Vegetable Seed Buying Guide

This vegetable seed buying guide explains the different types of seeds, which seed companies are the best, and how to avoid GMO seeds. Also includes tips on storing your seeds so they last longer.

01

Should I plant seedlings (baby plants) or seeds?

With seedlings, you have a head start. They’re already growing and will usually handle the transfer to your garden without any trouble. Seeds are much cheaper than seedlings—for that same $3, you can get a packet of 40+ tomato seeds (and all of those will grow to be an entire plant).

What’s the difference between the types of seeds?

In most stores or seed catalogs, you'll see three types of vegetable seeds: heirloom, hybrid, and organic.

Heirloom vegetable seeds

are my choice, both for economy and sustainability. In this case, heirloom doesn’t mean old-fashioned or antiquated. Instead, they’re called heirloom because the seeds have been saved and passed down for generations.

Hybrid seeds

come from plants that have been artificially crossed for better qualities--for example, hard tomatoes that don’t crush during shipping.

Organic seeds

come from plants grown and processed following USDA standards. The USDA Organic label on these seed packets assures us that the seeds were grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

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