The Ultimate List of Trusted Seed Companies Recommended by Real Gardeners

When I started gardening back in 2016 in California, my only experience with purchasing seeds was limited to what I found in the local hardware store (RIP Orchard Supply Hardware in LA!). I grabbed whatever seed packets called to me, loading my basket with all the hope and promise of colorful vegetables in a few months' time. Some grew, some didn't, and to be honest, I forget most of the brands that I trialed.

Enter: many more years of growing under my belt, a cross-country move to Massachusetts and with it, a new climate and gardening zone. For the past few years I've had my tried-and-true favorite seed companies that I buy from year in and year out, among them:

• High Mowing Organic Seeds
• Johnny's Seeds
• Territorial Seeds
• Seed Savers Exchange

Recently, I wanted to expand my seed company support, and spread my dollars around to some smaller companies, such as those doing important work to protect native seeds. I put a call out on Threads for seed company recommendations and was truly blown away by the breadth of replies.

I figured I would get 5-10 suggestions...but as they started rolling in, my jaw dropped. — so much so that I wanted to save them for posterity in this living and breathing resource that I'll endeavor to update periodically as I get more suggestions.

Well over 100 suggestions poured in, and I already have about a dozen new companies to order from this year. I am downright giddy!

We are at such a critical juncture for seeds. Did you know that 93% of commercial seed varieties disappeared from seed banks between 1903 and 1983?

Without getting too much in the weeds, many, many seed varieties have been lost over the years, and this loss narrows the genetic pool, making crops more vulnerable to pests, diseases, and climate change-induced stresses​. The focus has been so heavily weighted towards increased yield, resistance to pest and disease pressure, and ability to withstand lengthy transport, that we have placed ourselves in a very precarious position.

Seed sovereignty is the right of farmers and communities to breed, save, exchange, and use seeds without external control or interference, ensuring that they remain a shared resource rather than a patented commodity owned by corporations.

Before we get into the list, if you're at all curious and want to delve into the subject some more, here are some fantastic resources:

The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture by Wendell Berry

Eating to Extinction by Dan Saladino

The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food by Janisse Ray

Seeds of Resistance: The Fight to Save Our Food Supply by Mark Schapiro

Please note that there are some notes and caveats with this list. The first being that Baker Creek comes with an asterisk, as I have personally ordered from them in the past, as have other gardeners, but there has been some information that's come to light that has changed the way many gardeners feel about the company. I would be remiss if I didn't share that transparently, so I'll link a few posts here and here for you to check out.

Another note is that because gardening is a global hobby, and the social media gardening scene is a delightful melting pot of gardeners the world over, the list includes some international seed companies, noted in parentheses. And while below, you'll find an organized list of the companies themselves, I've also put together a comprehensive spreadsheet with locations, geographical regions, social media handles, pertinent company information, offerings, and any other additional information that could be beneficial — to save you time and energy researching yourself!

You can grab access to your own copy of The Ultimate List of Trusted Seed Companies Recommended by Real Gardeners here:

Without further ado, the (living, breathing, ever-growing!) list:

The Ultimate List of Trusted Seed Companies Recommended by Real Gardeners

A

• Adaptive Seeds
• Alliance of Native Seedkeepers
• American Seed Co
• Annapolis Seeds (Canada)
• Asian Garden 2 Table

B

• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds*
• BC Eco Seed Co-op (Canada)
• Botania (Denmark)
• Botanical Interests
• Burnt Ridge Nursery

C

• Calloway’s Nursery
• California Native Plant Society
• Chocolate Flower Farm
• Commonwealth Seed Growers

D

• David’s Garden Seeds
• Deep Harvest Farm
• Dollar Seed Co

E

• Ecoseedbank (Canada)
• Eden Brothers
• Elevated Gardening
• Eloheh Farm and Seed
• Ernst Seed
• Experimental Farm Network

F

• Fedco
• Filaree Farms
• Free Heirloom Seeds
• Froebutikken (Denmark)

G

• Giving Ground Seeds
• Grand Prismatic Seed
• GrowOrganic.com

H

• Harris Seeds
• High Country Gardens
• High Desert Seed Co
• High Mowing Organic Seeds
• Hoss Tools
• Hudson Valley Seed Co

I

• Incredible Seeds (Canada)

J

• Jig Bee
• John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds
• Johnny’s Seeds

K

• Kids Seed Co
• Kitazawa
• Kula Nursery

L

• Le Noyau (Canada)
• Les Jardins de l’Écoumène (Canada)
• Les Semailles (Belgium)

M

• Mary’s Heirloom Seeds
• MI Gardener
• Milwaukee Seed Library
• Mountain Valley Garlic

N

• Nichol’s
• Native Seeds/SEARCH

O

• Ohio Heirloom

P

• Park Seed
• Pepper Joe’s
• Pinetree
• Pinelands Direct
• Plant Good Seed
• Prairie Moon Nursery
• Prairie Nursery

R

• Rebel Seeds
• Renee’s Garden
• Restoration Seeds
• Revival Seeds (Canada)
• Rohrer Seeds
• Roundstone Native Seed Company
• Row 7 Seed Company

S

• Salt Spring Seeds (Canada)
• San Diego Seed Company
• Second Generation Seeds
• Seed Mail Seed Co
• Seed Needs
• Seed Savers Exchange
• Seed the Stars
• Seed Treasures
• Seeds from Italy
• SeedsNow
• Select Seeds
• She Grows Veg (UK)
• Siskiyou Seeds
• Sistah Seeds
• Snake River Seed Cooperative
• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
• Sow Right Seeds
• Sow True Seeds
• Steel Acres Seeds
• Strictly Medicinal Seeds
• Sunflower Steve
• Survival Garden Seeds
• Swallowtail Seeds

T

• Territorial Seeds
• Terroir Seeds
• The Okra Lady LLC
• Thresh Seed Co.
• TomatoFest
• Tomato Growers Supply
• Too Tall Farm Nursery
• Toadshade Wildflower Farm
• Triple Divide Seeds
• True Leaf Market Seeds
• True Love Seeds

U

• Uprising Seeds

V

• Vermont Bean Seed Company
• Vessey’s (Canada)
• Victory Seeds
• Vitale Rassen (Belgium)

W

• West Coast Seeds (Canada)
• Wild Ridge Plants
• Wild Seed Project
• William Dam Seeds (Canada)