Where To Find Organic Seeds

Where To Find Organic Seeds
Choosing seed awakens the gardener's vision

Source: http://eartheasy.com/grow_organic_seeds.html (link below)

There is growing interest among gardeners for untreated, open-pollinated and heritage seeds for vegetable gardening.

The listings below, while not conclusive, offer a range of suppliers of organic seeds in the US and Canada.

When sourcing seed sources through catalogs and websites, look for the following labels which are commonly used to identify the seed characteristics:

"U" - untreated. These seeds have been produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. or subject to genetic modification.
"O" - organic. These seeds are taken from parent plants which have been organically grown.
"OP" - open-pollinated. These seeds are capable of reproducing themselves. Open-pollinated seeds can be dried and saved over winter, then used for planting in the next season.
"H" - heritage (or heirloom). These seeds are saved and passed down through generations by gardeners looking to preserve their genetic diversity and the unique qualities of the plant they produce. Heritage seeds may be carried by some of the smaller seed companies, but are more commonly found through local seed exchanges such as "Seedy Saturdays", the Seed Saver's Exchange and Seeds of Diversity (Canada).

Hybrid seeds have been developed to enhance a plant's growth and fruiting, as well as hardiness. Hybrids are produced by cross-pollinating plants of different varieties in order to improve the characteristics of the resulting offspring. However, hybrid seeds do not always reproduce true to type. That is, second generation plants may produce different results. If you are buying hybrid seeds, look for seeds which are labelled as reproducing "true to type".

Biodynamic seeds are from farms or gardens which use Biodynamic practices of managing land for ecological balance. The organic growing methods and planting cycles are integrated with the local environment where possible.

Organic Seed Sources in the US

Abundant Life Seed Foundation
Certified organic and biodynamic vegetable, flower and herb seeds.
P.O. Box 772 930 Lawrence St. Port Townsend, WA, 98368 360-385-5660 Fax: 360-385-7455 www.abundantlifeseeds.com

Albert Lea Seed House
Organic seed for soybean, corn, alfalfa, clover, small grains, sorghum, native and lawn grasses
1414 West Main Street P.O. Box 127 Albert Lea, MN 56007 800-352-5247 Fax: 507-373-7032 www.alseed.com

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Over 1000 varieties of rare and unusual heirloom seeds.
2278 Baker Creek Road, Mansfield, MO 65704 Phone: 417-924-8917 Fax: 417-924-8887
www.rareseeds.com

Botanical Interests
Well known for their attractive, information-rich seed packets, Botanical Interests offers a variety of organic flower, vegetable and herb seeds. The prices are reasonable, with most packets costing less than two dollars.
660 Compton Street, Broomfield, CO 80020 Phone 720-880-7293 www.botanicalinterests.com

Bountiful Gardens
Heirloom, untreated and open-pollinated varieties of vegetables, herbs, grains and compost crops.
18001 Shafer Ranch Road Willets, CA, 95490 707-459-6410 Fax: 707-459-1925 www.bountifulgardens.org

Burpee
Burpee's is one of gardening's most popular catalogs, offering wide variety and reasonable prices. They have a limited selection of organic seed for vegetables. Organic varieties are listed separately in the catalog for easy identification.
300 Park Avenue Warminster, PA 18974 800-333-5808 www.burpee.com

Dirt Works
A small, family-owned business offering a selection of organic and heirloom, non-GMO vegetable seeds.
1195 Dog Team Road, New Haven, Vermont 05472 Phone 877 213 3828 www.dirtworks.net

Fedco Seeds
Seeds for organic cover crops and soil amendments, certified seed potatoes and onion sets, seed garlic, hardy fruit and nut trees, berries.
PO Box 520 Waterville, ME 04903 207-873-7333 www.fedcoseeds.com

Filaree Farm
Filaree offers over 100 unique strains of organic seed garlic collected from sources all over the world. They cater to small organic gardeners, plant nurseries and commercial farmers.
182 Conconully Hwy. Okanogan, WA 98840-9974 509-422-6940 www.filareefarm.com

Fungi Perfecti
A certified organic company specializing in gourmet and medicinal mushrooms, ready-to-grow mushroom kits, and mushroom-related products.
P.O. Box 7634 Olympia, WA, 98507 360-426-9292 Fax: 360-426-9377 www.fungi.com

Great Harvest Organics
Organic seed products grown for organic farmers - wheat, soybeans, corn and alfalfa.
6803 E. 276th St. Atlanta, IN, 46031 317-984-6685 317-984-8798 www.greatharvestorganics.com

High Altitude Gardens/ Seeds Trust
Over 80 years experience growing gardens and seeds at high elevation. Find seeds from around the world for the coldest climates and shortest seasons. Heirloom, organic, native and high altitude varieties.
4150 Black Oak Drive Hailey, ID, 83333 Phone: 208-788-4363 Fax:208-788-3452 www.seedsave.org, www.seedstrust.com

High Mowing Seeds
The catalog offers over 350 varieties of organic seed. These are mostly certified organic vegetable seeds, but there are also some flowers, cover crops, and gardening supplies available.
813 Brook Road Wolcott, VT 05680 phone: 802-888-1800 fax: 802-888-8446 www.highmowingseeds.com

Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Johnny's catalog lists over 300 organic products, and both conventional and organic seeds.
955 Benton Ave. Winslow, ME, 04901 800-854-2580 Fax: 800-738-6314 www.johnnyseeds.com

Kitazawa Seed Company
They offer a tremendous selection of Asian Vegetable seeds and are the oldest seed company in America. Kitazawa has over 250 varieties of traditional and heirloom seeds native to Japan.
PO Box 13220 Oakland, CA 94661-3220 Fax 510-595-1860 Phone 510-595-1188 www.kitazawaseed.com

Local Harvest
An online service that helps you find local sources for sustainably grown food. They also sell a wide variety of vegetable seed and nursery stock. Read the product notes to see which are organic and/or untreated.
220 21st Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Phone: 831-475-8150 Fax: 831-401-2418 www.localharvest.org

Main Street Seed & Supply
Main Street is a small company which specializes in offering small amounts of seed (with the home gardener in mind) for reasonable prices. Their choice of seeds is limited to the basic vegetable varieties.
401 Main Street, Bay City, MI 48706 toll free 866-229-3276 www.mainstreetseedandsupply.com

Mountain Valley Growers
Certified organically grown seed for basil, sunflower, annual herbs, gourmet greens.
38325 Pepperwood Road Squaw Valley, CA, 93675 559-338-2775 www.mountainvalleygrowers.com

The Natural Gardening Co.
Online catalog offers organically grown and open-pollinated vegetables and herbs. The organic items are clearly marked as such, and the prices are reasonable.
P.O. Box 760776 Petaluma, CA , 94975-0776 707-766-9303 Fax: 707-766-9747 www.naturalgardening.com

Native Seeds/ SEARCH
More than 2000 different seeds representing traditional native crops such as corn, bean, squash.
526 N. 4th Ave Tucson, AZ , 85705 520-622-5561 Fax: 520-622-5591 www.nativeseeds.org

Nichols Garden Nursery
Complete garden seeds catalog featuring new and unusual vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Emphasizing short season varieties, flavor and performance.
1190 No. Pacific Hwy. NE Albany, OR, 97321 541-928-9280 866-408-4851 800-422-3985 Fax: 541-967-8406 www.nicholsgardennursery.com

Park Seed Company
Over 50 varieties of ertified organic, non-GMO organic seeds. Flower, herb and vegetable seeds.
PO Box 527 Williams, OR 97544 Toll Free: (888)709-7333 www.organicseed.com

Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
This catalog offers organic seeds from a variety of seed companies. There is a good mix of edible and ornamental varieties here, as well as books and gardening supplies.
PO Box 2209 Grass Valley, CA 95945 530-272-4769 888-784-1722 www.groworganic.com

Plants of the Southwest
Specializes in drought-tolerant US native plants (wildflowers, grasses, herbs, vegetables, shrubs, and trees) and seeds.
Agua Fria Road Route 6, Box 11A Santa Fe, NM, 87501 800-788-7333 Fax: 505-438-8800 www.plantsofthesouthwest.com

Seeds of Change
A favorite among organic gardeners, Seeds of Change features a wide range of heirloom vegetable seeds and informative articles on organic gardening, tools and techniques. The 2009 Seeds of Change catalog, with over 600 certified organic items, is available free as a pdf download or home delivered.
P.O. Box 15700 Santa Fe, NM 87506 888-762-7333 www.seedsofchange.com

Seed Savers Exchange
Seed Savers Exchange is a nonprofit organization that saves and shares heirloom seeds. Members can choose from thousands of heirloom vegetables, and share rare garden seeds with other gardeners. Downloadable catalog, online seed sales.
3026 North Winn Road, Decorah IA 52101 Phone: 563-382-5990 Fax: 563-382-6511 www.seedsavers.org

Territorial Seed Co.
Territorial offers a wide selection of organic vegetable seeds, especially greens, tomatoes and lettuces.
P.O. Box 158 Cottage Grove, OR 97424 541-942-9547 Fax: 888-657-3131 www.territorial-seed.com

Tomato Fest
More than 600 varieties of certified organic heirloom tomato seeds.
PO Box 628, Little River, CA 95456 www.tomatofest.com

Turtle Tree Biodynamic Seeds
Turtle Tree offers a wide variety of 100% open-pollinated seeds for farm, grain and cover crops as well as vegetables, flowers and herbs.
Camphill Village, Copake NY 12516 Fax 678-202-1351 Phone 888-516-7797 www.turtletreeseed.com

Vesey=S Seeds for Shorter Seasons
Veseys offers a selection of certified organic seed produced under strict guidelines which govern the production of certified organic products. Canadian-based, but sells to the US market.
PO Box 9000, Charlottetown, PE, Canada, C1A 8K6 Phone: 902-368-7333 Fax: 800-686-0329 www.veseys.com/us/en/

Victory Heirloom Seed Co.
A small, family owned company that works to preserve plant varieties by locating, growing, documenting and offering heirloom and rare open-pollinated seeds to home gardeners. Catalog offers a wide variety of rare heirloom and open-pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds.
P.O. Box 192 Molalla, OR, 97038 503-829-3126 phone/fax www.victoryseeds.com

Wood Prairie Farm
Certified organic seed potatoes, organic vegetable seeds, cover crops and farm seed.
49 Kinney Road Bridgewater, ME 04734 800-829-9765 800-631-8027 Fax: 800-300-6494 www.woodprairie.com

To read many more seed sources and the full article: http://eartheasy.com/grow_organic_seeds.html