Planning the Garden: The Catalogs
Some think that the gardening season starts in January, but I believe that the season starts in the October in the previous year. Before you can spend January hunched over the seeds you are excited to order, you have to first get the catalogs for the garden seasons. You can get your catalogs in print or electronic versions. Fortunately, many seed providers will provide their catalog to customers for free, you just need to provide your name and mailing address.
If you are looking for a compiled list of free seed catalogs, you can find them on the almanac website (here: 40+ Free Garden Seed Catalogs & Online Plant Sources | The Old Farmer's Almanac). During October, I check the seed providers that I enjoy’s websites daily until they are ready to collect information to put your name on the catalog list.
I have a handful of seed providers that I order from annually based on prior gardening experiences. Those seed catalogs are as follows:
1. Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Johnny’s seeds are absolutely amazing! They have a vast variety of seeds and the gardening tools they offer are incredible. I have ordered a variety of cutting knives and hardy plants from Johnny’s, specifically cabbages, onions, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower.
2. Burpee
Burpee is my old faithful catalog. It always has the type of fruits or vegetables that I am looking for when other catalogs fall short. In addition, since there are a lot of bugs near my house, sometimes I require hybrid bug resistant varieties, which Burpee has.
3. High Mowing Seeds
High Mowing Seeds also has a variety of seeds, but speaks to organic gardeners. In addition, I like that the seed provider is close to where I live, so I know the varieties are good for the generic area.
4. Gurney’s
Gurney’s is renown for the flavorful varieties of fruits and vegetables. I personally am a giant fan of their tomatoes (mortgager) and zucchini. They also are very generous with the coupons they provide on the front page of the catalog.
5. Baker Creek
Baker Creek is a classic seed provider catalog. I first became aware of this seed provider from other homesteaders. I truly enjoyed the dill and Ozark Green Bell Peppers that I order in 2023. These plants grew quickly and abundantly. I have reordered for this year.
6. Botanical Interest
Full disclosure, this is the first year that I have ordered this catalog. Last year, I got the a few Botanical Interest seeds from a small farmstand and coffee shop operation. I purchased eggplant, green beans, and sunflowers. I started these seeds indoors in February and the Botanical Interest seeds were the first to germinate, the strongest growing plants, and transplanted without any hiccups. So this year, I chose to order the catalog and expand the number of seeds I will purchase from this provider.
Once you put your name and mailing address on the list for your free catalog, all you have to do is eagerly await the arrival of your catalogs. The catalogs that I listed above, usually arrive between mid-November and the first week of January.
