Where To Buy Seeds For Your Vegetable or Flower Garden
It’s that time of year when everyone places their seed orders, peruses heirloom seeds at local garden centers, and prepares for the seed-starting season. One question I’m often asked is where to buy seeds. Both seeds for the flower garden and vegetable garden. Today I’m taking you through all the options for buying garden seeds and my all-time favorite seed companies. Spoiler, I prefer smaller companies who are doing some good for the gardening world.

Before getting to the list of seed suppliers, here’s the preamble. I believe that whatever seeds you can get or can afford, are the ones for you. There have been times that I planted an entire garden using seeds from Dollar General because they were CHEAP and it’s all I could afford. There is no shame in that.
Today, I’m at a place with my garden where I do have time and resources to be a bit pickier about where I purchase my seeds. I prefer to vote with my dollars and support companies who give back to the gardening community rather than large corporations or big box stores like Home Depot or Target, which are just looking at the bottom line. So let’s dive in.
FREE Sources Of Seeds
Sometimes, you don’t even have to buy seeds! There are a few places to find free seeds that are solid resources to check out before making your seed purchases for the year.
Community Seed Swaps
So many communities have seed swaps. This is one of the best places to find seed varieties that will do well in your area since many of the seeds were saved from gardeners’ tried and true varieties from your region.
My small town hosts a seed swap every spring and state gardening groups organize larger swaps throughout the winter and spring. Search around online or on social media to find a seed swap near you.
If you can’t find one, start one! Connect with another organization to get one off the ground. Or partner with your local library. They’ll often help host and promote a seed swap with your assistance.
Seed Libraries
Hand-in-hand with seed swaps are seed libraries. Instead of a one-day event, gardeners provide their saved seeds or extra seeds to libraries that patrons can access. Here in Vermont, several of our largest libraries have seed libraries available for public access.
Friends And Family
One of my favorite places to source seeds is from friends and family. Within my circle of gardener friends, we often give each other our extra seeds (or even seedlings) or trade favorites. Some of my all-time favorite vegetable seeds came from gardening friends across town.
Where To Buy Seeds Online
Some of the best places to purchase vegetable seed varieties and flower seeds are online. There are SO many online (and paper) seed catalogs to peruse. Each seeds supplier offers a wide selection of heirloom and hybrid seeds for your garden.
โI’m almost hesitant to share my list of online seed company options because I know I’m leaving someone’s favorite small company off the list. But these are my tried and true online resources for seeds. Feel free to share your favorite seed shopping sources in the comments.
MI Gardener
MI Gardener, based out of Michigan, is hands down my favorite place to purchase seeds. Everything from herb seeds to wildflowers.
I adore the company’s founder Luke Marion, who started educating people on growing food in their backyards via YouTube. The company has grown to sell seeds, live plants, gardening tools, and even fertilizer. But Luke’s commitment to education never wavers. The MI Gardener YouTube channel is one of the best online sources for gardening education.
Not only does Luke have a passion for educating gardeners but also for keeping costs low. He adamantly believes printed seed catalogs just drive up costs and refuses to make one. Almost every seed packet from MI Gardener costs $2 and they do not skimp on seed quantity.
Free shipping is available with a minimum seed purchase of $20. Shipping costs do apply to other products.
Baker Creek
Baker Creek found at rareseeds.com is another great source of heirloom seeds. They carry so many unique varieties and rare seeds, which is typically what I’m looking for from them.
Their mission is to preserve heirloom seed varieties and help provide a sustainable food supply for generations to come. Many of their seeds and seed packets also include a short story or history of the variety. One of my favorites is Dr. Wyche’s tomato, sourced from a circus owner who used elephant manure in his heirloom gardens.
Baker Creek also offers free shipping on seed orders with a minimum purchase of $10.
Botanical Interests
Botanical Interests is one of my newer favorites. The company was recently acquired by Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening. The company is devoted to education and resources for home gardeners, putting a lot of energy into growing gardeners.
The seeds Botanical Interests provides are great seeds to work with. I’ve used a few vegetable varieties with great success but I’ve purchased far more flower seed packets. They offer a wide variety of beautiful flowers.
I also really appreciate the seed packets from the company. I often read the packets available in my local brick-and-mortar store for gardening supplies. They provide all the information a new gardener needs. Plus their packets are stunning!
Free shipping with Botanical Interests requires a minimum order of $49.
Seed Savers Exchange
Seed Savers Exchange is a seed company dedicated to the preservation of historic, open-pollinated seeds. It’s a non-profit that, “stewards America’s culturally diverse and endangered garden and food crop legacy for present and future generations.” The company not only educates but works to collect and distribute heirloom seeds AND their stories.
I got hooked on this company when I came across the story behind their Cherokee Trail Of Tears black bean, a seed carried from the infamous death march. They’re by far my best-producing black bean and dry bean.
Seed Savers Exchange offers free shipping with a minimum seed purchase of $25.
Territorial Seed Company
Territorial Seed Company is another newer seed supplier in my sourcebook. It all started when I was looking for micro tomatoes and cucumbers to grow indoors, both of which I found here, and have had good experiences with the varieties.
The company was founded by Steve Solomon who has been educating and writing vegetable gardening books since the 70s. He is a wealth of information and his ideas on soil health have been transforming my garden.
Territorial Seed Company does not offer free shipping.
Wild Boar Farms
Wild Boar Farms is brand new to me as a seed company but one I was fascinated with when I first heard its story. Hence the large order I placed last week of tomato seeds that I didn’t need but I needed. Fellow gardeners understand this sentiment deeply.
The company was founded and fun by Brad Gates who has been breeding and developing new tomato varieties for years. I love that purchases of seeds from Wild Boar Farms directly fund the trials of even more outrageous and unique tomato varieties. And what vegetable gardener doesn’t love a unique tomato, bred for flavor? Grocery store tomatoes taste like disappointment.
Wild Boar Farms offers free shipping on their seed packets with no minimum purchase.
Renee’s Garden
If you’re looking for the most beautiful heirloom and open-pollinated seed selections and packet art, look no further than Renee’s Garden. The company’s owner, Renee Shepherd, personally selects the varieties the company has sold since its founding in 1985.
The company’s claim to fame is the beautiful flower collections of the varieties most likely to be found in a cottage garden. The flower selection is one of the best online. You’ll find everything from Alyssum to Bluebonnets, Sweet Peas to Zinnias. There are even pollinator mixes and blends for a cut flower garden intended to attract monarch butterflies.
Renee’s Garden also sells vegetable seeds for the home gardener. Unlike larger seed companies that cater to farmers, you’ll find the seed varieties perfect for the backyard kitchen garden. My favorite vegetable find is the French Cornichon cucumbers perfect for those European-style mini pickles.
Renee’s Garden does not offer free shipping.
High Mowing Organic Seeds
High Mowing Organic Seeds is a little lower on my list than it used to be. It’s a Vermont company selling certified organic seeds. It used to be my hands-down, favorite of the vegetable seeds suppliers, especially since I live in Vermont and had a plethora of options for local purchase.
I have had nothing but great experiences from the seeds I’ve purchased. But have noticed a couple of things recently that’s put the company on the “maybe I’ll purchase there” list.
โTheir seeds are not the cheapest. The company is certified organic plus they produce a beautiful mail catalog, both of which are incredibly expensive. Their seed packet prices reflect that. But since the pandemic, their costs have risen rapidly and the amount of seeds per packet appears to be going down. I was shocked last year when I opened a new packet of High Mowing tomato seeds, a variety I LOVE, to find less than 10 seeds whereas in years past had more like 50 seeds.
Shipping costs at High Mowing have also significantly increased, which I know is not entirely their fault. But it pains me when an envelope containing 20 seed packets costs almost $20 to ship within the state of Vermont.
High Mowing does offer free shipping for orders of $200 or more but I often don’t purchase that much.
Johnny’s Seeds
Johnny’s Seeds is similar to High Mowing in that they’re lower on my must-buy list but I still order a few things from them each year. Johnny’s is a Maine company and the place I used to source my seeds when I lived in Maine.
My favorite part of Johnny’s is they have SO many F1 hybrid seed varieties. While I mostly prefer to grow heirlooms, sometimes I just want an F1 hybrid that resists pest pressure or for that unique taste, I can’t get anywhere else. No one will ever separate me from my Johnny’s Sun Gold tomatoes. They taste like sunshine and no other heirloom I have tried has yet to compete.
Johnny’s has a huge selection of both organic and non-organic seeds. Many things I have trouble sourcing, like pearl onions and eucalyptus, I can find here.
โThey do offer free shipping starting with a $200 minimum order, which is high. But they also sell the largest selection of gardening/farming tools and supplies of anyone on this list. I often couple my seed order with bare root plants and what tools I need for the year to make the minimum each season.
Where To Buy Seeds In Person
While online stores are great and open up a world of possibilities, it’s also nice to shop for seeds in person. Here are some of my favorite brick-and-mortar store options for seeds.
Local Feed Stores And Farmers’ Co-Ops
Local feed stores and farmers’ co-ops can be excellent sources for seeds. They often make big, bulk purchases of seeds pertinent to your location and allow you to purchase in bulk. Think big bins of bean seeds with a paper bag and a scoop.
They’re also a great source of seed potatoes or onion sets if that’s your preference. I prefer to start onions by seed but to each your own. You can also stock up on garden supplies, even ingredients to make your fertilizer or seed start mix, while you’re at the store.
Co-Op Grocery Stores
Co-op grocery stores are another favorite seed shopping location. I love our local co-op and it’s so convenient to grab another packet of radish seeds while I’m shopping for groceries. I also love that I’m supporting a local community and economy while shopping at our co-op. Bonus, we’re members and can often claim a discount on our seeds.
Local Nurseries
I love a local nursery and this is the time of year I adore shopping there the most. That is if you’re lucky and yours is open. Some don’t open until closer to the spring gardening season, which is often too late to start certain varieties.
Sometimes, winter drags on and I crave sinking my hands into the dark earth. Perhaps smell it and breathe in the organic material. Ahhhh. The next best thing is the smell of the local nursery and perusing seed racks. I have been known to stand at a seed rack for an hour plus reading seed packets. My children can confirm. And often I leave with a few new varieties to try that I never would have noticed shopping online.
Some of this year’s scores were potato seeds (in a packet, who knew?), buckwheat, baby kale, and cucumbers for cornichons (the fancy French pickles).
Places To Not Buy Seeds
While the above are the places I recommend the most for buying seeds, there are a few places I would be super leary about purchasing seeds from. While yes, whatever seeds you can get are the ones you should grow, I would skip these sources.
Be cautious about purchasing seeds from eBay, Temu, Amazon, and Etsy. Many of those seeds are coming from overseas where there is little to no seed market regulation. But do your research. There are some legit sellers there as well.
So if you see a gorgeous purple flower seed variety on eBay that you can’t live without, search around and see if you can find that variety from a more reputable source first.
Pssst…Now tell me, what are your favorite sources of seeds? And any stand-out favorite varieties?