Good Websites for Purchasing Seeds?

[LooseChange]

Anyone have a good reputable online site for ordering seeds? (vegetables/flowers/yard stuff) Locally there isn't much variety, thinking about ordering some this year from a warehouse of sorts.

What's the most recommended, have any favorites and why?
I'm not looking for the cheapest, or the most expensive, but something in the middle should be fine. Looking for reasonable or free shipping, large selection, and easy to use website.

**I know there are tons of "prepper" websites that offer seeds and what not, but that is not what I'm looking for, something more along the lines of a "gardener's warehouse". I have noticed that things can sell for 10x their value if you attach the word "prepper" or "survival" to them.

[henrysmedford]

http://www.territorialseed.com/

[galenrog]

Can't go wrong with Territorial. That is who I used until my wife turned my garden to grass.

[Hawkeye]

I've done business with Territorial before and have been pleased. I also like http://www.seedsavers.org/ They have a ton of heirloom varieties and interesting things that you don't see every day. I've always been pleased with their seed.

[hobo finds]

http://www.nativeseeds.org/

[68Camaro]

went with this company - can purchase direct or via Amazon

http://www.heirloom-organics.com/

Discussion of their long-term storage methods:

http://www.non-hybrid-seeds.com/anhs/lts.html

[silver]

I got one can of seeds with my Augason Farms order, also I will get another can form them. It was one of the damaged cans that they are replacing. I am thinking the dented can is still sealed but I wanted it replaced anyway.
They have already shipped the replacements. They are a good company to deal with.
ED

[johnbrickner]

Having family from a few generations back in Decorah, we have used Seed Savers for many gardens and still have bean offspring seeds from several years back climbing the deck as I write. Seeds from then are few in number now since we moved twice. Now in Upstate, NY we have also purchased from Hudson Valley Seed Library. Growing pumpkins and sunflowers from them in the garden now.

Obtaining seeds from an established source like Seed Savers and a local source like Hudson Valley Seed pleases us greatly. I would suggest the same for anyone. I don't think I'll ever buy from a "prepper" source. I prefer to buy seeds from those with dirt under their nails.

[68Camaro]

I understand your POV but if one is looking for seeds properly preserved for long term storage there are a limited number of places doing that. Conventional suppliers presume you are using within a season or two.

[coppernickel]

Territorial and Seed Savers is who I get mine from.

[hobo finds]

Pepper not Prepper http://ushotstuff.com/Heat.Scale.htm

[Treetop]

I understand your POV but if one is looking for seeds properly preserved for long term storage there are a limited number of places doing that. Conventional suppliers presume you are using within a season or two.

It is very easy to set up seed for long term storage. I just vacuum out the air myself, and use mason jars. The attachment to hook a foodsaver to mason jars was only a couple bucks, and I also use one of those pump for bleeding brake lines to pull out the air since I dont actually have a foodsaver machine. I have yet to see ANY "survival" seedpacks that would let anyone do any actual surviving. This is a marketing ploy with all the companies Ive seen thus far. I cant imagine any of them even ever tried feeding a family on what they grew or they would include much different items and quantities. They literally just buy from the bulk lists anyone here could order from if they looked for those companies, bought by the pound then re packed and sold them to you for a mark up. If they sold a good range of crops that youd actually want if your survival depended on it, then it would be a great service, however when you are merely selling a phantom as all of these companies Ive seen thus far I find it a bit disturbing.

did one of the companies get it right?

[Treetop]

It really depends where you live. Lots of good companies out there. I posted a list here some time ago with dozens of good seed companies. As someone who has seen gardens thrive or fail based on what varieties (genetics) they had, its not something Id personally answer lightly.

[68Camaro]

Did you look at the link I posted rather than shotgun the entire genre?

The company I linked claims the approach to long term storage needs to differ from your suggestion. Did you read that?

Not saying you're not more right than they are, but they seem to offer something that others are not. But otherwise it would seem a golden opportunity for you to jump in and fill the gap of their shortcomings.

[Treetop]

I just jumped on the whole genre. Looking around the site, atleast they have "bulk" grains. The prices are crazy high. Their grain and drybean packs look generic. They list no varieties, just a few ounces of seed. I could literally go to my local grocer and make up the same packs minus corn in seed form. Notice they do not say the seed is organic, the name of the company includes the word, they are selling "non hybrid"... All of these can be bought at the store, and are not hybrids. Only their corn seed would they have to have a different source then many grocery stores. (in the grain a drybean section) They gave reference to specializing your order based on where you live, but do not even list varieties for most of their grains, and just have generic legumes? These are the most important types of seed for a survival situation. This is where you are likely to get the most calories, and have the greatest margin of error in fact.

Are their barley, wheat, and rye winter or spring types? do they even know? generally soft wheat is spring, and hard red wheat is likely a winter habit. Barley and rye who knows, they dont say.

plus nonsense like this...

World Food Supply
Put simply, the future of the world's food supply rests in non-hybrid seeds. The push toward hybridization and GM foods is becoming irreversible. Hybrid food sources are patented and "owned" by the patent-holders. It is, in fact, a form of patent-infringement to attempt to collect and plant seeds from many hybrid varieties.

You can collect seeds from any hybrids you want. In fact if you know a hybrid does good locally its a nice way to start a breeding project as you dont need to do the initial groundwork, and can just select the best plants over time as you stabilize the variety. This IS true of GMs, but who cares the GM crops made so far are of little use to the home gardener. Even patented tree varieties, I can freely propagate and even sell them if I pay 50-75cents to the patent holder. Garden seeds, you can do whatever you want with your saved seeds, hybrids or not.

Nutritional Integrity
Many vegetables today lack nutrition from over-hybridization. Recent tests are showing that many of the vegetables, grains and other produce you buy, INCLUDING ORGANIC PRODUCE, are nutrient-deficient. If you want to truly be in charge of your nutritional intake, you must home garden. If you want the higher nutrition of original varieties you must use non-hybrids.

oh my. Yes many veggies are loosing their nutritional levels, this has ZERO to do with hybrids, or organics etc. This has to do with soil, and micro nutrients. We expect ALOT from our modern soils, and we whether organic or "conventionally" replace key things but often ignore the micro nutrients. This has been a growing issue for literally decades, and isnt universally true, some foods we eat still come from soils with good levels of them. Another factor often over looked is many things are picked not at their optimum, but at the best point for shipment, which with some things can lower the nutrition level.

All of this reads as sensationalism to me. The real reason you want open pollinated "non hybrid" seeds, is so they breed true to type. If you want to preserve older genetics as they mention, great but you wont do it buying generic seed from these guys. Hybrids arent the boogey man some think though. You will still produce food, and in time youll likely have something better acclimated to your exact conditions anyway. But most people like to know what they will get, so prefer non hybrids.

It is easier every season to buy bulk grains and legumes. More and more small level growers are getting into it. Before the last few years, and even now it just isnt common for gardeners to grow grains and legumes, which in a survival situation is where youll hope to get most of your calories. I breed plants so Im rather biased in how Id answer this question... if you want it done right then find locally proven varieties, or if your in a place without much local ag, varieties proven with similar climates. Rounding out your grains and legumes with veggies and greens, and fruits is needed of course but the learning curve on them is larger and not as many calories. Remember your rosehips and fresh pine needles for vitamin C and most anyone with space and a basic understanding of gardening should be able to get a crop from grains and legumes that do well under local climate. try to start a few dozen types of crops all in one season the first time you ever grew is a recipe for failure. Ask any gardener. In fact you might even keep those seeds held back even in a survival situation or mostly held back and playing with a few plants. Get your legs under you with the high calorie stuff. potatoes are an amazingly easy crop for most of the nation, high production to, youll want TPS seed,(true potato seed- most grow potato from tuber which you cant store long term) hard to source but you can find it, they last 25-30 years easily without any special care. You cant really save seeds but if you garden the jerusalem artichokes are insanely easy, lots of easy calories. Mine grow here on prepared sites without any further help beyond having gotten them going in a proper site.

[68Camaro]

And you're not in business to do better because ...? I for one would buy from you.

[johnbrickner]

Thank you Treetop.

I was going to respond but you have surpassed my words and thoughts by several magnitudes.