Discover seeds for the Northwest garden

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The labors of the garden are in the spring, and the payback is in the summer, but the vision takes place in the winter, when a gardener can curl up by the fire with a hot cup of tea to peruse the seed and plant catalogs for the coming year. 

Many regional providers offer seeds and plants which thrive in the Pacific Northwest. There are several reasons a gardener might select these specialty seeds, said Erika Johnson, program coordinator for the Master Gardener program at Washington State University Extension in Clark County. 

Seeds which are well suited to a short growing season will perform best in the Northwest, said Johnson. Regionally grown seed varieties can also offer superior taste, and resistance to pests and diseases. Some gardeners enjoy growing heirloom varieties of plants. 

Peruse these regional seed catalogs and websites during the dark days of winter, and you’ll be ready to start planting when spring comes around. Winter is the time when summer’s bounty is still a twinkle in a gardener’s eye. These seed sources will send your imagination soaring as you plan your next year’s garden. 

Seed catalogs

and websites:

• Adaptive Seed Company of Sweet Home, Oregon, touts their mission to “bring biodiversity back” and sells organic rare, diverse and resilient seed varieties for ecologically-minded gardeners. Their seed is produced on their farm or grown by their Pacific Northwest regional seed producer network. Visit

adaptiveseeds.com, email seed@adaptiveseeds.com, or call 541-367-1105. 

• Butchart Gardens sells flower seeds from their acclaimed garden in British Columbia, Canada. Visit butchartgardens.com. 

• Ed Hume Seeds of Puyallup produces non-GMO seeds selected for short season and cool climate growing regions, making them ideal for the northwest. Visit humeseeds.com or call 253-435-4414. 

• Irish Eyes Garden Seeds in Ellensburg specializes in organic seed potatoes and garlic, along with shallots and vegetable and flower seeds. Visit

irisheyesgardenseeds.com or call 509-933-7150. 



• Nature’s Garden in British Columbia, Canada, provides native trees and plants, wildflower seeds, and organic vegetable seeds. Visit naturesgardenseed.com. 

New Dimension Seed was started in Scappoose, Oregon, by a native of Beijing, China, to ensure a local supply of her favorite Asian varieties. Visit newdimensionseed.com or call 503-577-9382. 

• Nichols Garden Nursery has produced seeds and plants in the Willamette Valley for over 65 years. Visit nicholsgardennursery.com or call 800-422-3985. 

• Osborne Seed Company in Mount Vernon is a wholesale seed dealer serving growers from market gardeners to large farms with innovative seed varieties. Visit osborneseed.com or call 360-424-7333. 

• Peace Seeds in Corvallis, Oregon, calls themselves “a planetary genome pool resource and service.” Native, non-hybrid and “dehybridized” seeds and plants are offered at peaceseedslive.blogspot.com.  

• Siskiyou Seeds grows organic, open-pollinated seeds on a biodynamic farm in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. Visit siskiyouseeds.com or call 541-846-9233. 

• Territorial Seed Company was founded in Lorane, Oregon, in 1979 to provide non-GMO seeds, plants, trees and vines which are tested for growing west of the Cascades. A robust Garden Planner on the website allows you to plan the layout and sequencing of crops, using local data from over 5,000 weather stations. Visit Territorial Seed Company at territorialseed.com, or call 800-626-0866.  

• Victory Seed Company of Molalla, Oregon, preserves and promotes the use of open-pollinated varieties, including old commercial releases and family heirloom seeds, to protect a genetically diverse horticultural heritage. Visit victoryseeds.com.  

• Uprising Seeds is a small, family-run organic seed farm in Bellingham producing organic and non-GMO vegetable, herb, flower and grain seeds, along with onions and shallots. Visit uprisingorganics.com or call 360-778-3749. 

• Wild Garden Seeds in Philomath, Oregon, specializes in certified organic greens, including more than 59 varieties of lettuce, as well as vegetables, herbs and flowers. Visit wildgardenseed.com.