Seeds, Glorious Seeds!

For a gardener, getting seeds in the mail is like opening presents on Christmas! We are fairly certain that we get way too excited and overzealous about seeds, but we just can’t help ourselves. We are READY to garden! In Florida we may not have rough winters, but those few short months aren’t the favorite time to garden in. My husband and I absolutely despise the cold, it’s why we live in Florida. Wet fingers in soil, just doesn’t do it for us. So usually in January, we spend our time planning out our gardens, purchasing needed seeds, and anxiously waiting for the mail delivery.

We want to share with you our favorite places to order seeds from. Don’t get me wrong, we love shopping in person, strolling through the aisles of our local hardware store, but in the case of seeds, online is where it’s at. The seeds are straight from the grower, you can trust the way the seeds were stored, and they won’t be expired. We’ve learned our lesson about getting seeds from our local box store, it’s usually a 50/50 shot, but hey when you want to plant quick, you buy what you can get! Turns out they were about 6 months expired, and most likely got wet multiple times. Let’s just say the germination rate wasn’t too high that year……..

6 of our Favorite Seed Suppliers:

1. Johnny’s Selected Seeds-> https://www.johnnyseeds.com/ Johnny’s has the best selection of seeds. I had heard of them from teaching agriculture, but what persuaded me to buy seeds from them was the Fox 13 Gardening segment on the news! They showcased their Jericho Lettuce and how it could withstand the heat of Florida, and we were sold. It’s the ONLY lettuce that we grow now. (My father-in-law is going to be quite upset I shared our secret sauce when it comes to lettuce. It truly is THE BEST variety.)
2. Floret Flower Farms-> https://www.floretflowers.com/ If ya’ll haven’t watched their series on Magnolia Network from Discovery+, you’re missing out. That’s how we found Floret and I’ve been using her seeds ever since! She hosts a big seed sale a few times a year. I will say this, their farm is in Washington, so you have to select annuals that will actually survive our heat/humid/wet. I have found the best luck with Cosmos, Cockscomb, and Zinnia. That doesn’t mean that I’m not testing the limits every year by adding some other annuals. This year we are trying out the Globe Amaranth. Fingers crossed! UPDATE: They have the seed shop closed for 2025. Read more here: https://shop.floretflowers.com/pages/floret-shop-closed?srsltid=AfmBOoqVypUSV10A9ZWznEHxKIzaIvQkByuKfPQ_I2qFSpVkCtiLw5Ub
3. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds -> https://www.rareseeds.com/ Baker Creek are the sweetest people! They supported me when I was teaching by donating a nice amount of seeds. We had great success with both their annuals and vegetables! They focus on saving heirloom varieties for future generations. Love their Cosmos selection!
4. Florida Wildflower Cooperative-> https://www.floridawildflowers.com/ The Florida Department of Transportation is paired with the Florida Wildflower Cooperative to develop wildflower areas across Florida Highways. Lucky for you, they also sell the seeds! Native wildflowers are an absolute must in a Florida Garden! You’ll find Goldenrod, Rudbeckia, Gaillardia, Phlox, and so many more great wildflowers.
5. YOU->That’s right, we said it, you can be your own seed suppliers! For instance, let your lettuce or broccoli go to seed at the end of the season, and collect it yourself! Go out and harvest some white fountain grass seeds of the plumes, dry it, and replant it. Tie breathable jewelry bags to your milkweeds to collect more seed (and keep the milkweed bugs away!) Wait for your Echinacea flower to be bloomed out and go grab those babies before they blow away! You can certainly save money and have fun trying to collect your own seeds. Just do it in your own yard, don’t go breaking the law for seeds now ya’ll!

6. Pine Tree Garden Seeds—>https://www.superseeds.com *Updates for 2023! *We have had a huge success with Pine Tree Garden Seeds! They are quick to ship, offer a variety of flowers and vegetables, and are quite affordable compared to most seed companies! The germination rate has been very high with all the seeds we have planted so far. From Jericho Lettuce to Zinnias to Cosmos, they are all great!

Keep planting seeds, you never know what may take root.

-Ecclesiastes 11:16

Find those glorious seeds and wait for that happy mail!