By Linda Wiggen Kraft, Healthy Planet Green and Growing Editor
A garden’s miracle is the transformation of a tiny seed into a growing plant. These tiny capsules of creation hold a greater power than all the jewels of a treasure chest. A seed itself contains life and the power to sustain all life on our planet. In winter’s darkness, the joy of finding seeds that will grow in our gardens connects us to the power of creation.
Seeds come from many sources. We can support growers and seed companies who provide certain types of seeds that are grown in sustainable and organic ways. These types of seeds are not often available from larger companies. Small seed businesses are sustained by gardeners who share environmental values of keeping seeds accessible and always available.
Native plants are the backbone of our environment. These plants sustain the insects and birds that rely on them for survival. Our local Missouri Wildflowers has seeds of many of the plants they sell. Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin sells native midwestern seeds and plants. Minnesota’s Prairie Moon Nursery has over seventy midwestern growers who provide their seeds. They too sell native plants.
Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated, which mostly means humans are not involved in their pollination. Insects, birds, and wind do the pollinating. These seeds are passed down from generation to generation for at least 50 years. There are many seed companies that sell heirloom seeds with some being organically grown. Missouri’s own Baker Creek Seeds is one of the largest sellers of . Their catalog is a coffee table treasure. Seed Geeks is St. Louis based with over 600 seed varieties. Seed Savers Exchange was the first heirloom seed company started in 1975. Only an exchange between gardeners at first, it evolved into a non-profit with a seed bank of over 20,000 plants and seeds available online. Hudson Valley sells many of their seeds in original art packages that make perfect gifts. Many of their seeds are heirloom. TruLove Seeds mission is “keeping seeds is an act of true love for our ancestors and our collective future.” They are the only seed seller that provides info about each of the seed growers, which helps connect us to those whose love of earth may match ours.
Organic seed companies specialize in all of their seeds being organically grown. High Mowing Organics is a Vermont company that has been offering organic seeds since 1996. Uprising Organics in Bellingham, WA offers 100% organic open-pollinated seeds. Turtle Tree Seeds offers what can be called “organics plus”. There are seeds for over 385 types of veggies, flowers, and herbs. These seeds are biodynamically grown with practices that include planting during the most optimal celestial alignment and the use of “preps” that enhance the energy of the soil, plants, and ecosystem. Most of these seeds are grown on the site of Camphill Village in NY, where a community of 250 live; 100 are adults with developmental differences.
There are other heirloom and organic seed companies; to find them do an online search. These are all companies I have ordered and planted seeds from. Many are easy to plant and grow. I could not live without some of the unique veggies and flowers that are only available as seeds. Now is the time to plan and dream about the new growing season. Order seeds that have a power and value greater than all the jewels of a treasure chest.
Linda Wiggen Kraft is a landscape designer of holistic and organic gardens. She is also an artist and creativity workshop leader. Her next art workshop will be summer 2023. Find out more, subscribe to her blog and Instagram at www.CreativityForTheSoul.com, Call her at 314 504-4266.