The Best Seed Companies For Organic, Non-GMO And Heirloom Seeds

When you’re seeking to purchase seeds to your vegetable backyard from socially accountable seed firms that aren’t related to GMOs, Bayer/Monsanto, or any of their subsidiaries, look no additional…

Why These Seed Firms Had been Chosen

Whereas there are a whole bunch of nice seed firms on the market that supply natural, heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, the next ten firms had been chosen not just for their dedication to heirloom and non-GMO seeds (by signing the Safe Seed Pledge) and our constructive expertise with their seeds and repair, but in addition as a result of they every have one thing particular about their enterprise practices that fosters better sustainability for folks and planet.

For instance, some concentrate on uncommon seed preservation, or they’re employee-owned, or they deal with breeding seeds which are tailored to a specific local weather. The bigger firms on this record carry natural, heirloom and non-GMO seed varieties, in addition to onion and garlic units, seed potatoes, asparagus crowns, berry crops, fruit bushes, instruments, soil amendments, and extra.

You probably have any questions on a seed firm, both listed under or in any other case, simply give them a name or ship them an e mail! Most are very comfortable to reply your questions.

I like to recommend that you simply take into account your values, your gardening wants and your native local weather and bioregion when selecting your seed sources.

Sustainable & Socially Accountable Heirloom Seed Firms

Seed Savers Exchange (Decorah, IA)

The Seed Savers Change (SSE) is a non-profit group working to avoid wasting heirloom backyard seeds from extinction. Their focus is on preserving heritage forms of seed that gardeners and farmers carry to North America when their households immigrate(d), and conventional varieties grown by Native Individuals, Mennonites and the Amish.

SSE’s 8,000+ members develop heirloom forms of greens, fruits and grains from everywhere in the world, and supply them to different members of their superb annual yearbook that has over 450 pages.

You could find virtually extinct forms of seed to attempt in your backyard, and all the cash you spend with the Seed Saver’s Change goes to serving to shield seed biodiversity.

That is, hands-down, my favourite place to search for thrilling new plant varieties for my backyard.

MIGardener (Port Huron, MI)

MIgardener is a thrilling, younger seed firm that has over 700 uncommon and distinctive vegetable, fruit, and flower seeds. All of their inventory is open pollinated, heirloom and organically grown by small household farms—and most seed packets price solely $2!

They’ve their very own natural fertilizer mix that individuals rave about, and are quickly increasing into offering berries, asparagus and different crop begins. Better of all, they supply a ton of enjoyable, free gardening training on their web site and YouTube channel.

MIGardener is devoted to preserving genetic range in seeds, and not too long ago helped save the ‘Big Crimson’ heirloom tomato from extinction, making these heritage seeds out there to gardeners for the primary time in 50 years!

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (Mansfield, MO)

Baker Creek is a family-owned enterprise who’s mission is to promote and protect our agricultural and culinary heritage. They provide a breathtaking catalog with over 500 pages of fantastically photographed crops, and web site with over 1,350 forms of greens, flowers and herbs—one of many largest alternatives of heirloom seeds within the U.S.

Baker Creek additionally carries one of many largest alternatives of seeds from the nineteenth century, together with many Asian and European varieties. Additionally they concentrate on uncommon and hard-to-find heirloom seeds from over 75 completely different nations.

Botanical Interests (Broomfield, CO)

Botanical Pursuits is a well known, 25-year previous, natural seed firm that carries over 600 forms of seed, together with a whole bunch of heirlooms greens, herbs and flowers. You possibly can usually discover a stand of Botanical Curiosity seed packets at backyard facilities and pure grocery shops within the U.S. They’re dedicated to natural gardening training, and their seed packets are among the most attention-grabbing, helpful and informative on the market.

All of Botanical Pursuits’ merchandise are sustainably made within the U.S., and they’re each licensed natural and Non-GMO Project verified. They’ve each a seed donation program and a seed fundraising program for colleges, shelters, and church buildings throughout the U.S.

Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply (Grass Valley, CA)

Peaceable Valley is a seed firm devoted to selling natural meals manufacturing that carries a big assortment of natural and heirloom vegetable and flower seeds, cowl crops, native grasses, pasture and garden seed, fruit bushes and berries, herbs, potatoes, onions and garlic.

Additionally they supply an amazing collection of gardening instruments, pest management, season-extending merchandise, composting provides, rising, propagating and irrigation tools, and books. They develop all the things organically, and so they wish to show you how to to take action, too!

Peaceable Valley gives particular pricing packages for farmers, college gardens and landscaping companies.

High Mowing Organic Seeds (Walcott, VT)

Excessive Mowing Natural Seeds is the corporate that initiated the creation of the Protected Seed Pledge—and so they stay as dedicated to natural gardening and heirloom seed preservation as ever! Along with drafting and signing the Protected Seed Pledge in 1999, Excessive Mowing took the additional step of changing into Non-GMO Project verified in 2014.

Excessive Mowing has over 700 natural seed varieties, together with many heirlooms, most of that are grown on their 40-acre, licensed natural farm in Vermont. They concentrate on seeds for rising in chilly climates. They’ve their very own lab, and preserve rigorous testing and sorting requirements, making certain that you simply all the time get the seed selection you ordered, and that it has good germination.

By their seed donation program, Excessive Mowing additionally helps neighborhood gardens, college gardens, church gardens, meals financial institution gardens, summer season camps, and catastrophe reduction teams.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds (Winslow, ME)

Johnny’s Chosen Seeds is a big, well-known employee-owned seed firm that was one of many 9 unique drafters of the Protected Seed Pledge, and so they stay dedicated to protected, sustainable plant breeding in the present day. Johnny’s has greater than 1,200 forms of hybrid, open pollinated and heirloom greens, medicinal, culinary herbs and flowers, together with a number of attention-grabbing varieties they’ve developed and patented themselves.

In case you are homesteading, farming or market gardening, Johnny’s supply bulk portions of seed, in addition to a wide range of cowl crops to maintain your soil in good condition. Additionally they have top quality gardening instruments, tools and equipment, soil amendments and natural pest management merchandise.

Whereas Johnny’s Chosen Seeds is a bigger, one-stop-shop for natural gardening and farming, their intensive website and catalog is filled with free, detailed rising directions and useful ideas, even in the event you don’t purchase seeds from them.

Clear Creek Seeds (Hulbert, OK)

Clear Creek is a small, family-owned enterprise specializing solely in heirloom seed varieties, together with flowers, herbs and greens. As a small firm, they’re able to present heat, extremely private customer support, nice costs and subsequent day transport.

Among the finest issues about Clear Creek is that every one their seeds are available BPA-free, see-through, waterproof, resealable packages! You possibly can immediately see what number of seeds you may have left, and so they all the time keep dry (even once you by chance go away them within the backyard. Simply saying…).

Territorial Seed Company (Cottage Grove, OR)

Territorial Seed is a big, family-owned firm whose mission is to “enhance folks’s self-sufficiency and independence by enabling gardeners to supply an abundance of fine tasting, fresh-from-the-garden meals.”

They trial and consider all their seeds at their farms, and the stay crops that they provide are raised of their farm greenhouses. They provide hybrid, open-pollinated and heirloom seed varieties which are notably suited to the Pacific Northwest local weather, or locations with comparable climate and rainfall.

Territorial’s germination requirements are larger than prescribed by the Federal Seed Act and their farm is licensed USDA Natural, Biodynamic® by Demeter USA, and Salmon-Protected by Salmon-Protected Inc. They’ve a 100% satisfaction assure.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (Mineral, VA)

Southern Publicity Seed Change gives over 800 forms of vegetable, flower, herb, grain and canopy crop seed. They emphasize varieties that develop effectively within the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S., and concentrate on uncommon Southern heirlooms, together with peanuts, southern peas, naturally coloured cotton, collards, okra, roselle, turnip greens, corn for roasting and meal, and butterbeans. Over 60% of their seed varieties are licensed natural and grown by small, native farmers.

Southern Publicity Seed Change is a worker-run cooperative the place each employee has a voice within the choices of the corporate and receives equal compensation. They’ve been very energetic within the struggle towards GMO contamination of our seed provide, and in 2011, joined 9 different members of the Natural Seed Growers and Commerce Affiliation in suing Bayer/Monsanto to guard natural seed.

Runner-Up: Seeds of Change (Rancho Dominguez, CA)

Seeds of Change is the oldest licensed natural seed firm within the U.S., however it was acquired in 2007 by the Mars firm, which sadly makes use of GMO corn, soy and sugarbeet in a few of their processed meals merchandise.

Sadly, for the reason that demand for wholesome, natural merchandise is so excessive, many natural manufacturers (like Annie’s, Erewhon, Horizon, Plum Organics, and more) have been purchased out by massive industrial meals companies (like Mars, Basic Mills, Coca-Cola, and so on.) who desire a piece of the market.

Solely you may determine if you wish to proceed to buy these manufacturers after they’ve been purchased by massive companies.

Nonetheless, you must know that the Seeds of Change analysis farm nonetheless operates identical to it did earlier than it was purchased by Mars. For over 30 years, they’ve unwaveringly provided 100% licensed natural, open-pollinated, hybrid (non-GMO) and heirloom seeds, and so they develop all their seeds on their farm or inside their community of different licensed natural farmers. They’ve additionally signed the Protected-Seed Pledge.

Seeds of Change wins “runner-up” as a result of they’ve the advertising energy of a big company behind them, which has each upsides and drawbacks for the setting and society. On the upside, Mars’ possession of Seeds of Change means you will get licensed natural seeds at Residence Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Entire Meals, and many different widespread retail chains nationwide.

This makes natural, open-pollinated and heirloom seeds accessible to anybody—together with the bulk of people that won’t have thought of the worth of natural, open-pollinated seeds earlier than. So in the event you don’t store on-line, otherwise you’re new to gardening and don’t know the place to begin, you may simply choose up Seeds of Change natural seeds to your backyard if you are out shopping for groceries or gentle bulbs.

You could find extra seed firms which have signed the Protected Seed Pledge here.

What’s an Heirloom Seed?

A seed selection is often thought of an heirloom whether it is open-pollinated, and existed greater than 50 years in the past. Heirloom seeds have been grown and saved era after era as a result of they’ve distinctive and particular traits that individuals need—like a string bean with a reasonably, purple-speckled pod as an alternative of plain inexperienced, or a lumpy, bumpy orange tomato that bursts with taste, for instance.

These fascinating seeds are sometimes handed down by means of households, however a number of seed firms and organizations have additionally helped protect heirloom seeds and make them extra extensively out there.

Why Select Heirloom Seeds?

Heirlooms Have Historical past

As a result of heirlooms are previous, many of those seed varieties have attention-grabbing histories. For instance, ‘Black Watchman’ hollyhock was grown in Thomas Jefferson’s backyard at Monticello (and it’s talked about in texts as early as 1629). By rising heirloom seeds, you’re preserving necessary, historic plant genetics, and also you get to take pleasure in uncommon or distinctive meals and flowers.

Heirlooms Are Time-Examined

If that’s the case many individuals have bothered to avoid wasting a specific plant’s seeds for posterity, you recognize it have to be actually particular. Heirlooms have been saved and planted throughout time due to their distinctive taste, magnificence, or hardiness.

Heirlooms Can Be Saved

All crops should be pollinated as a way to produce seeds. However not like hybrid seeds or GMOs, all heirloom seeds are naturally open-pollinated by wind or bugs. Which means that, with care, it can save you their seeds and they’re going to develop true to kind 12 months after 12 months.

Heirlooms are Assured Non-GMO

All heirloom seeds are non-GMO. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism, and means the seeds have been genetically altered in a lab utilizing recombinant DNA expertise, usually implanted with genes from unrelated species they might not naturally breed with. For instance, some GMO corn has been altered with genes from micro organism that assist them resist sure pests. So, by definition, licensed natural or heirloom seeds can’t be GMO.

What About Patented Seeds?

The Plant Patent Act was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1930. It was launched primarily to encourage plant breeding and improve plant genetic range. by making certain that breeders might make a return on their sizable analysis and improvement prices. Due to this Act, farmers and plant breeders nationwide had been capable of develop the large number of apples, berries, stone fruit, citrus, roses, lilacs, and extra that we take pleasure in in the present day.

The 2 most typical sorts of plant patent are:

Plant Selection Safety (PVP) – Plant Selection Safety patents are like copyrights. Like a copyrighted piece of writing, anybody can take pleasure in it, reproduce it for themselves and their buddies, use it as inspiration—however to publish it, promote it, or put it on a greeting card requires permission (and perhaps cash). Equally, gardeners and farmers are free to avoid wasting and replant PVP seeds for private use, however they could not promote them.

Utility Patents – Utility patents are extra controversial. A utility patent is granted by the USA Patent and Trademark Workplace primarily based on a novel and particular attribute of a person plant selection, like resistance to a particular illness. A plant selection with a utility patent can solely be used for crop manufacturing and can’t be used for seed saving to resell, give away, or replant, for 20 years from introduction. Utility patents have main ramifications for seed range and the livelihood of subsistence farmers who depend upon saved seed, however do not likely have an effect on American gardeners.

An increasing number of small and midsize seed firms are creating their very own patented seed varieties which have great traits like further illness safety, distinctive rising habits, or uncommon taste or coloring. However don’t fear: Nobody is worried about whether or not a house gardener saves 5o cents price of patented lettuce seed from one 12 months to the following for private use.

Seed firms know that dwelling gardeners are usually not making an attempt to generate profits from another person’s analysis and improvement. These patents are solely to guard the holder (for 20 years solely) from farmers, plant breeders, or competing seed firms stealing and making the most of their exhausting work.

The Protected Seed Pledge

The Protected Seed Pledge was conceived in 1999 when High Mowing Organic Seed Company led a coalition of 9 different seed firms in drafting a press release about their stance on recombinant DNA genetic engineering. Thus far, the Pledge has been signed by over 370 seed companies worldwide.

Signing the Protected Seed Pledge is completely voluntary and completely unregulated, however it’s a really protected wager that any firm that has signed the pledge and revealed it of their catalogs and web site is dedicated to the trigger.

It reads:

“Agriculture and seeds present the idea upon which our lives rely. We should shield this basis as a protected and genetically secure supply for future generations. For the good thing about all farmers, gardeners and shoppers who need another, we pledge that we don’t knowingly purchase or promote genetically engineered seeds or crops. The mechanical switch of genetic materials outdoors of pure reproductive strategies and between genera, households or kingdoms, poses nice organic dangers in addition to financial, political, and cultural threats. We really feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently examined previous to public launch. Extra analysis and testing is important to additional assess the potential dangers of genetically engineered seeds. Additional, we want to help agricultural progress that results in more healthy soils, genetically various agricultural ecosystems and in the end folks and communities.”

Up to date: January 3, 2024