I’ve learned to look for a telephone number on the website of the company I’m buying from. I think you should be able to speak to the person your buying from. I bought seeds from a few known suppliers and had trouble finding away to contact them (no telephone numbers and no address). Now I look for a number and call before I order seed. Nothing worse than having an issue with something and all you get is a email with very generic answers back.
@@Ash-fd8ww They do this because many seeds are still under paten and resale restrictions. Seed companies that sell to market gardeners will let you know if a seed variety is under paten restrictions so you know you can't save and resell that seed.
@@GMT439 what in actual heck are you talking about? I'm an organic farmer and I've been producing my own seed for a decade in pristine wilderness. Explain how my seed is not organic lol
I totally understand why large-scale growers don't save their own seeds, but I have personally noticed a huge difference in the seeds I've been saving over just the last 2-3 years. The plants are so much healthier than the ones I start from purchased seed. Selecting seeds from plants that did well in my climate and with my method of gardening has been a game changer. I also leave many plants like kale in the ground over my cold winter and collect seeds from the ones that survive thus creating my own cold hardy perrenial variety.
This is totally true. The plant is noticeable more healthier than the plants that have their first life the climate that the grower is growing in. Always save seeds because the seeds are now acclimated to the area
I let at least one of most things mature to seed. I save seeds too, and also let some reseed themselves. I am retired from production farming though, so can let them naturalize and permaculture themselves. It has worked out well and been surprizingly productive. I wasn't able to do much this summer but since the plants were autowatered they replanted themselves at exactly the right time and produced county fair winning produce all on their own. The only thing I did was harvest selectively with thinning in mind.
its called adaptation. when i started growing beans just this spring they were more delicate because the seeds came from baker creek in Missouri and im in hot dry mild California but saving my seeds and regrowing them through the late spring, summer and this fall i could see the plants adapting to survive extreme 100 degree heat and also drought because i purposely didn't water them for even a week at a time to toughen them up. its working well! the plants are more vigorous, they tolerate extreme heat and drought much better and they grow beautifully. the reason why climate change is supposedly gonna cause a food crisis is because farmers dont save their seed. but if they did there would be no food crisis plants would just naturally adapt like they have in my garden to drying and hotter conditions. the natives adapted different beans and squashes and corn just like i did! they still grow corn which is descended from riparian river plant teosinte in dry desert conditions with no problem. beans and squashes are also wet loving jungle plants and people grow adapted versions in cold places and in the hot desert. its amazing what nature does to survive.
I have used various companies including Baker Creek, Refining Fire Chiles, Marys Heirloom Seeds, Gurneys, Park Seed, Territorial Seed, Outsidepride, Southern Seed Exchange, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Sandia Seed, Pinetree Gardens, and a few others depending on the regional location or for certain types of vegetables that I'm growing
These are the sources I've used lately: Victory seeds (heirloom open pollinated), Hoss seeds (some heirloom corn), Wood prairie family farm (seed potatoes), MIgardener (local), Opcorn (heirloom corn).... Bulk cover crop seed I buy from a local feed store (such as winter rye, sunflowers, oats, daikon radish, and buckwheat) and then do my own germination test to ensure the seeds are reliable enough I can expect performance when I need to plant them (a technique I learned from my father as I grew up on a farm) ... I have purchased just grocery store foods like a bag of dried pinto or black beans and frequently save seeds from peppers and tomatoes (which will be hybrids with variable results trending toward cherry tomatoes, but if you need seeds it's an option, note that imported produce has often been irradiated to kill pathogens but it also kills seed viability like avocados from Mexico will rarely sprout) .... My focus this season has been finding open pollinated and heirloom dent and flint corn -- gmo and hybrid corn has as little as 3% protein, Reids Yellow Dent an heirloom from the 1800s I grew last year has 9%, while Blue Hopi has as high as 14%; I've collected nearly ten different varieties for this year like the massive kernel Hickory King used in authentic Southern Hominy. If you go on the corn growing path: make sure to learn the Nixtamalization cooking process that transforms it closer to a super food with niacin and other vitamins (Tbsp of either baking soda/CAL/hardwood ash per cup of dried corn, cover corn with water the thickness of a finger or two, boil an hour, cover the pot and steep 12-24hrs, rinse and rub off kernel coatings until they no longer feel slippery and the rinse water is clear, then boil like beans until done). Don't plant heirloom corn too dense as crowding makes for poor to no production (plant 8-12in apart on 30in rows is typical success path).
The avocado seeds sprout in my compost pile all the time. I buy avocados from the grocery store and they come from Mexico they don’t say organic. They will get to about 3 ft and then winter kill.
Thanks for posting the hominy process. Very helpful; I took a screenshot. 👍 I personally favor Gaspé flint corn for it's growth characteristics: 20" tall, 65 days, very cold tolerant, and in spite of it's diminutive size, surprisingly productive seed to seed. Because of it's short growing season, it's easy to keep it from crossing with other varieties. The native Americans in Canada relied on it, and it was one of the few crops that still produced during the "year without a summer." It almost went extinct and there's only a couple of sellers out there. One season and I had plenty of my own seed. Grows well in containers. Blessings.
The Buffalo Seed Co. out of Kansas not only focuses on regionality, but also no-till practices, rain-fed systems, and they partner with local farmers for seed production and local businesses for sales. Thanks for mentioning them. Full disclosure: I am one of their partner farmers.
Good to know. While Kansas isn't exactly the upper Midwest ( I'm in WI), I don't yet know of many in my actual growing zone ( 4, vrs. 5 or so that the couple I know of in the Midwest are), and knowing the growing practices is about as important. I don't want crops bred to survive in conventional methods vrs. natural. Thus why I've bought from Territorial once or twice. I didn't need much that year ( had a lot of seeds on hand) and most of what I got were tomatoes, some were new, specialty varieties and overall they didn't germinate or survive well for me).
Jessie your background in journalism is so apparent and amazing! i appreciate how thorough you are, and you clarify all the little details and odd questions without having to ask, in such a concise way.
True Leaf Market is local here in Salt Lake City. Just a few people in a warehouse with shipping containers for offices. If you're local, you can ship "will call" and get them from the warehouse to save money. If you go there, they always have a rack of free seeds. I've found cabbage, peppers, pumpkins, squash, carrots, and a bunch more all for free.
For small growers, I highly recommend MIGardner. Their packs of seeds are only $2 and when compared to places like Burpee (eww) and Baker Creek, oftentimes you get a higher seed count per pack. So more seed for your buck. For commercial-type seeds (like beans and corn) Johnnies is still the best for seed count vs price.
Yes, MI Gardener has good seeds and still very affordable, while other brands are getting too expensive. I like Victory Seeds too, they are high quality
I live in Ontario, Canada. I love purchasing seeds from MIgardener... a high germination rate, great value, but most of all, wonderful customer service! Free shipping even to Canada if you purchase 6+ packages. Also, a very good selection of seeds.
I ordered from Pinetree Gardens for the 1st time this year & am happy. Good selections, delivery, so far good germination. I don't remember the shipping.
Rupp seeds and Johnny's here. Rupp seeds have superior packaging, and most of the seeds are colored which makes it way easier to see what's going into your seed trays. Both companies offer free shipping if your order is over a certain dollar amount. It is important to always call in your order vs. mail. Sometimes, crops shown in the catalog will not be available, and calling in your order will update you on potential problems on the spot.
Been missing you, Jesse. I am a backyard gardener rather than a market gardener but FWIW, I have purchased seeds from True Leaf Market (love them - great customer service), Victory Seeds, and more often from Baker Creek. As well as Johnny’s, Mary’s Heirloom Seeds, Southern Exposure, and a few others I can’t think of now. With a few exceptions, most everything has germinated well.
I am in New England and use the exact same seed sources as No Till...except that I get my Organic Seed Potatoes from Wood Prairie Farm in Maine. Best potatoes I have ever grown. I buy their Yukon Gold, Russett, and a fingerling. This year they have a UK variety that I also purchased.
One of my favorites that I haven’t seen mentioned is Prairie Road Organic Seed, Fullerton ND. I’ve been growing their cucumbers, winter squash, and popcorn for market for several years and had excellent results. Dan and Theresa are the owners. They have several excellent varieties they bred by their brother David Podoll.
Very good to know, thanks ! I'm in nw WI and most seed places I knew about were from warmer areas than I, or in mountains. ND is generally colder, so, good ! I'm only a home grower so far, and learning more every year about saving my own seeds, so, hope to really maximize my own, have my own "landraces" soon enough. But for what I still need or want to buy .... .
I'm a native vermonter and I've been supporting high mowing since their inception and it really warms my heart to see you supporting them as well no-till growers are the backbone of this country eventually you watch and see . I was wondering if you could help me lockdown a species or variation of tomatoes cherry tomatoes more specifically that we had up here in Vermont that our friend gave me and I don't know which seed company they came from I assume either high mowing or Johnny's but they were orange and some of the sweetest cherry tomatoes I've ever had in my life and I need to grow them for the remainder of my life please and thank
Small and sweet? Sounds like sun gold. They are amazing, but tender-skinned and prone to cracking. That makes them better for home gardeners than for market
One of the companies mentioned used to be my favorite seed company. Then, my "organic" seed order came packed with Chinese newspaper. Surprise! Turned out many of their seeds are grown overseas. So I learned to be way more careful about the fine print and to call and check when possible.
I'm in Canada and I have had great success with seeds from West Coast Seeds (British Columbia) and William Dam Seeds (Ontario). Both seem to have a lot of organic options and bulk sales for growers. This year I ordered from OSC (Ontario Seed Company) and am looking forward to seeing how they do. I grew beans of theirs a few years back that I picked up at a local garden centre and they did awesome. I've ordered from Veseys and Stokes in the past, but not for about a decade now. I didn't have a decent growing space for a while there so I was just doing backyard container gardening using seeds from the local hardware stores. Both my grandpa's were market gardeners in Ontario and they always had the Vesey's and Stokes catalogues stashed amongst the magazines. I've gotten seeds from American companies before (and this year I got more from MIGardener and Seed Savers Exchange), but the cost of shipping into Canada keeps going up so I've been trying to find more Canadian suppliers. That being said, I just got the Jonny's catalogue for the first time and far too much stuff in there is tempting me :)
Tomatoes and peppers - Tomato Growers Onions and most other seeds - Johnny's (huge selection of pelleted seed) Oriental and specialty - Kitazawa Onion transplants - Dixondale Farms (I know, it's not seed, but they're awesome!)
as always: thank you! a fine point or 2: certified organic growers (at least where I was from..) are required to use certified organic plants: meaning, if you are going to put in starts that you didn't grow yourself you must source organic starts, except perennials. Sourcing volume quantity cover crop seed, at least out West, is difficult. An advantage of True Leaf Market is the cost of shipping is included and it actually makes a big diff...much of it is organic, and I have had great success with all of their seed. awesome work Jessie! thank you
Home gardener and aspiring cut flower farmer here. I got my seeds from Uprising, MI Gardener and Baker Creek. I found my germination was the best with Uprising Seeds and will order the majority of mine from them next season. I also have picked up some random stuff here and there from local nurseries from Botanical Interests and Renee’s Garden and they’ve done well.
Yo yo Team welcome back! Hello and Kia Ora to my follow gardeners and growers. Been having the craziest season weather wise down under here in NZ. King Seeds is pretty much the go to for the bulk/variety of the seeds. Organic, Koanga is the go to. For garlic,shallots Garden Organics. Their are others, I'm vouching for these 3 has I have bought and grown them before.
I live in a northern climate and have best luck with seeds grown in northern climate by a quality producer. It seems the plants know they have a very short season to do their work compared to seeds of the same variety grown for generations further south. I recommend using a quality seed producer growing seed in a similar environment to yours.
I try to and am also in the north ( Wisconsin, zone 4), but knew of only 1 or 2 who were northerly and had seeds also grown by or near them. Who do you know of ? Very interested !!!
@@ajb.822 I have had great luck with Prairie Road Organic (family run in ND), Fedco, High Mowing Seed, and Johnny's Seed for seeds that do well in MN zone 3. Carter Farms of ND is a great source for seed potatoes. Wishing you a successfull garden this season!
My favorites: southern exposure seed exchange, territorial seeds, high mowing, strictly medicinal, Mary's Heirloom Seeds, in addition to Johnny's, and in days past Burpee, but tend not to get seeds from them these days as I'd prefer to support smaller seed companies.
For the Canadians (and especially anyone with a greenhouse if you're not in a warmer region) - I love West Coast Seeds, they have a lot of varieties of Asian greens as well as more conventional vegetables. And OSC seeds are also usually available in many places, and I've had a lot of success with their seeds as well. :)
Yes your local plexiglass shop can make the seed tool you don't have yet, in the size you need it. Just take the one you do have and a tray of soil blocks with you. Thanks 4 your great information and channel.
Plexiglass is tricky to work with I'd let a shop do it. Drop seeder that is. But your trays of soil blocks need to be consistent, but it's easy to push everything to one corner. I hope this is helpful information for you.
Not a professional, but I'm in coastal BC and my favorite seed company for almost everything is West Coast Seeds. They're the Canadian version of Territorial. Very wide and expanding selection, many varieties are open pollinated, and a lot of them are adapted to cool short summers and mild winters like we have here, and they tell you whether or not the variety is adapted to these or better for other areas. They have larger packages and discounts available so they are still useful to larger than home garden scale growers. I also use Renee's garden sometimes, and I like Mumm's for sprouting seeds. I save a fair amount of my seeds, especially legumes and often tomatoes, parsnips, lettuce, mizuna. But not carrots or cucurbits.
As far as packaging goes, I am fully impressed with Harris Seeds. Their seed envelopes are resealable foil packs, which almost seems vacuum sealed. Lots of growing info provided
My favorite seed company of lately is southern exposure seed Exchange. Very reasonable and you get MANY more seeds in a packet than many other companies for a similar priced package and mostly heirloom, and great choices!
Hey Jessie you mentioned potatoes oh, I've had really good luck with shipping and prices of wood Prairie Farms. I'm trying three new varieties this year and they will ship 365 days a year. You should check them out.
Hey jesse the mention of true leaf market I’ll say I’ve only used cover crops so far with great results. This year will be my first year using some different vegetables from them. Just a personal garden not market. Thank you for all you do with your content and I hope you have a very good growing season.
@@IAmHisBeloved5 the cucumbers were the best growth I’ve ever had both Romain and red Romain lettuce were great and looked great randomly planted for a nice mix of color and my lilac bell peppers I started late and didn’t do very good in wisconsin but my sister took some home to Florida where they grew into a little tree and beautiful peppers. Like always my cover crops have a great start before the snow and I attribute the vegetables success to the great cover crops.
As a west coast market gardener I've used most all of the companies mentioned over the years, these days I get most of my seeds from Osborne. Great quality, best packaging in the industry. I've grown a lot of Franchi, generally good but lost a ton of sales due to trying their carrot seed. Great price, worst quality seeds I've ever planted, grew everything but marketable carrots.
you seed packets are so massive! lol compared with what I buy. I get seeds from all over the place! I love having lots and lots of different veggies to eat, all different colours and shapes. I like growing things that are not available in the supermarket.
Hey, hey! Fellow Kentuckian here! That earned a subscribe, no one knows how great our state is and everyone thinks we are all uneducated hicks. This is the average person in Ky... kind, honest, and very intelligent. We used to be the wealthiest state in the country before hemp was banned, and when cannabis is legal will will grow the best pot again, and we still do anyway. Rest of the country lives off the backs of our labor still, but I think that will turn around one day. Let's grow, Ky!
You look way too clean and happy for Post Apocalypse. Just a happy farmer. I just moved to Portugal and having a blast exploring a whole new life and area.
Old Alabama Gardener videos(He's Passed Away Now) still up to help those who garden in the south. He has lots of good ideas and hints dealing with gardening problems in the south.....
I received your book "The Living Soil Handbook" for Christmas (it was on my Amazon wishlist) and am enjoying reading it. I'm about halfway through and have my highligther handy as I study it. Loving the book and how you present the information.
Seconding Fuition Seeds in north east USA. Also, Sean at Edible Acres recently did another round of collecting recommendations for nurseries in one of his video comment sections. He's done a few of those over the years.
Organo Seeds has some incredibly nice stuff! I’ve used their seeds for years now and can say I’ll never not use them. Definitely will be checking out some of the seed companies mentioned in the comments by others and the ones you mentioned. Thanks for all the information!!
I hate that. There's no reason to charge that much for shipping something that in reality would only take a couple dollars max to ship. With all the competitors out there, I'd look elsewhere.
@@Kerfufflekitten its that line of thought that makes Johnnys think they can get away with price gouging thousands of dollars from customers on shipping.
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Most Appreciated!!! The more info we have about seeds, the more "secure" we feel about surviving. Hope you and your family are doing well. Amen Retired, Veteran
Great video I always buy at least something from Seed Savers. Their tomato selection is really good Even though I am kind of greens geek I have not bought much of their lettuces because well alll my other companies have super good greens. I checked out uprising seeds in Oregon and they have a lot of really cool stuff. I HIGHLY recommend them if you are looking for great bean selection and I think they had quite a selection of radicchio and endive...
In regard to 1:19 my wife has been saying you look like someone and its been bugging her the entire time I've been going through your catalogue of videos. We finally figured it out today: JR Bourne in his portrayal of Russel Prime in "The 100". Its post-apocalyptic so it fits your bill almost perfectly.
I get all my garden seeds from Stokes. They sell a lot to the big commercial guys, so they have a lot of seeds with the latest disease resistances. But they also sell to us home gardeners. They are great for the north East! They have a wide selection of untreated seeds but given a choice I would go with treated seed (sorry, not sorry). I do like organic untreated seed for my micro greens though and always use Mumm’s. I really enjoy your videos (even though I’m not an organic gardener), I just find good gardeners interesting, no matter what the style of their growing and I can often pick up useful tidbits of information! Klaus
I really like southern exposure seed exchange and MIgardener. Pine tree seeds and true seeds are good,too. I get a lot from Baker Creek and sometimes Johnny’s although I find them a bit expensive, I also get some from HOSS seeds.
Southern Ontario Canada here, I'm within driving distance of two very good seed stores. William Dam seeds, and Stokes Seeds . Both on the Niagara Peninsula .
Wild Garden Seed has been my favorite supplier ever since I listened to the Farmer to Farmer Podcast episode with Frank Morton. They don't sell everything, but I love the breeder mixes that they offer and their yearly development of new lettuce varieties.
We’ve been buying Harris Seeds for almost 20 years. They have great credit terms. We also regularly buy from Johnny’s Seeds and Seedway. Seedway’s shipping is not fast and can take up to 2-3 weeks. Looking for another alternative next year
As someone with a small organic farm, if you need quantities of seed such as for cover cropping it really pays to look around. Buying from companies like Johnny's will cost you twice as much as buying from a large company like Hancock or Fedco. The chances are that's where the seeds being resold by these smaller seed companies came from anyway.
Absolutely always shop around! I'm not sure Hancock sells any organic cover crop seed, though, and Fedco's rye is currently $23 more for 50lbs than Johnnys 50lb (for an example of how it's not always true that Johnnys is the highest).
@@notillgrowers Maybe they're changing their ways. The last time I priced cover crop seed from Johnnys the same seed produced on the same farm was $400 from Johnny's and $200 from Fedco. (Now $271/$399 Org. Mammoth Red Clover)
I still have to buy the bulk of my farm seeds this month, but so far I've noticed Johnny's is more affordable than Fedco for several seeds (though this is for vegetable seed, not cover crop seed). Which has surprised me, since I tend to think of Fedco as more affordable. Really varies seed to seed. It can be a bit mind-bending to translate between seed counts and seed weights...
Sow true seed, southern exposure seed exchange, seed savers exchange, fedco seed and supplies, seeds n such, totally tomatoes… I think that’s all, oh forgot baker creek heirloom seeds. This year I did get some new catalogs from Pinetree and John Scheepers which I’ve never heard of. Good luck and happy growing everyone ❤
Pinetree is great ! My go-to for years ! I am probably switching more to MIGardener for a while as I'm just a home grower so far & am also kinda broke ( NOT that his amazing value is the only reason to buy from Luke n co. ! ), but Pinetree has a great selection of herbs and other stuff and have always been great for me. The one time I had an issue with a pack of Kakai seeds not coming up at all ( everything else I planted same way, same day, did), they handled well & offered me reimbursement or replacement ( I now like Lady Godiva pumpkin lots better, for hulless seeded pumpkins, btw. ). Anyways, yeah, I've long been a big fan of Pinetree. I now am also ordering a few things from Seed Saver's Exchange, even though their pricier. It's for a good cause plus I just had to have those cantaloupe varieties... ( Petite Gris de Rennes & Emerald Gem) :) .
Ha! I live in Maine, so I have always gotten stuff from Johnny's seeds and Fedco, but it is hilarious to find that places relatively far away also source from so close to me. Apparently I just lucked out to have the high quality seeds so close!
Twilley seed out of Hodges, SC for Market Growers who buy bulk seed, but they have very few organic seeds. Truleaf a definate yes, Mumm's ships from Canada and can be very slow. Dixondale for onion slips, they are out of Texas and most growers in our area use them. Hoss tools sells potatoes to southern growers earlier than north or west suppliers since they are in south Georgia. They also sell strawberry plugs in the fall as well as onion slips that will overwinter. Excellent webisite that has a Hoss University segment for learning how to grow different types of vegetables. Totally tomatoes, Seeds N Such, Baker Creek Heirloom, Burpee, Morgan County Seeds, for varieties that are harder to find at the big three. Banner Greenhouses also sells strawberry plugs & grafted tomatoes, but shipping can get expensive. By the way what happened to Josh Sattin, he's gone MIA. I have not seen a post from him since last August, hope he is alright.
For seed potatoes closer to you, you might like Sprout Mountain Farms. I'm not sure where their seedstock comes from, but their packing facility is in NC. I bought from them once and was pleased with the product and customer service (but I'm in the northeast and also prefer buying regionally).
Uprising Seeds is also great! In WA. I'm on in the northeast and try to keep my seed ordering regional, but Adaptive Seeds and Uprising Seeds both have seeds that are hard to find other places, and incredible variety descriptions.
Tip: If you need certainty on germination rates, the larger companies are more appropriate if they have what you need. (Burpee, Fedco, High-Mowing, just to name a few.) They cycle through greater quantities of seed and are more likely to be fresher and have higher germination rates. Also note: The majority of flower seeds actually come from Europe. Like 95%.
I havent tried ANY seeds from any sources where there wasnt high germination. How could a seed purveyor stay in business selling non viable seeds? when I hear people talk about seed viability, I am assuming you are amateur growers with poor skills and low experience blaming expert seed producers, which is inane. more useless unintelligent nonsense online that is NOT useful information. FYI I am widely considered to be one of the best growers of many things in the world.
@@jakelooter5139 MIGardener sells seeds tested to have above the industry standard for germination rates, so... obviously there can be a slight difference. Yes, it wouldn't be typically even noticable to a home gardener not doing anything wrong, but for a commerical grower/market farmer, it all adds up. Unlike many of us, they're not sprinkling carrots in by hand, for ex. . They're using seeders and not necessarily planting extra, or much extra, in every hole or space. They'll see slightly spottier germination. Things like onion seeds just have a very short shelf life ( compared to most), no matter who you are and how amazing you are at growing things. So, while most companies probably get rid of last seasons onion seeds and packets are usually stamped with the year, idk - do any hold over and resell ? Do you know ? You didn't share any addtl. actual info about that... . Otherwise, I do agree with some of your points if not your seeming tone and manner.
I reduced the number of seed cos I deal with by 1/3 & the varieties by 1/4. Once a company has demonstrated quality & reliability, that's good enough. Same for the appeal or sale of a given veg variety. I also suspect many retail producers use the same seed farmer suppliers. There's something said for simpliclity.
I buy from hoss tools and from southern exposure. Rarely, I'll get some from Johnny's. I like to buy organic seeds when possible, and never use any inorganic pesticide or fertilizer, but I haven't found a really good organic sweet corn seed yet.
Yes, for those who don't know, the packaging is Mylar for maximizing storage life, and resealable to boot ! They're also my Bff's cousins :). Everwilde moved out to CA from here in western WI several years ago, but they still have a drop site of sorts in Barron or Sand Creek, WI. I think. Don't know much about that, as they're direct shipping price was fine with me. I haven't grown a lot from them yet, I'd already ordered when my friend reminded me about them 2 years ago, but I got some things incl. some of their huge packages of carrots, for survival seeds ( a crop I knew which would be about the last I'd ever be able to save my own seed from/for, as we have lotta wild Queen Anne's lace round here). So, yeah - they offer several packet sizes for most things. Sadly, they didn't carry rattlesnake pole bean which I wanted to go back to this year, so again I ended up ordering a few things elsewhere ( MIGardener and Pinetree both carry em. MIGardener has amazing value and above industry-standard germination, and Pinetree has decent value etc. and a nice selection of herbs, incl. native tobacco, which I'm growing because I use it to deter cuke beetles. I keep moving and starting new gardens with minimal supplies on horrible ground, so, for now, I depend on a palm full of dried tobacco in with cukes and squashes seeds or transplants, to repel them, cuz it works and the buggers used to wipe me out ! I talking the yellow, w black spots or stripes, little beetles that fly. Supposed to work again other squash bugs too tho).
Another great video. I live in Kansas so will be trying Buffalo Seeds. I ordered cover crop seeds from True Leaf and it over two weeks to receive my orde. I will try them again probably. I like to buy local when possible. Again thanks for the video. Havagudun Jessie.
Let's face it, 99% of viewers have small yard gardens and don't (or should not) worry about this. Over 30 years I've found that seeds from Home Depot do about as well as those from Baker Creek. The key is variety. I like heirlooms and though price is not an object, some companies have skyrocketed. I use Migardener for that very reason - extremely affordable seeds and great variety.
The first year Covid started I couldn't find any seeds. The seeds I did buy were almost bad I only got about 10% germination on pole beans. I thought I might not have a garden that year. I ended up going to an heirloom seed collectors garden tasting stuff. Out of about 50 kinds of tomatoes, I picked the best-tasting ones. There was some other good stuff I picked too. I've grown about 200 tomato plants since from the seeds I got from 1 fruit and I got 2 other different kinds. Seed collecting for a small garden is easy the hard part is finding stuff that you think tastes good. Just let an heirloom fruit like pepper or cucumber fully ripen, I think every pepper seed I saved germinated. A pandemic isn't going to stop me from growing now.
I buy pretty much solely from mi gardener and baker creek. I recently found a more local place but they don't have a whole lot I'm interested in so I don't order much from them. I also have a lot seeds from big box stores my mom works for a retail warehouse and if the stores don't purchase all of the boxes of seed to put out in their stores the warehouse sells the extra boxes to the employees for $20 for an entire seed display (its over $1k in seeds sold in store) so every year she gets me one or 2 of those because seeds are seeds and I then share them with everyone I know who is interested in them. I'm not a huge fan of the place the seeds come from but the alternative is they get thrown out and I don't like that either.
In Ontario Canada, I purchase from a couple of different companies. Ontario Seed Company has been very reliable in terms of product availability and germination rates, West Coast Seeds are fantastic! A local company to me and fairly new to market is Gaia Organic Seeds. Gaia Organic Seeds is still small scale, but they have some unique seed varieties, truly organic and the seed germination rate has been fantastic for us!
Really enjoying seeing everyone's personal seed sources in the comments here. Finding some new producers that way. Very cool. Thanks, y'all!
I’ve learned to look for a telephone number on the website of the company I’m buying from. I think you should be able to speak to the person your buying from. I bought seeds from a few known suppliers and had trouble finding away to contact them (no telephone numbers and no address). Now I look for a number and call before I order seed. Nothing worse than having an issue with something and all you get is a email with very generic answers back.
@@Ash-fd8ww They do this because many seeds are still under paten and resale restrictions. Seed companies that sell to market gardeners will let you know if a seed variety is under paten restrictions so you know you can't save and resell that seed.
There is no such thing as Organic Seeds.
@@GMT439 what in actual heck are you talking about? I'm an organic farmer and I've been producing my own seed for a decade in pristine wilderness. Explain how my seed is not organic lol
I totally understand why large-scale growers don't save their own seeds, but I have personally noticed a huge difference in the seeds I've been saving over just the last 2-3 years. The plants are so much healthier than the ones I start from purchased seed. Selecting seeds from plants that did well in my climate and with my method of gardening has been a game changer.
I also leave many plants like kale in the ground over my cold winter and collect seeds from the ones that survive thus creating my own cold hardy perrenial variety.
This is totally true. The plant is noticeable more healthier than the plants that have their first life the climate that the grower is growing in. Always save seeds because the seeds are now acclimated to the area
I let at least one of most things mature to seed. I save seeds too, and also let some reseed themselves. I am retired from production farming though, so can let them naturalize and permaculture themselves. It has worked out well and been surprizingly productive.
I wasn't able to do much this summer but since the plants were autowatered they replanted themselves at exactly the right time and produced county fair winning produce all on their own. The only thing I did was harvest selectively with thinning in mind.
its called adaptation. when i started growing beans just this spring they were more delicate because the seeds came from baker creek in Missouri and im in hot dry mild California but saving my seeds and regrowing them through the late spring, summer and this fall i could see the plants adapting to survive extreme 100 degree heat and also drought because i purposely didn't water them for even a week at a time to toughen them up. its working well! the plants are more vigorous, they tolerate extreme heat and drought much better and they grow beautifully. the reason why climate change is supposedly gonna cause a food crisis is because farmers dont save their seed. but if they did there would be no food crisis plants would just naturally adapt like they have in my garden to drying and hotter conditions. the natives adapted different beans and squashes and corn just like i did! they still grow corn which is descended from riparian river plant teosinte in dry desert conditions with no problem. beans and squashes are also wet loving jungle plants and people grow adapted versions in cold places and in the hot desert. its amazing what nature does to survive.
@@billyd7628 well put. Couldn't agree more
I have used various companies including Baker Creek, Refining Fire Chiles, Marys Heirloom Seeds, Gurneys, Park Seed, Territorial Seed, Outsidepride, Southern Seed Exchange, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Sandia Seed, Pinetree Gardens, and a few others depending on the regional location or for certain types of vegetables that I'm growing
These are the sources I've used lately: Victory seeds (heirloom open pollinated), Hoss seeds (some heirloom corn), Wood prairie family farm (seed potatoes), MIgardener (local), Opcorn (heirloom corn).... Bulk cover crop seed I buy from a local feed store (such as winter rye, sunflowers, oats, daikon radish, and buckwheat) and then do my own germination test to ensure the seeds are reliable enough I can expect performance when I need to plant them (a technique I learned from my father as I grew up on a farm) ... I have purchased just grocery store foods like a bag of dried pinto or black beans and frequently save seeds from peppers and tomatoes (which will be hybrids with variable results trending toward cherry tomatoes, but if you need seeds it's an option, note that imported produce has often been irradiated to kill pathogens but it also kills seed viability like avocados from Mexico will rarely sprout) .... My focus this season has been finding open pollinated and heirloom dent and flint corn -- gmo and hybrid corn has as little as 3% protein, Reids Yellow Dent an heirloom from the 1800s I grew last year has 9%, while Blue Hopi has as high as 14%; I've collected nearly ten different varieties for this year like the massive kernel Hickory King used in authentic Southern Hominy. If you go on the corn growing path: make sure to learn the Nixtamalization cooking process that transforms it closer to a super food with niacin and other vitamins (Tbsp of either baking soda/CAL/hardwood ash per cup of dried corn, cover corn with water the thickness of a finger or two, boil an hour, cover the pot and steep 12-24hrs, rinse and rub off kernel coatings until they no longer feel slippery and the rinse water is clear, then boil like beans until done). Don't plant heirloom corn too dense as crowding makes for poor to no production (plant 8-12in apart on 30in rows is typical success path).
The avocado seeds sprout in my compost pile all the time. I buy avocados from the grocery store and they come from Mexico they don’t say organic. They will get to about 3 ft and then winter kill.
I've never heard of high protein corns like that; it sounds amazing. Where do you get seeds for those heirloom corns?
Thanks for posting the hominy process. Very helpful; I took a screenshot. 👍
I personally favor Gaspé flint corn for it's growth characteristics: 20" tall, 65 days, very cold tolerant, and in spite of it's diminutive size, surprisingly productive seed to seed. Because of it's short growing season, it's easy to keep it from crossing with other varieties. The native Americans in Canada relied on it, and it was one of the few crops that still produced during the "year without a summer." It almost went extinct and there's only a couple of sellers out there. One season and I had plenty of my own seed. Grows well in containers.
Blessings.
I second the plug for Wood Prairie Farm. Highest quality of anywhere I’ve ever used.
@@goatkidmom do you have a recommended source for that corn. I'm in BC Canada and have been looking for a heirloom corn.
The Buffalo Seed Co. out of Kansas not only focuses on regionality, but also no-till practices, rain-fed systems, and they partner with local farmers for seed production and local businesses for sales. Thanks for mentioning them. Full disclosure: I am one of their partner farmers.
I had never heard of them. I will be placing an order today. Sounds like a great company.
Good to know. While Kansas isn't exactly the upper Midwest ( I'm in WI), I don't yet know of many in my actual growing zone ( 4, vrs. 5 or so that the couple I know of in the Midwest are), and knowing the growing practices is about as important. I don't want crops bred to survive in conventional methods vrs. natural. Thus why I've bought from Territorial once or twice. I didn't need much that year ( had a lot of seeds on hand) and most of what I got were tomatoes, some were new, specialty varieties and overall they didn't germinate or survive well for me).
Jessie your background in journalism is so apparent and amazing! i appreciate how thorough you are, and you clarify all the little details and odd questions without having to ask, in such a concise way.
Oh yeah, You mean like having all the links in the description, or pinned comment.. I agree, very thorough. 👍
True Leaf Market is local here in Salt Lake City. Just a few people in a warehouse with shipping containers for offices. If you're local, you can ship "will call" and get them from the warehouse to save money. If you go there, they always have a rack of free seeds. I've found cabbage, peppers, pumpkins, squash, carrots, and a bunch more all for free.
For small growers, I highly recommend MIGardner. Their packs of seeds are only $2 and when compared to places like Burpee (eww) and Baker Creek, oftentimes you get a higher seed count per pack. So more seed for your buck. For commercial-type seeds (like beans and corn) Johnnies is still the best for seed count vs price.
Thanks for the recommendation, I've heard of them but didn't realize their seeds were such a bargin!
Yes, MI Gardener has good seeds and still very affordable, while other brands are getting too expensive.
I like Victory Seeds too, they are high quality
Baker creek turns half my beds into “test beds” every year. I admit it’s my fault but that catalog will get you!
I've had some pretty bad results from Baker Creek. On the other hand Ive had great results from Burpee seeds.
@@d0nn13m0n0 that catalogue is a beautiful thing isn't it? :)
I live in Ontario, Canada. I love purchasing seeds from MIgardener... a high germination rate, great value, but most of all, wonderful customer service! Free shipping even to Canada if you purchase 6+ packages. Also, a very good selection of seeds.
West Coast Seeds is great in Ontario! You should check them out!!
I ordered from Pinetree Gardens for the 1st time this year & am happy. Good selections, delivery, so far good germination. I don't remember the shipping.
Rupp seeds and Johnny's here. Rupp seeds have superior packaging, and most of the seeds are colored which makes it way easier to see what's going into your seed trays. Both companies offer free shipping if your order is over a certain dollar amount. It is important to always call in your order vs. mail. Sometimes, crops shown in the catalog will not be available, and calling in your order will update you on potential problems on the spot.
MIGardner (I'm in Michigan), Baker Creek, and trying The Living Seed Co this year. Just for home gardening, not commercial.
Been missing you, Jesse. I am a backyard gardener rather than a market gardener but FWIW, I have purchased seeds from True Leaf Market (love them - great customer service), Victory Seeds, and more often from Baker Creek. As well as Johnny’s, Mary’s Heirloom Seeds, Southern Exposure, and a few others I can’t think of now. With a few exceptions, most everything has germinated well.
I am in New England and use the exact same seed sources as No Till...except that I get my Organic Seed Potatoes from Wood Prairie Farm in Maine. Best potatoes I have ever grown. I buy their Yukon Gold, Russett, and a fingerling. This year they have a UK variety that I also purchased.
Every time I see your videos it reminds of how I cant wait for the day I have my own farm
One of my favorites that I haven’t seen mentioned is Prairie Road Organic Seed, Fullerton ND. I’ve been growing their cucumbers, winter squash, and popcorn for market for several years and had excellent results. Dan and Theresa are the owners. They have several excellent varieties they bred by their brother David Podoll.
Very good to know, thanks ! I'm in nw WI and most seed places I knew about were from warmer areas than I, or in mountains.
ND is generally colder, so, good !
I'm only a home grower so far, and learning more every year about saving my own seeds, so, hope to really maximize my own, have my own "landraces" soon enough. But for what I still need or want to buy .... .
I'm a native vermonter and I've been supporting high mowing since their inception and it really warms my heart to see you supporting them as well no-till growers are the backbone of this country eventually you watch and see . I was wondering if you could help me lockdown a species or variation of tomatoes cherry tomatoes more specifically that we had up here in Vermont that our friend gave me and I don't know which seed company they came from I assume either high mowing or Johnny's but they were orange and some of the sweetest cherry tomatoes I've ever had in my life and I need to grow them for the remainder of my life please and thank
Small and sweet? Sounds like sun gold. They are amazing, but tender-skinned and prone to cracking. That makes them better for home gardeners than for market
We’ve had great luck with Nikitovka seeds, from the Ukraine. We’re in Eastern Washington, about a Zone 5b.
One of the companies mentioned used to be my favorite seed company. Then, my "organic" seed order came packed with Chinese newspaper. Surprise! Turned out many of their seeds are grown overseas. So I learned to be way more careful about the fine print and to call and check when possible.
Who was the company, please?
@@jeffrichards2011 Baker Creek
@@debraflecker151 fedco seed company
@@debraflecker151 Wow... that's not good. I havent purchaced from Baker Creek in a good long while.. Guess I wont either.
@@jeffrichards2011 Except she's lying, unless shes trying to claim she got a package like the OP from a different company. The OP stated it was fedco.
I'm in Canada and I have had great success with seeds from West Coast Seeds (British Columbia) and William Dam Seeds (Ontario). Both seem to have a lot of organic options and bulk sales for growers. This year I ordered from OSC (Ontario Seed Company) and am looking forward to seeing how they do. I grew beans of theirs a few years back that I picked up at a local garden centre and they did awesome.
I've ordered from Veseys and Stokes in the past, but not for about a decade now. I didn't have a decent growing space for a while there so I was just doing backyard container gardening using seeds from the local hardware stores. Both my grandpa's were market gardeners in Ontario and they always had the Vesey's and Stokes catalogues stashed amongst the magazines.
I've gotten seeds from American companies before (and this year I got more from MIGardener and Seed Savers Exchange), but the cost of shipping into Canada keeps going up so I've been trying to find more Canadian suppliers. That being said, I just got the Jonny's catalogue for the first time and far too much stuff in there is tempting me :)
West coast and William dam are my go tos
Soooo happy to see you back! Love your videos, and perfect timing as we are exploring our seed options this year . Btw your awesome
Tomatoes and peppers - Tomato Growers
Onions and most other seeds - Johnny's (huge selection of pelleted seed)
Oriental and specialty - Kitazawa
Onion transplants - Dixondale Farms (I know, it's not seed, but they're awesome!)
as always: thank you! a fine point or 2: certified organic growers (at least where I was from..) are required to use certified organic plants: meaning, if you are going to put in starts that you didn't grow yourself you must source organic starts, except perennials. Sourcing volume quantity cover crop seed, at least out West, is difficult. An advantage of True Leaf Market is the cost of shipping is included and it actually makes a big diff...much of it is organic, and I have had great success with all of their seed. awesome work Jessie! thank you
Home gardener and aspiring cut flower farmer here. I got my seeds from Uprising, MI Gardener and Baker Creek. I found my germination was the best with Uprising Seeds and will order the majority of mine from them next season. I also have picked up some random stuff here and there from local nurseries from Botanical Interests and Renee’s Garden and they’ve done well.
Territorial Seeds are great! Love the book! Ty for putting that together. Good to see you and look forward to your vids. Blessings!
Yo yo Team welcome back! Hello and Kia Ora to my follow gardeners and growers. Been having the craziest season weather wise down under here in NZ. King Seeds is pretty much the go to for the bulk/variety of the seeds. Organic, Koanga is the go to. For garlic,shallots Garden Organics. Their are others, I'm vouching for these 3 has I have bought and grown them before.
I live in a northern climate and have best luck with seeds grown in northern climate by a quality producer. It seems the plants know they have a very short season to do their work compared to seeds of the same variety grown for generations further south. I recommend using a quality seed producer growing seed in a similar environment to yours.
I try to and am also in the north ( Wisconsin, zone 4), but knew of only 1 or 2 who were northerly and had seeds also grown by or near them. Who do you know of ? Very interested !!!
@@ajb.822 I have had great luck with Prairie Road Organic (family run in ND), Fedco, High Mowing Seed, and Johnny's Seed for seeds that do well in MN zone 3. Carter Farms of ND is a great source for seed potatoes. Wishing you a successfull garden this season!
My favorites: southern exposure seed exchange, territorial seeds, high mowing, strictly medicinal, Mary's Heirloom Seeds, in addition to Johnny's, and in days past Burpee, but tend not to get seeds from them these days as I'd prefer to support smaller seed companies.
For the Canadians (and especially anyone with a greenhouse if you're not in a warmer region) - I love West Coast Seeds, they have a lot of varieties of Asian greens as well as more conventional vegetables.
And OSC seeds are also usually available in many places, and I've had a lot of success with their seeds as well. :)
Love West Coast Seeds! Have been using them as my supplier for seeds for the last year:)
Yes your local plexiglass shop can make the seed tool you don't have yet, in the size you need it. Just take the one you do have and a tray of soil blocks with you. Thanks 4 your great information and channel.
I keep telling myself I'm going to build something every year and then never do. Maybe 2023 is my year 🤞
Plexiglass is tricky to work with I'd let a shop do it. Drop seeder that is. But your trays of soil blocks need to be consistent, but it's easy to push everything to one corner. I hope this is helpful information for you.
Not a professional, but I'm in coastal BC and my favorite seed company for almost everything is West Coast Seeds. They're the Canadian version of Territorial. Very wide and expanding selection, many varieties are open pollinated, and a lot of them are adapted to cool short summers and mild winters like we have here, and they tell you whether or not the variety is adapted to these or better for other areas. They have larger packages and discounts available so they are still useful to larger than home garden scale growers. I also use Renee's garden sometimes, and I like Mumm's for sprouting seeds.
I save a fair amount of my seeds, especially legumes and often tomatoes, parsnips, lettuce, mizuna. But not carrots or cucurbits.
I've been missing your videos. Glad to see you back at it.
As far as packaging goes, I am fully impressed with Harris Seeds. Their seed envelopes are resealable foil packs, which almost seems vacuum sealed. Lots of growing info provided
My favorite seed company of lately is southern exposure seed Exchange. Very reasonable and you get MANY more seeds in a packet than many other companies for a similar priced package and mostly heirloom, and great choices!
Excellent early Feb. video, Jesse. Cheers!
Hey Jessie you mentioned potatoes oh, I've had really good luck with shipping and prices of wood Prairie Farms. I'm trying three new varieties this year and they will ship 365 days a year. You should check them out.
Nice haircut I enjoy watching an learning I'm only larger gardener but I'm always learning ,thanks
Hey jesse the mention of true leaf market I’ll say I’ve only used cover crops so far with great results. This year will be my first year using some different vegetables from them. Just a personal garden not market. Thank you for all you do with your content and I hope you have a very good growing season.
I too ordered cover crops and watermelon varieties from them last week
Any update on the vegetables?
@@IAmHisBeloved5 the cucumbers were the best growth I’ve ever had both Romain and red Romain lettuce were great and looked great randomly planted for a nice mix of color and my lilac bell peppers I started late and didn’t do very good in wisconsin but my sister took some home to Florida where they grew into a little tree and beautiful peppers. Like always my cover crops have a great start before the snow and I attribute the vegetables success to the great cover crops.
As a west coast market gardener I've used most all of the companies mentioned over the years, these days I get most of my seeds from Osborne. Great quality, best packaging in the industry. I've grown a lot of Franchi, generally good but lost a ton of sales due to trying their carrot seed. Great price, worst quality seeds I've ever planted, grew everything but marketable carrots.
I wish I would buy from Osborne. But their website is so obnoxiously unusable that it's actually difficult to compose a cart and check out
you seed packets are so massive! lol compared with what I buy. I get seeds from all over the place! I love having lots and lots of different veggies to eat, all different colours and shapes. I like growing things that are not available in the supermarket.
Hey, hey! Fellow Kentuckian here! That earned a subscribe, no one knows how great our state is and everyone thinks we are all uneducated hicks. This is the average person in Ky... kind, honest, and very intelligent. We used to be the wealthiest state in the country before hemp was banned, and when cannabis is legal will will grow the best pot again, and we still do anyway. Rest of the country lives off the backs of our labor still, but I think that will turn around one day. Let's grow, Ky!
You look way too clean and happy for Post Apocalypse. Just a happy farmer. I just moved to Portugal and having a blast exploring a whole new life and area.
I bought 25 blackberry plants and they were thr most beautiful plants i ever received by mail , Johnny seed is the best !!!!!
Fantastic, thank you. I had heard of some of these sources, but not a commercial grower, so learned a lot!!!!
Old Alabama Gardener videos(He's Passed Away Now) still up to help those who garden in the south. He has lots of good ideas and hints dealing with gardening problems in the south.....
I received your book "The Living Soil Handbook" for Christmas (it was on my Amazon wishlist) and am enjoying reading it. I'm about halfway through and have my highligther handy as I study it. Loving the book and how you present the information.
Well heres a nice surprise....good to see you again Jesse
So very happy to see you again!
Seconding Fuition Seeds in north east USA. Also, Sean at Edible Acres recently did another round of collecting recommendations for nurseries in one of his video comment sections. He's done a few of those over the years.
Organo Seeds has some incredibly nice stuff! I’ve used their seeds for years now and can say I’ll never not use them. Definitely will be checking out some of the seed companies mentioned in the comments by others and the ones you mentioned. Thanks for all the information!!
Johnny’s seeds are great but their shipping prices are ridiculous. $11.50 shipping on 7 seed packs on my last order.
I hate that. There's no reason to charge that much for shipping something that in reality would only take a couple dollars max to ship. With all the competitors out there, I'd look elsewhere.
And for that reason, I will never buy from Johnny’s seeds until they change.
….It’s 11:50 you’ll live
But better than China's Amazon
@@Kerfufflekitten its that line of thought that makes Johnnys think they can get away with price gouging thousands of dollars from customers on shipping.
Always good to see you back ! It’s been a minute since we saw a video from you… always enjoy your knowledge and humor in the vids.
Am in Ireland, I buy from Fruithill Farm in Co Cork and Seedaholic in Co Galway. Also Europrise in Co Dublin.
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most Appreciated!!!
The more info we have about seeds, the more "secure" we feel about surviving.
Hope you and your family are doing well.
Amen
Retired, Veteran
Great video
I always buy at least something from Seed Savers. Their tomato selection is really good Even though I am kind of greens geek I have not bought much of their lettuces because well alll my other companies have super good greens. I checked out uprising seeds in Oregon and they have a lot of really cool stuff. I HIGHLY recommend them if you are looking for great bean selection and I think they had quite a selection of radicchio and endive...
In regard to 1:19 my wife has been saying you look like someone and its been bugging her the entire time I've been going through your catalogue of videos. We finally figured it out today: JR Bourne in his portrayal of Russel Prime in "The 100". Its post-apocalyptic so it fits your bill almost perfectly.
Strictly medicinal is a good company too🌱
I get all my garden seeds from Stokes. They sell a lot to the big commercial guys, so they have a lot of seeds with the latest disease resistances. But they also sell to us home gardeners. They are great for the north East! They have a wide selection of untreated seeds but given a choice I would go with treated seed (sorry, not sorry). I do like organic untreated seed for my micro greens though and always use Mumm’s. I really enjoy your videos (even though I’m not an organic gardener), I just find good gardeners interesting, no matter what the style of their growing and I can often pick up useful tidbits of information!
Klaus
Seeds from Italy has a great tomato, Red Pear, that i love. Has a funny shape but the body of the fruit makes good slices.
Red Pear cherry tomato is open pollinated and available lots of places.
I really like southern exposure seed exchange and MIgardener. Pine tree seeds and true seeds are good,too. I get a lot from Baker Creek and sometimes Johnny’s although I find them a bit expensive, I also get some from HOSS seeds.
A much needed topic. Small regional seed growers are worth keeping in business. I like Seed Treasures in northern minnesota for my cold region. 😊
Southern Ontario Canada here, I'm within driving distance of two very good seed stores. William Dam seeds, and Stokes Seeds . Both on the Niagara Peninsula .
Wild Garden Seed has been my favorite supplier ever since I listened to the Farmer to Farmer Podcast episode with Frank Morton.
They don't sell everything, but I love the breeder mixes that they offer and their yearly development of new lettuce varieties.
I just got wild garden lettuce mix. I'm so excited to start breeding my own lettuce populations. Frank is a legend
We’ve been buying Harris Seeds for almost 20 years. They have great credit terms. We also regularly buy from Johnny’s Seeds and Seedway. Seedway’s shipping is not fast and can take up to 2-3 weeks. Looking for another alternative next year
As someone with a small organic farm, if you need quantities of seed such as for cover cropping it really pays to look around. Buying from companies like Johnny's will cost you twice as much as buying from a large company like Hancock or Fedco. The chances are that's where the seeds being resold by these smaller seed companies came from anyway.
Absolutely always shop around! I'm not sure Hancock sells any organic cover crop seed, though, and Fedco's rye is currently $23 more for 50lbs than Johnnys 50lb (for an example of how it's not always true that Johnnys is the highest).
@@notillgrowers Maybe they're changing their ways. The last time I priced cover crop seed from Johnnys the same seed produced on the same farm was $400 from Johnny's and $200 from Fedco. (Now $271/$399 Org. Mammoth Red Clover)
Johnny's handling and shipping charges can be insane also.
I still have to buy the bulk of my farm seeds this month, but so far I've noticed Johnny's is more affordable than Fedco for several seeds (though this is for vegetable seed, not cover crop seed). Which has surprised me, since I tend to think of Fedco as more affordable. Really varies seed to seed. It can be a bit mind-bending to translate between seed counts and seed weights...
Sow true seed, southern exposure seed exchange, seed savers exchange, fedco seed and supplies, seeds n such, totally tomatoes… I think that’s all, oh forgot baker creek heirloom seeds. This year I did get some new catalogs from Pinetree and John Scheepers which I’ve never heard of. Good luck and happy growing everyone ❤
Pinetree is great ! My go-to for years ! I am probably switching more to MIGardener for a while as I'm just a home grower so far & am also kinda broke ( NOT that his amazing value is the only reason to buy from Luke n co. ! ), but Pinetree has a great selection of herbs and other stuff and have always been great for me. The one time I had an issue with a pack of Kakai seeds not coming up at all ( everything else I planted same way, same day, did), they handled well & offered me reimbursement or replacement ( I now like Lady Godiva pumpkin lots better, for hulless seeded pumpkins, btw. ). Anyways, yeah, I've long been a big fan of Pinetree. I now am also ordering a few things from Seed Saver's Exchange, even though their pricier. It's for a good cause plus I just had to have those cantaloupe varieties... ( Petite Gris de Rennes & Emerald Gem) :) .
I'm in new england and love fedco & when I lived in the pnw territorial was my go-to. Thanks for all the others to check out!
Ha! I live in Maine, so I have always gotten stuff from Johnny's seeds and Fedco, but it is hilarious to find that places relatively far away also source from so close to me. Apparently I just lucked out to have the high quality seeds so close!
Twilley seed out of Hodges, SC for Market Growers who buy bulk seed, but they have very few organic seeds. Truleaf a definate yes, Mumm's ships from Canada and can be very slow. Dixondale for onion slips, they are out of Texas and most growers in our area use them. Hoss tools sells potatoes to southern growers earlier than north or west suppliers since they are in south Georgia. They also sell strawberry plugs in the fall as well as onion slips that will overwinter. Excellent webisite that has a Hoss University segment for learning how to grow different types of vegetables. Totally tomatoes, Seeds N Such, Baker Creek Heirloom, Burpee, Morgan County Seeds, for varieties that are harder to find at the big three. Banner Greenhouses also sells strawberry plugs & grafted tomatoes, but shipping can get expensive.
By the way what happened to Josh Sattin, he's gone MIA. I have not seen a post from him since last August, hope he is alright.
Oh Josh is still around, I think video-wise he's just focusing on the videography channel!
Expected him back this winter myself.
For seed potatoes closer to you, you might like Sprout Mountain Farms. I'm not sure where their seedstock comes from, but their packing facility is in NC. I bought from them once and was pleased with the product and customer service (but I'm in the northeast and also prefer buying regionally).
I use a few but like Seed Savers Exchange for smaller orders.
I've had good luck with Willhite Seed in TX, for those of us more southerly.
Adaptive Seeds in Oregon is excellent! All their seeds are produced by small Northwest farmers.
Uprising Seeds is also great! In WA. I'm on in the northeast and try to keep my seed ordering regional, but Adaptive Seeds and Uprising Seeds both have seeds that are hard to find other places, and incredible variety descriptions.
@@eastbrookcommunityfarm9873 agreed. I buy from both! Uprising has a particularly great selection of chicories.
I've missed you man, glad to have you back.
Live in SW Va. and use mostly Southern Exposure Seed and Hoss tools with some from High Mowing
I love SESE seeds. I’m in E TN.
Tip: If you need certainty on germination rates, the larger companies are more appropriate if they have what you need. (Burpee, Fedco, High-Mowing, just to name a few.) They cycle through greater quantities of seed and are more likely to be fresher and have higher germination rates. Also note: The majority of flower seeds actually come from Europe. Like 95%.
I havent tried ANY seeds from any sources where there wasnt high germination. How could a seed purveyor stay in business selling non viable seeds? when I hear people talk about seed viability, I am assuming you are amateur growers with poor skills and low experience blaming expert seed producers, which is inane. more useless unintelligent nonsense online that is NOT useful information. FYI I am widely considered to be one of the best growers of many things in the world.
@@jakelooter5139 MIGardener sells seeds tested to have above the industry standard for germination rates, so... obviously there can be a slight difference. Yes, it wouldn't be typically even noticable to a home gardener not doing anything wrong, but for a commerical grower/market farmer, it all adds up. Unlike many of us, they're not sprinkling carrots in by hand, for ex. . They're using seeders and not necessarily planting extra, or much extra, in every hole or space. They'll see slightly spottier germination. Things like onion seeds just have a very short shelf life ( compared to most), no matter who you are and how amazing you are at growing things. So, while most companies probably get rid of last seasons onion seeds and packets are usually stamped with the year, idk - do any hold over and resell ? Do you know ? You didn't share any addtl. actual info about that... . Otherwise, I do agree with some of your points if not your seeming tone and manner.
David's Garden Seeds in Poteet, TX is a great place to source heat tolerant seeds. Been in business for over 14 years on a farm.
I reduced the number of seed cos I deal with by 1/3 & the varieties by 1/4.
Once a company has demonstrated quality & reliability, that's good enough. Same for the appeal or sale of a given veg variety.
I also suspect many retail producers use the same seed farmer suppliers.
There's something said for simpliclity.
Thank you again for the great info - always look forward to your next video! I am curious about your thoughts/experience with pelleted seeds?
For SW US hot peppers Sandia Seed has the best catalog
Also like Hoss Tools, Territorial Seeds, and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
I buy from hoss tools and from southern exposure. Rarely, I'll get some from Johnny's. I like to buy organic seeds when possible, and never use any inorganic pesticide or fertilizer, but I haven't found a really good organic sweet corn seed yet.
Pinetree has a new one or 2 in their catalog this year... .
Thank you from England. All my generic questions answered. (I lean towards Johnsons Seeds, but I'm an amateur).
Everwilde seeds- great germination & excellent packaging!
Yes, for those who don't know, the packaging is Mylar for maximizing storage life, and resealable to boot ! They're also my Bff's cousins :). Everwilde moved out to CA from here in western WI several years ago, but they still have a drop site of sorts in Barron or Sand Creek, WI. I think. Don't know much about that, as they're direct shipping price was fine with me. I haven't grown a lot from them yet, I'd already ordered when my friend reminded me about them 2 years ago, but I got some things incl. some of their huge packages of carrots, for survival seeds ( a crop I knew which would be about the last I'd ever be able to save my own seed from/for, as we have lotta wild Queen Anne's lace round here). So, yeah - they offer several packet sizes for most things. Sadly, they didn't carry rattlesnake pole bean which I wanted to go back to this year, so again I ended up ordering a few things elsewhere ( MIGardener and Pinetree both carry em. MIGardener has amazing value and above industry-standard germination, and Pinetree has decent value etc. and a nice selection of herbs, incl. native tobacco, which I'm growing because I use it to deter cuke beetles. I keep moving and starting new gardens with minimal supplies on horrible ground, so, for now, I depend on a palm full of dried tobacco in with cukes and squashes seeds or transplants, to repel them, cuz it works and the buggers used to wipe me out ! I talking the yellow, w black spots or stripes, little beetles that fly. Supposed to work again other squash bugs too tho).
Great to see you again!
Wow! That was some great info - Thanks!
Great to see you back.
Mainstreet Seeds and Supply out of Bay City, Michigan. Great prices!
Bakers Creek heirloom and rare seeds in Missouri is a great source.
Another great video. I live in Kansas so will be trying Buffalo Seeds. I ordered cover crop seeds from True Leaf and it over two weeks to receive my orde. I will try them again probably. I like to buy local when possible. Again thanks for the video. Havagudun Jessie.
Welcome back Jesse. Great to see you again. Just want to know where you'd recommend to get seeds for very humid and hot areas?
Yeah I like Southern Exposure a lot but there are some other good ones in this comments section that I have not tried but look interesting
Commonwealth Seed! Especially for cucurbits, they've bred multiple varieties and do great work. Right down the road from Southern Exposure.
Johnny's Seed in Maine. Harris Seed in N.Y. are very good now I only use Johnnys.
Let's face it, 99% of viewers have small yard gardens and don't (or should not) worry about this. Over 30 years I've found that seeds from Home Depot do about as well as those from Baker Creek. The key is variety. I like heirlooms and though price is not an object, some companies have skyrocketed. I use Migardener for that very reason - extremely affordable seeds and great variety.
Irish Eyes organic seed potatos very good and they ship in early March
The first year Covid started I couldn't find any seeds. The seeds I did buy were almost bad I only got about 10% germination on pole beans. I thought I might not have a garden that year. I ended up going to an heirloom seed collectors garden tasting stuff. Out of about 50 kinds of tomatoes, I picked the best-tasting ones. There was some other good stuff I picked too. I've grown about 200 tomato plants since from the seeds I got from 1 fruit and I got 2 other different kinds. Seed collecting for a small garden is easy the hard part is finding stuff that you think tastes good. Just let an heirloom fruit like pepper or cucumber fully ripen, I think every pepper seed I saved germinated. A pandemic isn't going to stop me from growing now.
I buy pretty much solely from mi gardener and baker creek. I recently found a more local place but they don't have a whole lot I'm interested in so I don't order much from them. I also have a lot seeds from big box stores my mom works for a retail warehouse and if the stores don't purchase all of the boxes of seed to put out in their stores the warehouse sells the extra boxes to the employees for $20 for an entire seed display (its over $1k in seeds sold in store) so every year she gets me one or 2 of those because seeds are seeds and I then share them with everyone I know who is interested in them. I'm not a huge fan of the place the seeds come from but the alternative is they get thrown out and I don't like that either.
I was able to find Jet Star at Park Seed co. They're located in Kansas City, MO.
I use true leaf for microgreens, also Todd's Seeds, and some I can only find on Amazon.
Harris Seeds sells lots of the organic varieties offered by High Mowing and Johnny's at better prices.
In Ontario Canada, I purchase from a couple of different companies. Ontario Seed Company has been very reliable in terms of product availability and germination rates, West Coast Seeds are fantastic! A local company to me and fairly new to market is Gaia Organic Seeds. Gaia Organic Seeds is still small scale, but they have some unique seed varieties, truly organic and the seed germination rate has been fantastic for us!
Wow, sorta clean cut today! We’re you doing a photo shoot for your publicity?