Favorite Seed Catalogs

Seeds of Change

http://www.seedsofchange.com for a free catalog

If you are an organic gardener, Seeds of Change is for you. They sell only 100% organically grown seeds, and carry many heirloom and rare varieties. The prices are a bit higher than the other seed catalogs I like, but if you're looking for organic seeds, this is the place to find them. The catalog is full color, glossy, with photos that give you a good idea what your crops will look like. In addition, the descriptions are pretty thorough for each variety. Seeds of Change also sells garden tools, clothing, books, seed saving kits, organic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.

Catalog contains: flowers, herbs, veggies, fruits, cover crops, transplants

Johnny's Selected Seeds

http://www.johnnyseeds.com for a free catalog

Johnny's is probably the first seed catalog I ever got, and I still get all in a tizzy when it arrives. Johnny's carries a large variety of veggie seeds (in fact, half the catalog is vegetable seeds. If I had an unlimited budget, I could go crazy with this catalog!) Their selection of herbs is also impressive. Just leafing through it quickly, I found several herbs that I've never even heard of. The catalog itself is glossy, with full color photos. The descriptions are short, but they include small tables for each variety that tells you at a glance how to grow it, which is a very useful feature if you don't have hours to pore over a catalog. Johnny's also sells seed starting equipment, cold frames, greenhouses, containers, garden tools, fertilizers, mulches, composting supplies, watering tools, and kitchen supplies. The prices are very reasonable.

Catalog contains: flowers, herbs, veggies, berry plants, cover crops, flower bulbs

Burpee

http://www.burpee.com for a free catalog

If you really like to daydream as you look at your seed catalogs, Burpee's is the catalog for you. It has the largest photos of all the catalogs I get, and it just makes me want to get out into the garden and plant something! If you're new at gardening, and not sure which plants work together, Burpee does something very useful. They have several collections of seeds that make up a garden that they have designed. You just buy the package, and they send along all the seeds you need, plus a planting plan. They have collections for a cutting garden, easy carefree flower garden, and an herb garden. The catalog is about equal parts veggies/herbs and flowers. Burpee's also sells tomato cages, seed starting equipment, garden tools, and garden gloves. Burpee's generally has the least expensive prices of the seed catalogs I get.

Catalog contains: flowers, bulbs, herbs, veggies, grapes, berries, transplants

Territorial Seed Company

http://www.territorialseed.com for a free catalog

This is the thickest of the seed catalogs I get, and you can happily lose hours poring through it. It is not a glossy catalog like the others, and that is just fine by me. Territorial has the best, most thorough plant descriptions accompanied by nice-sized, full color photos. Another wonderful feature of Territorial's catalog is that for the vegetables, they have a chart for how much area a seed packet will cover, how to plant each type of seed, and what kind of yield you can expect. I haven't seen this anywhere else, and I think it's a great idea. They carry an impressive selection of vegetable seeds, including European greens, gourds, oriental greens, and mushroom growing kits. Their selection of flower varieties is also very good, and they sell flower mixes of seeds to be broadcast over a given area. For example, some of their collections are the Country Colors Mix, Deer Resistant Mix, Midwest Wildflower Mix, and Beneficial Bug Mix. They don't carry many herbs, but the ones they do carry are tried and true favorites. Territorial also sells seed starting supplies, garden tools, seed saving kits, greenhouses/coldframes, mulches, season extenders, supports, composters, natural fertilizers, beneficial bugs, beekeeping supplies, books, kitchen tools, and garden clothing. This is my very favorite seed catalogs. If you only order one of the catalogs listed here, get this one!

Catalog contains: veggies, fruit, herbs, transplants ITGO