Purchasing herb seeds

[Alane]

Where can I get herb seeds from a reliable organic, non gmo company?

[IdahoHerbalist]

Patrick and I have been using companionplants.com with good success recently. They are more into plants but have seeds too. For some species you will definitely want to get PLANTS instead of seeds.

[Fey]

Horizon herbs have always been the best for me. Everything I get from them germinates. They sell plants too which i can’t buy of course. I haven’t tried Companion plants though.

Some of the hard to get herbs, like Biscuitroot etc, can be bought from Darcy from the forest; but I think she just goes under the name of, Fromtheforest now. Things like partridge berry, coptis and club moss can be bought from a guy on ebay (American guy calling himself rockin raydun) and his seeds are good too. I’ve found there are a few people on ebay that sell dead seeds, but it’s just trial and error.

But I will always look at Horizon Herbs before I go anywhere else.

[IdahoHerbalist]

I stopped using HH because if you do have an issue they can be quite uncooperative. Don’t like that in a company.

[Fey]

What issues can you possibly have with them? Their seeds are amazing! I’ve never ever had a problem with them. I even bought Wasabi seeds off them which are notoriously difficult and 80 percent germinated. I’ve bought Maralroot from four different places with no success. When I bought them from HH, the only problem I had was that every single seed germinated. I had planted them all, hoping for a few. Now I’ve got a garden bed full of Maralroot.

[Alane]

Thank you all for your quick replies. I’m just getting started and I am so glad I found this site.

[Fey]

Alane, it’s such an exciting area to get into. I’m always learning. There are so many weird and exotic herbs that heal some “incurable” diseases.; locals that used to be weeds that suddenly become so useful; and then up comes a surprise like simple culinary herb, Cilantro, one of the best heavy metal cleansers on the planet.

When I first started, my mind was just boggled.

Now I’m further along, my mind is still boggling. :boggle: There are always surprises.

I hope you have heaps of fun!! :yahoo:

[Alane]

Thank you all. You are so very kind and helpful.

[Fey]

IdahoHerbalist wrote: For some species you will definitely want to get PLANTS instead of seeds.

I’ve got to go with IdahoHerbalist on this one. Sometimes a plant has multiple germination inhibitors in their seeds yet they are so easy to propagate from cuttings or runners once you have the plant growing. I always buy a plant in preference to seeds too because there have been times when I’ve wasted many growing seasons mucking around with seeds when I could have had a plant well and truly established if I’d bought the plant.

I was going through the herb listings from Companion Plants herbs and it’s shocking how cheap they are! I’m very envious that you can just hand over a few dollars for an American Redroot. It’s not available in Australia…same as Sea Buckthorn.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

I’ve had good luck with mountainroseherbs.com for seeds.

Let us know what you’re looking for. I have a lot of seed here I’d be happy to send.

Fey, are you allowed to import any seed you want? Seems funny that they’d let you buy the seeds buy not the plants.

Doc

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[IdahoHerbalist]

She gets them from Horizon Herbs, but they probably have a phyto certificate from some government smartie pants place.

[Fey]

Doc Jones wrote:

Let us know what you’re looking for. I have a lot of seed here I’d be happy to send.

Fey, are you allowed to import any seed you want? Seems funny that they’d let you buy the seeds buy not the plants.

Doc

Thank you for that offer Doc. There’s a government website I can go into to find what seeds are allowed and what isn’t. It’s usually the plants that can become a problem, like purple loosestrife and hypericum, that they won’t allow in. The silly thing is, both of these are considered natives here and are reasonably easy to get. There are illegal plants like Ephedra sp. but there are alternatives like sida cordifolia to take its place.

If I did get a phyto sanitary certificate, apparently the plants get held up in customs for months at a time with an accompanying huge bill. Sometimes, I’ve heard, the plants die in customs…and you still get the bill. When I buy seeds, most of the time customs doesn’t even check them. I don’t have any interest in growing anything illegal, so even if they did check, there wouldn’t be a problem.

If the company I buy from has a reputation for clean seeds, and state when seeds won’t be posted to Australia because they’re not allowed, like Horizon herbs, they just pass straight on through.

It’s because I’ve had to make do with seeds, that I’ve learned so much about germination. I still would rather buy a plant rather than seeds though.

The same offer applies to you too. If you ever hear of something I’ve got that you would like, I’ll gladly send the seeds.

[Fey]

IdahoHerbalist wrote: She gets them from Horizon Herbs, but they probably have a phyto certificate from some government smartie pants place.

Oh IdahoHerbalist, you really have a problem with them hey?

Just think, they have some very rare plants…check out Ashitaba….way more than most places. So, just use them. Get what you need from them. They are none the wiser and probably wouldn’t give a flying fox that you don’t like them.

As long as you’ve got the micro climates….and I read that you do…you could have a herb collection that would treat anything that comes your way. They’ve got herbs to make anyone drool! :nod:

[Fey]

Another good reason to buy plants instead of seeds….

Some back yard type nurseries will sometimes plant seeds that don’t come up. The dirt is chucked back in the mix and is reused.

I bought a Sloe plum and had Epilobium parviflorum (Small flowering willowherb) come up too. That’s also how I got the Campanula rapunculoides (Bellflower), Centaury, Chinese motherwort and Herb Robert.

[Dorothea]

I had really good luck with the Good Seed Company in Whitefish, Montana. Those seeds are acclimated to Montana weather. They all sprouted.

They take great pride in their products and are packaged with care. I always check there first before I attempt to buy seeds anywhere else.

[Joshua Parke]

I’ve purchased, and still purchase, quite a few plants and seeds from All good things to say about them.

[IdahoHerbalist]

They are the same as Horizon Herbs. Mixed results with them, as described earlier in this thread.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Remember that many herbs have really poor germination rates. A mullein plant sheds many thousands of seeds in a given year and may get a dozen plants. Some plants need stratification, a cold winter, even fire in order to germinate. DOn’t be too hard on the seed companies if your seeds don’t germinate.

Seed germination can be tricky. I once planted some False Unicorn seed and nothing came up. I figured I’d give them some time. The next year nothing came up again. The third year, Echinacea came up. Apparently it took several years for the False Unicorn seeds to adapt to something that would like to grow in Idaho. :blink:

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[sherib8Student]

Hey Doc,

I am new and would love to get seeds to start my garden. Is there a place on your site where I can purchase them?

Sheri

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Sherib wrote: Hey Doc,

I am new and would love to get seeds to start my garden. Is there a place on your site where I can purchase them?

Sheri

Hi Sheri,

I don’t have much for seed right now. If you’re in Idaho, come on over and dig some stuff up. :0)

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[IdahoHerbalist]

I am going trough our seed supply right now. Will post them on our as soon as I have them evaluated.

[Author]

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