Top 30 Botanical Interests Seeds
I’ve fallen madly in love with this brand, so I just had to share a list of my top Botanical Interests seeds! If you’ve gotten into gardening and you are also deeply wary of what you feed your family, then give this company a try.
I am constantly worrying about what I put into my son and husband’s tummies. I went as far as to make my son’s purées from scratch before I felt comfortable starting him on finger foods. I’m proud to say that his first solid food ever was, in fact, organic spinach! For me, knowing where the foods we eat come from is paramount. In this case, it’s clear all the way down to the seed!
What do I love most about Botanical Interests?
Botanical Interests has taken the Safe Seed Pledge to never knowingly buy, sell, or trade genetically-engineered seeds or plants. Their seeds are also Non-GMO Project Verified, which means they’re verifiably free from genetically-engineered contamination. The seeds are never treated and the packets don’t contain fillers. Additionally, most of the packets I buy from them also have earned the Certified USDA Organic seal.
On top of all of that, the seeds are top notch for an affordable price. Each packet has extremely in-depth instructions and specific information about what you’re planting. They also constantly respond to questions that get asked in the comments on their reviews. You can always pour over their website for endless knowledge, whether you’re buying directly from them or a third-party retailer (like Gethsemane Garden Center right here in Chicago). If you want to truly up your garden game, this company is where it’s at.
READ NEXT: 14 Must Have Seed-Starting Items
Herbs
Italian Genovese Basil
Organic, Heirloom
This particular basil hails from the Genoa area of Italy and can grow up to 18″-24″ tall. It’s a decent container variety and likes full sun to partial shade exposure. The recommendation is to sow these seeds indoors 4-6 weeks prior to transplanting. Sprouts should emerge within 5-10 days after sowing. Alternatively, you can sow them outdoors 1-2 weeks after your last spring frost and then plant successively every 3 weeks after for a continual supply.
Tetra Dill
Dill is a garden staple not only for its kitchen use, but also because it’s a host plant for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. If you’re planning a butterfly garden, definitely incorporate some dill alongside your milkweed and other pollinator attractions! I have some in my herb garden that I harvest and I keep a separate patch in my “pollination station” that I allow to flower in order to attract beneficial insects and butterflies.
This bushy variety grows 30″-36″ tall, prefers full sun exposure, and is slow to bolt (which means it wont flower and go to seed too quickly in less-than-ideal conditions).
German Chamomile
Organic, Heirloom
These chamomile seeds grow 18″-24″ tall and are great for containers. Chamomile is drought tolerant, deer resistant, attracts pollinators, and prefers full sun exposure. It is recommended to sow these seeds directly outdoors 4-6 weeks prior to your last spring frost, but you can also start them inside at the same time if you prefer. Sprouts should emerge within 10-15 days after sowing.
Long Standing Coriander
Organic, Heirloom
Coriander is also commonly known in the U.S. as “cilantro.” This plant originated from the Mediterranean region, thrives best in full sun to partial shade, and grows best in cool temperatures. It is recommended to sow these seeds directly outdoors 1-2 weeks before your average last spring frost. Unfortunately, sometimes transplanting coriander can stress the plant out and cause it to bolt, or prematurely flower. Sprouts should emerge 10-15 days after sowing. You can plant the seeds directly in your garden bed or in containers.
Moss Curled Parsley
Organic, Heirloom
True Greek Oregano
Heirloom
This herb is famous across the globe, but is most commonly associated with Italian and Greek cooking. This variety grows 18″-24″ tall, so it’s fabulous for containers or growing near your bell peppers and tomatoes. It loves full sun exposure, is drought tolerant, and deer resistant. It’s also perennial in Hardiness Zones 4-8, so it’ll return year after year if you live in these areas! It is recommended to start these seeds indoors 6-8 weeks prior to your last average spring frost, but you can sow them outdoors once temperatures are consistently warm. Sprouts should emerge 7-14 days after sowing.
English Thyme
Organic, Heirloom
This herb is every home cook’s must-have. It’s delicious dried or fresh, the flowers are edible, and it’s perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9. This variety also attracts pollinators, is deer resistant, and works well in containers. It prefers to have full sun to partial shade exposure and can be sown directly outside 1-2 weeks after your last spring frost or inside 6-8 weeks before. Sprouts should emerge in 10-15 days and the plant shouldn’t get much larger than 6″-12″ wide.
Vegetables
Di Cicco Broccoli
Organic, Heirloom
Chiba Green Edamame
Organic
This soybean is native to eastern Asia and produces plentiful pods containing three beans that have an earthy, nutty flavor. The plant is a frost-sensitive, early-harvest variety that grows 24″-30″ tall. It is recommended to sow these seeds directly outdoors 1-2 weeks after your average last spring frost and then plant successively every 1-2 weeks after for a continual supply. Sprouts should appear after 10 days. It is not recommended to start these seeds indoors because the plants don’t like any root disturbance.
California Wonder Sweet Bell Peppers
Organic, Heirloom
Sweet bell peppers are a veggie garden must-have! This variety in particular are, by far, one of my top Botanical Interests seeds to order. They’re perfect for chopping, stuffing, kabobing, and everything in between! The plants only reach about 18″-30″ in height, so they’re wonderful for containers. Harvest some peppers when they’re green, then leave the rest to mature into the sweeter, milder red ones. It’s not recommended to sow these seeds outdoors. Instead, start them inside 8-10 weeks before you plan to transplant them. Sprouts emerge after 10-25 days. The seedlings can be transplanted 2-4 weeks after your last spring frost date.
Nero Toscana Kale
Organic, Heirloom
This dinosaur kale can be harvested as baby greens after about 21 days or at full maturity. It grows 24″-48″ tall and can be up to 14″ wide. It’s recommended to start these seeds indoors 4-6 weeks prior to your last spring frost for a summer crop and again 12-14 weeks prior to your first fall frost for a fall crop. You can also sow these directly outdoors 1-2 weeks prior to your last spring frost and again 10-12 weeks prior to your first fall frost. If you sow indoors, begin hardening the seedlings off and transplant after 4-6 weeks of growth. Sprouts should emerge after 5-10 days.
Redbor Kale
This purple, ruffly kale is very frost tolerant and the flavor gets sweeter as the temperatures drop. This variety is the perfect mix of ornament and function! Sow it with flowers for added color to your beds and harvest when it’s ready or plant it with your other leafy greens. It only grows between 12″-20″ tall, so it’s also great for containers. It’s recommended to start these seeds indoors 4-6 weeks prior to your last spring frost for a summer crop and again 12-14 weeks prior to your first fall frost for a fall crop. You can also sow these directly outdoors 1-2 weeks prior to your last spring frost and again 10-12 weeks prior to your first fall frost. Sprouts should emerge after 5-10 days.
Matador Spinach
This variety is great to harvest as baby greens or allowed to fully mature. Pick individual leaves from the outside working inwards as needed or chop the entire plant at once. These roots are sensitive to disturbance, so it’s recommended to sow them directly outside 4-6 weeks prior to your last spring frost and successively every 3 weeks after for a continuous supply. You can also choose to sow these seeds in a container year-round. The plant grows 6″-8″ tall, so it won’t take up much space. Sprouts emerge after 5-10 days.
Cube of Butter Summer Squash
Black Beauty Summer Squash
Organic, Heirloom
Supremo Roma Tomatoes
Organic
Chocolate Cherry Pole Tomatoes
Organic
The purplish-red, crack-resistant tomatoes of this variety get to be around 1″ and hang in clusters from vines that grow about 6′ long. Unless you live in a mild climate, it’s not recommended to start these seeds outdoors. Instead, start them inside 4-6 weeks before you plan on transplanting them. Sprouts emerge in 5-10 days after sowing. Transplanting should take place about 1-2 weeks after your last spring frost.
Red & Yellow Pear Blend Pole Cherry Tomatoes
Organic, Heirloom
This heirloom blend has organically color-coded seeds, so you can tell what’s what when sowing. These 1″-2″ long pear tomatoes work well for everything from pickling to salads! The vines reach up to 6′ or longer, so each plant will need decent space to itself. Sow these inside 4-6 weeks before you plan on transplanting them and sprouts should emerge in 5-10 days. Transplanting should take place about 1-2 weeks after your last spring frost.
Wild Rocket/Arugula
Heirloom
This arugula variety has a stronger, more complex flavor than others and grows a bit slower. It can be harvested as baby greens or grown to its full potential and picked as needed. It can reach 12″-24″ tall at maturity, so it works well in containers or in garden beds. The roots are delicate, so it’s not recommended to start indoors or transplant. Instead, you should sow these seeds directly outdoors 2-4 weeks before your average last spring frost and plant successively every 3 weeks for continuous harvesting.
Spacemaster 80 Cucumbers
I often used to find it difficult to control my cucumber plant growth before I found this variety. It’s ideal for smaller gardens and container growing because the vines don’t get longer than 3′. The cucumbers are abundant and can reach up to 8″ in length. This variety is also awesome because it’s disease resistant! It’s recommended to sow these seeds directly outdoors 1-2 weeks after your average last spring frost, but they can be sown indoors in biodegradable pots 2-4 weeks prior to your last frost date. Sprouts should emerge after 5-10 days. Root disturbance can affect fruit production, so avoid transplanting if you can.
Danvers 126 Carrots
Organic, Heirloom
This heirloom carrot bred in Massachusetts is sweet, resistant to cracks and splits, high in fiber, and frost tolerant. It is recommended to sow these seeds directly into your garden bed 2-4 weeks before your average last spring frost since root disturbance stunts the growth. Sprouts emerge after 10-25 days and the roots are roughly 7″ at maturity. Try interplanting this variety with onions or chives to save space, deter pests, and add flavor.
Early Jalapeño Peppers
Organic, Heirloom
These are one of my top Botanical Interests seeds because who doesn’t love fresh pico de gallo?! The flavorful 3″ jalapeños grow on a bush that only reaches about 18″-36″ tall, so it’s a decent container variety. It’s recommended to sow these seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before you intend on transplanting. Sprouts emerge in 10-25 days and they are ready for transplant about 2-4 weeks after your last spring frost.
Flowers
Milkweed
Native, Organic, Heirloom
Milkweed is an extremely important native perennial because it’s the only host plant for monarch caterpillars. I cannot stress the value of this plant enough! If you have the space, please consider growing some in an area with little traffic to help save the monarch butterfly species. They will find you and lay eggs, which will hatch into caterpillars that will eat the plant. When they’re ready, they will turn into beautiful butterflies that you can watch fly away. There are no other plants on which monarchs will lay their eggs.
Sow these seeds outdoors in the fall for spring germination or 2-4 weeks before your last spring frost. Sprouts should emerge after 14-28 days.
Northern Lights Blend Zinnias
Heirloom Beauties Sunflowers
Organic, Heirloom
This packet contains seeds of “Yellow Queen,” “Autumn Beauty,” and “Velvet Queen” sunflowers. The blooms range from 4″-8″ wide and each stalk may reach 5′-8′ tall. These plants require full sun exposure, bloom from summer to frost, attract tons of pollinators, and are drought and heat tolerant. It’s recommended to sow these seeds directly in your garden 1-2 weeks after your average last spring frost. You may also sow them indoors 2-4 weeks prior to your last frost date. Sprouts should emerge after 10-15 days.
Paradiso Dwarf Blend Echinacea
Echinacea, or coneflowers, are native wildflowers to the U.S. and are very popular pollinator attractions. This variety flowers the first year when sown from seed and is drought tolerant. They prefer full sun to partial shade exposure, only grow to about 18″-22″, bloom from summer to frost, make excellent cut flowers, and work well in containers. You can sow them indoors 10-12 weeks before your average last spring frost or directly outside 2-4 weeks before your last frost. They can also be sown in fall for summer germination. Sprouts will appear after 10-20 days.
English Tall/Vera Lavender
Heirloom
Lavender is extremely fragrant, classic, and multifaceted. This variety is deer resistant, drought tolerant, attracts pollinators, makes an excellent cut flower, and is perennial in Hardiness Zone 5 and warmer. It can reach 24″-36″ tall, blooms in the summer, and prefers full sun exposure. The recommendation is to sow these seeds indoors 10-12 weeks prior to your average last spring frost, but you can sow them directly outdoors 4-6 weeks prior or in late fall for spring germination. Sprouts should appear after 21-35 days.
Moonflower
Heirloom
Grass & Grains
Liquid Sunshine Wheatgrass
Organic
This is one of my top Botanical Interests seeds because wheatgrass is so incredibly good for you! It contains boatloads of vitamins, nutrients, and chlorophyll. You can plant it anywhere you can think of, from flower beds and vegetable gardens to standalone containers. These seeds germinate quickly, taking only 3-5 days to sprout and 10-15 days to mature. They grow about 4″-6″ tall and can be trimmed and juiced as desired! Bonus: these seeds are also USDA Organic Certified.
Brightest Brilliant Rainbow Quinoa
Organic
Few people know that the entire quinoa plant is good for you, not just the seeds! The leaves can be cooked similarly to spinach and the seeds can be harvested for cooking similarly to rice. This blend contains colorful seeds that are pink, burgundy, red, orange, yellow, white, and green. They are deer resistant and can be harvested from late summer until the first hard freeze of the season. They can grow between 4′-7′ tall and should be sown directly outdoors 1-2 weeks after your last spring frost. Sprouts will emerge in 3-4 days.