One of my favorite times of the year is when gardening companies ship their garden catalogs and make them available online. It’s a time when I can start dreaming about what I can grow for the upcoming season, and make a list of supplies I might need. And then I scale that list back to make it more realistic! Personally, I like to spread the love around when it comes to seed companies. I have my local go-tos, I often order from other companies, as well.
In this article, I’m going to share a list of companies that mail hard copies of their garden catalogs, and others that feature their catalogs online. Many catalogs also function as mini magazines, with editorial content that offers growing advice, seed-starting tips, recipes, and more.
Ordering garden catalogs online
Many companies offer free printed versions of their catalogs. Most will feature the option to request one prominently on their website. However if you’d prefer to just peruse online, often the full catalog is offered in a flip book format. Or, you can simply browse the categories, going section by section. Keep an eye out for “what’s new” categories.
One thing to note is that some seed companies aren’t able to ship across borders. That’s why you may find that there isn’t an option to choose your country when requesting a free catalog. Take a look at shipping policies (some offer free shipping) to confirm if a company ships to where you live.. You can also see if they offer seed stands in local shops.
Mansfield, Missouri
Heirloom seeds and plants (vegetables, fruit, herbs, annuals, flower, bulbs, perennials), including rare seeds
Baker Creek’s 500-page seed catalog is so well done they sell it at major book retailers (you can also order it online). It is a thing of beauty, offering up interesting editorial alongside many of the unusual edibles that you can grow. North America’s largest heirloom seed company also offers a condensed version if you’re just focused on seed selection. The company also has a benevolent side. Last year it donated proceeds of its seed sales to support Ukraine. And before Christmas, there was a 24-hour period where 100 percent of seed proceeds went to charity.
Broomfield, Colorado
Vegetables, flowers, herbs, organic options, garden products, gifts
Started in 1996, Botanical Interests offers a vast selection of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, as well as some garden products. Curated collections help green thumbs start themed gardens, from greens to herbal teas. The company has a seed donation program that benefits non-profit farms, food banks, garden clubs, and other organizations. The site also features coloring books to download, with the gorgeous outlines of their seed packet art. And the company often donates seed proceeds to charitable programs.
Warminster, Pennsylvania
Vegetables, flowers, perennial plants, plants, herbs, fruit, garden supplies
Burpee is pretty synonymous with vegetable seeds, but the company also sells flower seeds, plants, flower bulbs, garden tools, and other supplies. The flip catalog with vivid color photos features all the new introductions, Burpee exclusives, as well as all the tried-and-true favorites. You will also find crop info and tips peppered throughout.
Burlington, Vermont
Garden tools, bird supplies, planters and raised beds, outdoor decor, landscaping supplies, indoor garden gear, kitchen accessories
This environmentally aware company has created America’s first carbon-neutral catalog, purchasing offsets and committing to environmentally responsible printing practices. Those eco-friendly values extend into the materials and fabrication of many of the products the company manufactures, many of which come with lifetime warranties. The company features a vast range of gardening tools, kits, kitchen supplies, accessories, and more. It also donates eight per cent of company profits to programs and organizations that are using gardening to improve the world. We’ve written a few sponsored posts featuring Gardener’s products that we use in our own gardens.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Vegetable, fruit, flower, and herb seeds, lawn maintenance and tools, indoor growing supplies
Halifax Seed is North America’s oldest continually operating seed company. It celebrated 150 years in 2016! This award-winning, family-owned company has a flagship store in Halifax, but most of its seed business comes from its website and free seed catalogs. For decades, they’ve been a market leader, seeking out the best, most reliable varieties, for short-season gardeners—like Niki. They’re her source for ‘Lemon’ cucumbers, ‘Sungold’ tomatoes, cucamelons, and many other crops that have become favorites.
Wolcott, Vermont
Vegetables, flowers, herbs, cover crops, supplies
Jessica’s go-to catalog for organic seed is High Mowing Seeds. Their catalog has come a long way over the years. What was once a black-and-white newsprint booklet is now a hundred pages of beautiful photos and growing information about open-pollinated vegetable and hybrid varieties.
Bantam, Connecticut
Fruits and vegetables, flower bulbs, flowers, herbs, tubers, sets, and slips
A botanical illustrator draws the seed packet artwork for the John Scheepers catalog—and the catalog itself. But the company also uses photography and will issue a gift certificate if they include a green thumb’s photo, that they’ve submitted, in their catalog.
Randolph, Wisconsin
Features: Fruits and vegetables; annuals; perennials; herbs; flower bulbs; roses; trees; shrubs and vines; gardening supplies
Jung Seeds prints both spring and fall versions of their seed catalogs. The company also has a few standalone garden centers where you can shop in person for seeds and supplies, if you happen to live in the area.
Winslow, Maine
Vegetables, fruits, herbs, farm seed, organic seeds, tools and supplies
When Niki first began experimenting with stretching her vegetable season into late fall and winter using cold frames and mini hoop tunnels, Johnny’s Selected Seeds became her go-to seed provider. Not only do they have a very large selection of varieties – including many hard-to-source cool- and cold-season crops, but Johnny’s is also a leader in plant breeding, creating award-winning varieties, like ‘Bright Lights’ swiss chard, ‘Diva’ cucumber, ‘Purple Haze’ carrot and ‘Jasper’ tomato. The company is also a supplier of season extending tools and materials (it’s where Niki sourced her mini hoop bender).
Newmarket, Suffolk, England
Vegetables, fruit, herbs, seed potatoes, onions, garlic, flowers, garden equipment and tools, and plants (depending on where you are purchasing from)
Seed packets from this U.K.-based seed company, with its expansive offering of seeds and gardening equipment are starting to appear on shelves in the U.S. and Canada. Look for interesting annual flowers and veggie favorites. The company has worked with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to produce seed collections to attract pollinators, create a cottage garden, etc. Residents of the U.K. can order a catalog, but you can view the extensive collection online.
Winona, Minnesota
Seeds for wildflowers, grasses and sedges, bare root plants, potted garden plants, tools
One of Jessica’s favorites, Prairie Moon Nursery features carefully curated seed packet collections featuring seeds that are deer resistant, that can be planted in boulevards, that attract pollinators, and more. The plant company focuses on wildflowers, trees and shrubs, and grasses and sedges. With its native plant focus, Prairie Moon also advocates against digging up native plants and encourages green thumbs to know where their plants come from.
Felton, California
Vegetables, herbs, flowers, tubers, roots and plants, bulbs, kitchen and garden supplies
I plant a few veggies and flowers from Renee’s Garden Seeds each year, by ordering from the site, and from the seed stand at a local nursery. This California-based company has a watercolor artist on staff to create the seed packet artwork based on photos from the trial gardens. I love trying out the new introductions each year. Seeds are tested in gardens in various growing zones and come from growers around the world. And the company donates seeds to various programs and educational organizations.
Union, Connecticut
Annuals, perennials, organic seeds, native plants, herbs, vines, vegetables
Select Seeds specializes in heirloom flowers, flowering vines, pollinator-friendly seeds and plants, rare annuals and perennials. The website features sections based solely around fragrance and vines, among others.This may be where you source that hard-to-find heirloom. Certified organic seeds are marked accordingly.
Cottage Grove, Oregon
Vegetables, flowers and herbs, fruits and vines, garlic and potatoes, houseplants, cover crops, plants, garden supplies, organic seeds
Territorial Seed has a 75-acre research and production farm where it trials its seeds. The company features two separate catalogs, one for home gardeners and one for professional growers. Jessica is always astounded by all the lettuce varieties that the company carries in its collection. And you can also purchase garlic and sweet potato slips,
Ladner, British Columbia
Vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruit, ornamental grasses, microgreens, cover crops, and supplies
This family-owned company committed to ethical growing sells seeds, as well as a wide variety of gardening supplies, from grow lights to bird feeders. But the focus really is on the over 1,000 varieties of organic seeds. One of my local nurseries also has racks of seeds, from which I’ve also sourced various varieties. The company also features collections where 100 per cent of sales benefit Food Banks Canada.
Hamilton, Ontario
Vegetables, herbs, flowers, greencrops, tools and supplies
This 70+-year-old family-run company is my go-to because it’s local. I love getting the seed catalog each year because I can see what’s new, but I often just peruse the shelves of categorized seed packets to see if anything catches my eye. I’ve tried a few new-to-me veggies. In 2022 it was parsley root! The company also sells items for seed starting and Niki’s book, The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener is available there, as well.
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Tara Nolan
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