The Wild Garden Seed Company is a relatively new source on my list of heirloom seed suppliers and I’ve only been ordering vegetable seeds from them for a few years. All of their seeds may not officially qualify as heirlooms, but I was drawn to this seed supplier almost as quickly as the beneficial insects are attracted to their exclusive perennial insectary seed mix.

They offer a limited number of vegetable seed varieties compared to many of the other heirloom seed companies, but their offerings are rather unique and include many farm-original varieties that are developed and produced right on their Pacific Northwest organic farm.

Special Reselected Strains for Your Gardening Enjoyment

Wild Garden Seed seeds are open-pollinated, untreated, and subject to a reselection program in order to yield vigorous strains that will grow well under organic growing conditions. The reselection results are apparent in the names of some lettuces such as the “Really Red Deer Tongue,” “Hyper Red Rumple Waved,” and “Redder Ruffled Oak!”

With fifty-three varieties listed, lettuces make up the bulk of the seeds produced and listed in the Wild Garden Seed catalog. Their lettuce is divided into five categories: Butterhead, Cos/Romaine, Crispleaf/Head, Leaf, and Mixed. Some of the most beautiful lettuces that I’ve run across are found among their; Blushed Icy Oak, Speckled Amish Butterhead, Flashy Trout Back, Red Iceberg, and Blushed Butter Cos.

For a little mystery and intrigue, Wild Garden Seed offers a Wild Garden Lettuce Mix that is made up of every lettuce listed in their catalog. Then there’s the very hush-hush, Morton’s Secret Lettuce Mix that contains an assortment of their newest and unreleased lettuce varieties.

Rare Seeds to Transport You Way Back in Time

If you want to get totally medieval with your garden this spring then Wild Garden Seed can help by supplying you with Alexanders, an ancient, edible relative of celery and Angelica that was named after Alexander the Great because it was rumored to be a staple of his diet.

Follow the Alexanders with a little Sacred Basil, Quinoa from the Andeas, or even Huauzontle (goosefoot) by way of the Aztec tribes of Central America, and you have added quite a bit of history and diversity to your back yard. Wild Garden Seed also has a large number of Japonica and Indian type mustards that will spice things up and add color to the vegetable garden.

Then there are unusual red celery varieties such as the strong flavored Giant Red Reselection, Orach (aka Mountain Spinach), colorful Amaranths, and a variety of kales including my favorite veggie gene pool; the Wild Garden Kale Mix.

A Little Something Extra for Gardeners and Their Friends

Would you like to increase the interest that your garden raises with the neighboring beneficial insects and have them flocking to your back yard? Try planting Wild Garden Seed’s special insectary mix containing; Fennel, Korean Mint, Sorrel, Angelica, Alexanders, Chervil, Survivor Parsley, Chicories, Belle Isle Cress, Scarlet Ohno Turnip,  Calendulas, Amaranth, and Aurora Orach.

You want flowers? Well take a look at the Flashback Calendula Mixes and let me know what you think. Just what the doctor ordered for old-fashioned color, edible uses, crafting medicinals, and inviting even more beneficials into the garden. Wild Garden Seed sells a few traditional vegetable seeds like Chard, Broccoli, Muskmelon, and Peppers, but it’s the unique offerings and cultivated weeds that I am especially attracted to.

The bigger heirloom seed companies like Baker Creek or the more established ones like Bountiful Gardens are great to do business with, but there are also many smaller gems like Wild Garden Seed, Turtle Tree Seed Initiative, Sustainable Seed, and Amishland Heirloom Seeds that are doing great work and waiting to be discovered and enjoyed by the home gardener.

Other Related Vegetable Gardening Posts:

• Seed Preservation with the Seed Savers Exchange
• New Seed Catalogs
• Heirloom Seed Catalog Browsing
• Singing Praises for Heirloom Seed Suppliers
• Growing Leafy Green Vegetables in Tennessee