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egghead2004

Seed suppliers

egghead2004
15 years ago

NEWBIE to planting veggies from seed here. I have a list of seeds I need to buy this week. I made my selections from Burpee seeds and the cost is almost $90. I realize that these seeds will last me 3 years, so $30 a year for such a variety is not bad.

However, I was wondering if there were some more quality seed distributors that may not turn up in Google's first few pages that some of you veterans of growing from seed use?

Here are the veggies I plan to grow...

7 kinds of tomatoes

Cucumbers

Zucchin

Summer Squash

Butternut squash

Eggplant

Hot peppers

Sweet red peppers

String beans

Broccoli

Carrots

Spinach

Romain lettuce

Chives

Rosemary

Culantro

Thanks!

Comments (14)

  • digdirt2
    15 years ago

    Hi egghead - if you will do a search here at GW you will find literally 100's of posts on where to buy seeds. There is also a Review & Rate Vendors forum here that recommends and/or tells you who to avoid.

    The Vegetable Gardening forum currently has a couple of long discussions on where to order seeds that will help you. And the Garden Bazaar here at GW lists links to some 50 different seed suppliers.

    You'll quickly discover that Burpee is considered one, if not THE, most expensive source and is not all that highly rated for quality either.

    Personally I would suggest Johnnys Seeds, Tomato Growers Supply, Seeds of Change, Gurneys, Stokes, Twilleys, and harris among others over Burpee.

    I don't know what term you used to search on Google but 'vegetable garden seed' gets you pages of seed suppliers. ;)

    You need to keep in mind that it is a bit late to just be ordering seeds and that this is one of the busiest years seed suppliers have had in some time. So seed orders are running 2-3 weeks before shipping in many cases. You may have better luck getting your seeds in time from local seed sources such as Walmart, local nursery, Home Depot, Lowes, farm stores, etc.

    Hope this helps.

    Dave

  • macheske
    15 years ago

    If you're worried about price and don't have specifics that you want, try Fedco...great seeds, great prices. You shouldn't have a problem finding them with google.
    Rick

  • noinwi
    15 years ago

    You can even find the more common seeds at your local dollar store.

  • pepperdude
    15 years ago

    Ed Hume Seeds (www.humeseeds.com) has good veggie seed for reasonable prices, esp. the shipping which is only $2 on most orders. I've had good luck with all of my seed from there. Also, Pinetree Garden Seeds is good.

  • morz8 - Washington Coast
    15 years ago

    Egghead, I just now looked at the Ferry Morse display in my local Safeway produce dept...while they surely didn't have all/same the varieties of tomato you are hoping to try you could have purchased the number of packets on your list in similar vegetables for less than $40. No special pricing, coupons or sale, just straight display and our Safeway only stocks the one brand seed. While I haven't been there recently, even this small town has a family owned garden and pet store that carries a few brands and wide assortment. Have you checked one of your close-to-home garden centers or nurseries for seeds?

  • opie12
    15 years ago

    I bought most of my seeds this year from Sand Hill Preservation. There is no shipping on orders over $10 and their prices are reasonable. They do say that if you need the seeds in a hurry they may not be the place for you, but I got my first order from them in Jan. in about 3 weeks and my Feb order came in 2 weeks.
    http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/

    Also got an order from Baker Creek this year, however, I consider them to be a little pricey on some things....

  • moosemac
    15 years ago

    egghead2004,
    Since you live in MA try Chirstmas Tree Shops. They carry Lake Vallley seeds and some odd Italian varieties; all are half price. I've bought seeds from them for several years with great success.

  • tomakers
    15 years ago

    A lot of Burpee seeds are available at Ocean State Job Lot at up to 50% off. They are smaller quantities than through the catalog, but they are much cheaper. Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot will have the Burpee seeds also, but the price is higher.
    If you must order try Fedco or Pinetree, both have reasonable seed prices and a big selection. I also use Harris and Stokes, who are much more reasonable than Burpee.
    JMO,
    Tom

  • tomakers
    15 years ago

    A lot of Burpee seeds are available at Ocean State Job Lot at up to 50% off. They are smaller quantities than through the catalog, but they are much cheaper. Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot will have the Burpee seeds also, but the price is higher.
    If you must order try Fedco or Pinetree, both have reasonable seed prices and a big selection. I also use Harris and Stokes, who are much more reasonable than Burpee.
    JMO,
    Tom

  • egghead2004
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks everyone. I did a little more digging and learned a bit. I ended up at Lowes, KMart, and Hopme Depot. I found most of the seeds there. There are a few varieties of tomatoes that I can't find locally so I'll try to order those online from some of the suppliers listed in this thread.

    Again, thanks for the help, I'll be posting later regarding some other things.

  • scholl734
    15 years ago

    I would be careful about buying seeds at the local grocery store. At least check the date, they tend to bring out last years seeds and I'm not sure if they have been stored properly. For my $$, Seeds of Change is the best, but you pay a premium and the $10 shipping charge is excessive.

    You may also want to see if there is a local seed saving cooperative in your neighborhood. You can get a lot of good seeds that way...

  • Trishcuit
    12 years ago

    For the more easily found seeds you will likely find what you want locally and cheaper. But if you want to get FUNKY...
    (I like Baker Creek for Veggies)

  • thisisme
    12 years ago

    For quality seeds at lower prices I always start with these companies.

    Morgan County Seeds.

    Fedco Seeds.

    Sample Seed Shop.

  • soonergrandmom
    12 years ago

    For common seeds I buy from Willhite in Poolville, TX. For the really fun stuff I buy from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

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