Grow a truly organic garden from start to finish & preserve crop diversity by planting organic seeds. Here are several good places to find them…

If you’re an organic gardener, it’s important to plant organically grown seeds whenever possible. Organic seeds are a good way to avoid genetically modified varieties, and they also help to preserve plant variety and diversity.

And you’ll continue to preserve the line by producing plants that also produce organic seeds if you stick to organic growing practices. Over time, you can begin saving your own seeds from many varieties, so you won’t have to buy as many new seeds each spring.

It’s not difficult to find organically grown seeds these days. They do cost a bit more but the benefits are worth it! As you conduct your search for organic seeds, here are a few sources to start with.

Online Catalogs – There are many online seed catalogs that you can shop from, and once you have ordered from a few, you will likely start receiving paper catalogs as well each spring. You can also request a free catalog from many seed companies online. Here’s a list of 60 to check out.

Local Garden Stores – Most local garden centers carry some organic seeds. Sometimes you can buy smaller quantities of seeds locally, which may end up costing less than buying a big package that’s more than you need from a seed catalog.

Friends and Family – If you have friends and family who regularly garden using organic methods, you can sometimes get seeds from them that they’ve grown and produced. This is a great source for organic seeds, as you can also get feedback and growing tips from them on how each variety has grown and produced for them in the past, and which varieties they like best.

Seed Savers Exchange – Join a club where everyone agrees to organic practices and to save and preserve seeds to share with each other! You can order online or you can join a local branch of the group and swap seeds with each other.

Amazon – You can find just about anything on Amazon.com – yes, even organic seeds! Just be sure to check out the business selling the seeds to make sure that they are certified organic and you’re getting what you pay for.

Survival Seeds – One popular source of seeds these days is survival seed vaults. Look for heirloom survival seeds, which you can be assured are from a good line of well-producing plants, and make sure they are labeled as organic.

Biodynamic Seeds – Biodynamic seeds are usually grown using organic practices that consider local growing environments and produce better for certain areas.

From Your Own Plants – Last but not least, don’t forget that when you grow your own food organically, you have access to a great source of organic seeds from your own garden! Learn how to preserve your seeds yourself each growing season to ensure you have an ongoing source of organic seeds for planting year after year.

When buying seeds, be sure to read the labels carefully and check out the supplier to ensure that you’re getting what you pay for. Try to get untreated, organic, heirloom seeds. Don’t be afraid of hybrid seeds either, although remember that you won’t be able to save the seeds from these.

Also, realize that some farmers don’t want to pay the extra cost for having “certified organic” seeds even when they use organic growing methods. It’s best to buy seeds from those you trust, and if you’re buying from a small, local grower, don’t worry too much about whether something says “certified” unless you also want them to be certified.