Pacific Northwest Seed Growers

Jasper in the garden at Champoeg.

I recently picked up a copy of Edible Portland, and found a marvelous article on seed growers in the Pacific Northwest.  Jasper was really excited about having a garden last year, and really wants to grow everything this year from seed if possible.  He definitely finds magic in a seed sprouting from the ground.  I've been hesitating because I'd like to be sure the plants we try to grow will like it in our climate.  The obvious solution is to seek out a local seed grower!  This article lists nine growers in Oregon and four growers in Washington.  Many offer heirloom and organic varieties.  The article is tricky to read online (the list is on page 45 of the current issue).  So I've listed links to each of the growers below.

In Oregon:
Adaptive Seed Co., Sweet Home  http://www.adaptiveseeds.com/
Abundant Life Seeds, Cottage Grove http://www.abundantlifeseeds.com/
New Dimention Seeds, Scappoose http://www.newdimensionseed.com/
Nichols Garden Nursery, Albany http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com
Peace Seeds, Corvallis http://www.peaceseeds.cn/
Siskiyou Seeds, Williams http://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pilot.asp
Territorial Seed Co., Cottage Grove http://www.territorialseed.com/
Victory Seed Co., Molalla http://www.victoryseeds.com/
Wild Garden Seeds, Philomath http://www.wildgardenseed.com/

In Washington:
Ed Hume Seeds, Puyallup http://humeseeds.com/
Irish Eyes Garden Seeds, Ellensburg http://www.irisheyesgardenseeds.com/
Osborne Seed Co., Mt. Vernon http://www.osborneseed.com/
Uprising Seeds, Bellingham  http://www.uprisingorganics.com/

On a chilly winter day, there's nothing I like better than curling up in front of the fireplace with a stack of gardening catalogs.  But if you find it simpler to pick out seeds at a retail store, Edible Portland does have an online article listing local retailers that carry seeds from Northwest growers:  http://edibleportland.com/content/2010/12/stores-carrying-regional-seeds/  Champoeg State Park also sells heirloom seeds harvested from their heritage garden in their visitor's center:  http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_113.php