This time of year, two things are filling up my mailbox....holiday catalogs (despite my efforts to get off the lists) and seed catalogs (which I am always happy to see). I have many favorites and I thought I might share them with you so that you might be able to request a copy of your own.

Seed catalogs are a great read, even if you don't order....you can learn a lot from the editorial within most. These are great catalogs not just for the read but for good seeds too.

1) High Mowing Organic Seeds In nearby Vermont, I find that their organic seeds generally perform well in my zine 5 garden.

2) Seed Savers Exchange is actually a non-profit organization dedicated to not letting the likes of Monsanto take over the seed market completely. They save and pass along thousands of varieties of open pollinated heirloom seed that keeps our garden hertage alive.

3) Peaceful Valley - Also all organic, Peaceful Valley has an interesting and different 'west coast' selection of seeds that I often can't find from east coast suppliers.

4) Renee's Garden - Renee's has one of the best selections of flower seeds.

5) Botanical Interests Also great for interesting veggie varieties and flowers they are one of the only places I can find my favorite (but perhaps slightly dangerous) Castor Bean seeds.

and finally, (because I can never limit my self to just 5)

6) Comstock, Ferre and Co. which is one of the oldest seed companies in the US and has been manned by a young couple who is championing heirloom seeds. There was a great article about them in the NY Times about a year ago.

No matter where you live, taking the time to find and support local seed companies that are dedicated to saving and distributing a wide variety of open pollinated seeds is valuable for maintaining our garden heritage and food security. Mother Earth News article published list of Seed companies across the country that is a good place to start looking for nearby resources.

image from chiot's run.