After pouring through 10+ seed catalogs, I have determined what I will order and from who. I make this post to give you an idea of things that you should consider when planning your garden.

First, do it early. Seed growers only have a certain amount of seeds and when they run out they can’t produce more until next year. Also you want to get them shipped to you in a timely manner so that you have them on hand to begin growing when it comes time.

Next, look at different catalogs. While I only ordered from 2 different catalogs, each catalog had something different to offer that met my particular needs. Many times I will focus on some special thing I am looking for and then if the price is right, I will order the other stuff from them that is the same in most other catalogs.

For example, I am trying to get broccoli and cauliflower to grow in the Spring here in Utah. This is very difficult and I have not yet had great success since it gets too hot, too early, so I looked for the earliest ones I could find. I found ‘Major’ broccolli at 43 days from transplant and ‘Silver Cup’ cauliflower at 40 days. Both were at PineTree Garden Seeds. They have great prices so I also ordered my carrots, beets, peas and so forth from them.This will be my first year ordering from them, so I will let you know if I have any problems with fulfillment or service etc.

Prices is another consideration when deciding who to order from. Some have good prices, but high shipping rates. Some have high prices, but give large coupons like Henry Fields. They give $25 off an order of $50 making it 50% off everything. And some have high prices, but very reliable service, selection and premium seeds. I would put Stokes in that category. In the end, seeds are really cheap. I got everything I needed for a huge garden for a whole year and I will have a ton of extra seeds for about $35. Therefore, I wouldn’t concern yourself with seed prices, check for shipping rates and such since that could be a bigger hit in the end. I spent 25% this year just on shipping.

Last, try new stuff and don’t get stuck with one variety just because it comes with a ton of seeds. If you want to try two different onions like a red onion and a yellow onion then order both. I know that they each come with 300 seeds, but they are only $1-2 each.

I just ordered 5 different kinds of tomatoes, one early variety, 2 beefsteak variety, one paste variety and one cherry tomato. I will get about 25 seeds per pack for 125 seeds. I am only growing 6 different plants. Assuming no loss, that would take me over 20 years to plant all the seeds. I estimate that I will grow over 400 tomatoes from the $12 that I spent on the seeds. Don’t worry about wasting seeds, give them away or throw away, but have fun with growing different varieties.

Please let me know your experiences this year or in year’s past with seed companies. I have ordered from a handful, but would love to hear about your experiences.

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