It's January. And when you grow a lot of plants that means one thing: Seed Catalogue season (though I've had a few come earlier). If you want to do something nice for your future self, go sign up for a few seed catalogues. They're free and they ship annually. They come when everything is at its most dead, so it helps give you something to look forward to and begin your planning process.
I get a few, but recently after some news about Baker Creek, I'm striking them from my list. This year I was informed that Baker Creek invited Cliven Bundy to speak at a function of theirs (2019). They did eventually cancel after enough push back, if that makes a difference for folks. But reading the apology, it's hard to believe they didn't know who they were inviting. This ended up turning a lot of people off of Baker Creek as a company (myself included). I've also heard via word of mouth their disrespect of native growers, their insistence on being mum about if black lives matter during the 2020 protests, etc.
So I wanted to share other seed providers who are doing good! Being intentional in where you buy your seeds from can be a great way to not only continue to enjoy the hobby but help preserve it for future generations, support communities and so on.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
SESE is a worker run cooperative that's here in Virginia. They work with several sources for their seeds (which they list on their site) and are part of a push for seed saving. They're involved with several programs to continue to keep growing and seed saving as accessible and easy as possible. Their site is DENSE with information if you want to browse it. I prefer them as my place to get seeds because they also tend to pick and cultivate varieties for my region that are tolerant to the heat, drought, etc. What I find very charming about flipping through their catalogue is the small stories attached to some of the seeds. Part of their work isn't just holding on to the seed its self, but documenting how it came into their possession. This means people are being credited for their cultivar.

They also mention any issues/struggles they've had with a plant, or benefits/advantages with them. I personally have an issue with the skin on cherry tomatoes getting tears, so them writing which varieties they have are resistant to it is really helpful. Those nuggets of info, along with the fact that each catalogue has a growing calendar etc in the back, is what keeps me returning to them and excited to see their catalogue in the mail every winter.
Alliance of Native Seedkeepers
While doing research I found this group, which is native run and directly benefits native growers/people. They have some things I can't say I've seen anywhere else too!
"Although a vast majority of our customers may only know us as a seed company, the reality is we are actually a revolution. After years of tireless work for our indigenous rights, environmental protections, food and health security and more, we decided to develop a Benefit Corp/seed store to help fund the work of our people, our tribes, and our fellow Native Seedkeepers. It’s very hard work, and we’re still building the foundation. With every purchase that you make, you bring us closer to achieving our own self determination."
Truelove Seeds
"Truelove Seeds is a farm-based seed company offering culturally important and open pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. Our seeds are grown by more than 50 small-scale urban and rural farmers committed to community food sovereignty, cultural preservation, and sustainable agriculture. We share our profits directly with our growers: 50% of each packet sale goes back to the farmer who grew it!"
Truelove is out of Philly PA, and they look to have a lot of really interesting and unique seeds! They also have extensive notes on each plant so they're a good resource to refer back to as you grow the seeds you've gotten from them. I already see a few I want to get~
I'll stop with three examples for now so this list doesn't get too long on your feed, but if you have a seed provider you particularly love comment with them! Also, do you do any of your own seed saving? We're trying with a few ourselves.
I hope this post inspires you to treat seed buying as just an important part of the process as the rest, and that even seeds make a huge impact outside of your garden! I personally have only been buying seeds for like two years, so I'm excited to look through these catalogues and see what I want to add this year! SESE has been my go to, but I'd like to expand!
Next post about gardening will be about what the first round of seed germination is going to be~