A Buyer’s Guide to the Best Seeds for Beginners

Planning your first real vegetable garden is pure excitement. Right up until you start shopping for seeds and realize there are thousands of options, dozens of seed companies, and a lot of conflicting advice about which brands and varieties are actually worth growing. 

Occasionally, newbies are persuaded to think that the secret to a productive season is better fertilizer, bigger raised beds, or expensive tools. But take it from an old timer; in reality, one of the biggest factors is just choosing the right seeds from the start. 

I keep my seeds in an old photo album so I can access them and flip through easily whenever I want to. I have tried a very large amount of seeds, so I’m going to break down a few of my time-tested favorites for you.

How to Choose Your Seeds

No matter which brand you end up deciding is best for you, there are a few things as a beginning gardener that I want you to understand in order to be fully informed before you buy: important seed category terms, germination rates, and seed packet quality.  

Important Seed Category Terms

• Non-GMO: These seeds were not genetically engineered and contain no manipulated DNA from another organism.
• Organic: These seeds have not been exposed to synthetic chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides. Organic seeds are always also Non-GMO, but Non-GMO does not automatically mean organic.
• Heirloom: Non-GMO seeds that have been naturally pollinated and traditionally passed down over generations. Heirloom plants produce seeds you can save and replant, and they will always give you the same flower. They are not hybrids.
• Hybrid: Created by crossing two different parent plant varieties to boost traits like faster growth, disease resistance, or larger blooms. Seeds saved from hybrid plants are unreliable and will not typically produce the same plant again.

Germination Rates

A seed’s germination rate is the percentage of seeds in that batch that sprout successfully within a certain time frame. This basically tells you how many seeds will successfully give you a good, healthy seedling. 

You want this number to be high – around 90% is ideal, but above 80% is acceptable. You don’t want to be paying for seeds that have a poor chance of ever giving you a plant.

Reliability is everything, and we expect high quality from a reputable seed company. 

Seed Packet Quality

The seed packet itself might seem like a smaller detail, but it is actually a very good indicator of the overall quality and reliability of the company you are purchasing from. 

A high-quality seed packet should be well thought out, aesthetically pleasing, and contain all the information that you need to successfully plant and care for that flower – a tiny instruction manual specific to that variety. 

I always look for the following in a seed packet from a high-quality, reliable company:

1. Durability
2. Color illustration of flower
3. Specific acceptable growth zones listed for this plant
4. Watering preferences of the plant 
5. Nickname and scientific name of the flower species 
6. When to start (indoors vs. direct in-ground outdoor sowing)
7. Sunlight requirements 
8. Soil temperature requirements 
9. Days to germination 
10. Spacing suggestions / mature size expectations

Without vital care information that you need, even great seeds can be caused to underperform. 

If a company is willing to cut corners on their seed packet, then it is reasonable to believe they will be willing to do so elsewhere as well.

The Best Vegetable Seeds for Beginners 

Tomatoes

The feeling of power I get from eating a tomato I have triumphantly grown in my own garden every summer is unmatched.  

I love the tomatoes more than anything because I have so many memories of growing them in the garden when I was young. They always performed well for us, even when the summer sun was hot, and the heat was oppressive in North Georgia. Make sure to water deep in the morning or the evening, and they usually stay unfazed.

Since I can never have too many tomato plants, I usually stop by the Eden Brothers website to grab a few packets of Organic Floradade Tomato Seeds. I like these because they run middle of the road on size, and they do very well in the heat and humidity that is common during the summer in my area. 

I do always look at the reviews for the individual vegetable varieties before I purchase here due to occasional customer reviews citing low and undependable germination rates.

I usually pick up the Organic Beefsteak Tomatoes and the Large Red Cherry Tomatoes from Ferry-Morse, because those are the seeds we planted with my grandparents in their garden, so I’ve got a bit of sentimental fondness there. 

Beans

If you want to tackle growing beans as a beginner, the Organic Blue Bush Lake 247 Beans or Organic Kentucky Blue Beans give you a good chance of being successful.

You will need to order multiple packs of these to have a large enough harvest to get multiple meals from them. 

Cucumbers

I love ordering the China Jade Cucumbers from Baker Creek because they are not your average pickling cucumber! I grow this variety in addition to the ones I order from Ferry-Morse because they serve two very different purposes.

The fruit on the China Jade Cucumber plant grows without being pollinated, so there are never any seeds that develop to get in the way of snacking! It has a very nice sweet flavor and grows easily in Zone 7b, so that makes it a must for me!

Veggie Variety Packs 

Purchasing this way gets you a ton of seeds at less than a dollar per pack. The product you get is well packaged, gorgeous, and you also get some really cool complementary gardening tools included. 

If you are curious about what exact combination of seeds you get in the variety packs, you can go to their website, and it lists everything included, so there is no confusion. The information they provide you on each packet of seeds included in these variety packs is spectacular.  

I love the cornerstone plants of a traditional summer garden like Scallop Squash, Yellow Summer Squash, Dark Green Zucchini, Brussel Sprouts, and Corn. 

Squash

For me, squash is another MUST have in my summer garden. I enjoy growing multiple varieties because they all have different tastes and purposes.

Organic Table Queen Acorn Squash, Organic Waltham Butternut Squash, Organic Black Beauty Zucchini, and Organic Yellow Summer Crookneck Squash all grow furiously and put out more than my family of seven can eat. These varieties sprout quickly and grow into lush, healthy plants without much effort besides weeding and watering on my part. 

Seed Companies I Count On 

Johnny’s Selected Seeds

100% employee owned and grown organically for over 50 years in Maine.

Johnny‘s has a gigantic selection of vegetable seeds, which is great, unless it feels overwhelming to you. If so, I would personally recommend that you navigate to the ‘Easy Choice’ section on the website and pick from this selection. This is just going to narrow down your options from hundreds and hundreds of varieties to a good, solid 140 of the best of the best performers to pick from. 

Johnny’s is a more premium brand, similar to Botanical Interests, that I know I will pay a bit more for if I am looking for something rare that no one else has. 

They also make it easy for you to buy your favorites in bulk once you get a few seasons under your belt and discover what you like. 

I purchase all of my herb seeds from Johnny’s, like the Green Purslane you see in the container here. They offer packages from 1 ounce up to 25 pounds of seed! You won’t find many places that give you those kinds of options. 

Ferry-Morse

The oldest operating seed company – open since 1856.

I have always kept my seeds in an old photo album so I can access them and flip through whenever I want to. Most of those pages are filled with Ferry-Morse seeds because they’re inexpensive and easy to grab whenever I run into the store and end up drifting towards the seed aisle.

I’m not exaggerating when I say I have a laughable amount of seeds from FM. Ferry-Morse is very affordable, available almost everywhere, and has more than enough variety for any home veggie or flower garden. 

I love that all of their seeds are non-neonic, which means they are never exposed to insecticides. If I am planting flowers or veggies, it is always with pollinators in mind, so that is important to me.

I always get strong seedlings from Ferry-Morse that grow quickly and thrive without much fuss, like the Waltham Butternut Squash you see here sprouting in my greenhouse. 

Ferry-Morse also has a ‘Guarantee to Grow’ policy that gives me peace of mind when trying new seeds from them. I can remember using this brand with my grandparents, even in the 90’s, and always having good luck.  

Botanical Interests 

Based in Colorado since 1995.

Botanical Interests is probably my personal all-around favorite for flowers if I want to spend a little extra cash and indulge in a more premium product. Their seed packets are beautifully illustrated by hand, and they contain tons of growing and planting information that is genuinely helpful for the beginning flower gardener. But as far as ordering my vegetable garden seeds, I usually consult this brand when I can’t find them somewhere cheaper. 

There are a few particular varieties of seeds that I do always come to Botanical interests to find because I have always had good luck with them (like the Komatsuna Tendergreen Mustard Spinach).   

There are some ‘beginner’ seed bundles available that make picking specific varieties easier, but they don’t really save you much money so personally I would just scroll through and order my seeds individually from this brand. 

I very much like Botanical Interests for my vegetable garden as well as my flower garden, I just usually plant such a large vegetable garden it does not make sense for me to spend $3+ per seed packet. 

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds 

Seed Saving Since 1998 in Missouri. 

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds has a very large collection of unique heirloom vegetables to bring to the table that you might not find in other places.

Every year, regardless of what seeds I am searching for, I try to buy something from Baker Creek to support their mission.

They are dedicated to providing sustainable, heirloom seeds, preserving seed diversity, and promoting food security. They encourage seed sharing, saving, and trading in the pursuit of food sovereignty for everyone.

This is a message I love, and is one of the reasons I love helping newbie gardeners start their journeys!

Seed Savers Exchange 

Grassroots beginnings in Missouri in 1975.

This is another brand I order seeds from every year because I love their mission. I want to actively support preserving older heirloom varieties and seed biodiversity. 

Seed Savers Exchange had their first swap in 1975 between only 30 gardeners using a handwritten six-page list. Today, they are considered the nation’s largest nongovernmental seed bank with around 20,000 varieties! 

I purchase my corn from Seed Savers because they do have those memorable, time-tested heritage heirloom varieties.

My favorite variety of Shoe Peg Corn is listed as Country Gentleman on their website, and you can buy anywhere from 75 seeds to a whole pound at a time. We always planted our corn in-ground and in at least three columns side by side to improve pollination rates. 

We would hoe out a row, whatever length she wanted that year, and make sure it was several inches deep. Sprinkle the corn all along the row every few inches and some fertilizer directly along with it.

Eden Brothers

Since 2009 in North Carolina.

Eden Brothers has an incredibly large vegetable catalogue; over 1300 varieties. If I can’t find something anywhere else, I know they will have it.

As a beginning gardener, I would advise you to stick with some of the other brands that I have listed, as a gigantic catalog like this is probably going to be very overwhelming. 

Final Thoughts

Whichever companies you decide to order from and whatever varieties you decide to grow this year, remember to give yourself some grace.

Gardening has a little bit of a learning curve, and it takes time and effort to master any new skill.

Don’t let yourself get discouraged if you have a few rough seasons or if things don’t turn out the way you want them to the first time.

You will get there, and in the meantime, keep checking back with us for more gardening that will help you get growing!