The Business of Seed Buying
Such is the day and age in which we live, where we can and should think about the many facets of where our dollars go. When I chose seed companies, I do so because I like the companies and what they stand for and their seed grows well. Often, they are small businesses and I know my dollars go further than with a company like Burpee.
I also enjoy supporting small businesses in this way. Yes, I do love to save seed from time to time, but I am not one to save seed from any cucurbits, corn, peppers, eggplants, radishes, carrots, or even most of my flowers. I leave that business to the seed companies whose scale assures robust genetics. Plus, I grow a lot of hybrids so my ability to save seed is limited. I will occasionally save some early tomatoes, too, knowing those first ones were very likely self-pollinated (and not cross-pollinated, a misfortune if you want to grow the same exact fruit next year).
What you don’t see on my list are companies I don’t support. And as much as this is an inclusive list, it’s also an exclusive list, meaning I’ve weeded out companies that don’t align with my values and if you don’t see a well known company listed here, it’s likely on purpose.
Today there are even, sigh, politics to consider when shopping for seeds. It was well before I began to notice discrepancies in the quality of the seeds that I had misgivings about supporting Baker Creek Seeds. I veered away from them quickly after my initial order in 2018, though the seed I ordered has last many years (I’m still growing Musselburgh Leeks from that 2018 purchase, and have a stash of kale seeds too). We were really unhappy with the germination rates and seedling vigor of many varieties, and had many seeds that didn’t grow true to type, meaning their seed producers had some hybridization or cross-contamination of seed going on. I’ve heard from over a handful of you this week that you also found their seeds to be of similar low quality. I know, their glossy catalog is ridiculously enticing, but that’s just marketing working it’s magic. To further complicate matters for them, numerous online gardening scandals have marred their reputation over the past 4-5 years, for good reason.
To name a few of the controversial events: there’s been Bundy boycotts in 2019, support of Joel Salatin circa 2020/21, fundraising for far right conservative groups in February 2022 for Ukraine, and ongoing speculation about appropriating seeds from Indigenous communities. It’s a lot to sort through, to be sure, and I acknowledge they are also a family-owned, small seed company like many who do make my cut. Yet, you can probably find comparable seeds elsewhere if you don’t want your dollars going to their family business.
The only seeds I bought from them last year were my pink nasturtium seeds, so I haven’t 100% divested in them but it’s a very small fraction of my gardening dollars, like less than $6, under 3% of my annual seed budget. I have found alternatives to that pink nasturtiums at Kitchen Garden Seeds, Eden Brothers, and Renee’s Garden, where I just placed a small seed order.
Now let’s also discuss for a minute why I love the companies I do support. Most notable to me is Seed Savers Exchange, whose former Board president, Rowen White, is an active Indigenous seed steward and phenomenal writer. During her tenure there, she worked to rematriate seeds from their vast seed bank into Indigenous communities across the continent. High Mowing Organic Seeds has made a concerted effort over the last several years to elevate the stories and voices of BIPOC farmers and gardeners, earnestly working to diversify the culture within the farming and gardening world, critical work to help acknowledge the Black agriculturists who, under enslavement, built the country’s wealth and whose expertise educated colonists who profited greatly from it. When we support companies whose work includes these efforts, our dollars are going further in immeasurable ways. Personally, this is really important to know what these companies stand for.
And many of these companies are employee-owned, too, like Johnny’s Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. That’s pretty unique as well.
Adaptive Seed works to bring back open-pollinated seeds that have been sunset by major seed proprietors (like Bejo seeds, for example, who grows most of the hybrid brassicas I buy from Johnny’s) in favor of hybrids. I’ve been impressed with Adaptive’s open-pollinated cabbages which is helping me unwind my beliefs that brassicas like broccoli and cabbage need to be hybrids to perform well.
That being said, I admit that I don’t know very much about some of these companies I support, for better or worse: Wood Prairie, Territorial Seed, and Renee’s Gardens, for example.
The Usual Suspects
Here are the seed companies I most often support, more or less in order of most to least dollars spent:
Johnny’s Selected Seed (most often for brassicas, onions, melons, carrots, herbs, radish, beans, flowers, and more!)
Seed Savers Exchange (a bit of everything, even garlic some years)
High Mowing Organic Seed (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, flowers, brassicas, herbs, and more)
Adaptive Seed (peppers, brassicas, dry beans, winter squash, and flowers)
Wood Prairie Farm (organic seed potatoes)
Botanical Interests (a little bit of everything, I love that I can buy their seeds locally at our garden center!)
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (peanuts and sweet potatoes)
Fruition Seeds (tomatoes, sesame, ginger, garlic, flowers, and spinach)
Territorial Seed (brassicas, garlic, and sometimes other veggies, occasionally)
Native Seed Search (flour corn and dry beans)
Keene Garlic (garlic, when needed)
Artisan Seeds (Aji Amarillo and Mareko Fana pepper seeds)
Renee’s Garden (Magyar paprika seeds)
Experimental Farm Network (flowers, brassicas, grains, and peppers)
Honorable Mentions
While I’ve not ordered seeds from these companies, I would and should support them:
Two Seeds in a Pod (Turkish seeds)
Victory Seeds (lots of dwarf tomato seeds)
And many more ….
Modern Garden Guild-endorsed Seed Companies (listed alphabetically):
Nature and Nurture Seeds (Midwest-adapted)
If shipping costs are not prohibitive or you can partner with local gardening friends and split orders, I’m of the mind to order from many companies, to support as many small business as feasible.
I hope this article helps you make some informed decisions on where I source my seeds and where my awesome Modern Garden Guild community also loves to put their garden dollars.
