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 26: Rosemary

As much as we have planted in the big south window bin, there’s still a little bit of space for a few new herb sprouts. Today we planted a few extra rosemary in the bare spaces with seeds my daughter had purchased a few months back.

I absolutely love the set up in the bay window. Less than 2 months ago we transplanted a few plants into a big tub and have been periodically adding to it ever since. It’s a huge water hog, though, as we also have a small fan pointed toward the window that tends to dry it out faster. So far, we’ve mostly used rain water and some “gray” water (water I used to give canning jars a water bath, to be specific).

Big Bin in South Window – Jalapeno, Buttercrunch Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumber, and Rosemary

I usually have to water it at least twice a week with nearly a gallon of water. For this reason, I want to make sure we’ve used all of the space wisely and to its full potential. Even though it doesn’t look as if there is any more room and I may even have a few too many plants in there, I still think there’s room for small herbs. Since we still had Rosemary seeds, I figured this was a good place to stick a few, even though some are already coming up. That’s the great thing about herbs – what you don’t use right away you can dry for later.

Full view of tomatoes in window garden.

You can see the tomato plant has really taken off now that I put him in a bigger space and trimmed it. That small tomato he’s got now was already there when I transplanted it from a small gallon bucket. The tomato plant was actually a surprise last summer when a seed hitched a ride in with the dirt and grew in the same bucket as the jalapeno plant on his left. I didn’t have the heart to just rip it out and I’m glad I didn’t. Even when he was stuck in a small container we had small tomatoes for salads just like the one you see in the picture.

I probably could have picked a better herb than Rosemary, but it was a bit tricky making sure nothing crossed badly with anything else already growing here and Rosemary was one of those few that didn’t have undesired side effects. (If you are interest, this is the Companion Planting chart I reference occasionally – although I always double check across other websites and gardening articles). And while I don’t worry as much about attracting certain bugs indoors, I still keep my eyes open for unwanted guests.

What do you plant together inside?

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 12: Butterhead Lettuce

The other day I talked about planting a lettuce mix to match another lettuce that took longer to grow. Today I planted the second round of Butterhead/Buttercrunch Lettuce to give a more continuous supply of greens.

Rabbits are horrible in our area and our growing season somewhat short, so I’ve taken to planting a lot of veggies indoors and setting up a larger spots in the house to do it. One of these places is the bay window, where there is a storage tub full of dirt.

Bay Window Box

Currently growing in this container is a mix of transplants and newly seeded plants that are now about a month old. Four small Jalapenos and a hitchhiker tomato plant from last fall were transplanted, while lettuce, cucumber, and rosemary were directly seeded.  I also parked a Bonsai tree-in-the- making on the outer edge so I could make use of the tomato cage for support. The mini tree isn’t planted, it’s just sitting on top the dirt.

Whew. You’d think there would be enough going on in that semi-small box, but I thought there was still room for a tiny bit more. The seeds we have are Botanical Interest Butterhead Lettuce, Buttercrunch and they are small little heads that only grow to be an individual’s side salad. So there is for sure a bit room on the sides for the 5 or 6 seeds I pressed into the dirt, especially since what is currently growing is already half way done. The lettuce only takes 65 days to mature, and they’ve now been in there a month, so by the time the new ones sprout I should be close to picking the others.

I’m excited to try the flavor, especially being homegrown inside. I can’t think of better way for the family to taste it for the first time.

 

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!

Something Different: Red Amaranth

This year we added something completely different to the garden: Organic Hopi Red Dye Amaranth Seeds. It came out of a need for alternative grains, as the traditional American diet is heavy on acidic grains such as wheat and corn. My daughter requires a low acidic diet for health reasons, and that leaves out much of the traditional junk you see in stores.

The other reason we decided to plant a tall growing “weed” (considered as such in some places), was to block the heat from our garage shop. In the middle of the summer, this office is literally a tin hot box with a small space air conditioner that just can’t keep up. Since we can’t plant things like trees or woody-stemmed bushes without special permission, we have to get creative. Amaranth, being a food item that gets tall and reseeds every year, was a perfect choice.

We found there really is no trick to growing amaranth. It’s one of those seeds you can scatter wherever you’d like and they’ll grow without fail. Even seeds we had accidentally left outside overnight and in a rain shower still sprouted when we planted them the next day. In no more than 7 days, they were popping out of the ground like little red ants.

Hopi Red Dye Amaranth – About 1 month

 

When I first purchased these seeds, it was the dead of winter. I just couldn’t wait to try them out, so like I do with most new seeds, I planted a few in an inside container. One of three plants that sprouted in the container died within a month, and another was trampled in a cat accident. A single sprout remains 5 months later. When I planted them, I had no plans other than watching it grow, and I still don’t.

 

Indoor Amaranth, 5 months old

 

I was really happy with this purchase and impressed by the seller, All Good Things Organic, and will probably be purchasing from them again. There are quite a few interesting seeds on their list that look fun!