Free Vegetable Seeds

As most neophyte gardeners will tell you, seed companies include more seeds than most gardeners have room for in their yards. Use opened seed packets quickly or the seeds become stale. Vitality disappears once packets are opened. The rate of decline varies with the variety, but all seeds begin to lose their germination potential after exposure to air. If you acquire free seeds from packets opened by fellow gardeners, don’t be disappointed if fewer seeds germinate than you expect.

Growing vegetables from seed requires knowledge of seed germination, and you will want to learn tips on planting a vegetable garden to ensure proper planning techniques. Tomato, zucchini, lettuce and cucumber seeds may be the easiest to find, since seed packets often contain more seeds than one gardener can use.

Sources

Local Resources

Meet new gardening friends and find seeds locally through garden clubs, community posts, and the local cooperative extension.

• Garden Clubs: Garden clubs introduce passionate gardeners and provide social and educational opportunities. Find garden clubs through your local public library or in the local newspaper. Sponsor a ‘seed swap’ at the next garden club meeting. Suggest that members bring all their half-full seed packets and trade with others.

• Community Posts: Small towns frequently have a town newspaper. Filled with local doings, social columns and more, many offer free classified ads space or very low cost ad space. Post a “wanted” ad and see what happens. Try also the bulletin boards at the local supermarket. Many supermarkets still have free shopper bulletin boards where you can post a flyer. Display your ‘seeds wanted’ flyer and enjoy the results.

• Cooperative Extensions: Although the state cooperative extension offices disseminate educational information and diagnose plant diseases, they also attract local gardeners. Contact your local cooperative extension office and inquire about their Master Gardener classes, lectures and more. Here you’ll meet other gardeners, and can begin networking with them to find your free seeds.

Free Vegetable Seeds through the Internet

• The Freecycle Network is a non-profit group for people to trade, barter or give away excess items. Trade anything from furniture to gardening supplies on Freecycle. With over four million members in several countries, Freecycle is a great way to find free items. Post wanted ads, or wait until the end of the spring planting season to see if anyone has leftover seeds.

• A company called Winter Sown Seeds offers vegetable seeds if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE).

• The America the Beautiful project saves seeds from going to waste when seed companies discard them. In 2005-2006, they saved 800 tons of seeds! They offer both flower and vegetable seeds. Most seeds go to groups beautifying areas, so this source may be best if your garden is community-based.

• Ed Hume Seeds offers free vegetable seeds. Plant a row for the hungry, and donate vegetables from the free seed offer to this worthwhile organization. Plant A Row for the Hungry encourages gardeners to plant vegetable crops and donate the bounty to their local food bank.

Catalog Freebies

Gardening catalogs often include free seeds with every order. The catch is, of course, that you have to place a paid order first. Many catalogs entice orders with coupons. Common offers include $25 off the first order. Take advantage of these coupons and add plants to the garden while using the catalogs to get free seeds.

Safety Tips

• If using Freecycle or any other Internet resource, use common sense. Remember, total strangers read your post. Do not include personal information. Suggest pickups by mail, or somewhere public. Never reveal personally identifiable information to strangers.
• Do not accept unlabeled, unmarked seeds. Memory plays tricks, and the gardener giving you the seeds may think he is giving you tomato seeds, only for you to find out later they’re zinnias.
• Be careful with seeds gardeners collect themselves. Seeds collected by gardening friends or local garden club members may be cross-pollinated from hybrid seeds. These seeds occasionally yield odd results. Cross-pollinated hybrids look and taste differently from the parent plant varieties. Sometimes the results are fine, but often not worth the time and effort.

Find free seeds and plant your way to a bountiful garden this summer!