Seedy, Underhanded, Dirty Practices...

If you should happen to be frolicking through a grocery or supply store, you might see, under the soft gentle aura of lights, a beautiful display of seed packets- each lined up in rows, bright happy pictures staring up at you like a pathetic little grinning child covered in chocolate and rainbows and baby bunnies. And you think to yourself, "how can I resist?"  Especially when that child grabs onto your leg and the baby bunnies go all Monty Python Holy Grail on you...

And before you know it, you are pushing a cumbersome cart of garden supplies through the store, because everyone knows you need new gloves with that packet of seeds and those cute seed trays to start things indoors and a mat to put under the trays and a watering can because the one you left outside exploded in the winter (that'll teach you!) and then those little plant labels for the dirt and etc, etc, etc...

And then you're straining around every turn, attempting in vain to avoid the customers. (Sometimes it's like they jump in front of the cart on purpose!) It's a bloodbath. And all because you got sucked in by the pretty display. It happens to me every year. Except for this year. Mostly. (I'm weak!)

This year, in an attempt to grow as organically as possible, I searched high and low for good (cheap) seeds with a bit of variety, of course after I planned out every inch of my garden and what would go in it.
I love most of all High Mowing Organic Seeds.

They have a huge selection, but they have a lot of special varieties too, not just the plain jane herbs or veggies. They throw in a lot of fun heirloom types.

Then there's Burpee. I have wasted many a dollar on that site. They have a fun organic selection and the offer a lot of gardening tips as well. Of course, most of the seeds you find in stores are Burpee.

Perry Morse is pretty good. I had success with them last year. The plants grew really tall and full, even though i forgot to water them and they bolted and became inedible. My bad.
And of course I have exhausted every crazy seed catalog to come my way for those fun untried brands. My father-in-law gave me this fantastic one. It had an other-century feel, with drawn images and old-school fonts and advertisments.

And now that I've spent most of my husband's money on all the seeds I'll ever need (don't tell him), I can move onto bigger and better things- like garden hods and hand tool totes! Though the only thing a good gardener needs are a handful of tools and good dirt. Too bad I'm not that good. Poor hubby! (I told you, I'm weak!)

If you still feel like you need to spend more money but have no idea how or where, try this great site for free seed catalogs!
http://www.egardenersplace.com/catalog/catalogrequest14j.asp

Where do you get your seeds? Tools? Shiny distracting objects?