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magz88

Seed Sources

magz88
12 years ago

I've started to receive a few catalogues and have made a preliminary crop plan. I try to purchase seeds from small seed companies as well as large ones in order to support small-scale enterprises like mine and also to obtain more unusual varieties.

I though it might be useful to create a list of seed sources that we have tried out and can recommend to others.

US

Baker Creek - bulk available, great selection

Botanical Interests - low shipping fees, fantastic customer service, few bulk packs

North America

Stokes Seeds - not a lot of organic offerings but an OK OP selection, good prices, bulk

Canada

BC

Full Circle Seeds - Great germination on seeds, no bulk, not the best customer service, listed because of seed quality

Saskatchewan

Prairie Garden Seeds - good germination, some hard-to-find varieties, good shipping rates, must pay by cheque, smattering of bulk options

Ontario

William Dam Seeds - bulk, good customer service, fairly good organic selection

Cottage Gardener - bulk, good variety, good customer service

Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds - bulk on some items by request, some unusual varieties

Quebec

Solana Seeds - no bulk, unusual varieties

Nova Scotia -

Incredible Seeds - good shipping rates, nice selection of unusual varieties, very good customer service, no bulk yet. I have only planted mache from this company since I placed a late fall order but the germination has been good.

Has anyone dealt with Mad Dog Farm or West Coast Seeds? I will be placing first-time orders with them for next season.

I am also ordering from Richter's in Ontario. I know they are good though.

Comments (12)

  • cowpie51
    12 years ago

    I use Mountain Valley Seeds out of Utah. Great prices, especially friendly for Market Gardeners. Excellant customer service.

  • jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
    12 years ago

    I use Johnny's, Osbourn's and Tomato Growers.

    Jay

  • randy41_1
    12 years ago

    fedco and johnnys for the most part. others for seed both of those don't have. i bought heirloom tomato seed from tomato fest last year with good results.

  • myfamilysfarm
    12 years ago

    I use Jordan out of MN, very good reasonable priced seeds, good customer service. I recommend them.

    Marla

  • bi11me
    12 years ago

    FEDCO, Johnny's, Wood Prairie Farm, and High Mowing in New England, and in that order, SSE, Peaceful Valley and Seeds of Change for trials and rarities, Graines Baumaux and Franchi in Europe, Kitazawa and Evergreen for Asian varieties

  • little_minnie
    12 years ago

    I order mostly from FEdco and Johnny's. Some from Baker (for things in smaller quantities) and lots of seed trading. I also get a couple things from Pinetree that they are priced well on.

  • sandy0225
    12 years ago

    hazzardsgreenhouse.com

    ball seed company

    E & R seed in Monroe, IN (they are amish so you have to get them to send you a catalog and mail it in pretty much, but now they have an answering service)

    Johnny's selected seeds

    Holmes seed in Ohio if you're needing quite a bit of anything

    Harris seeds

    mountain valley seeds, but they're not as cheap as they used to be.

  • bi11me
    12 years ago

    The choice of seed purveyors is for me influenced by a number of criteria. As a market gardener for specialty markets, I look for flavorful and aesthetically pleasing produce that is not typically offered by most growers. I look for the best prices on commercial quantities. As an organic grower - for philosophical reasons, not commercial ones - I favor companies that share my beliefs. For political reasons, I prefer to spend my $ locally as much as possible, but for marketing reasons I often buy seed stock overseas. Also for political reasons, as well as ecological, I avoid seed companies that rely on large corporations that are directly or indirectly linked to the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Then I look for varieties that will thrive in my particular microclimate, without the use of excessive petrochemical inputs (plastics, fuel).

    The return on seeds, when looked at from an investment perspective, is phenomenal, and increases, in proportion with the skill, in growing and marketing, of the grower. It's important to include seed prices in the consideration but that is the least worrisome of my operating expenses.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Where do seed companies get seeds?

  • little_minnie
    12 years ago

    Another user on another forum pointed out that my fav Fedco doesn't buy from Seminis but does buy from 2 others giant owned corporations: Syngenta and Bayer. But when I read the seed source lists (Rogers seeds and Nunhems) I had never heard of any of their cultivars. So I still like Fedco for cutting out Semimis and their owner Monsanto. And Fedco is part of the class action suit against Monsanto!
    Johnny's has really p-ed me off this season. More hybrids than ever, hardly any OP seed, really high prices and still all the Seminis hybrids! I am not ordering from them but boy there are a couple things I cannot find elsewhere such as Monogerm beets.
    Fedco has a wonderful asset in their packet sizes. Any seed can come in sizes very small to very big which is awesome!

  • boulderbelt
    12 years ago

    I use mainly Fedco and Johnny's.

    I will not order from Baker Creek as I find i get a lot of wrong varieties from them and poor germination. their seed saving/breeding program is not the best IMO. one year out of 10 items 7 were wrong and yes they did refund my money but It was way too late to re start most of the seeds by the time I figured out I had wrong varieties like wrong tomatoes that you do not know are wrong until the fruit ripens, a good 85 days into growing it.

  • myfamilysfarm
    12 years ago

    Nothing is worse than to find out that the nice big red tomato is really a yellow cherry. Alot of customers have left one local grower because of this happening alot. I have to be very careful when transplanting. If I make a mistake, it's one thing, but if I get the wrong seed, it's terrible.

    so far I've been lucky with Jordan's and Hummert.

    Marla

  • tulsacityfarmer
    12 years ago

    Two companies I use and have been very happy with even though their cost went up on me this year. I've already ordered and recieved my seed order this week for next season. I love:Harris seeds and Johnny's selected seeds.

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