10 Favorite Garden Catalogs

   I like to shop locally and support Pennsylvania small businesses whenever possible. But sometimes I’m looking for offbeat stuff or unusual varieties that I can only get online or via mail-order.

   An excellent web site for consumer reviews of these and just about all other mail-order companies is the Dave’s Garden website. It has a “Garden Watchdog” service with ratings and reviews that’s akin to a Better Business Bureau for gardening.

   Here are 10 of my favorite mail-order companies (and by the way, I don’t get any commission, kickback, or other earnings from the following mentions):

   1.) Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Mansfield, Missouri. 417-924-8917.

   This down-home company has become THE source for all things heirloom. The flagship seed catalog is loaded not only with great old-time, non-Frankenfood varieties (the ‘Ali Baba’ watermelon from Iraq, the alien-looking ‘Reisetomate’ tomato, the variegated ‘Fish’ hot pepper) but some edible oddities you’ve probably never seen, like the Chinese red noodle bean, the jelly melon (an African cucumber-like fruit) and the ‘Rat’s Tail’ radish (has edible seed pods).

   The paper catalog is more of a book with the best photography of any catalog out there. It’s earned a top spot on the prestigious Dave’s Garden Watchdog Top 30 of all companies.

   2.) Pinetree Garden Seeds, New Gloucester, Maine. 207-926-3400.

   This has been one of my main go-to seed companies for years. What I especially like is the family-owned company specializes in smaller packets at lower prices, which is ideal for experimenters and those with small gardens.

   The selection isn’t as broad as some catalogs, but the service is good, and the seeds are good. It’ll hold down your costs, and give you better quality than the dirt-cheap, poor-quality choices sometimes found at bargain outlets. Pinetree offers both edibles and flowers.

   3.) J.W. Jung Seed Co., Randolph, Wisconsin. 800-297-3123.

   This one’s a mainstream choice and from the same company that runs the Totally Tomatoes, Vermont Bean Seed, and R.H. Shumway Seeds catalogs. It’s been another of my long-time go-to seed suppliers for its good seeds, good selection, and decent prices (although higher lately than they used to be).

   Jung offers a mix of vegetables and flowers and does a particularly good job of picking out the latest and greatest varieties. I’ve always received what I ordered quickly.

   4.) Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Winslow, Maine. 877-564-6697. 

   Johnny’s is an employee-owned company with an excellent reputation and customer reviews that place it consistently among the best seed companies on Dave’s Garden Watchdog.

   The company has a nice selection of exclusive varieties, especially when it comes to edibles. You’ll find some high performers that no one has else.

   It also carries most of the All-America Selections winners and other new intros each year.

   5.) Territorial Seed Co., Cottage Grove, Oregon. 800-626-0866.

  If you’re a veggie gardener looking for excellent varieties – whether they’re heirlooms or the latest, greatest hybrids – this is one of the best mainstream catalogs.  

   The artwork isn’t the biggest or flashiest, but the selection is outstanding. You’ll find lots of choices for every crop – not just two or three.

   I’ve always had quick service, good seed germination and decent prices. One of Dave’s Gardens Top 5 for vegetable seeds, too.

   6.) Renee’s Garden Seeds, Felton, Calif. 831-335-8257.

   In the run-by-very-nice-people category is Renee Shepherd’s Renee’s Garden Seeds catalog. You’ll find a nice mix of heirlooms and hybrids here and especially a good selection of old-fashioned “cottage-garden” flowers like zinnias, larkspur, and cosmos in addition to herbs and vegetables.

   The web site is rich in info, too (i.e. building a vole-proof raised bed, attracting beneficial insects, when to plant what.)

   7.) Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, Gloucester, Virginia. 877-661-2852.

   Also run by some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, this is the place for ordering just about any spring or summer bulb you’d ever want to grow.

   You’ll find endless variety choices in the most familiar bulbs (tulips, daffodils) but also a long lineup of really cool plants that you don’t see just anywhere, like Allium christophii (an ornamental onion that blooms like a purple exploding star), a yellow-blooming blackberry lily called ‘Hello Yellow,’ and more than a dozen versions of fall crocuses.

   It’s another top performer on Dave’s Garden Watchdog.

   8.) One Green World, Molalla, Oregon. 877-353-4028.

   For unusual edibles, this mail-order company has every fruit tree and fruit bush you’ve probably ever heard of – and then some.

   It’s where I ordered a goumi berry, medlar tree, and persimmon for my son, and it’s a source for such fare as Asian pears, honeyberries, goji berries, jujubes, Cornelian cherries, and an interesting selection of heirloom apples.

   The plants will be small, so be patient.

   9.) Gardener’s Supply Co., Burlington, Vermont.  888-833-1412.

   Hundreds and hundreds of yard and garden supplies are available at this employee-owned company, founded by a group of Vermont gardeners. Gardener’s Supply offers just about everything from basics like fertilizers and plant supports to cutting-edge items like nitrile gloves and grow bags to bigger-ticket items like grow-light systems and teak furniture.

   Other than seeds and plants, if it has to do with gardening, odds are you’ll find it at Gardener’s Supply. Has a very good customer track record at Dave’s Garden Watchdog.

   10.) Planet Natural Garden Supply, Bozeman, Montana. 800-289-6656.

   As the name implies, Planet Natural specializes in all sorts of natural and organic gardening products.

   Been searching for Jamaican bat guano? Planet Natural has it. Compost tea bags? Check. Beneficial insects? Check. Neem oil for bugs? Check.

   But Planet Natural also carries a huge variety of just about anything you’d want or need to garden, including my prize Planet Natural purchase – a stainless steel, under-the-sink compost pail that’s sturdy, doesn’t rust, doesn’t smell, and looks like new after 20 years of use.