I've killed enough seedlings to know that seeds are not all created equal.
There's a version of gardening where you grab whatever's on the rack at the hardware store and hope for the best. I did that for years. Some stuff grew. A lot of it didn't. And I never really understood why until I started paying attention to where seeds actually come from.
That's how I found High Mowing Organic Seeds — and why I keep going back.
What They Are
High Mowing is a Vermont-based seed company that has been doing certified organic seeds since 1996. Not "natural." Not "non-GMO." Certified organic — meaning the whole process, from farm to packet, meets organic standards.
They grow and sell over 650 varieties: vegetables, herbs, flowers, cover crops. Heirloom and hybrid. Classics and things you won't find at a big box store. And everything is open for you to read — variety descriptions, days to maturity, growing notes, flavor profiles. They treat their catalog like an actual resource instead of a sales page.
Browse the full catalog here — it's worth a look even if you're just curious what's out there.
Why Seed Quality Matters More Than I Thought
Here's what took me a while to learn: germination rate is everything.
Cheap seeds have inconsistent germination. You plant ten, three come up, you don't know if it's the seeds or your soil or your watering or what. You blame yourself. You try again next year with the same seeds and the same results.
High Mowing seeds consistently germinate well because they're properly stored, properly tested, and not sitting on a shelf for two years before you buy them. When your seeds actually come up, you can start learning — adjusting spacing, watering, sunlight — instead of just wondering if anything is alive under there.
For a beginning gardener, or anyone who's ever felt like they have a black thumb, this matters a lot.
What I Grow With Their Seeds
The varieties I keep coming back to:
- Sungold cherry tomatoes — sweetest tomato I've ever grown, impossible to stop eating off the vine
- Dragon tongue beans — yellow with purple streaks, tender, and kids think they're magic
- Hakurei turnips — nothing like a grocery store turnip; you can eat them raw like an apple
- Genovese basil — classic, reliable, makes enough pesto to last the winter
- Scarlet Nantes carrots — the orange carrots your carrots are supposed to taste like
They also carry a really solid selection of cool season crops — the ones you plant in early spring or late summer for fall harvest. If you're trying to extend your growing season, their catalog is where I'd start.
Certified Organic Actually Means Something Here
A lot of "natural" garden products are marketing. Certified organic from a seed company is a different thing — it means the seeds were grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, and there's a third-party audit trail to prove it.
For me, that matters because I'm growing food for my grandkids. I want to know what went into the soil those seeds came from.
High Mowing's commitment to organic is worth reading — they've been at this long enough that it's not a marketing angle. It's just how they operate.
The Bottom Line
You don't need to buy everything from one place. But if you're going to invest in seeds — and a packet of good seeds is still $3–5, one of the best returns in home gardening — start with a company that takes quality seriously.
High Mowing is where I send people when they ask me why their garden isn't producing. Half the time, it's the seeds.
Start with the vegetable seed catalog and look around. Filter by what you want to grow. Read the variety notes. This is the part of gardening that's actually fun.
— Meemaw 🌿
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend companies I personally use and trust.