So, I was recently asked a really good question:
“What’s your favorite seed company? Why do you use that company for your homestead?”
There’s a ton of places to buy seeds out there, a ton of great places, actually!
I’ve bought seeds from:
- Baker Creek
- Burpee
- SeedsNow
- American Seed Co
- Ferry Morse
- Various eBay Sellers
- …. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
I’ve bought seeds here and there, whether on a whim or during a big seed-buying binge (the winter blues are to blame!).
For the most part, I have yet to encounter truly bad seeds; generally, everything sprouts and grows as expected!
However, not all seed companies are created equal, and all of them are going to have their pros and cons.
I try to purchase my seeds from different companies, in an effort to get everything I need for the lowest price in the quantities I require. I can’t always get the lowest price on everything (especially rare varieties), but I use all kinds of methods to save money on the homestead.
I know, that sounds difficult; but you get the hang of things quickly, and I’ll tell you how to go about it!
This brings me to my favorite seed company: SeedsNow!
This is always where I start when buying my seeds for the year. I generally buy from them 2 or 3 times per year, and I placed my first order in 2016. I’ve had to contact customer service just ONE time: and that was a great experience. So, let’s discuss why I love them…
The Price of Seeds: 4/5
This is one of the best companies to shop with if you’re looking for a great price on your seeds. It’s nearly impossible to find organic seeds this cheap, which is why I love this company! Of course, I’m speaking in regards to the sampler packs mostly, as those are generally what I purchase from this company.
The sampler packs will run you either $0.99 or $1.99; depending on the variety. Most are $0.99, though! Certain seeds are a bit high priced for what they are, but that is something that is common across some companies. For example, you might pay $1.99 for 10 seeds of a particular kind of squash; that’s not the hottest deal at $0.20 a seed, but it’s likely cheaper than going somewhere else (like Baker Creek) to pay $3+ for twice the amount of seed when you don’t need that much. Unless you’re sharing plants with friends, or fighting with squash vine borers and squash bugs (check out my awesome concoction for this issue) you might as well cut the costs where you can.
Sometimes you can catch a really hot discount code or sale price (whether it be 30% off, BOGO, or free shipping), but I will say: the discounts and coupons aren’t as good as they once were. For the next few days, they DO have a 30% off sale though, which is pretty neat!
The Quality of Seeds: 5/5
The quality of the seeds that I have received from SeedsNow is downright incredible! I’ve ordered over half of their inventory over the years, I swear to it. To say that I’ve been satisfied is an understatement. Unless the type of seed has a low germination rate as a whole, I’ve had excellent germination rates out of their seeds. Many times, all seeds pop up!
Did I mention they were organic? Organic seed companies rarely skimp on quality, which was one reason I gave them a try in the first place. Obviously, I was (and have been) a happy customer.
If you ever have an issue with seed quality (I’ve only had this issue once, and I’ve had lots of bean orders that came through perfectly intact!), be sure to contact customer service. They take care of their customers, which I will get into momentarily.
Oh and, their seeds are heirlooms not hybrids, which means you can save the seeds and grow the same plants again! Of course, you need to make sure you prevent cross pollination in order to collect pure seed, and I always recommend this process when saving tomato seeds. If you wind up with a hybrid from saved seed, it means the flower you saved seed from was pollinated with the pollen from a different variety.
The Descriptions and Product FAQ: 3/5
SeedsNow could really use some improvement here- truly. There are some things that they just don’t mention in product descriptions, and other things are simply copied and pasted between varieties.
For example: they might have a copy and paste description of tomato plants and their care as a whole; however, they may only have a single line describing, say, yellow pear tomatoes as an individual variety. Now I’m not sure what their current description looks like for yellow pear tomatoes; this is just a vague example.
Of course, for many of us, we already know what many of these varieties are, their traits, how far apart to plant the different tomato varieties, and how we need to care for them. For the new homesteader, their descriptions could use significant improvement (which would likely improve sales for them, so the customer doesn’t have to do their own research.) You’ll notice that they don’t mention certain traits of plant varieties (like whether a tomato is a slicer or a paste tomato, or whether a plant is determinate or indeterminate, some may not mention whether they are annuals or perennials, etc). Another good feature I think they should add is what a plant is susceptible to, such as pests, disease, or particular deficiencies.
I realize most seed companies don’t do this; but what’s better than giving your customers all of the information that you can gather? The reviews on the products are certainly helpful, so I always recommend that people pay attention to these when shopping. Some will even warn you of particular care techniques, such as how to overwinter different herbs or how to insulate asparagus during winter.
This is a very small bump in the road, and I would expect this for a company that isn’t quite as large as Burpee, Ferry Morse, Baker Creek, etc. It may be a bit confusing for new gardeners, but the quality of the seeds and customer care more than make up for this.
The Shipping Speed and Costs: 3/5
Here’s where you’ll hesitate: the shipping. The last time I checked, shipping was between $3 and $4, with free shipping if you buy $20 in seeds or other items. This is not terrible by any standard; but some companies, like Baker Creek, offer free shipping on all orders. Thus, if you’re just trying to buy 2 or 3 packs of seed, the shipping might set your costs a bit higher. If you get free shipping, I’d rate 5/5! (Pro Tip: If you sign up for their email lists, they send out free shipping discount codes several times per year. Just sign up, have patience, and you’ll eventually get one. I’ve been subscribed for a few years now.)
SeedsNow is great for bigger purchases to push you over the $20 limit for free shipping, which is what I try to aim for when I can’t get free shipping coupon codes.
They ship incredibly fast too; I love how quickly the seeds arrive! During the congested part of the year (late winter/early spring), it can take a little longer. But I’m pretty sure this is a small company with a small staff; therefore, we’ve got to give them the benefit of the doubt here, and assume that they’re doing their best to keep up!
The Variety and Selections: 4/5
First things first: this isn’t Baker Creek (you know, the master of variety!) Still, the variety is out of this world. This company offers lots of your basic seeds, some pretty cool varieties, and even a few of the more rare types. This is the stop to make before you purchase seeds from Baker Creek to save a lot of money.
Technically, you could find everything you need for quite a varied homestead garden through SeedsNow alone. You can’t find stuff like Jelly Melons, Sakata’s Sweet Melon, Galaxy Tomatoes, White Nighting Corn, Potato Cucumbers, and other neat things here, but those aren’t items that your typical gardener is looking for. They cater to the average gardener or homesteader, for now.
(Here I sit, quietly waiting for them to expand their inventory. Come on guys, I’d really like to see something new up for grabs!)
The Samplers: 5/5
Okay, sure; you pay less, you get less seed. I get that.
But who really needs to pay $4 for 50 seeds of one type of slicer tomato? Most people don’t need 50 seeds.
Rarely do people ever need 10 seeds- which is roughly what you’ll get for the $0.99 to $1.99 price point with them.
The same goes for sweet peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, herbs… generally, you’ll get what you need from these little packets.
The best part is, every item lists how many seeds you can expect in a sampler pack! Therefore, you can make decisions easily about who you’ll buy your seeds from.
Unless you’re going to give the seeds away, trade them, or sell the seedlings, you likely won’t use them all during their viable lifespan. Instead of spending $50 on 10 to 20 packets of seed, you could buy 25 to 50 packets, giving you far more variety.
The Customer Service: 5/5
I only had to contact customer service one time. I’ve purchase so many seeds from this company over the course of 3 years, and I couldn’t be happier with my experience.
The one time I contacted customer service was over seed viability. I was not happy with the germination rate at all. To be honest, not a single seed germinated. They quickly sent a package in the mail, which I received faster than most companies would send an email in- that’s a big deal!
Inside of that package was not one replacement for the product in question, but two; they wanted to make sure that I got plenty of seeds to avoid the same problem.
Later on, I realized that the germination problem was actually just the nature of the plant in question; still, this company made sure to replace them, even though it was not their fault that the seeds wouldn’t germinate well. That’s Lavender for you! This experience sealed the deal as a customer; I will forever support them first when I need to increase my seed supply (hence why I wish they would expand their inventory, so I can do my happy dance and load my cart up!)