My Favorite Seed Catalogs

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I love the feeling of opening the mailbox to find a seed catalog to explore. It is always fun to discover varieties of plants that I didn’t know about or remember ideas for future gardens. It is a stimulating experience that stirs dreams, ambitions and goals for an upcoming year. It’s a million times better than grocery shopping, and you get to pick varieties that are unique and taste infinitely better. It is the first reminder that spring is on its way, though it still be distant. 

So without any more hem haw I will list my five favorite in order. And believe me, some of these were hard to place.

5. Gurney’s Seed & Nursery

Gurney’s was introduced to me when I was young. They have a lot of fun, american classics. They also have a wide range of hybrid crops. What I like to use them for is their fruiting trees and bushes. They deliver some great product and they have a good guarantee system. They also have a great sale that goes on through the late winter every year that usually equals 50% off your order. 

4. Burpee

Burpee is another large seed company. They have a huge selection from the modern hybrid to the old heirloom crops. They also have great pictures and detailed descriptions of each plant they carry seed for, plus, they offer live plants for their most popular garden plants and herbs. If you are looking for a large selection to brainstorm with, this is a good one to invite to your mailbox. 

The Cooks Magazine

This seed company is a sister company of the Burpee Co. so I am including them with the Burpee Review. What makes them different is that they include cooking tips and recipes to go along with the plants they sell. It is nice to have some advice to stretch the imagination with something I haven’t grown before. Their prices are higher than those in the Burpee catalog so it is worth ordering from Burpee instead.



3. Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Johnny’s seed is a great seed catalog for the self sufficient gardener or small farmer, especially if you produce some or most of your income from your garden or small farm. They specialize in producing vegetables and plants for the fresh produce market. They will provide organic and non organic seed in small or bulk quantities, which is hard to come by. They also provide detailed cultivation instructions to help you be successful. They have a great selection of tools for the small farmer that make growing and harvesting your market crop more efficient. I’ve had great success with their seed germination as well.


2. Territorial Seed Co.

Territorial has created a great seed company. They have a large selection of plants and vegetables and they have great descriptions about each.  They also have good information about cultivation that they update every year, you can tell they do their research. They also have good information on cold season growing, in 2013 they sent me a fall growing catalog with all the cold season information so I could plan my fall garden. They also offer grafted tomatoes and peppers that boast great results. This company is worth your time.


1. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Baker Creek is a very unique seed company. Their catalog and website is a beautiful and enlivening experience.  They have collected seed from around the world and they display them with beautiful pictures and fun descriptions. They specialize in non gmo heirloom seed and they are interested in the history of the plant as much as its special attributes. I gain a deeper understanding of the world, past and present. Their seed is alway viable and their prices are good as well. They print a limited number of catalogs each year, but they sell an inexpensive master catalogue too. If you haven’t seen them yet, they are worth your time. Definitely my favorite catalog so far.


Let us know what your favorite catalogs are and why in the comments below.