Fedco Seeds has been in business since 1978 and, in reality, is a cooperative without an individual owner.
The company is owned by 60% of the cooperative's consumers and the worker members own 40%, this formula could be the secret of its excellent customer service. Tom Stearns founded this company in 1996 with just 28 varieties, most of them grown in his backyard. Now, with more than 700 traditional, open-pollinated and hybrid varieties of vegetable, fruit, herb and flower seeds, they have become a leading organic seed company, but still with a passion and vision to rebuild food systems that can support health at all levels: healthy environments, economies healthy, healthy communities and bodies. Located in Cottage Grove, Oregon, this organic seed company has been owned by Tom and Julie Johns since it was purchased in 1985 from founder Steve Solomon.
I think their mission statement says pretty much everything you need to know about this company: “Our purpose is to improve people's self-sufficiency and independence by allowing gardeners to produce an abundance of good-tasting food, fresh from the garden, twelve months out of the year. Known for their excellent customer service, so much so that they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee when it comes to their seeds. They are a large company with a large catalog full of information about their seeds. There it is, my list of 11 of the best organic seed companies you can buy from to have the best organic garden you can have.
So grab those seeds and plant that garden and get on your way to being even more self-sufficient and sustainable in your permaculture home. Aquaponics (Books) Construction Projects (2) Chickens (Companion Planting) (2) Composting (20) Ducks (Food) Forests (4) Food Preparation (Food Preservation (Gardening) (190) Goats (Farm) (15) Hugelkultur (Hunting) (Cattle) (3) Mushrooms (Orchards) (1) Permaculture (80) Permaculture Design (5) Pest Control (Pigs ( Preparation) (1) Quail (Rabbits) (Recipes (Self-Reliance) (1) Soil (3) Sustainability (2) Swale (Tools (Trees) (1). Even though Burpee is a great brand that has existed for decades, it is truly doing its part to be more sustainable and offer green options. With the Burpee organics line, you're likely to find all the regular strains you love as certified organic.
You usually get a good amount of seeds at a great price, so split the cost with friends who are also looking for seeds, and you can make your money go even further. Uprising Seeds is a small and wonderful company to support and obtain your seeds on a regular basis. In addition, Seed Savers Exchange is an incredible resource for all gardeners. Not only can you get amazing and unique seeds, but you can also participate in a gardener-to-gardener exchange program.
Their seed catalogs and website offer a full line of flowers, roses, fruits, vegetables, perennials, annuals, seed starting materials and gardening tools. Originally founded in Pennsylvania in 1868, Park Seed has grown to be one of the oldest and largest mail-order gardening companies in the country. What is much more worrying than proprietary seed varieties is that the USDA and many state Departments of Agriculture are calling for regulation of public seed libraries. But unlike hybrids or GMOs, all heirloom seeds are naturally pollinated by wind or insects, which means you can save their seeds and they will grow true to type year after year.
Atlee Burpee began selling seeds in the 1880s, touring Europe every year, starting in the south in early spring and making its way north, obtaining seed reserves as it traveled. Botanical Interests has a seed donation program and a seed fundraiser program for schools, shelters, and churches in the U. Varieties that work well in the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest stand out, although gardeners and farmers across the country grow their seeds. Buy 750+ varieties of vegetable seeds, fertilizers and garden tools and watch thousands of free gardening videos.
This was one of the first seed companies I ordered from and they continue to be an important source for many of the herb and vegetable seeds I plant each year. This may be a smaller seed company, but the service is excellent and the variety of seeds is sufficient, though not as large as some of the larger companies. Plant your home garden with everyday vegetable and herb seeds, or branch out with rare, hybrid, organic and traditional seeds. There are many specialty growers, farmers market vendors, and gardeners who are on Etsy and have certified organic seeds that they sell on a small scale.
Gardeners of all levels enjoy trying new crops and varieties, and many look for mail-in seed companies to add to the adventure. Most of them I know from their seed selection, but Fedco also sells seeds for potatoes, onions, trees and bulbs. They are also one of the few seed companies that specialize in cold-resistant plant varieties (after all, they are based in the Northeast) and their seeds are specially adapted to harsh climates. Gardeners want to support the preservation of heirloom varieties, so Seed Savers Exchange (Decorah, Iowa) received high marks for providing unique and almost forgotten relics.
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