Good plants start with good seeds. That's why finding reputable sources to buy seeds is a key factor for success. While purchasing transplants or seedlings can help to establish your garden quickly, seed starting is a much more cost-effective option. It also allows you to get a head start on your garden and try more unique varieties that are harder to find in stores.
Here's everything you need to know about when and where to buy seeds, so you're ready to grow as soon as spring arrives.
Where to Buy Seeds
Before buying seeds for the upcoming growing season, take inventory of what types and quantities of seeds you need. It’s generally best to purchase slightly more seed than you think you'll need to account for the possibility of low germination rates or other unforeseen seed-starting issues. Purchasing seeds early in winter allows you to get all the varieties you want before stores have sold out for the season.
While many local garden centers and home improvement stores offer a wide range of seed each spring, those options are fairly limited to more traditional flowers and vegetables. When purchasing seeds locally, timing may also be an issue. Some seeds are simply offered by retailers too late in the spring for them to be grown successfully.
For these reasons, many gardeners buy seeds online through various retailers. Reputable online seed companies ship year-round. This allows you to order seeds at the correct time for planting. You’ll also get to choose from a much wider selection of heirloom and open-pollinated seed types.
It's important to buy good quality seeds from reputable sources for the highest chance of success in your garden. It's often difficult to determine how trustworthy an online source is. That's why we created the Gardening Know How Shop. We only sell high-quality non-GMO seeds from Park Seed that our gardening experts have approved, so you know you're getting the best start for your garden.
Park Seed has been a trusted source for home gardeners since 1868. Explore dozens of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds hand-selected by our team of gardening experts.
Other Ways to Find Seeds
If purchasing seeds for the garden is not an option, there are other places to get seeds. If you already have established green spaces, you may find that harvesting seeds from your own garden is ideal. If you plan to save your own seeds, plan accordingly during the growing season so seeds have ample time to mature before they're harvested.
After mature seeds are collected from open-pollinated varieties, they can be further dried in a cool place. When they've dried, store seeds in paper envelopes and label them.
Collecting your own garden seeds is also an excellent way to share among other growers. Seed exchanges are especially popular within community gardens and in gardening groups on social media platforms. This is an easy way to expand your garden at little cost, as well as diversify your plantings.
Start Your Seeds Right
- Find all the seed starting tools you need in the Gardening Know How Shop for a successful garden this year.
- Seeds make for great gifts! Find out which flower seeds our Senior Editor is gifting everyone she knows.
- Explore more seed starting gifts for gardeners that any green thumb would love to receive any time of year!
This article features products available from third party vendors on the Gardening Know How Shop.