PREP Question on where to purchase seeds??

[MC2006]

We have decided instead of installing a pool in our backyard to instead attempt to plant a vegatable garden.

We have had the approx. 5500sq ft yard tilled this weekend.

I was hoping to get some suggestions on some of the better places to purchase seeds for now and for storing?

thanks in advance ... as we are new to this!

MC

 

[Fleataxi]

MC2006: IF you want seeds that breed true from saved seeds, go Heirloom ONLY.

Seed Savers Exchange is one of the bigger ones.

They now have a forum on the internet to help people grow food and stuff.

http://forums.seedsavers.org/index.php

Fleataxi

 

[MC2006]

Fleataxi,

thanks for the info... I will check this site now!

MC

 

[bluefire]

Here's a list of my favorite seed sites:

www.heirloomacresseeds.com
www.seedstrust.com
www.seedsofchange.com
www.seedsavers.com
www.southernexposure.com

All carry heirloom and/or organic seeds.

We've been especially happy with Heirloom Acres, who have a very good selection and great prices.

Seed Savers has been good for some more obscure seeds we like to grow. Speaking of which, www.rareseeds.com is also a good source for, well, rare seeds! :-)

I admire your decision to go for the garden instead of the pool -- have fun!

 

[Nuthatch]

I'm a small time gardener and I like Pinetree Garden Seeds (superseeds.com)

 

[summerthyme]

Fleataxi... I'm going to mildly correct you, in that you don't need specifically "heirloom" seeds to be able to save and replant seeds from them. OPEN POLLINATED (or NON-hybrid) is the specific type you need. Some- many- of them are "heirlooms"- varieties which were treasured and planted for many years, some as far back as the 1800's. But there are some really excellent newer varieties which are also nonhybrid. The classic example I use is "Baby Bear" pumpkin, developed by Rob Johnston of Johnny's Selected Seeds. It's an open pollinated, cute small pumpkin, with sweet flesh which is great for baking, and semi-hulless seeds which are wonderful, nutritious snacks when roasted.

A quick note: most of the newer non-hybrid varieties will be "PvP".. "Plant Variety Protection" listed. This is a patent, of sorts, and it's meant to protect the people who have often spent years of their lives developing and perfecting a variety. YOU CAN SAVE SEEDS from these "protected" varieties- but only enough for your own use. You aren't supposed to save more than you bought in the first place (IOW, if you bought a packet of 15 seeds of Baby Bear pumpkins, you shouldn't save 2# of seeds from your crop)... but mostly, you just aren't supposed to sell them. It seems reasonable enough to me... without that, we wouldn't be seeing any new non-hybrid varieties, because the financial investment is too great, and it's too easy for a seed company to produce their own supplies- with no payment to the developer- if it wasn't protected.

Summerthyme

 

[BertaBurtonLake]

http://www.heirloomseeds.com

 

[Freeholder]

For your climate, look at Bountiful Gardens and Territorial Seed. BG is in California, TS is in Oregon. (There's another one in AZ or NM but I can't think of the name of it right now.)

Kathleen

 

[Fleataxi]

Summerthyme: Yes, but...

Several seeds that are labeled OP are less than 100% reliable at breeding true from saved seeds. Part of that can be due t enviromental factors.

Fleataxi l

 

[JIL3]

We've gotten some wonderful heirloom varieties from the Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds catalogue (RareSeeds.com), especially our peppers last year.
Their bulk packs are a better value compared to their regular packets.

 

[LC]

Actually there are several in NM and AZ. Seeds of Change, Plants of the Southwest and Native Seed Search are the ones that come to mind.

Freeholder is right about Bountiful Gardens and Territorial being in your neck of the woods.

Happy Gardening.
LC

 

[summerthyme]

Fleataxi... that may well be true (and I've gotten mis-labeled and contaminated seeds before), but if so... it can be true of "heirloom" varieties, too.

And conversely, there are several varieties labeled "hybrid" which actually are stable OP types.

ANY OP variety is going to show some variation... that's typical and normal. In fact, it's *the* main reason hybrids became as popular as they did... a particular cross (which is what a hybrid is, a cross between two known OP varieties) will be extremely uniform... something you rarely see in OP varieties, heirloom or not.

And, in fact, that's a Good Thing... because simply "saving seeds" shouldn't be enough. Farmers and gardeners who really want to produce as much as possible, and as high quality crops as possible, need to select the best plants *in their garden or field* and only save seed from them. That need may well be why you are seeing what you feel is unacceptable variation in saved seeds... because doing the necessary "roguing" and selection on a commercial scale is difficult.

If you save seeds from a variety for 10 years, choosing the earliest or most productive, or latest to go to seed plants, you'll almost certainly have a new "strain" of that variety... and, in fact, if you are stringent enough on your selection criteria, you may end up with something different enough to almost be a new variety.

Summerthyme

 

[MC2006]

thanks all!

 

[bamma]

It's odd, JIL3, only my radishes came up from Baker's. None of the other heirloom seeds I ordered from them (beans, squash, lettuce) germinated.

 

[summerthyme]

bamma... I've had some failures from Baker Creek seeds, as well. It's not just them... this is the second year I had 100% failure in trying to grow Kakai pumpkins (a hulless seeded pumpkin) from Johnny's.

But in general, I've had good luck with Baker Creek, Johnnys, Pinetree Garden, Territorial, Fedco and others. The only place I refused to order from again was Guerneys... they sent *several* contaminated seed packets- which had seeds other than what I'd ordered. It took me *years* to get rid of the "volunteer" tomatillos from one of those...

Summerthyme

 

[Snaglpuss]

I like Johnny's and Burpee for mail order.


Every spring I also like to get some 10 for $1.00 seed packs
from Walgreen's- stuff like radishes and spinich. Most of these
bargin seeds are non hybrid seeds that you can save if you
let some plants go to seed. The only thing is some plants when they go to seed take up a lot of extra room and spred out all over, things like radishes
and cilantro come to mind. This might not be an issue if you have lots of room.



Don't just limit yourself to non hybrid seeds, just because you want
to be able to save some of your own seeds. Hybrids have a lot to
offer - productivity and disease resistance for example. Grow some of both and figure out what does best in your area before going and buying lots of stuff and just guessing.

 

[cryhavoc]

http://www.territorialseed.com/

I won't buy anywhere else....

cryhavoc

 

[ichoric]

I got the vast majority of my seeds from Seed Savers Exchange (seedsavers.org), but won't be ordering from them again. The seeds were OK (not great, just OK), but the customer service sucks, and from various postings in their own forums, emails, and across the 'net, they appear to have management problems also. And that comes from someone who is a paid member (for the final year.)

Next time, I'm heading over to http://www.territorialseed.com/.

 

[Wise Owl]

I like Territorial also. I planted a garden a few years ago with just their seeds. The landlord frowned on us watering cause he had to pay for the water. Well our side did better than his did and it was a drought that year!
Territorial seeds were very hardy and produced big time. The string beans kept on coming and coming. We ate them for two years off just a couple small rows....and everything came up.......in profusion, I must say.

Good company.