You can start them indoors in January and use grow lights or just the window (with luck) and get some seedlings for LOTS cheaper than you would if you don't.
I did this once and saved a lot.
You can also put them outside in a cold frame you make yourself, or just put them in the ground and protect them from any low temperatures or a late frost. Then, label your areas or make a map and count your food savings.
I am sharing a big list from before, plus more for 2014. The NEW ones are brand new from the Safe Seed Company list's comments with thanks.
Here are the NEW links first:
(just added - ) The Seed Savers Seed Exchange - I can't wait to explore THIS site too.
http://exchange.seedsavers.org/index.aspx
The Farm Wars Safe Seed Company list (Go to this site to download the PDF file for your desktop)
I found some great listings in some fun magazines in the past, Natural Awakenings, Countryside, BackHome, Body & Soul (now Whole Living Magazine), and Mother Earth News.
ORGANIC AND HEIRLOOM SEEDS - updated 2014Grandma’s Gardens catalog and endangered species seeds
http://underwoodgardens.com/index1.php
NEW: Redwood City Seed Company: http://www.ecoseeds.com/index.html
Hudson Seeds, California
http://www.JLHudsonseeds.net
The International Seed Saving Institute
http://www.seedsave.org/
Seeds Trust for high altitude gardens
http://www.seedstrust.com/
Flowers from nursery sources
by the Brooklyn Botanical Garden
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/plants/handbooks/flowers/9.html
Redwood City Seed Company
California
http://www.ecoseeds.com
NEW: Comstock-Ferre: http://comstockferre.com/ "Not all are heirloom seed, but they are not GMO and they are members of ASTA." (via the Farm Wars comment page).
Redwood City Seed (California) #2 site
This features pepper varieties
http://www.lovepeppers.com/catalog.welcome.html
NEW: Kitchen Garden Seeds (Johnny) http://www.kitchengardenseeds.com/
Baker Creek Heirloom seeds
This company is famous and one of the very best!!
http://www.rareseeds.com/
NEW: The Ark Institute http://www.arkinstitute.com/
From their page: "Visit our Store or view our Catalog."
Heirloom tomato seeds – These have letter codes indicating resistance
to different diseases – and includes Seed Swap 101, how to swap seeds.
http://www.vegetableseedwarehouse.com/heirtom/html
Fantastic Findings lists of seeds
http://www.fantasticfindings.com/results.aspx?cat=seeds
Heirloom Acres, Missouri
http://www.heirloomacresseeds.com/
Takes PayPal.
Whatcom rare seeds
http://seedrack.com/
Sources for organic and heirloom seeds by mail:
http://www.heirloomseeds.com/organic.html
Heirloom flower bulbs
http://www.oldhousegardens.com/
Heirloom seeds on Ebay
http://stores.ebay.com/Blue-Ribbon-Tomatoes_seeds_W0QQfsubZ2QQstorecachemissZblueribbontomatoesQ5fseedsQQtZkm
The Heirloom Sampler site – this site shows pictures of heirloom varieties and explains about each one. "The Heirloom Vegetable Gardener's Assistant".
http://www.halcyon.com/tmend/sampler.htm
NEW: Territorial Seed Company - they have Heirlooms and Organic seeds - see the top menu. http://www.territorialseed.com/
NEW: Fedco Seeds - a Co-op (I like this) http://www.fedcoseeds.com/.
They also carry garden products.
Amishland Heirloom Seeds
http://www.amishlandseeds.com/index.htm
Thomas Jefferson’s seeds
from Monticello
http://monticellostore.stores.yahoo.net/plants---seeds-seeds.html
Bill Best’s article from Appalachian Heritage magazine
http://www.heirlooms.org/beans.html - this article features descriptions of heritage beans from Kentucky. You pick out the kinds you want and then send them a check.
http://www.heirlooms.org/catalog.html
Local Harvest Seeds
http://www.localharvest.org/store/seeds.jsp
also: herbs, honey products, soaps, more
Rutgers University tomatoes - these include the Ramapo tomato:
http://www.njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/JerseyTomato.html
Grow Shitake mushrooms
http://www.mushroompeople.com/
REGIONAL SEED EXCHANGES
Saving, storing, and growing seeds
http://www.freetechsupport.com/csr/seeds.htm
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
http://www.southernexposure.com/index.html
Seed exchanges for each state
http://www.blossomswap.com/exchanges
FARMERS PRODUCE SHARE CO-OPS
AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE SITES
Local Harvest – buy foods grown close to your location
http://www.localharvest.org/
The Farm Eco-Village Training Center
offers classes and apprenticeships
2008 Calendar
http://www.thefarm.org/general/calendar.html
INTERNSHIPS
Sustainable farming internships
http://www.attrainternships.ncat.org/
ORGANIC FOOD STORES
Goodness Greeness
http://www.goodnessgreeness.com/
Also check the Caretakers Gazette for all kinds of caretaking and gardening jobs around the world and in the U.S.
OTHER INTERESTING RELATED LINKS
LOCAL – KENTUCKY
Kentucky only
Farmers Market Directory
http://www.kyagr.com/marketing/farmmarket/directory.htm
Agriculture links
http://www.kyagr.com/forms/aglinks.htm
HOW TO SAVE YOUR OWN SEEDS FROM YOUR GARDEN
From Natural Life Magazine
http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/9504/seeds.htm
And new: Seed starting Made Simple - from the Mother Earth News
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/seed-starting-zm0z12fmzsto.aspx
Important: I have not visited all of these sites, just some. And I can't wait to explore. I have some seeds already, but would like more.
So comment if you have more, or if you want to let me know more about a site or link.
A related link: 230 more Heirloom Seed companies - Non-GMO Seeds - Organic Seeds - from the Off Grid Info. site.
NEW: seed companies who have taken the Safe Seed Pledge: http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/ViewPage.aspx?pageId=261
