NATIONAL IMMIGRANT FARMING INITIATIVE
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Johnny's Select Seeds offers an easy to use site with photographs and useful information, with an extensive selection of vegetables, berries, herbs, and more. Johnny’s offers seeds for many ethnic crops, including Latino, Asian, Caribbean, and African crops. They offer a wide array of crop varieties some of which include high heat and drought tolerance.
Contact: Johnny’s Selected Seeds
955 Benton Ave., Winslow, Maine 04901
Phone: 877-564-6697
Recommended Seed Companies
El Paso Library SOW.GROW.REAPEAT PROGRAM
Each El Paso Public Library has a small selection of seeds in their libraries. Here you can take up to 5 seed packets with the intention of donating seeds you save from vegetable plants that "go to seed", that are allowed to grow past their harvest date and form seeds.
Various locations in El Paso, Texas
Main Library Reference Desk (915) 212-READ
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
This company focuses on preserving heirloom vegetables, flowers, and herbs. Their catalog lists 1000 heirloom seeds from over 50 countries, and features some Asian and Latino crops.
Contact: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
2278 Baker Creek Road
Mansfield, MO 65704
Phone: 417-924-8917
Kitazawa Seed Company
Established in 1917, the Kitazawa Seed Company initially specialized in Japanese crops, and today offers 250 varieties of traditional Japanese vegetables and many other Asian vegetables. The company offers bulk seed orders.
Contact: Kitazawa Seed Company
PO Box 13220; Oakland, CA 94661
Phone: (510) 595-1188; customerservice@kitazawaseed.com
Native Seeds
This nonprofit preserves crop seeds that connect Native American cultures to their lands and works to protect crop biodiversity and to celebrate cultural diversity. The NS/S Seedbank has seeds of crops and wild plants used as food, fiber and dyes by prehistoric and more recent cultures inhabiting the arid southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. They offer many seeds that are originally from Mexico, including varieties of chiles, herbs, tomatillos, and corn. Orders are limited to 6 packets of any one variety. The website has photos of most products.
Native Seeds/SEARCH
2509 N. Campbell Avenue #325, Tucson, Arizona 85719
Phone: 520-622-5561
Seeds of Change
Founded in 1989 to help preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable, organic agriculture, Seeds of Change offers more than 600 varieties of open-pollinated and organic seeds for vegetables, flowers and herbs. They offer traditional crops from the Americas and abroad, with many seed varieties from Asia and Latin America. Over 100 varieties are available in bulk. The company also offers collections of seeds for Asian greens and chilies.
Contact: Seeds of Change
621 Old Santa Fe Trail #10; Santa Fe, NM 87501
Phone: 1-888-762-7333
Richters Herbs
This company has been growing and selling herbs since 1969. They sell a wide variety of herbs and vegetables including ajowan, ajmud, Chinese cabbage, tomatillo, Afrocam cucumber, Gai Lohn, Daikon to name a few from their cataglog.
Rivenrock Gardens
You can find organically grown nearly spineless nopale edible cactus pads here.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is a wonderful source for heirloom seeds and other open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds with an emphasis on vegetables, flowers, and herbs that grow well in the Mid-Atlantic region. Here you will find heirloom tomatoes, peppers, ginseng, potato, onions, okra and much more.
P.O. Box 460
Mineral, VA 23117
Phone: 540-894-9480
Underwood Gardens
Underwood Gardens in northern Illinois is a family owned and operated, certified-organic, seed company that specializes in rare and endangered open-pollinated/heirloom seeds for vegetables, herbs, flowers. They have been in business since 1993 and carry many interesting plants including purple tomatillos, cranberry hibiscus and Chinese rhubarb.
1414 Zimmerman Rd
Woodstock, IL 60098
(815) 338-6279
USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)
This website provides a national collection of plant materials for hundreds of crops and thousands of wild crop relatives, free seeds and plants available for research purposes (including backyard research) and includes rarities like saltbush and earthnut pea.
