Seeds are a pretty incredible thing. Did you know that 2,000 year old date palm tree seeds (collected from ancient archeological sites) sprouted in 2005 after being planted by a doctor? It is incredible to me that seeds could be dormant for that long and still have everything they need to burst with life under the right conditions.

In America, many of our heirloom seeds have been overtaken by monocultures of GMOs. But, there are still passionate seed savers and companies who work to preserve the lineage of plants with a storied history. Sometimes, they tell who brought the seed to America, and others tell how the crop was used by First Nation communities. It’s all fascinating to me and a great reminder of the importance of planting heirloom varieties, saving my own seeds, and teaching my daughter about the history of seeds.

A seed’s entire goal is to grow into a plant to then produce more seeds. The conditions the plant lives under, diseases it may get, and what it’s planted around will all impact what is encoded in the seeds the plant produces. If a plant is grown in a cold climate with a short growing season, and visited by insects that aren’t in my climate, then it likely won’t have the adaptions needed to withstand the extreme heat and long growing season I have in the southeast. For this reason, I try to source seeds grown in similar climates to mine. I’m sharing some of my favorites below — as well as some amazing companies passionate about saving seeds and sharing stories. I hope this helps you as you plan for your garden this year.

Working Food (Florida grown) These are grown in North Florida. The mission of this organization is amazing, and they are worth checking out!

Seed the Stars (Florida grown) I have placed several orders from them and they have had great germination rates, detailed planting instructions, and they always send surprise free seeds to try. I love to read up on all of the heirloom plant options they have!

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds I love the mission of this company — and the selection is incredible. Their seed catalogue is a wealth of knowledge and their shipping is free — plus, they send free seeds too!

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange sells seeds saved from many small growers and their own farm. They have varieties from 1940 or earlier and are best for southeast growers.

If you have heirloom seed companies you love, will you share in the comments? I would love to support more small businesses, and I love to learn about new-to-me varieties.

P.S. If this topic interests you, there are so many incredible books on seed saving at local libraries — and your library may have a seed library like mine too.

Happy Growing!

—Sunshine