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As a backyard gardener, I know how difficult it can be to decide which seed companies are worth your time and money.
My list of favorites is by no means exhaustive, and there are plenty of other good seed companies out there. Still, the brands I recommend are all companies I’ve tried before and those I’ve had the most success with year after year. My recommendations include both large-scale, widely known seed companies as well as smaller niche companies to give you a range of solid options for your price range.
Let’s walk through America’s leading seed companies and the qualities that really matter to home gardeners, like: each brand’s seed quality, germination rates, seed selection, organic options, and overall value to help you choose the brand that is right for you this season! After all, the brand you choose can really make a difference in the success of your growing season.
At a Glance: My Favorite Seed Companies
| Brand | Highlights | General Price $ Comparison | Availability | Best Brand for: |
| Johnny’s Selected Seeds | A favorite among gardeners who frequently sell at farmers markets and serious home growers. | Affirmed Green Bean $6.40 for 175 seeds | Online Mostly, only physical location is in Winslow, Maine | Best for home growers aiming for high-output gardens. |
| Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds | Specializes in collecting heirloom and rare varieties from around the world. Their catalog is one of the largest collections of open-pollinated vegetables available. | Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean $3.25 for at least 40 seeds | Online Mostly, only physical location is in Mansfield, Missouri | Best for gardeners searching for heirloom heritage varieties and unique conversation pieces for their home gardens. |
| Ferry Morse | Combines more than 165 years of gardening experience with broad retail availability, an extensive selection of organic and non-GMO seeds, and an excellent bang for your buck. | Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean $4.95 for 17.5 grams | Online and in stores everywhere | Best availability and overall value for most home gardeners. |
| Botanical Interests | Widely loved for its beautifully illustrated seed packets and exceptionally detailed planting instructions. | Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean $3.49 for 40 seeds or 25 grams | Online | Best purchase for beginners and educators. |
| Organo Republic | focuses on certified organic, non-GMO seeds packaged with sustainability in mind. | Contender Bush Bean Seeds $4.99 for 15 grams or 50 seeds (Mostly available in sets) | Online | Best to purchase seed variety packs. |
| Territorial Seed Co. | Their dependable vegetable selections have earned a particularly loyal following among the local Pacific Northwest and northern gardeners. | Kentucky Wonder Bean $3.35 for 100 seeds or 1 oz | Online mostly, physical location is in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Other stores available but th,ey only carry a small selection. | Best varieties for tough PNW weather and cool growth seasons. |
| High Mowing Organic Seeds | one of the country’s leading suppliers of certified organic seed. | Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean $4.75 for 1 oz | Mostly online, small number of other stores available. | Best purchase if you need 100% certified organic, non-GMO seeds bred specifically to thrive in organic growing conditions. |
| Seed Savers Exchange | dedicated to preserving heirloom and heritage varieties through one of the largest seed preservation networks in North America. | Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean $4.25 for 50 seeds | Mostly online, but also at their headquarters and the Lillian Goldman Visitors Center located in Decorah, Iowa. | Best if you want a massive seed bank of heirloom heritage varieties at your fingertips. |
| Burpee | offers a wide selection of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, including many exclusive hybrid varieties. | Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean $3.95 for 3 oz | Online and in stores everywhere | Best for a quick cheap seed grab in stores. |
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
100% employee-owned and grown organically for over 50 years in Maine.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds is one of the best options if you are a serious high-volume grower. If you’re considering growing all of the fresh produce for your family or even consistently supplying a booth at the farmer’s market, Johnny’s would be a great option to order from.
Johnny’s has developed a reputation for strong germination rates, field-tested disease-resistant hybrids, and a vast selection of choices. The brand is also proud to be one of the nine original signers of the Safe Seed Pledge.
Johnny’s has a pretty massive variety to choose from (they offer over 100 varieties of tomatoes alone) and make it easy for you to buy your favorites in bulk. This includes over 1,500 seed varieties, including vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits, and farm cover crops. 500+ of these are certified organic, and they usually introduce around 200 new varieties and products annually after trials.
I purchase most of my herb seeds from Johnny’s (like the Green Purslane you see in the container here). They offer packages from 1 ounce up to 25 pounds of seed, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find other brands that give you those kinds of expansive options.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Seed Saving Since 1998 in Missouri.
I frequently plant Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds because they’re widely known as the go-to for heirloom vegetable options, a lot of which they grow and test on their farm in Missouri. When I want heritage varieties beyond the standard in-store line up, I always check with them.
They have a great tomato selection, unique peppers, rare beans, and a lot of unusual varieties you won’t find elsewhere. If it was in your grandma’s garden way back when, you can find it there – like this Candy Roaster Squash my sons grew from seed we ordered from their catalog!
They are famous for their gorgeous catalogs that are full of hundreds of pages of growing resources, gardening lifestyle stories, and seed history.
Unfortunately, Baker Creek is an online-only option for the vast majority of gardeners. They do have one brick and mortar location in Missouri, though,brick-and-mortar and they host a few exposition festivals there throughout the year. Definitely a bucket list event worth traveling to!
Ferry-Morse
The oldest operating seed company – open since 1856.
Ferry-Morse is probably the best middle-of-the-road option for the average home vegetable gardener like myself. They’re affordable and easy to find online and locally in big box stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s.
They have a huge selection that is plenty broad enough to be competitive with premium seed companies. Their Guarantee to Grow policy has always made me feel a little less risky when I am trying new varieties. I always get strong seedlings from Ferry-Morse that grow quickly and thrive without much fuss.
They may not specialize as heavily in one particular niche market as some of these other premium online seed companies do, but the affordability and convenience of access ranks them pretty high in my book.
I also love that all of their seeds are non-neonic, which means they are never exposed to insecticides. If I am planting flowers or veggies, it is always with pollinators in mind so that is important to me.
Botanical Interests
Based in Colorado since 1995.
I frequently plant Botanical Interests as well. I order from them when I am feeling particularly creative because their seed packets are just gorgeous and inspirational to me. Just scrolling through the online catalog makes me want to plan out my entire yard in a food forest.
I love how helpful and informative the seed packets are as well. On the outside, they provide an abundance of information about the plant itself and the growing conditions it likes. A pro tip: if you peel open the seed packet when it is empty, they actually include other things like growing tips, plant history, and recipes to try!
Seed packet design and appearance might not seem like a big deal, but a company that skimps on their seed packets (which are literally the face of their business) and hastily throws out an unattractive product is probably cutting corners in other areas as well.
Botanical Interests carries a large variety of consistently high-quality seeds. This quickly becomes obvious as you scroll by the parade of five-star reviews left by happy customers on their product listings on their website.
Organo Republic
Sewing Seeds in Miami since 2017.
Organo Republic prioritizes providing their customers with certified organic, non-GMO seeds sourced in the U.S. Their collection appeals to home gardeners who prioritize environmentally responsible growing practices and using healthy, chemical-free seeds in their gardens.
My favorite way to buy from Organo Republic is to visit their website and browse through their high-value curated variety packs (like their vegetable, medicinal herb, and flower bundles). The seeds selected for each collection are packaged in waterproof, moisture-protected, resealable moisture protected, and UV-protected bags. Their seed variety packs are probably the most well thought through and executed bundle options I have tried.
I love how much educational material there is to learn from included on the packages. They even come complete with digital QR code recipes and growing guides! I love that if I have further questions about a plant, I don’t have to ‘google it’ and sift through the unreliable information to find what I need – I can just go straight to the source.
Organo Republic also adds five complementary growing tools to each of their variety packs: tweezers, widger tool, weeding fork, leaf clipper, and seed dibber tools.
Territorial Seeds
Family-owned since 1979 in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range.
Territorial Seed Company is a nice option for growers looking for regionally adapted varieties, particularly for the Pacific Northwest and growth zones that experience colder growing seasons. They rigorously test crops on their own 75-acre trial, research, and production farm that’s certified USDA Organic.
At their location in Oregon, they are at 900 feet above sea level in Willamette Valley. In this climate, it’s a challenge to grow long-season, hot-weather crops. So, if you live in a similar place that stays cooler in the summer, it might be more difficult to be confident that varieties you buy at other seed companies will do well in your garden. But you will be happy to know that any variety Territorial Seed grows and offers has been tested in those conditions and should grow great for you!
At Territorial Seeds, they offer open-pollinated, heirloom, and organic varieties. You can shop online for hundreds of varieties of flowers, herbs, vegetables, plants, fruits, cover crops and gardening supplies, or visit their flagship store in Cottage Grove, Oregon.
High Mowing
Quality Seeds, Plants and Growing Supplies Since 1996 in Vermont.
High Mowing Organic Seeds is completely 100% certified organic and Non-GMO Project Verified for all seeds that they provide to their customers. They were also very involved in the birth of the Safe Seed Pledge in 1999 when seed companies were being recruited to sign a statement against genetic engineering (GMOs).
I consider High Mowing to be a premium choice for strictly organic growers. They are one of the country’s leading suppliers of certified organic seeds. Their commitment to organic breeding, sustainable agriculture, and high germination standards makes them a trusted resource for gardeners dedicated to organic and Non-GMO growing.
Even though their seeds are going to cost you almost a dollar a pack more than other budget-friendly options like Ferry Morse, some home gardeners do keep coming back to High Mowing year after year because they consistently put out high-quality vegetable, herb, and flower seeds every year.
Seed Savers Exchange
Saving and sharing seeds with gardeners since 1975.
I always order seeds from Seed Savers Exchange every year because I love their mission and I want to support preserving older heirloom varieties and seed biodiversity.
Seed Savers Exchange had their first swap in 1975 between only 30 gardeners using a handwritten six-page list. Today, they are considered the nation’s largest nongovernmental seed bank with around 20,000 varieties!
I always purchase my corn from Seed Savers because they do have those memorable, time-tested, heritage heirloom varieties. My favorite variety of Shoe Peg Corn is listed as Country Gentleman on their website, and you can buy anywhere from 75 seeds to a whole pound at a time.
Burpee
Founded in 1876.
This brand is worth mentioning because of wide accessibility and affordability. Their seeds are readily available online and in garden centers, making them a convenient option for many home gardeners. You can find them almost anywhere you find brands like Ferry Morse.
Burpee is one of the oldest and most reliable household names for seed companies. They offer a huge selection of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, including many exclusive hybrid varieties you can only find at Burpee. They do have heirloom and organic seeds listed as available on their website, but that’s not a large collection compared to some of the other companies on my list.
I have to say I’m not really a huge fan of the seed packets in particular. I just find them to be a little lackluster, and they don’t include all the information that Ferry Morse and other premium companies like (Botanical Interests or Organo Republic) do. So if I am in the store and both options are available, I gravitate toward Ferry Morse.
All Things Considered…
There isn’t one king of the vegetable seed companies. What is more important is to discover which brand is best for you and your plan for your plants! Everyone has different plans and priorities for their garden, and that can change from year to year as well.
Sometimes, my number one priority is the sheer volume I can grow, and other times I care most about heirlooms and adding some biodiversity in my garden. Some seasons, I can’t spend a bunch of money, and I just want to find the best value per seed packet. Occasionally, I don’t have time to bother with an online order, and I just want reliable seeds I can get while I’m grabbing groceries.
Most years, I end up wearing all of these hats at some point and buying from more than one of these companies because each one fills a different role in the garden for me. I honestly love sampling from all of them.