7 Recommended Seed Sellers on Amazon

As much as I love Baker Creek Seeds, sometimes I just need to shop Amazon. I really do love shopping there, as I feel safe knowing if a problem arises with the shipment or product, Amazon will take care of it without question. The sellers are held to consumer standards, not their own, so getting scammed on Amazon is very, very rare.

Over the past year we’ve tried out seeds from several different Amazon sellers. Most were wonderful, although there were a few bad apples in the bunch. Even still, we were out nothing because Amazon is quick to refund or replace.

This list only includes the sellers we had fabulous results with. All seed were shipped safely and grew properly, and some even threw in extra bonus seeds with the shipment. Their prices are also fair, and don’t require Amazon prime or a $35 minimum to take advantage of decent shipping prices (all of these shops sell outside of the Amazon warehouse, yet still must follow the guidelines and policies of Amazon).

All Good Things Organic
We’ve only purchased one package of seeds from this seller, but that one seed packet produced amazing results. We ordered Organic Hopi Red Dye Amaranth Seeds from this seller last winter, and immediately planted a test seed in a container. The amaranth grew, although it stays small being in a container, so we did as planned and planted them outside. However, before we got the seeds in the ground, we make a pretty bad mistake that I thought would have destroyed the seeds. We accidentally left the package outside overnight and it rained a bit. We planted them anyway, although I didn’t expect much. How pleasantly surprised we were to see just about every single seed pop up as it was suppose to. HIGHLY recommended individual seed seller out of California.

Red Hopi Dye Amaranth

Renee’s Garden
From this store we purchased organic cat grass mix, which grew like, well, grass. Very fast, very furious, and the cats absolutely love it. No issues whatsoever, and I feel safe knowing my cats are getting the grass they want to eat without the chemicals or Round-up ready grass you find outside. I found it so easy to grow that I purchased another package of seeds from this seller – Alpine Mignonette Strawberry Seeds. These proved to be a bit trickier to grow, however, the germination rate was perfect. No fault of the seeds or seller, just a gardening curve on my part to keep a pickier plant alive. They do have their own website and fabulous articles about growing their seeds, so there IS help. I’ve managed to keep two plants growing for 8 months now, mostly thanks to the tips and care instruction provided by this seller. Again, highly recommended.

Alpine Mignonette Strawberries

No Thyme Productions
We couldn’t be happier with the seeds that came from this seller, even if they aren’t specifically a seed store. We purchased Dill Bouquet Certified Organic Heriloom Seeds and Lettuce Butterhead Buttercrunch Certified Organic Seed, both from Botanical Interests. Now you could purchase Botanical Interests seeds from any seller on Amazon, but I will say this: we purchased two packages of the same brand from a different seller and nothing grew. I really, truly believe seeds can be mishandled and stored incorrectly to the point they become non-viable and believe that is what happened with the other seller. However, the seeds purchased from No Thyme Productions germinated perfectly and are thriving like weeds. So if you do purchase Botanical Interests, be sure the seller is “No Thyme Productions” or another on this list, even if it costs a few extra cents.

Little Lettuce Sprouts

Seed Kingdom
This storefront on Amazon seems to sell a lot of other brands of seeds, although our Boston Pickling Cucumber Seeds were packaged directly by Seed Kingdom. They came in a small bag with a label, along with their website in case we ran into problems. Well, we didn’t. The cucumbers are TAKING OVER the garden and producing more cucumbers than we can handle. These seeds were for sure a winner.

Boston Pickling Cucumber

Seed Needs
We’ve only purchased one package of seeds from this seller, but it was enough to decided they were alright in our book. The Cape Forget-Me-Not (Anchusa capensis) Seeds by Seed Needs sprouted as they should inside, although I’ve been struggling to keep them alive. I always judge a seed seller on germination rates, as I feel that’s a seed sellers main responsibility to ensure the seeds will at least grow. After sprouting, it’s up to the gardener to take proper care of them. All the seeds we’ve planted have grown properly, even if I’m not being a very good plant mother.  I’m sure with a little TLC they will grow just fine.

The Dirty Gardener
Two successful batches of seeds have come from this seed seller: Morning Glory Seeds and Roman Chamomile . Morning glories aren’t difficult to grow, so these sprouted and bloomed without fail. Even after planting a 100 foot row of morning glories (with a few replanted seeds after bunnies got them) and several inside, we’ve still got a ton of leftover seeds. The chamomile is also thriving indoors in two places and germinated without issue. HIGHLY recommended seller!

Roman Chamomile

Ohio Heirloom Seeds
The last recommended seed seller we purchased from more than once. The first time we purchased Catnip Seeds. Knowing how difficult these are to germinate and how germination rates are usually low, I was extremely impressed with how well these seeds grew. So impressed that we ordered from the same company again. The second batch was a larger order of Scallions, Fennel, and Atomic Red Carrots. So far only the carrots have sprouted from the new order, but we’ve only had these seeds a few weeks. After seeing the other successful sprouts, I have no doubts they’ll do just fine.

Catnip growing indoors under florescent lights.

Are there sellers on Amazon you recommend, or do you sell seeds on Amazon? We are always open to trying out new seeds and new companies, just as long as they are organic or non-GMO. Feel free to contact us if you’d like to see your Amazon store featured here. 🙂

Happy gardening!

After Challenge Update: The Seed List

It was a fun 30 days, but I have to admit I am relieved it’s over. My backyard is becoming a bit overgrown and my attention needed to be out there with all the currently growing plants. However, I have quite a lot coming on indoors which tickles me to see. I’m so glad we planted for a solid 30 days!

So here’s the breakdown of what we planted this month….

Cilantro 
For these seeds, we actually used three different sources. The first  was an older packet and they were planted in the north kitchen window. The next was also planted in the north kitchen window, but the seeds used were directly off a flower that had finished blooming. Both of these are growing a bit slow, due to low light conditions. The final seeds were from a free packet we received from Baker Creek Seeds, sown upstairs under grow lights with quite a few other plants. This one is strongest of the bunch, fully caught up and grown taller than the others.

Cilantro sprouts

Catgrass
Over the month I gave a few updates on the cat grass. It’s still growing fine, but may need replanted again soon. The cats are chowing it down at a fairly fast rate. We used the same seeds through the entire challenge and I do highly recommend them. They were from Amazon, specifically Renee’s Garden Cat Grass Mix.

Cat Grass

Forget-Me-Nots
These aren’t doing the greatest in pots. The flowers in the fairy garden were doing better than the ones in an individual pot, until the cats thought the fairy garden was a bed for them. I’ll have to do a bit of work on our fairy garden and hopefully the Forget-Me-Nots will survive. I don’t blame the seeds or the seller, just myself for improper care of seedlings. If you are interested in trying them out, they were Cape Forget-Me-Not (Anchusa capensis) Seeds by Seed Needs

Garlic Bulbs
I have a hell of a time keeping garlic alive, and this one was no different. For this experiment I did not use seeds, but rather scraps that we had from a store-bought garlic clove. It was sprouting just fine when I planted it, but I believe the soil was far too rich and moist to keep it going. I started over with new scraps since I am determined to grow garlic correctly.

Lettuce
I’m happy to report the lettuce is doing just fine in the big indoor box in our south window. The seeds we planted this month are still little sproutlings, yet the lettuce that went in a month ahead is nearly ready to harvest. It’s hard to find the little guys right now, but I assure you there are there and growing. I’m sure they will grow a little better once the big guys are out of the way. If you do purchase Butterhead Buttercrunch Lettuce Seeds from Botanical Interest on Amazon, make sure the seller is No Thyme Productions as we have had no issues with their seeds.

Butterhead Lettuce

Salad Mix
Growing beautifully with a random amaranth under grow lights, the salad mix is getting close to harvest. I can’t wait to mix this with the buttercrunch lettuce! These seeds were purchased last year at Target, so obviously they were Burpee brand.

Catnip
These seeds don’t have the best germination rate (and honestly, I doesn’t matter where you purchase them – catnip just IS hard to germinate from seed), yet we’ve got a few just beginning to sprout.  I see no problems with this plant as the hardest part is over. Now it’s just a matter of keeping it properly watered and growing along side the other two plants.  If you are interested in growing catnip from seed, I highly recommended Organic Catnip Seeds from Ohio Heirloom Seeds on Amazon.

Oregano
Also just beginning to sprout and going strong. The other oregano growing in the house is also doing well, even when I don’t get them watered right away. The oregano actually prefers not to be overwatered. Organic Oregano by All Good Things Organic can be found on Amazon.

Dill
Sprouting like mad, although not nearly fast enough to keep up with the amount of cucumbers we’ve harvested. I had to break down and purchase dill seeds to make pickles. Hopefully we can keep a better stock of both dill and dill seeds in the future. There was enough in the packet we purchased (Botanical Interests Bouquet Dill Seeds) and they germinated perfectly, we just haven’t planted enough. Really these should have gone outside earlier this spring, but too late now. We just have to make due with them indoors.

Dill sprouts

Potatoes
The original bucket of potatoes is still growing strong, with the newer ones just starting to sprout. So far the weather outside has cooperated and given us plenty of rain. When it starts to cool off this fall, both buckets will have a home inside to finish flowering. Thankfully the spot is all set up and currently growing carrots and peas.

Bucket Potatoes

Rosemary
These herb sprouts aren’t getting a whole lot of sun right now and are a bit blocked out by the rest of the plants growing in the big south window tub. It’s fine they take their time grown, as I really only planted them as a companion herb for the rest. I don’t cook with it often, so don’t have a clue what to use it for when it matures. Thankfully I still have time to figure it out.

Peas
Since they are just starting to pop out of the dirt, there isn’t much to report on how these are doing inside or how they’ll do this fall when I go to transplant them. I am pleased to see them sprouting inside the big bucket though, as I’m anxious to see if they produce well.

Snow Pea Sprout

Ground Cherries
I couldn’t believe how fast these guys sprouted as they were toward the end of the challenge. Yet there they are, every seed planted is coming up. They’ll be transplanted to the big bin upstairs with the peas as soon as they are big enough.

Onion
Apparently much easier to keep alive than garlic, the onion is sprouting and growing in a bucket outside without trouble. We’ve had some big storms roll through as well that didn’t seem to bother them in the least. In fact, they grew extremely fast and furious in the short time they’ve been sitting in a bucket outside.

Onion Sprouts

Carrots
I was afraid there would be enough light for the Atomic Red Carrots to sprout, but I’m please to see they are sprouting beautifully. It only took them about a week to pop out of the dirt.

Morning Glories
We’ve had a special set of issues with the morning glories. A few nasty storms knocked over the fence and I’m honestly not sure how many are going to survive. Lesson learned – wood posts don’t necessarily stay put in rich soil, especially when massive amounts of vines are weighing them down. We plan to replace the wood posts next year with metal, or at least set up a more sturdy structure for them to climb on.

 

So far, that’s all we’ve got growing. Some of the other seeds will take a good month to even sprout, and some I gave up on completely (like the Lemon Balm – I have been offered cuttings from established plants, so will go that route since the seeds gave me such trouble). All in all though, we’ve added a lot indoors and out, so the challenge was well worth it. 🙂

 

 

Challenge Day 20: Update

Today I planted the last round of cilantro for the month, but wanted to give a few update. There are all kinds of fun sprouts popping up from all the seeds and bulbs I’ve planted thus far.

 

Cilantro

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know I’ve planted different cilantro seeds twice before today. The first ones in the window are sprouting, but slower than the planter upstairs under florescent lights. I don’t believe the kitchen window gets nearly enough sun to get herbs started properly, but it’s an alright spot after they are established.

Cilantro Sprouts (grown under florescent lights) 

Catgrass

Have I mentioned how easy it is to grow grass for the cats? Even the seeds I planted a few days ago are sprouting already!

Cat grass is growing beautifully!

 

Forget-Me-Nots

I wasn’t sure how these were going to get along inside, but so far they are looking pretty good. Both containers we planted these seeds in are sprouting. Really can’t wait to see how these flowers look in the fairy garden.

Forget-Me-Not sprouts

 

Garlic Bulb

We planted this guy 2 weeks ago and he’s still going strong. I honestly think I should have used a slightly better draining and lighter soil, although I have resisted the urge to over water it. My other attempts at growing garlic outside have not worked out well, I suspect due to our backyard soil being too heavy and rich.

Garlic Bulb Sprouting

Salad Mix

Another set of easy growing seeds that have exploded in sprouts. SUPER excited about this one, since these little salad sprouts are right on track with the lettuce planted a month ahead. They should all be ready to eat at the same time.

Mesclun Salad Mix

 

 

Lettuce

The seeds that were planted this month probably won’t go with the salad mix, but are sprouting just the same. They should be starting to mature after the first round of lettuce is done. We’ll be sure to plant the salad mix again soon to go with this batch.

Little Lettuce Sprouts

 

 

Tiny Sprouts

Oregano, roman chamomile, and catnip have all just barely come up. The oregano and catnip  sprouted just fine under florescent lights (daylight spectrum bulbs, not generic fluorescent bulbs). The roman chamomile, which I was most concerned with in the fairy garden, is just barely peeking out through the soil.

Some of the trickier seeds haven’t come up, although I didn’t fully expect them to just yet. Some will take nearly a month to sprout and some haven’t even finished the stratification process. When they do, I’ll be sure to post updates of them as well!

Challenge Day 16: Echinacea

Echinacea is not a recommended indoor plant. All the more reason for me to try and grow it indoors. Who doesn’t like a challenge?

First, I had to plan where these guys would eventually be growing. Since it’s too late in the season to plant them outside (or too early, depending on which end of the season you are planting them), I had to find a large space with a large container.

We’d already been building a tub with rock, dirt, and a bit of compost, and planned to put it upstairs under grow lights. Originally I thought this tub would be great for a small indoor tree, and it still might be. It’s wide enough it will probably fit a small fruit tree alongside Echinacea and other smaller plants.

It will be awhile before we’ll need to transplant, though, as today I only started the stratification process. I took 4 seeds and placed them in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel, stashing them in the fridge in the same place as other seeds and sprouts (garlic, onion, and cherry seeds). From what I’ve read, these seeds need a good month or two of cold before they will properly germinate, and then another month or two in a starter tray before making it to their final home. I did save additional seeds to plant outside this fall, where the natural stratification process can take place over winter.

I don’t know how these guys will do indoors over the winter, but I’m sure we’ll manage to set them up well enough to at least grow. At the very least, we can try again this fall or even next spring with the leftover seeds.

What outdoor plants have you brought inside? Did they survive?

Challenge Day 14: Roman Chamomile

You might have noticed we took the day off yesterday. In part because of a holiday, but also because we got a new camera. It was hard to resist some play time with a new toy, getting some fun shots of the garden. Today I’m back on track, and I’ll continue with a full 30 days, just finishing a day later.

Today I FINALLY found my Organic Roman Chamomile Seeds that had been missing (or so I thought) for a few weeks now. I had originally planned to plant Chamomile where we planted Forget-Me-Nots in the fairy garden, yet didn’t when I couldn’t figure out where I put them. Turns out they were put away with the rest of my seeds, just hiding in the bottom of the box. You see, this package is nearly as tiny as the seeds themselves, so it wasn’t hard for them to slip out of my view.

Fairy garden. Forget-Me-Not flowers sprouting on the left.

Thankfully they weren’t really lost and I was able to plant them today. They still went into the fairy garden, but in a different spot on the other side of the tiny path. I sprinkled 5 or 6 seeds in the area (I think…they are VERY tiny seeds!) and misted with water. The spot in the window where the fairy garden sits doesn’t get a ton of sunlight, but I hope it does get enough to germinate the chamomile seeds.

Roman Chamomile

We do already have a nice healthy Roman Chamomile plant growing upstairs (picture above), so these guys planted today will mostly be for decoration. I’m sure we’ll snip here and there as needed, though.

What kind of herbs do you plant? Do you grow them inside or out?

Challenge Day 13: Oregano

A few months ago we tried out this adorable plant-related craft using water bottles. You may have seen it on Pinterest. Basically using either glass or plastic bottle, you cut off the top, flip it over, and add a wick. The bottom part of the bottle is used for water so that it becomes “self watering”. They were cute, but not exactly practical. The other day I finally lost an oregano plant growing in one of these, so today I planted more in a better container.

Self-watering is a dangerous phrase. It gives the illusion that you’ll never have to water, or at least, not very often. The trouble with this idea is that you still have to water, and having no regular schedule makes it easier to forget. Especially when you aren’t paying attention to water levels inside a bottle. I don’t know about you, but I tend to check on my indoor plants every day to see which ones need watering. Except, of course, the self-watering one.

I have to say, I wasn’t a real big fan of these bottles from the jump. Aside from the forget-to-fill-water issue, they were top heavy and just not producing very healthy plants. When I used one for cat grass, it got knocked over because it was top heavy. And once knocked over, it was done for. There is no saving these guys when accidents happened.

Honestly, I was already going to plant more oregano seeds because we seem to be trimming more than the current plants can handle. Aside from the one we lost the other day, there is still a container upstairs under grow lights and one in the kitchen window. Neither one of them are producing very large leaves, although neither really have an appropriate container and light source.

Oregano in small pot under grow lights.

You can tell the one upstairs has been trimmed as needed and is looking scraggly. The kitchen window oregano has slightly bigger leaves, yet still isn’t big and lush like it should be. I suspect neither one is getting adequate light, especially the one in the kitchen window. Even though we have a small plant light above the kitchen window, it’s too far from the oregano to make a difference.

I also suspect the container sizes have negatively effected the way my oregano plants grow. For the reason, the oregano seeds planted today were given a bit bigger container than previous attempts.  The seeds we used were the same as before – Certified Organic Oregano Seeds (this link goes to a recommended seller that we have used before with success. The original package of seeds we purchased came from Todd’s Seeds, but these are no longer available on Amazon).

I don’t have any germination concerns, although I plan to keep a close eye on it. It may be that we have to take it outside for awhile, if not just to help it get started and growing properly.

Do you have any tips for growing oregano? How about special lighting for this full sun plant? I’m always open to tips and suggestions!

Challenge Day 11: Cherry Pits

A few weeks ago, my mom got a batch of tart cherries to make pie. Remembering our cherry tree growing wild when I was a kid, I asked her to keep the seeds for me. Today I broke them out to see if I can’t get a few to germinate.

Fruit tree seeds are tricky, I realize, especially when getting them secondhand or from store-bought produce. There’s no way of knowing how the original tree grew, or if the seed is even viable. Since this seed came from a local tree basically growing wild, I figured it would be worth a shot. I’ve got a much better chance of this seed naturally growing as opposed to a store-bought pit.

I decided to try this two ways in hopes that one or both with work. From what I have read, sour cherries will produce fruit on their own, where as sweet cherries require two different variety trees to produce fruit. While I’m not for certain what type of cherry tree this came from, I do know these were tart cherries (I tasted them myself!), so I really only need one seedling to sprout. If they both sprout, I guess I’ll have two.

Yesterday I put both seeds in a cup of water to soak over night. One seed I planted directly in moist, well-draining soil. The other I stuck in the fridge, inside a plastic bag with a wet paper towel. I don’t know if the direct sown seed will sprout or not, but we’ll find out.

I have never successfully grown a fruit tree before, but I have never really tried. You never know unless you try, right?

Challenge Day 10: Catnip

Hard to believe I’m a third of the way done with the 30 days already, with lots of seeds left to go. I am running a little short on room in places, but we’re figuring it out pretty well on the fly. Today I added another container that just barely fit upstairs: Catnip.

We’ve already got a few containers of catnip growing successfully, but since we snip from them so much (catnip makes a wonderful tea for me and my daughter), I decided we should have another plant. The current plants are struggling a bit with all the clippings and few attempts the cats made to eat them.

Catnip

 

In the new container, I used dirt from the backyard. Specifically, I took a few shovels from near a transplanted catnip plant. So I know the dirt is suitable for catnip, as the transplant about a month ago was successful. For the indoor plant, though, I used seeds purchased over the winter from Ohio Heirloom Seeds. These are the same seeds we used to successfully grow the current indoor plant.

I noticed that stratification is generally recommended for catnip seeds, although we did not do this step with any of the catnip seeds planted before. Instead, we placed about 10 seeds over wet dirt, then sprinkled a bit of dirt on the top before misting it with water. The new container is obviously in a safe place where the cats can’t get to, where it’s usually behind a closed door and under florescent lights.

Even though the germination rate of catnip is low, I still feel like the hardest part is keeping the plants away from the cats. We managed to set up a high enough shelf that they leave it alone while we’re watching, yet there has been a few accidents. Luckily, we caught them before they ate the whole thing and the plants grew back.

 

Upstairs Shelf and Lights

One thing I love about plants in the mint family is their ability to grow back stronger when cut. While I still have more seeds, I’m may propagate the next  plant from cuttings. I have never tried with catnip, but have been successful with actual mint and other plants.

Have you grown catnip before? How did you keep it from your cats?

Challenge Day 9: Mesclun (Salad Mix) Seeds

About a month ago when the big garden box in the window was set up, one of the things we planted was Buttercrunch lettuce. They are still about a month out, so I figured now was a perfect time to plant a fast growing mix of greens to go along with the lettuce.

The seeds we have are Burpee Mesclun Classic Mix, purchased from Target last season and only take a month to mature. I assume the germination rate has decreased slightly, but I doubt these guys will have any real issues. The mix includes arugula, cress, endive, radicchio, lettuce salad bowl, lettuce oatleaf, and lettuce red salad bowl. Honestly, I have no idea what still remains in this package and how many, if any of those, we’ll end up with. What I do know is we have tried this mix before and did not care for it alone. However, I believe it will be perfect as a slight bitter contrast to the sweeter Buttercrunch lettuce currently growing.

I planted quite a bunch of the mix (approximately 15-20 seeds) in the same pot as a singular amaranth plant.Slightly odd of me to plant the amaranth inside, I know,  but I had to see what it looked like over the winter before planting them in spring. I have no idea what to do with this mini-amaranth plant (they’re already much bigger outside) other than add it to the salad mix. Why not? The leaves are edible and I highly doubt we will get any seeds from it indoors.

Amaranth pot

My goal is that the Buttercrunch lettuce will mature at the same time as the salad mix we just planted today. I also plan to plant more Buttercrunch lettuce soon to have a more continuous supply. Topped with homemade dressing, our salads can’t get much better!

Challenge Day 8: Cilantro & Update

A fun surprise came with our Baker Creek order the other day – a free package of seeds! They are cilantro, which is what we planted the first day of our challenge, but cilantro is one of those herbs you want to resow every few weeks to make sure you have a big enough supply. Since I now have a new package to try, I couldn’t wait!

Cilantro from Baker’s Creek Seeds

The cilantro we planted last week is not quite sprouted yet, but I see a small spec of green trying to push it’s way out of the dirt. All is growing well, even if it’s not usable or even visible just yet. I suspect it will take these seeds just a few extra days due to the kitchen window being a bit low on natural light.

The new cilantro seeds are going in a different location. They were planted in their own container and placed under florescent lights in the upstairs spot. I have a feeling these will catch up to the others in no time, so I’ll most likely have to plant cilantro again near the end of the month. That’s fine, because I feel we are really behind on cilantro. I’ve missed having fresh herbs to pick from on a whim.

Now for the others that were planted this week….

Cat Grass
These little buggers didn’t waste any time sprouting. The cats are already nibbling! I absolutely LOVE how fast the cat grass grows.

Cat Grass – 1 week

Garlic Bulb
I wasn’t sure how this guy was going to manage since it was so well established in the fridge (I had to pull roots out of a paper towl). However, it’s perked right up and looks to be growing perfectly. Yay!

Transplanted garlic

Forget-Me-Nots
I almost didn’t even look because I didn’t think these guys had enough time to grow yet, but I did, and spotted one little seed just popping through the surface. Super excited about this one, as it’s growing in the fairy garden!

 

Obviously there isn’t much else to report, what with most of the seeds only being in the dirt a few days. Hopefully by next week there will be more sprouted and thriving plants!