I recommend Pinetree Garden Seeds. Their motto is "Good seeds cheap" and it's pretty accurate.

Are you familiar with the Seed Exchange forum right here on GardenWeb?

It depends largely on what you're looking for. Veggies? Wildflowers? Staple garden flowers? Newest cultivars?

For basic flowers, you can't beat cheapseeds.com.
I like Pinetree too. Low prices for small packs.
Swallowtail is my favorite I think- reasonable prices, decent seed count/pack.
Stokes is becoming a favorite too- excellent germination, lots of pelletted seeds for those dust-like things like begonias.
Diane's and Renee's both good.
Park's and T&M probably have the widest selections, but both are expensive, seed counts low, and germination not so great either.

It's a good idea to check garden watchdog before ordering any plants or seeds online. Also, before ordering, you might want to check out their shipping charges- sometimes it's like highway robbery.

Karen

Diane's is a Top 30 seller (out of 7,361) on the watch * dog website, her prices are very fair and shipping is normally very fast. She sells quite a good selection of native seed types. Swallowtail has a larger selection and are also reliable. I order from Hazzard's in addition to Diane's & Swallowtail because they sell larger quantities and their unit price is often lower than the others. They're a wholesale outfit but will sell to anyone. They also offer free shipping on New Year's Eve which is when I've placed my order the past two years to take advantage of that. Their online catalog goes by botanical name rather than common name which some folks find difficult to navigate.

What to you is "not to expensive". I like Crosman seed for inexpensive seeds and basic annuals, a few perennials and some veggies. They all germinate well for me, just enough in a pack for a home gardener, and each packet under $1.00.

Burpee is not inexpensive (in relation to what you get in a pack) and postage is a fair piece.

Fedco is also very inexpensive - in general you get double or triple the amount of seeds in a pack as compared to other brands of seeds, and they are for the most part, less expensive. Mostly vegetables, some herbs and annuals. They are one of my favorites.

Wow thank you everyone, what a wonderful turnout to my question.

to msbatt, I know this forum does a seed exchange is there another I can look into? I will look it up. I'll look into Pinetree too, thanks.

To karen,
I am interested in both the staple perennial flowers and newest cultivars. I would think the newest cultivars would not germ as well as the tried and true. I am willing to take a chance with only a few differnt new cultivars, probably a new shasta daisy, definately an echinacea, maybe the black hollyhock and maybe a new clematis. Suggestions are welcome.Wow you really know where to buy seeds, I'll write all your suggestions down and keep your favorite
To gardenweed
Diane's top 30 sounds perfect! I also expect you to really be able to help me here as you did 500 containers in your first yr and 300 in the next. You know what does good, is simple etc. pls tell me your secrets. PS How many holes do you swear by in your containers? Is moWill more be a detriment if I'm willing to keep an eye on them. Do you have a problem with seeds rotting? I saw how wonderful your foxgloves looked, anymore like that?

Thanks for the headsup about the free shipping on new years eve from hazzard's gardenweed. Sounds great. Like I have been trying to convey, I am definately willing to buy the tried and true seeds at a bulk rate if I know they will be vigorous and I can plant many containers of them.

TY girlgroupgirl for your suggestions I'll see if Fedco or Crosman has anything I'd like to do in bulk.

I'm looking for fast growing most popular perennial seeds. Does anyone have any suggestions on what grows quickly, easy germination, and popular?

I'm pretty sure Shasta Daisies fir that bill.
I'd like to grow all the favorites as I will be selling most of them.

Flowers such as Echinachea pueple and other varieties
Clematis
hollyhock
correopsis
veronica speedwell
delphinium
dianthus
foxglove
Cheap to me is a dollar, though that cheap might suggest a sacrifice in quality, but if you folks have tried them then I would go ahead without hesitation.
Don't know how to do seed trading, I'm sure I can figure it out if I read, I think I will.
I do have many to share. Just don't know how many I have to send in to get other seeds. I think I'll read into it tonight. I have thousands of foxgloves. I lost my echinacea seeds (OMG) how did I do that. I also left seed heads on longer this yr to hopefully get volunteers. I might have just broadcasted the seeds over a new bulb bed but unsure. Or maybe the box got wet, don't know. My neighbor has echinaceas still up (dried up of course) is it too late to get seeds? I didn't think it should be.

Well this is long enough, I thank you so much for helpign me

Remember can you tell me the seeds that did the best for you. I only do flowers and mostly perennials but I will do ( and really grew fast, etc etc)a few annuals like cleome and cosmos, though didn't save cosmos seeds either, but tons of cleome. I didn't save them because once you plant a cosmos or cleome you never have to again due to the volunteers.

Having fun yet?
A gardener's work is NEVER done. LOL and who wants it to be

WOW SWALLOW TAIL SEEDS IS AMAZING 5,000 shasta daisy seeds for 3.99 and 500 for 1.99
looked at seed exchange, want to follow up with the one we have here.
Haven't gotten any further yet.

micki777 - I do put plenty of drain holes in my containers but can't say I have better or worse results than those who put just a few. I've never had any seeds that rotted but I'm careful to use the same amount of water when moistening the growing mix in the jugs. Butterfly bush/buddleia sprouted as thickly as the foxgloves while others weren't quite so abundant. I find the really tiny seeds are difficult to sow lightly.

I snapped a picture after I either opened the jugs or cut the tops off in June this year:

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The sprouts in the middle that look like iris are blackberry lily. I got 100% germination from the seeds.

I can't say enough postive things about the cheapo dollar store seeds. You won't find a vast variety but you will find tried and true varieties that have been grown for multiple decades--these varieties are very reliable.

For tomatoes, I can recommend WinterSown.Org--is free cheap enough?

Here is a link that might be useful: Your Choice Tomato SASE

Oh how fun
wanted to stop in here first before I did some more investigating and shopping.

Wow Gardenweed your germination is outstanding. Can you name the varieties you have there, all of them. Which grew into adult plants.

I'm so use to seeds rotting and growing splindly in the house,

I will look up the Blackberry Lily, sounds great.

Thank you Trudy for the shout out to the Dollar General seeds, that's my price and I live very close to one. When do seeds start coming out?

Can you actually ws tomato seeds? No way right? But if you say so I would believe you. Thank you for the link, I am looking for an early girl tomato.

Eileen I will relook at your ss, or you may refer to it when you mention the ones that thrived really well.

Have a great day!
Micki AKA Plant Lady

Dollar store seeds start showing up January-ish, but most likely sure to see February-ish.

Can you WS tom seeds? Yeah, you can. That's how the YCTS list started, I'd give people the seeds to couteract the naysayers. You're zone 6, so choose seeds with a DTM of 78-80 days or less in order to have ripe fruits before end of summer. Earlier DTMs get you earlier ripe fruits. I don't have Early Girl but you might check out Bush Celeb for similar results. Round and red is all fine, but there are many interesting colors and shapes on the list too. Heirlooms usually equal yumminess.

Micki, Trudi has instructions here for seed trading SASBE
http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/SASEs.html

Don't overlook cheapseeds.com for basic seeds
You can't go wrong with things like $4 for 1000 coneflower seeds AND free shipping. You'll have plenty left to trade. When I bought from them their germination was excellent.

Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: cheapseeds

micki - all the sprouts in the picture grew into mature plants that were planted in various beds. Of all the seeds I WS the past two years, only a couple were disappointments:

Aquilegia/columbine - very low germination
Leucanthemum superbum/Shasta daisy - less than 50% germination

Doesn't mean those seed types won't do well for you, just that they didn't do well for me. I should tell you the few Shasta daisy plants that sprouted and grew got to be huge.

My neighbors thought I'd sprung a leak/slipped a gear/gone 'round the bend when I announced I was going to WS last year. One even howled with laughter week after week when he brought me a truckload of recycled milk/spring water jugs from the town landfill. After they saw my sprouts & I gave them dozens of perennials I'd grown, nobody was laughing and they started asking me to grow things for them. I'd get home from work and there'd be a scrunched-up envelope stuck in the door with a note that said, "Please grow these for me. Orange lily flowers, full sun." There were blackberry lily seeds in the envelope. The laughing neighbor brought me 4 apple & 12 pear tree seeds and asked me to WS them for him. I gave him 4 apple & 12 pear seedlings this year which he planted in his orchard.

Last year I WS tomato seeds and harvested a bumper crop of yummy Stupice and grape tomatoes.

Wow Gardenweed your germination is outstanding. Yes, it is, but no more so than most everyone else who winter sows. My indoor seed starting results were pretty much as dismal as yours. Chances are good-to-excellent your own WS results will be every bit as outstanding as everyone else's.

Shame on me for forgetting Jeff! CheapSeeds is a great place to get lots of seeds at an affordable cost.

I've got you covered Trudi :-) It might have been you who first told me about cheap seeds. It was great when I started out- I had lots of seeds to start and a lot left over to trade or give to friends.

Micki, when looking at echinacea, consider White Swan. I WSed them last year (2010) so this past summer was their first to bloom. Very pretty and long lasting blossoms
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Karen

Micki--did you get my email?
Duane

Karen, very nice garden! Bet the butterflies love you much.

Hmmm .... can you WS tomatoes? Better believe it!

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PV

WOW!! PV - that tomato is amazing! Maybe I'll WS toms again this time. I took a year off after practically killing myself trying to keep them watered during last year's drought. This year (of course) it never stopped raining from May - October. Just one of the many joys of gardening...

Thank you Trudi, Karen, Gardenweed, Duane, and PV,
for all your responses.

in the order the names appear,
To Trudi,
OK I believe you so you can sow a tomato, but I thought tomaatoes only grew in warm temeperatures. I believe you people, the proof is in the pudding,
Great Pictures everyone, Garden Weed beautiful combination of varities there of Ech, Black Eyed Susans.

I definately want the White Swan Echinacheas.

PV your Tomatoes look Yummy, and I would like to grow an herloom tomato, I use to grow Oxfords, so we have any of these seeds around.

Trudi you mentioned another early tomato that would substitute an early girl. I need a tomato to come in very early because I grow it for my neighbors who live in FL and come here for the summer but leave Sept 3rd. They would like to be eatting tomatoes in mid July if that's possible.

Someone tell me please how tomato seeds sprout and grow sturdy in a cold environemtn? OK I can fathom that because nature always has volunteers.
I bet you folks WS sunflowers too.
And ANNUALS, those too right?
When do the seeds get planted? Later right, like in Spring?

OK, you gyes are the greatest!

Duane I got your email and responded with my address.

Don't know what a SASBE is yet but think it has something to do with what seeds I'd like to have.

So sorry my bf has been hear and has a back injury so I've had to do everything and didn't have a chance to respond to everyone.

Cheapseeds sounds AWESOME, 1,000 echinachea seeds for a buck, thats crazy.

As you may know by now I would like to sell some of my plants and that I do mostly perennials. Anything you think would do well, mostly the staple, average type. However, personally I love
Echinacheas and
perennial grasses, and
Delpiniums, top favorites.
and different Shasta Daisies, any kind of daisy flower really.
I have plenty of FoxGlove seeds.
Let me find out what the SASBE is.
If anyone can help me get seeds here I would be most grateful.
I will send you my address and ph in an email.
I will be back.
PV whatever your first tomato is there it looks meaty, juicy and delicous, my mouth is watering now.
Everyone has been so helpful.

My house is getting over run with milk jugs and I'm having to store them in large garbage bags.

LOL,
Micki
I will look up Cheap Seeds for sure, the top of my list.
I don't mean to sound unbelieving because I totally believe you all but can you break it down a little more the success you're having with tomatoes and annuals, Like when do you plant the seeds and when do they germ,

Loved your funny story gardenweed, how people left seeds for you to plant. And you actually gave him back the same abount of seedlings as he gave you seeds !!!?, UNBELIEVABLE,
GO to go now and get to cooking. It might take me 24 hrs to get back.
Please help me get seeds, since I know your deadlines are coming up and I don't know how to navigate this all yet.
Like how do I find members names, Duane is going to send me seeds but I have to research how I see his seed trade page.

I will really try to get back tonight with this incase someone writes back. I love it here.

Micki - your excitement is so contagious! Makes me feel like a first time WSer all over again!

I bet you folks WS sunflowers too. And ANNUALS, those too right?

Yes, on both counts. I don't normally grow sunflowers, but lots of folks do. Annuals? For the more tender annuals, you'll want to wait until very late winter - early spring for those. Others can be sown earlier.

Don't know what a SASBE is yet but think it has something to do with what seeds I'd like to have.

Hehe - yup, it's got something to do with the seeds you want. SASBE = Self-addressed, Stamped, Bubble Envelope. You put postage in the envelope, and a mailing lebel with your address, then send it off to the member who is offering the free seeds. Then you haunt the mailbox till the enveolpe comes back with it's precious cargo.

PV whatever your first tomato is there it looks meaty, juicy and delicous,

That first tomato is "German Striped". Good tasting.

how do I find members names, Duane is going to send me seeds but I have to research how I see his seed trade page.

next to the name on each person's post is a link that says "My Page" - click that and it will take you to the particular member's page - trade lists, email addresses , etc.

Welcome to winter sowing! Glad to see you are enjoying yourself so!

PV

Micki, I have some seeds that I can send you if you want them. You list "Cacti and Succulents" as your fave forum and I have a few seeds left of succulent Adenium obesum pink 'Desert Rose.' For late spring sowing or inside sowing, of course. I got them for sasbe from paulan (Paula N), who generously offered them in this forum last year. She got them in a trade and never grew as her climate is too cold.

In z6 you must have heat and light inside to grow cacti, right? I did great with the seedlings in the summer and sold my extra plants at my organization's fall plant sale, but I killed them when I moved them inside (gradually) for winter, probably not enough heat and light on top of a fall that was too wet for them. E-mail me your address if you want them - I can just mail you the 7 large seeds - do not need your sasbe. Best wishes, River

#1 Seedlings May 18, 2011, #2 Small roots May 30, #3 Too much rain Sept 1

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Micki,

Toms do grow and fruit in warm tepms, but they also reseed.

If a plant reseeds in your area, meaning that Ma Nature droppid its seeds in the fall and they sprout the following spring, you can WS that plant. WSing is based on plants being able to naturally replicate themselves by seed, the containers only give them a protective enviroment, it doesn't change their genetics.

So sorry I have not posted sooner, I will tonight.
Trudi, I did find you tomato illustrations per the link you gave me and it was very explicite and the produce looked very healthy. I would like to grow tomatoes in a bucket this yr like you did.
Back later tonight.

Talk to you soon PV, thanks for everything.
Micki

Lots of great information here.

Thank you PV, River and Trudi,
for your responses and help.

Thanks PV for all the explanations and instructions, they are very helpful
Now I know what a SASBE is and how to find trade lists.
I do like your yellow toms too. What kind of toms are the last ones? They are the perfect size and look nice and firm and juicy. Nice condition too!

Thank you Trudi for all the work you've done on the WS.org website. Your illustrations are so helpful and I was able to find the one on how to WS tomatoes. I would still like to get the free seeds but the link didn't open up for me. Could be my computer so I'll try again.

Yes River,
I'd lock cacti and succulent seeds. Yes those are my favorite indoor plants. They are so forgiving. I have extra lighting fixtures for the winter and have a large picture window which faces due South. You mentioned warmth as well. What temperature would you say would be necessary? I keep my house very cool at night so I can sleep more comfortably, like 55ish.

I will email you River with my address, thank you so much,
and thanks to everyone here for all the help to finding good affordable seeds.

A GARDENER'S WORK IS NEVER DONE
AND WHO WANTS IT TO BE .

Great, Micki, I am delighted that you want the Desert Rose seeds that I got from paulan. Let's talk by e-mail and in the succulent forum with the experts. They'll know about indoor temps & I don't!

I really like the Sample Seed Shop. Many seeds are a dollar, and postage is $3.50 for up to 20 seed packets. Tomatoes just went up to 1.25 this year -- great selection of choice heirlooms! She sells wonderful vegetables, flowers, herbs as well. It's a one-person operation, and the varieties are well chosen. I've been trying not to acquire too many seeds, but Remy's list is irresistible.
http://sampleseeds.com/?page_id=91

I have to 2nd habitat_gardener's suggestion--Sample Seed Shop is wonderful to deal with, and I got great germination from her seeds last year!

If you're after more common varieties, you can wait until February time, and both Walgreens (with in ad coupon) and Menards will do 10 or 11 pack of seeds for $1. You'll get your basics filled out with those.

Join the Seeds of the Month Club, you get 8 packs the first month, and 4 packs every month after... 52 packs of seeds for $32.04. That averages out to about 62 cents a pack.

Here is a link that might be useful: Seeds of the Month Club