new to gardening...where to get good seeds?

**knitnmom** · 10-21-2010, 10:12 PM

I am entertaining the thought of organic gardening. I am a total rookie and thought I should start out small....maybe herbs and/or container gardening?

I live in CA, what can I plant now? Or should I wait until spring?

**Judi Dial** · 10-21-2010, 10:22 PM

In southern california you can probably start seeds now. In the sierras, probably not!

The best and cheapest source for organic seeds I've found is consistently Bountiful Gardens.

Link:
heirloom - untreated - sustainable - vegetable seeds - Bountiful Gardens

Judi

**knitnmom** · 10-21-2010, 10:35 PM

Thanks Judi! I signed up to get a catalog and saved the site to my favorites!!

**Trentt** · 10-22-2010, 06:47 AM

If your winters aren't severe, you could start cold crops - e.g., spinach, lettuce, kale, radishes, endive, bok-choi, bunching onions, etc.

My standard sources are Pinetree Garden Seeds (in Maine - good for their low prices, low-budget catalog, and smaller size seed packets), Park Seeds (SC - gorgeous catalog, great variety, more expensive), and Burpee's (ditto). I also shop at Jung's Seed Co. and its subsidiaries (Totally Tomatoes, Vermont Bean Company, and I think R. H. Shumway is also owned by Jung's now) ... though that company is local to me so I just go to their garden center in town.

**littleplum** · 10-22-2010, 05:06 PM

This is garlic planting month. I've gotten great starts from this company:

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, organic heirloom seeds, open pollinated, a worker owned cooperative

They sell heirloom varieties.

**ladytoysdream** · 10-23-2010, 12:44 PM

See if any of your local stores still have seeds from this spring. Most would be on markdown I would think.
We have a Country Max farm store locally, that marks down real steep at the end of the season. I bought I can't tell you how many packages of seed at .15 each. I know the total was just over $ 22

I keep telling hubby we need more of our 2 acres into garden instead of mainly lawn.

**knitnmom** · 10-28-2010, 12:04 AM

Okay, after a little reading, I decided to plant a compost crop to help get my soil ready to plant in the spring.

**Kacidee** · 12-01-2010, 11:50 AM

What variety of garlic does everyone like?

Thanks!
Kaci

**Judi Dial** · 12-01-2010, 12:20 PM

Hmm my particular favorite is whatever organic garlic I can find, cheaply in the fall. Then I break up the bulb and plant the cloves. I've never bought "seed garlic" just stuff from the grocery or co-op.

Judi

**daylily** · 12-01-2010, 12:38 PM

I used to order from Parks but I started having problems with low or total lack of germination. For the past 10 years I've been ordering from PineTree, Vermont Bean and Totally Tomatoes. I get some seeds from Gurney's that the others don't have.