Where to Buy Garden Seeds -- My Favorite Online Stores

Every year I grow an enormous vegetable garden.  Plus, there are multiple flower beds around the house.  I love to start my plants from seed, too.

So where does the vegetable and flower seed come from?  I have a list of online stores that I frequent, and I place my orders early to make sure the selection I want is available.  I comparison shop between them … always looking for the best deal.  Grab a calculator and compare seed quantity to the asking price.  Each store packs their seeds in varying quantities, and the price may differ, too.  Don’t forget to take the Shipping and Handling charges into account when shopping.  Also, look for coupon codes online.  Sometimes a percentage-off coupon is available; or if you are first-time shopper at the site, you may locate a new-customer discount.

These seed companies also provide print catalogs.  You can request one by visiting their website.  Sometimes the catalogs contain discount codes that are not online.  If you have that discount code, you can enter it online during the check-out process.

Here are my favorite online stores where I buy seed.  They are listed alphabetically.

(Click the name of the online store to read my complete review of it.)


Burpee

I am including Burpee even though this is not my first shopping choice.  Burpee produces excellent seed, and I have had great results from it.  However, their prices tend to run higher than the competition.  I prefer to visit my local garden center when they are having a Burpee seed sale (or when they offer a coupon percent-off a purchase).


Cook’s Garden

This company is growing.  Last year they actually produced a color catalog.  Cook’s Garden is the only site that sells one of my favorite tomato varieties (Matina Tomato).  I will order here even if the only thing I buy is the tomato seed.  They primarily sell seed that is targeted toward the gardener who also cooks (vegetables and herbs), though they do offer a selection of flowers.


Johnny's Selected Seeds

Johnny’s has a New England location, Maine (and I’m also in New England).  I always receive their shipments quickly, and their customer service is excellent.  I had to phone them one time to ask questions about a product that I wanted to buy for my father as a gift, and they went out of their way to provide the information.  This is where I purchase my favorite pepper seeds (Ace F1 Pepper).  The downside to Johnny’s is that a few years ago, my credit card information was stolen from them.  They sent a letter of apology -- months after the theft had occurred.  The delay bothered me!  Thankfully, I had no fall-out from the incident.  I ordered via credit card again last year and had no problems.  Their seed is excellent.


Jung Seed

I use Perma-Nest Plant Trays and Clear Plastic Domes to cover the trays during seed germination.  The best deal for these domes I found at Jung Seed.  I have also purchased excellent large wooden plant marker/stakes from them and some vegetable seed.  Everything has been of great quality.  I also like the extra touch of receiving free packets of seed with my order.


Park Seed

I purchase the Perma-nest Plant Trays from Park Seed.  I have bought a lot of seed from the over the years, too, and have had no difficulty.  Sometimes Park Seed will backorder items (even though I order early), but they have always shipped the product to me in time for when I need to use it. 


Pinetree Garden Seeds (also known as Super Seeds)

Perhaps you only need a small quantity of seed (15 seeds instead of 30 seeds).  Pinetree Garden specializes in selling smaller quantities of seed to the home gardener.  Buying seed in lower amounts is also an affordable way to experiment with new plants.  I have been purchasing from Pinetree Garden for a long time and have always had good results.


R.H. Shumway

R.H. Shumway, Jung Seed, and Totally Tomatoes are all under the same family umbrella.  However, each of these online stores has differences.  You will find some seed duplicated, but each store also offers unique products.  R.H. Shumway came to my attention when I was comparison shopping.  They had some great prices.


Totally Tomatoes

If you specialize in growing tomatoes or peppers, then visit the Totally Tomatoes website.  They sell other seed, too, but their biggest varieties are for tomatoes and peppers.  For instance, they offer 44 varieties of Sweet Bell Peppers, plus there are other pepper categories.  The tomatoes are also divided by size and disease resistance.  For example, there are 88 medium-large tomato varieties, and 41 cherry tomato varieties.  If you like tomatoes and peppers, Totally Tomatoes offers a lot of selection.

I hope that you found this guide to online seed stores useful.

Enjoy the day!
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com

Please read my other Gardening Guides:

How to Successfully Start Plants from Seed Indoors

How To Make A Lettuce Basket -- Decorative and Delicious!

Top Ten Vegetable Varieties in My Garden -- Year After Year

Don't Throw Vegetable Seeds Away -- How to Save Money Gardening!

Five Ways to Extend Your Garden Space

Re-purposing Items in the Garden -- And Saving Money!

Yard and Garden Tool Storage Solutions

Ten Great Gifts for the Gardener!

Copyright 2010 Dawn L. Stewart