My favorite seed catalogues, and what makes them special

I'm attracted to smaller- and medium-sized suppliers who offer useful information on their plants and how to grow them

Now is the time to start thinking about what you might want to grow this year, particularly if you start seeds on your own, or want to give it a try. Begin by looking through plant and seed catalogues as they arrive in the mail or go to their websites and start forming a list of what you’d like to grow. My proverbial eyes are always bigger than my stomach when it comes to buying seeds, so I like to make a list and then try to whittle it down to a more realistic – and affordable – size.

One note is that many companies now only offer their selections on-line and browsing through them is in many respects easier than thumbing through the pages of a catalogues. Of course you can also go to a local nursery, which by this time of year is probably re-stocking its seed racks.

I thought it would be useful to share some of my favorite seed and plant companies. There’s nothing exclusive about this list as there are numerous very good suppliers out there. I’m attracted to smaller to medium-sized companies whose catalogues and websites offer useful and detailed information on the plants and how to grow them from seed. I’ve found that all the companies on my list are responsive when I have questions, either by phone or by an on-line chat. I look at the price of seed packets, which like many things has risen in recent years, and, since my orders are usually pretty small, how much they charge for shipping. I also have a bias toward suppliers that are based in the Northeast, the region where I live, since they have experience growing plants and harvesting seeds in a similar climate.

Here are my favorites, in no particular order.

Hudson Valley Seed Co. (hudsonvalleyseed.com)

This is a relative newcomer for me. I became aware of Hudson Valley after I moved to New England since it is based in New York state about 60 miles from us here in western Massachusetts. That doesn’t mean, by the way, that their seeds can’t be grown further afield. They certainly can, and their selections include many well-known varieties of flowers and vegetables that I’ve grown successfully in the mid-Atlantic. I just appreciate that they note those varieties grown or developed in our region. What I really like about Hudson Valley, though, is the information it includes about each seed variety on its website and that they are available to answer questions if you call them on the phone. As an added treat the covers of their square-shaped seed packs include beautiful illustrations by artists. The illustrations are so good there’s a section on their website where you can buy prints or posters of them. Hudson Valley doesn’t have a mail catalogue that I’m aware of but its site is easy to use and includes helpful descriptions and how-to growing information for its plants.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com)

Known commonly as just Johnny’s, this is one of the most reputable and established seed supply companies in the country. It supplies many small and medium-sized farms from its base in Winslow, Maine, but also caters to backyard gardeners like me. Johnny’s has a huge inventory of vegetables, flowers, fruits and herbs plus a large selection of gardening tools and seed-starting supplies. Its mail catalogue runs 200 pages and is packed with information but I find its website very easy to use as well. I love its online Growers Library that is an information-packed reference guide for starting and growing plants. You can also send them questions online and they’ll helpfully get back to you. The only downside is that Johnny’s seed packets can be a bit pricier than other suppliers, but its array of choices is unparalleled.

High Mowing Organic Seeds (highmowingseeds.com)

I love this company, which is based in northern Vermont and exudes that state’s back-to-the-earth organic ethos. I’m partly biased because it’s headquartered in Wolcott, which is only about a half-hour north of Plainfield, where I grew my first vegetable garden many moons ago. (You can read about that here if you’d like.) I’ve bought vegetable and flower seeds from High Mowing for many years and watched it expand to where it is today with more than 700 varieties available. Even so it retains its commitment to organic, local farmers and agriculture. High Mowing still has a mail catalogue that is helpfully organized, full of useful growing information and includes small stories about local farms and farmers that are fun to read.

Victory Seed Company (victoryseeds.com)

Over the years Victory has become my go-to source for tomatoes. That’s not to say it doesn’t also have a great selection of other vegetables and flowers. I’ve just found that they take a special interest in tomatoes, including the promotion and preservation of historic heirloom varieties. I first learned about Victory from Craig LeHoullier, author of Epic Tomatoes and one of the country’s top authorities who spearheaded the development of dwarf tomatoes in the United States. Victory has the largest selection of these tomatoes engineered to produce heirloom quality tomatoes on shorter, stockier plants that work in smaller areas like a patio, deck or driveway when you don’t have space in your garden. Victory’s selection of non-dwarf varieties is extensive and it offers a large selection of open-pollinated non-GMO historic varieties.

Other suppliers worth checking out:

Pinetree. Small supplier based in Maine that I’m trying out for the first time this year.

Baker Creek. Specializes in rare and heirloom plants.

Seed Savers Exchange. Iowa-based non-profit with a large seedbank of heirloom varieties.

Here’s a selection of other recent posts:

How to grow microgreens, and why they’re good for you

January’s a happy time for gardeners

At year’s end, a source of renewal