biggest selection of open pollinated and / or heirloon

[twillis2252]

Originally Posted by KarenO

Http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Main_Page

1255 varieties listed

Agree with Karen...Bought seed from Tania last two years. Been able to grow out and save seed for myself and others. Had issues with one variety whose results on some of the seed were not what Tania described. Tania, sent extra seed with apologies. Great service and always provides advice when requested.

[amideutch]

Here is a listing of vendors compiled by Mischka last updated in 2014.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=3

Ami

[ContainerTed]

I was surprised that no one had listed Sandhill Preservation. Glenn now has the 2017 list up. Here's the link

http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/catalog/tomato.html

[KarenO]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Wow! Didn't realize Tania has that many available. I've also ordered from her several times and even though she's in Canada, orders arrived very quickly.

She is fantastic and maintains her amazing database so many of use use all the time for information about varieties. Pics showing plants, blooms and developing fruit along with whole and sliced ripe really help to know what to expect. Most sites show a pic of a single perfect ripe fruit.
Btw, She also sells other OP vegetable seeds.
KarenO
http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Main_Page

If we're just talking about the number of kinds of seeds offered (and no other factors), if we don't mean exclusively tomato breeds, take a look at these stores, which have lots of stuff:

* Trade Winds Fruit (they add new stuff all the time, too; not just once a year; they probably sell more plant species than any other online seed vendor)
* Reimer Seeds
* Baker Creek
* Pepper Lover (loads of pepper breeds)
* TomatoFest
* Victory Seeds

I've shopped at all of those I listed, except for Pepper Lover. They've all been pretty good for the most part, but Baker Creek is my favorite among those (especially as you can find lots of reviews for a lot of stuff, and the reviews generally tell you the general location of the reviewer). Baker Creek is based out of Missouri.

I didn't relist any that people have already mentioned, but I agree that some of them have a whole lot of kinds of seeds. Tatiana's TOMATObase Seed Shop does indeed have lots of varieties, but I thought I'd point out that it's a Canadian store (and ships from Canada); so, if you plan to order from the USA, in order to be legal about it, you'll need to get a Small Lots of Seed permit before ordering (they are said to be free, though). I would recommend ordering from somewhere with a warmer, humid climate like yours probably is, anyway, though (for your first store), although sometimes they get their seeds from breeders who grew them in other climates.

You may also be interested in Southern Exposure (and although it has a good selection, I think the others I listed have more); I believe it's based out of Mineral, Virginia. Tomato Growers Supply Company seems to be based out of Fort Myers, Florida.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by shule1

If we're just talking about the number of kinds of seeds offered (and no other factors), if we don't mean exclusively tomato breeds, take a look at these stores, which have lots of stuff:

* Trade Winds Fruit (they add new stuff all the time, too; not just once a year; they probably sell more plant species than any other online seed vendor)
* Reimer Seeds
* Baker Creek
* Pepper Lover (loads of pepper breeds)
* TomatoFest
* Victory Seeds

I've shopped at all of those I listed, except for Pepper Lover. They've all been pretty good for the most part, but Baker Creek is my favorite among those (especially as you can find lots of reviews for a lot of stuff, and the reviews generally tell you the general location of the reviewer). Baker Creek is based out of Missouri.

I didn't relist any that people have already mentioned, but I agree that some of them have a whole lot of kinds of seeds. Tatiana's TOMATObase Seed Shop does indeed have lots of varieties, but I thought I'd point out that it's a Canadian store (and ships from Canada); so, if you plan to order from the USA, in order to be legal about it, you'll need to get a Small Lots of Seed permit before ordering (they are said to be free, though). I would recommend ordering from somewhere with a warmer, humid climate like yours probably is, anyway, though (for your first store), although sometimes they get their seeds from breeders who grew them in other climates.

You may also be interested in Southern Exposure (and although it has a good selection, I think the others I listed have more); I believe it's based out of Mineral, Virginia. Tomato Growers Supply Company seems to be based out of Fort Myers, Florida.

The question posed was where to go to get MANY different kinds of seeds.Tomato Growers offers only tomatoes,peppers and eggplant.

Tania's website is a database and while she lists mainly tomatoes, when you click on different varieties you'll find not that many that she personally sells, but lists where you can find then,if indeed there is a source.. And no,Tania does not need a small lot thing to send to the US or elsewhere. That small lot issue is from SSE in Decorah,IA

Personally I wouldn't buy anything from Reimers, especially pepper seed.

Baker Creek is OK but now there are two different catalogs that are sent out and you have to pay for one of them.,

Tomatofest,many different kinds of seeds? Not IMO.

Victory Seeds? Absolutely

Sandhill Preservation? Absolutely

And Dale Thurber's site Delectation of Tomatoes? Not much else unless you are into growing competition size tomatoes. But I've seen good comments back about the quality of his tomato seeds.He's now based in Utah.

SESE, still very good,especially since the new folks took over and lowered the pack prices and # of seeds/pk.

All for now,

Carolyn

[MissS]

Dale has really been busy over at Delectation of Tomatoes. He has added hundreds of varieties. He is now in the same league as Tatiana's. His selections are growing by leaps and bounds.

Originally Posted by carolyn137

The question posed was where to go to get MANY different kinds of seeds.Tomato Growers offers only tomatoes,peppers and eggplant.

Tania's website is a database and while she lists mainly tomatoes, when you click on different varieties you'll find not that many that she personally sells, but lists where you can find then,if indeed there is a source.. And no,Tania does not need a small lot thing to send to the US or elsewhere. That small lot issue is from SSE in Decorah,IA

Personally I wouldn't buy anything from Reimers, especially pepper seed.

Baker Creek is OK but now there are two different catalogs that are sent out and you have to pay for one of them.,

Tomatofest,many different kinds of seeds? Not IMO.

Victory Seeds? Absolutely

Sandhill Preservation? Absolutely

And Dale Thurber's site Delectation of Tomatoes? Not much else unless you are into growing competition size tomatoes. But I've seen good comments back about the quality of his tomato seeds.He's now based in Utah.

SESE, still very good,especially since the new folks took over and lowered the pack prices and # of seeds/pk.

All for now,

Carolyn

What I interpreted the OP as asking for was anything that would constitute having its own seed packet: So, I mean the number of seed items you can buy (not the number of species or some such—what I said about Trade Winds Fruit's number of species was an added bonus, but it still has a lot of seeds either way you look at it).

I included anything I found that sells 300+ to 1000+ kinds of seeds in my list. By far, most vendors don't sell that many (most are in the ~70 to 200 range, it seems). Tatiana's has a lot more than 300 (1257), but you're right that it's a lot less than are on the wiki.

Reimer Seeds does have detractors, I do admit. My first time buying there was with some trepidation (I read Garden Watchdog reviews). I personally think it's an all right store, but not everyone has had the same experience. I think a lot of the bad reviews were pretty old. Shipping is a little high for my tastes, though, unless I'm buying more than a couple things, but they do actually use a large bubble-padded, manilla envelope (so, they don't collect too much of it on handling). The seed packets are large paper ones (similar to SHPC's and TWF's). Their Crimson Forest bunching onions, Beit Alpha cucumbers, Little Leaf cucumbers, Yellow Husk ground cherry, Aji Omnicolor pepper, Goats Weed pepper, and their Celebrity F1 tomato did fine to well. The peanuts didn't grow, but I did direct-seed them in soil that some things have much difficulty germinating in (e.g. okra). If I had tried them in less difficult soil, I might ask to see if they would replace the peanuts, but my soil isn't their fault. Some of the breeds weren't my favorite ones, but those ones seemed to be what they were supposed to be, except the Yellow Husk ground cherry didn't have two inch fruits, and I'm not sure that the species they listed was correct (but it had different breed traits than the other kinds I grew). They were the same size as normal ground cherries for me. The ones I don't recommend (at least in my growing conditions) are Little Leaf, Yellow Husk, & Goat's Weed. I loved Beit Alpha and Aji Omnicolor. I'm still evaluating Crimson Forest, but it germinated very well direct-seeded in difficult soil and the onions seem to be doing well so far (they're overwintering now); it also appears true to type. Celebrity F1 grew and fruited just fine, but I didn't prefer the taste much.

[carolyn137]

What I interpreted the OP as asking for was anything that would constitute having its own seed packet: So, I mean the number of seed items you can buy (not the number of species or some such—what I said about Trade Winds Fruit's number of species was an added bonus, but it still has a lot of seeds either way you look at it).

****

Please run this by me again.

Anything that would have it's own seed packet.Got it.

So that means the number of seed ITEMS you can buy. Don't got it.

Carolyn

Originally Posted by carolyn137

What I interpreted the OP as asking for was anything that would constitute having its own seed packet: So, I mean the number of seed items you can buy (not the number of species or some such—what I said about Trade Winds Fruit's number of species was an added bonus, but it still has a lot of seeds either way you look at it).

****

Please run this by me again.

Anything that would have it's own seed packet.Got it.

So that means the number of seed ITEMS you can buy. Don't got it.

Carolyn

Sorry. It's surprisingly difficult to explain without ambiguity. I think what you understood before I said 'items' was right. By items, I meant products (fruit/vegetable seed products). So, Orange-1 tomato, if for sale, is an item. Cherokee Purple tomato is another. Monika cucumber is another. Corbaci pepper is another. Cape Gooseberry ground cherry is another. Shark Fin Melon is another. Morelle De Balbis is another. Those would total to 7 items. Well, I didn't count non-edible ornamentals (I'm sure there are flower sites that might compete): I just counted fruits/vegetables (and maybe herbs if those sites listed any). I didn't look at herb-only sites.

Originally Posted by carolyn137

And no,Tania does not need a small lot thing to send to the US or elsewhere. That small lot issue is from SSE in Decorah,IA

I don't think it's specific to SSE. It seems to apply to all seed imports to the USA (from other countries) that don't require a phytosanitary certificate.

I meant that the recipient is supposed to have a Small Lots of Seed permit (not Tania, per se). I'm sure Tania has whatever she needs, if she needs something like that. She seems to be aware of the issue, which is nice.

Tania talks about how US customers may wish to obtain one (see the last bullet on the page), although she doesn't outright say it's illegal if you don't have one (I did say it was illegal, since the information about it seems to say it's required, but the penalty you're probably most likely to incur, if any, is destroyed seeds, although I don't really know).

I don't know why importers are supposed to have a permit, or how you're supposed to get the mail service to ship it to the proper port of entry (that seems a bit much to expect), but it's enough for my conscience to be concerned about the issue (and lose sleep over it were I to go against my conscience there). So, I thought I'd let others know, since it's hard to find much information on the matter. I actually did order there before I knew for sure that it shipped from Canada, but I didn't feel right about growing the seeds after I found that link I just gave you. I figured bringing up the topic maybe would help others to know stuff like that beforehand (so they can make an informed decision and avoid wasting seeds). At least Tania made some money, though (I don't regret where the money went). She does good service to the world with all the tomatoes she maintains and the information she provides.

I don't condemn anyone for not using a Small Lots of Seed permit, even if I personally feel getting one is the right thing for me to do before ordering. And, I'm not the police, a lawyer or a judge. I'm just giving information to whom it may concern.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by MissS

Dale has really been busy over at Delectation of Tomatoes. He has added hundreds of varieties. He is now in the same league as Tatiana's. His selections are growing by leaps and bounds.

I know that since it took him a long long time to kind of start from scratch when he moved to Utah. Plowing up new fields,building where he stores and packs seeds, etc.

All to the good.

Carolyn

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by shule1

I don't think it's specific to SSE. It seems to apply to all seed imports to the USA (from other countries) that don't require a phytosanitary certificate...

...but it's enough for my conscience to be concerned about the issue (and lose sleep over it were I to go against my conscience there). So, I thought I'd let others know, since it's hard to find much information on the matter. I actually did order there before I knew for sure that it shipped from Canada, but I didn't feel right about growing the seeds after I found that link I just gave you..

I'll fall on the grenade and help you get to REM sleep, those questionable seeds are more than welcome down here.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by shule1

I don't think it's specific to SSE. It seems to apply to all seed imports to the USA (from other countries) that don't require a phytosanitary certificate.

I meant that the recipient is supposed to have a Small Lots of Seed permit (not Tania, per se). I'm sure Tania has whatever she needs, if she needs something like that. She seems to be aware of the issue, which is nice.

Tania talks about how US customers may wish to obtain one (see the last bullet on the page), although she doesn't outright say it's illegal if you don't have one (I did say it was illegal, since the information about it seems to say it's required, but the penalty you're probably most likely to incur, if any, is destroyed seeds, although I don't really know).

I don't know why importers are supposed to have a permit, or how you're supposed to get the mail service to ship it to the proper port of entry (that seems a bit much to expect), but it's enough for my conscience to be concerned about the issue (and lose sleep over it were I to go against my conscience there). So, I thought I'd let others know, since it's hard to find much information on the matter. I actually did order there before I knew for sure that it shipped from Canada, but I didn't feel right about growing the seeds after I found that link I just gave you. I figured bringing up the topic maybe would help others to know stuff like that beforehand (so they can make an informed decision and avoid wasting seeds). At least Tania made some money, though (I don't regret where the money went). She does good service to the world with all the tomatoes she maintains and the information she provides.

I don't condemn anyone for not using a Small Lots of Seed permit, even if I personally feel getting one is the right thing for me to do before ordering. And, I'm not the police, a lawyer or a judge. I'm just giving information to whom it may concern.

First, no it's not just SSE, you are correct, but they were the first to give the links to the proper place where one could obtain a permit.And that b/c there are many SSE members from many countries

This all started many years ago when the Gov did place a ban on importation of seeds to the US, and it was to prevent so called noxious weeds from entering,as tumbleweed did.I think I posted about this before.

And yes customs did flag some stuff coming in and yes,they also confiscated the seeds. Same as what happens if you try to send seeds to Australia, but that's trying to prevent spread of the potato spindle viroid which also infects tomatoes and has now been found in a few places in the US. Same as the ban on getting stuff into the Netherlands,especially tomato seed b/c there are so many companies there that breed varieties and send they send them everywhere for commercial sale.

What it has come down to is large commercial shipments coming mainly from Europe to the US do have to have a phyto, but they have labs that test the seeds before they can be released.

At other forums where I have posted in the past there were several who did have their seeds confiscated.

That's the way I see it now.

Carolyn

Originally Posted by carolyn137

First, no it's not just SSE, you are correct, but they were the first to give the links to the proper place where one could obtain a permit.And that b/c there are many SSE members from many countries

This all started many years ago when the Gov did place a ban on importation of seeds to the US, and it was to prevent so called noxious weeds from entering,as tumbleweed did.I think I posted about this before.

And yes customs did flag some stuff coming in and yes,they also confiscated the seeds. Same as what happens if you try to send seeds to Australia, but that's trying to prevent spread of the potato spindle viroid which also infects tomatoes and has now been found in a few places in the US. Same as the ban on getting stuff into the Netherlands,especially tomato seed b/c there are so many companies there that breed varieties and send they send them everywhere for commercial sale.

What it has come down to is large commercial shipments coming mainly from Europe to the US do have to have a phyto, but they have labs that test the seeds before they can be released.

At other forums where I have posted in the past there were several who did have their seeds confiscated.

That's the way I see it now.

Carolyn

Thanks, Carolyn. It's good to know the reasons and backstory for things.