Where to Buy Seed

Home & Family
on February 5, 2012

Finding a place to buy your garden seed has never been easier. Home gardeners can choose from online sources, traditional brick-and-mortar stores or catalogs.

Online. A great place to start your online search is at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. It offers a webpage with links to numerous sources, including to organic seed suppliers and the Seed Savers Exchange. The Seed Savers Exchange is a “non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds.”

Burpee.com. The Burpee seed company has been bringing seeds to the gardener since 1876. You can explore Burpee seeds online, in its catalog and at retailers such as The Home Depot, Lowe's and Wal-Mart. As an online source, Burpee.com offers a variety of seed categories, including vegetables, flowers, perennials, herbs and heirlooms.

Thompson-Morgan.com. Established in 1855, Thompson and Morgan is a U.K. company; however, American customers can shop on its U.S. website. Thompson and Morgan offers seeds for annuals, biennials, perennials, vegetables, herbs, trees, shrubs and organic seeds. The company also has a Canadian website.

StokesSeeds.com. One click takes U.S. or Canadian visitors to their respective websites for Stokes Seeds. The company was established in 1881 when Walter P. Stokes partnered with Herbert W. Johnson of the Johnson Seed Co. They parted in 1906, and Stokes began Stokes Seed Farms near Moorestown, N.J. Today, Stokes offers a variety of seeds online including vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Brick-and-mortar stores. A brick-and-mortar store is a traditional business operating in a building. Several national retailers offer seeds for gardeners in their home and garden departments. Home improvement stores such as Lowe's, The Home Depot and Menards offer a select variety of vegetable, herb and flower seeds in their garden or outdoor departments. Wal-Mart and Kmart also have seed packets for vegetables, herbs and flowers. Seed packets typically are seasonal items in brick-and-mortar stores.

Catalogs. Buying garden seeds from catalogs is not out of fashion. Seed giants such as Burpee and Thompson and Morgan still sell seeds from catalogs despite having an Internet presence. It takes only a quick visit to a company's website and a click to order a colorful seed catalog sent free to your mailbox. Gurney’s Seed and Nursery Co. also offers a free catalog via its website. Most seed companies with a website do offer a free catalog.

Specialty seeds. If you’re looking for something a bit different, check out a few specialty seed companies. The Kitazawa Seed Co. is the “oldest seed company in America specializing in Asian vegetable seeds.” Native American Seed is out of Texas and sells native plant, grass and wildflower seeds as well as conservancy seeds. TomatoFest in California has seeds for all your tomato needs, including more than “600 varieties of (CCOF) certified organic heirloom tomato seeds.”

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