what's your favorite seed catalog?

Show-Me-Stater · #1 12/13/14, 02:51 PM

just received my catalog from Baker Creek a couple days ago. It's certainly gotta be at the top of my list of favorites. It almost becomes a "coffee table book" in my house, unlike any of the many others that I receive. The cover art this year is amazing, with the whole layout made up of seeds of different colors and shapes. And their selection...whoa

Want one? Get one:
http://www.rareseeds.com/request-catalog/

I posted this in the Gardening forum also, but thought I might get more ideas for new catalogs with a broader audience here

GunMonkeyIntl · #2 12/13/14, 03:25 PM

My wife got that one the other day and we've been enjoying it as well.

One criticism, though, for all the effort they put into dolling it up for maximum hippie-stink-cred, they seemed to make a conscious decision to never put the photo of the vegetable variety on the same page as its description. They seemed to leave it up to the graphic designer to put the images wherever tweaked her chakras best. Sometime on the next page, sometimes 4 pages later- where ever Gaia told Moon Flower it "belonged".

Annoying.

GunMonkeyIntl · #3 12/13/14, 03:27 PM

And what's with the 42 square feet of print-space devoted to informing you that their seeds are 100% non-GMO.

I've only ever seen GMO seed sold by the ton- and comes with a legally-binding contract. Where the heck can you buy GMO seeds by the packet? I want THAT catalog.

Feeding on fears and trends, me thinks.

Show-Me-Stater · #4 12/13/14, 04:14 PM

That description of their current operation actually made me laugh out loud. It certainly is accurate. It seemed to coincide with their expansion to their California location etc. their main location is fairly close to me so I've been enjoying their catalogs since they were just typed up on plain sheets of paper and stapled together. I DO certainly still love their wide selection

Jennifer L. · #5 12/13/14, 07:05 PM

My go-to catalogs are Johnny's Selected Seeds and Jungs. I may order occasionally from some other place, but most of my serious seed buying is from those two.

DaleK · #6 12/13/14, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GunMonkeyIntl

And what's with the 42 square feet of print-space devoted to informing you that their seeds are 100% non-GMO.

I've only ever seen GMO seed sold by the ton- and comes with a legally-binding contract. Where the heck can you buy GMO seeds by the packet? I want THAT catalog.

Feeding on fears and trends, me thinks.

You can get smaller quantities from Siegers Seeds, but not by the packet I don't think.

Rustaholic · #7 12/13/14, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Show-Me-Stater

just received my catalog from Baker Creek a couple days ago. It's certainly gotta be at the top of my list of favorites. It almost becomes a "coffee table book" in my house, unlike any of the many others that I receive. The cover art this year is amazing, with the whole layout made up of seeds of different colors and shapes. And their selection...whoa

Want one? Get one:
http://www.rareseeds.com/request-catalog/

I posted this in the Gardening forum also, but thought I might get more ideas for new catalogs with a broader audience here

Right there is my go to source for seeds.
I like to support folks like that.
I have found them great at email support too.
On the other end of the scale is R.H. Shumway Seeds.
That would be my back up.
They are still there and that is where my grandmother bought all her seeds.

CajunSunshine · #8 12/14/14, 04:47 AM

My preference runs towards heirloom (old varieties) and open-pollinated seeds (can save seeds that will be true to the parent plants). I especially like very old Native American varieties. I like organic too, although I will do hybrids, too when I feel like it.

A few of many favorite catalogs:

www.fedcoseeds.com/ Their prices are very, very low because they are a huge co-op. Lots of organic, open pollinated seeds, some heirloom, and a nice selection of reliable hybrids. New stuff all the time! Tip: ORDER EARLY, or lose out. Because they are a co-op, they are limited in business months, days and hours. Read their policies to avoid disappointments and surprises.

www.bountifulgardens.org/ Organic, open pollinated stuff here too. They cater to things that grow in challenging growing conditions (heat/drought/cold/wet). Besides offering seeds to the public, these folks also go around the world teaching and helping poverty stricken communities how to produce food in challenging and seemingly impossible growing conditions, in a sustainable way without chemicals, fertilizers, etc. They practice what they preach and publish a variety of their own publications towards an organic and sustainable homestead. No airy-fairy stuff here; this is the real deal. The old Mother Earth Catalog would have been proud of these fine young people.

https://www.horizonherbs.com/ I am an avid herbalist and grow a lot of what I use. This is my go-to place for over 400 species of rare and common herbs and other plants.

www.seedsavers.org/ This is the Seed Savers Exchange. Heirloom, open-pollinated. Reliable.

www.nativeseeds.org/ Specialize in southwestern area seeds. I like to experiment with drought resistant plants, and this is naturally a good place to source them.

Baker's Creek is ok... Like other large seed houses, they source many of their seeds from other growers and I have gotten some "not-the-best" strains from them, along with some mislabeled stuff. That's ok, because no one on this earth is perfect, anyway. I still order from them because I love their super wide variety of heirloom gourds and tomatoes. And the catalog...now that is just pure eye-candy! Perfect for winter dreaming!

I order from other catalogs, too but these are where I spend most of my seed dollars. I love trying out new stuff every year!

My local co-op carries all of my organic-approved soil amendments and biological pesticides , so there is no longer a need to order that stuff by mail. As time goes on, and my garden becomes more sustainable, I find that I need less and less of that stuff, too.

.

CajunSunshine · #9 12/14/14, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CajunSunshine

... this is the real deal. The old Mother Earth Catalog would have been proud of these fine young people....

.

phew...I meant to say The Whole Earth Catalog, not Mother Earth... (Before the Mother Earth News magazine went all yuppie on us, they used to be of the same blood type as the Whole Earth Catalog, back in the early seventies.

My old addled brain was waxing nostalgic again, lol.)

.

Ramblin Wreck · #10 12/14/14, 08:43 AM

My go-to place for seeds is Southern Exposure Seed Exchange:

http://www.southernexposure.com/

Doggonedog · #11 12/14/14, 09:35 AM

I like Pinetree seeds.

lemonthyme7 · #12 12/14/14, 11:20 AM

Johnny's Select Seeds although they're not the cheapest they are good quality. Haven't got a catalog from Baker Creek for a couple years. I like Pinetree Garden Seeds and ordered from them for years. Johnny's just has some of the more unusual greens that are hardy for my winter greenhouse. Sandhill Preservation Center is another good one.

anniew · #13 12/14/14, 12:18 PM

Fedco, Johnnys, Turtle Tree and High Mowing

FarmboyBill · #14 12/14/14, 02:01 PM

RH Shumways.

clinchbilly · #15 12/14/14, 06:05 PM

I like Osborne seeds, good quality and customer service. I use baker creek too, always a good quality seed. This year going to try Harris seeds, Rupp, and HPS seeds.

FarmChix · #16 12/14/14, 06:18 PM

Just got my catalogs from Fedco and Peaceful Valley. I'm in heaven.

Callieslamb · #17 12/14/14, 07:40 PM

I like Baker Creek, Annie's, Victory Garden, Johnny's, etc

There's also our own Patriot's Supply.

light rain · #18 12/14/14, 08:44 PM

I like Baker's Creek, Territorial Seeds and hope to order from Sand Hill Preservation this year. I know Sand Hill is online. I'm not sure that they have a print catalog.

Pony · #19 12/14/14, 09:04 PM

As far as catalogs go, I do like Baker Creek, and I like what the Gettel's are doing. They work to give back as much as they get, and they help people to grow their own food instead of just throwing money at them.

Even though Jung bought out Shumway, I still enjoy the Shumway catalog.

Fedco isn't very colorful, but I like their catalog, too.

lemonthyme7 · #20 12/14/14, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by light rain

I like Baker's Creek, Territorial Seeds and hope to order from Sand Hill Preservation this year. I know Sand Hill is online. I'm not sure that they have a print catalog.

As of last year Sand Hill had a printed catalog - you just had to request one. I'm not sure about this year.