January is that special time of year when gardeners and farmers dream of the season to come. Snug on my couch in front of the fireplace, I spend waaay too much time flipping through seed catalogs, circling all the new varieties I want to try!
🌱 New flowers? Yes, please!
🍅 Fresh garden veggies? Of course!
🐝 Native plants to support pollinators? Absolutely!
But not all seeds are created equal—and when you’re buying thousands of seeds, quality matters. Poor germination rates or mislabeled seeds can lead to serious garden disappointment.
That’s why I’ve put together this shortlist of our favorite seed sources for flowers and veggies.
🌸 Our Favorite Seed Sources for Flowers & Veggies
🌼 Botanical Interests
🌿 Best for: Cottage garden flowers & unique species
🎨 Why we love them:
- Beautiful hand-drawn artwork on seed packets
- Includes a picture of the seedling on the back (super helpful for direct seeding!)
- Often carries hard-to-find varieties
🥕 Fedco
🌿 Best for: Vegetables, flowers, and herbs
😂 Why we love them:
- Their silly cartoons and clipart-filled catalog make seed shopping fun
- Clearly labeled seed sources (easy to avoid large corporations & GMOs)
- A great way to support small seed producers
🌻 Johnny’s Select Seeds
🌿 Best for: High-quality vegetable & flower seeds
🌱 Why we love them:
- Tried-and-true varieties plus on-trend new offerings
- Their website is super easy to shop
- Extensive planting guides for each variety (from seeding to harvest!)
- New pastel zinnias? Yes, please!
🌿 Prairie Moon Nursery
🌿 Best for: Native wildflowers & pollinator-friendly plants
🦋 Why we love them:
- Huge variety of native plants and wildflower mixes
- Essential for supporting native bees & butterflies
- A must-have for eco-conscious gardens
🌷 Select Seeds
🌿 Best for: Cottage-garden flowers (annuals & perennials)
🌸 Why we love them:
- Huge selection of vintage-style flowers
- Offers both seeds and potted plants (though we stick to seeds!)
- Great source for hardy perennials
🍅 Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
🌿 Best for: Heirloom vegetables, grains, and flowers
🌾 Why we love them:
- All seeds are non-GMO & untreated
- Many are grown by small farms
- They offer rare heirloom varieties (we can’t resist trying new ones!)
🌱 The Real Challenge? Self-Control!
“Here’s to a wildly successful growing season full of new favorites!”
If you’ve ever ordered seeds online, you probably know how hard it is to stick to a budget (oops!). But that’s part of the fun, right? 😉
Happy planting!
~ Jessica
