I love gardening! It is fun, even though it can be a lot of work. Taking a seed, planting it, nourishing it, and watching it grow into food for you and your family is amazing! It gives you a whole new appreciation for food and the hard work that farmers invest into their work. Although I am not growing food on the same scale as a farmer, I get that sense of accomplishment when you plant something that you may have planted before or maybe a new seed and it germinates and grows. It is so gratifying!

But gardening can be expensive. Especially if you are using transplants. At most big box stores, these transplants can be from $4 to $6 for just 6 cells. Not to mention bigger plants, like some of the tomatoes that arrive to the store, planted with the tomato cages attached. Those can be $20 or more. It really all depends on where you purchase them. Now, I know how much it costs me and I have about 6-8 garden beds. So, just imagine how much it costs if you’ve got several garden beds and a lot of space? You are spending up in the hundreds at this point. And seeds? The cost of some seeds isn’t a lot better than the transplants themselves. And more often than not, you are not getting a lot of seeds anyway.

So, I started looking online to find some more affordable options for starting seeds. I have 5 sites that I have favored for the past few years, and I wanted to share them with you. And the bonus to starting things from seed? Simply more options that no store really sells. I will link their websites with each one.

*Seed Therapy https://www.seedtherapy.com

Seed Therapy offers a lot of great seeds right now, starting at $1.99 per packet. They have so many different varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs. American grown seeds, they come with great reviews and high ratings. Trees, grasses, shrubs and succulents, you will find a little of everything there. They also have a blog that you can read, with all kinds of great advice for new and seasoned gardeners.

MIgardener https://www.migardener.com

This one is probably my favorite! When I found this site, I instantly started shopping! Seeds starting at $2. From fan favorites to their newest collections, they offer some great seeds that have grown well for me. I particularly love the options for tomatoes! They have some of the best varieties of tomato seeds on the market. I enjoy their blog and their seed catalog. They also offer garden goods from Greenstalk and Bootstrap farmer. If you are looking for a great choice for seeds, this one is one you should try.

Wal-Mart https://www.walmart.com

Of course, Wal-Mart has always been the store talking about rollbacks and having the best prices. But how many of you have ever shopped for seeds there? Well, if you haven’t, I encourage you to give it a try. Starting at $.50, they have some great options for getting your garden started. I have planted the seeds that cost $0.50 and the ones that cost $1.97. They germinated well and I got good results. Of course, some many of the other things that you will needs to get started, are there as well. They have different kinds of bulbs: onions, garlic and tulips and they always have beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees. So, one day while you’re shopping there, take a few minutes to look at their garden inventory. I think you’ll be happy you did.

Botanical Interests https://www.botanicalinterests.com

This site, is heavily loved by many garden stores. Even Greenstalk works with them. Especially last month, when they partnered with Garden Youtube Experts like Kim’s Kozy Korner and Yellow Door Urban Homestead to create seed collections with them. This company provides seeds with a great germination rate. They have really done well in my garden. I’ve even loved the packaging. I am really excited to start planting some patio tomatoes this year. Because where our deck is, the sun comes directly at it, first thing in the morning. And their patio choice cherry tomatoes, delicious. This link is one that I think all of you will enjoy!

Andrews Seed Co. http://www.andrewsseed.com

I found this company because I watch Garden Answer on Youtube all of the time and when I found the garden center’s website, I was all too excited to start shopping there! There are two reasons why I love this site: you’re getting a quality product that will perform well in your garden and the packaging of the seeds. Not only are the pictures on the seed packets themselves charming, but whenever you order seeds from them, everything comes in this box with green and white garden themed tissue paper and on the bottom of the invoice, they’ll write a personal handwritten thank you note. Isn’t that sweet? I love that. After making my first order and I saw that? The time taken to carefully wrap everything to writing a personal thank you, I knew that I would be ordering from them again. And every year since then, I have been ordering from them. And the bonus? You get a lot of seeds in your brown paper bag for the price. I mean, I bought some jade beans seeds and ace tomato seeds, and it took a year or two to get them all planted. And that was after planting pretty heavily in my garden. I love shopping with them, and I am excited for my upcoming seed haul.

It is my hope that these options will help you on your journey with gardening and feeding your family affordably this year. It may feel intimidating, but we’ve got this! This is going to be a great year for us gardeners. Eating well, preserving goods, and saving money.