Tips for buying seeds online

Get all the tips and tricks for buying seeds online before you start planning your spring and summer garden!

Christmas is over, friends, and do you know what that means? It’s time to garden plan! Here I am in the dead of winter with temperatures actually reaching 0 degrees this week and I’m dreaming of spring.

Garden planning in the winter when things are slow really helps to get me through some of these colder months. And, it’s time to start buying seeds online now to make your spring and summer gardens a success.

Here’s a few of my tips and tricks for buying seeds online.

Buy in the winter

Why do you want to buy seeds online in the winter? Because that’s when everyone has all their seeds in stock. If you wait until March to start thinking about seeds, you will find that some places have already sold out.

Not to mention, most people have a bit more time in the winter due to the weather (or at least they do in my zone, which is 5b). I find when the craziness of Christmas is over, and my mind is calm, buying seeds online becomes more of a pleasureful activity. Waiting until March to find what I want is a recipe for stressing me out.

Know your garden zone

Before you even begin buying seeds online, you need to know your garden zone. This will help to determine what you can grow at your home or when you can grow it. For instance, I live in Western Michigan by the lake in zone 5b. It’s January right now and 10 degrees today. Unless I’m growing in the green house with a space heater or in the house, I can’t grow anything. However, people in the Southern region of the United States are experiencing weather and temperatures that’s perfect for growing cold weather crops like lettuces, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach and more.

Be real about your space

I buy a lot of seeds because I have a large gardening space. However, if you are gardening in two beds in the suburbs, like I used to, you might not have as much room. Understand the space you have for growing and exactly how many plants you can fit into that space before buying seeds online.

Buy from a variety of sources

I think in some corners of Instagram, it is believed that you need to buy from small, local shops who only sell heirloom seeds to be a true gardener. But I’ve honestly found that buying seeds from a variety of sources works best for me, and here’s why…

Certain places have wonderful seeds for some vegetables and flowers. However, I have yet to find one place that has all the best seeds for every single vegetable and flower. Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and if there’s one place where you want variety it is in the garden.

Here’s some of my go-to places when buying seeds online. Some of these are BIG stores that you’ve probably heard from, and some are smaller stores that only sell certain kinds of seeds.

Larger Seed Companies I buy from

Gurneys – They call themselves, “America’s most complete seed company,” and they’ve been around since the mid-1800’s. They have a wide selection of seeds for vegetables and flowers, tubers, roots, berry bushes, fruit trees and other trees and shrubs.

Burpee – Burpee is a big brand that’s been around. You will find it in most big box stores, but it’s a trusted seed brand and they’re really done a lot to expand their organic offerings in the last few years. They’re also cost effective and will give you a good number of seeds for the price.

Eden Brothers – I like Eden Brothers because I can always find what I’m looking for there. They’re a fairly new company compared to some of the other’s but they have a wonderful selection of seeds, bulbs and tubers at affordable prices.

Park Seed – This company was founded 150 years ago and it’s a fairly large seller even though to me it’s not a household name. However, they have an amazing selection, and they are fairly priced too. I bought most of my seeds from them this year and last year I actually bought a mushroom growing kit from them for the kitchen counter.

Smaller Seed companies I buy from

Baker Creek Seeds – Baker Creek is one of my favorite places to buy from. They have Heirloom seeds and I always find something to be excited about when buying from them. A lot of my sunflowers and tomatoes are bought here.

Floret – Floret has become a huge influencer in the cut flower world due to the owner’s books and the fact that she now has a show on the new Magnolia Network. I’ve enjoyed growing her flowers but they do not sell seeds all year round. They tend to have flash sales in January and I noticed that this year they dramatically increased prices too.

Uprising Seeds – This is a small, organic family-owned farm where all the seeds are organic and open pollinated. They offer a little something for everyone and I love that it’s a family company.

Seed Savers – This is a non-profit company that includes more than 300 growers. They also sell many seeds in bulk, which is perfect if you’re looking to really dig into some dirt.

Renee’s Garden  – This is a very small company I stumbled last year and I don’t remember why. However, my loofah came from here and it did amazingly well. I bought from them again this year.

Baker Creek Seeds – Hudson Valley Seed Co. has a great selection of flowers that are organic and open pollinated. Since Floret sold out so quickly this year, I turned to Hudson Seed Valley Co. and can’t wait to see how they do this season.

High Mowing Organic Seeds – High Mowing only sells organic seeds and they offer them year round. A great source for the organic gardener!

Peaceful Valley at Grow Organic – I love the seeds from this nursery. They have a wide selection that’s grown well for me over the last few years. I also love that they have a blog with plenty of tips and tricks.

This year I’ve already purchased from Baker Creek, Eden Brothers, Hudson Valley, Park Seeds, Renee’s Seeds, High Mowing Organic Seeds and Floret.

Buying seeds online to really use

I don’t generally plan out my entire garden before buying seeds. That might sound counter-productive but planning my actual garden grid takes time. It sometimes takes me weeks and I don’t want to wait to buy seeds once January arrives.

Instead, I follow a few rules for buying seeds.

1. Grow what you will eat – For us this means a variety of tomatoes, maybe two kinds of peppers, cucumbers, one or two kinds of eggplant, watermelon, cantaloup, beans, peas, lettuces, tomatillos, onions, shallots, corn, herbs and squash – including pumpkins which I usually only use for décor.
2. Grow something that excites you. Last year it was loofah seeds and sunflowers. This year I have yet to find something I want to try.
3. Grow something you would be proud to share or give. For me this is more about flowers. I ended up with an abundance of them last year and this year we are planning to have a cut flower garden near our drive where people can drive up and pick their own.

When buying seeds online, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the seeds and either buy nothing or buy everything. So, for me, this is a simple way of looking at it.

Of course, like I mentioned above, you also need to be aware of the space you have. If you only have one or two garden beds, you might really have to think about just that first bullet point and concentrate on growing what your family will actually use.

Mix it up for the pollinators

Even if you just want to grow vegetables, try to work in a few flowers too when buying seeds online too. This will be beneficial for the pollinators and your garden. Growing flowers that attract insects like bees and butterflies will help ensure that your vegetables or fruits get pollinated too. Plus, it gives those all important pollinators a reason to hop on over to your yard.

Don’t buy discounted or old seeds

People often ask if you can use old seeds. The answer is yes, you can use old seeds from previous years’ purchases. However, I don’t recommend buying them. Old seeds are less likely to be successful when it comes to germination. For instance, instead of a 90 percent germination rate, you might only get a 60 percent germination rate. For this reason alone, I don’t recommend spending your money on seeds that have been harvested from previous year. If you have them and want to use them, great! If you don’t, just buy new ones. You’ll be better off in the long run.

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope that you found this informative and you enjoy buying seeds online this season. For more gardening tips, click {HERE}. And make sure to check out the best herbs and flowers for keeping bugs away {HERE}.