Where do you get your seeds???

[ccheek]

Alright guys and gals... I can't find any newer posts on this subject, so I want to know everyone's recommendations on getting seeds!!! I have always picked mine up at Wal-Mart or somewhere like that so I want to try something different. Whether it be catalogs/websites, local stores, or big chain stores I would love some options. And.... GO!

 

[Smart Red]

I have occasionally picked up something that looked good at a home improvement box, but they have to be experimental for me that year or open-pollinated. Most of my seeds come from Bakers Creek or Seed Savers and all must be either heirloom or open-pollinated for me to grow them.

Future seeds for planting then come from my saved seeds.

 

[valley ranch]

I mostly, like you, get seeds locally. But I have gotten some from: Johny's and one back east I think Baker Creek.

Richard

 

[ninnymary]

I like to stop in at the Baker Creek store when I'm in Petaluma buying my chicken feed. It's a beautiful place with racks and racks of seeds.

Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some of my seed I save myself. Okra, marigolds, zinnias, tomatoes, peppers, and beans immediately come to mind. There may be others.

Most of the rest I pick up at a local Mom 'n Pop gardening center.

There are a few I have to order online. There are some that I can't get locally and don't save seeds either because I get hybrids or they cross-pollinate so easily I won't risk saving seeds. And I always try something different just for fun. A lot of these come from online places.

 

[ccheek]

Thanks everyone! I've heard really good things about Baker Creek (mostly reading through threads here). I think I'm going to try ordering from their website. I love saving seeds, too! All I have done so far is cantaloupe (it did great this year!), but this year I have put back some okra to try as well. I would try tomatoes too, but mine haven't produced AT ALL. I don't know what I did to them.... they bloomed but the blooms would just die.... or maybe the birds got them, not sure. I'm not very good at diagnosing problems.

 

[Smart Red]

@ccheck, from what I've heard and read on this site, don't be too quick to blame your gardening ability (or lack thereof) for the poor year. This seems to have been one of our more difficult years for success in the garden in many parts of the country.

 

[majorcatfish]

Personally have 4 seed catalogs that I will primary order from....
Stokes
Territorial
Johnny's
Tomato growers supply

 

[Smart Red]

I forgot, I get a lot of my seeds through a seed-trading group. I usually manage to get just enough to sample the produce and decide if it's worth saving seeds for the next year, then pass saved seeds on to others in another trade.

 

[digitS']

Seed catalogs have been around for over 100 years. Not quite that long ago, the first one I saw was RH Shumway. I was a teenager ordering seed.

When I was a little older, I found JW Jung Seed. I thought I was smart to graduate from old-style Shumway. About that time I discovered Vermont Bean Seed. Oh, boy! Then Shumway bought Vermont Bean and a few years later, Jung bought Shumway ...

You can order from any, and a couple more, here: LINK.

Stokes Seeds was my #1 source for several years. But, Johnny's Seed wins out often. I seem to order more from Harris Seed every year. Osbourne Seed isn't very far away and a good choice for me.

I like Kitazawa Seed and Fedco Seeds is a favorite. They have a fun catalog, good variety and, often, the best prices. Oh yeah, Tomato Growers Supply is great!

Steve