Ahead of the 2025 gardening season, one of my first posts on the blog was titled “Where to Buy Garden Seeds.” There was a heavy emphasis on the seed catalogs we requested, what we liked about each one, and the ones we purchased seeds from. This year, I’m doing things a bit differently by dedicating a post to each seed catalog. In each post, I’ll review the catalog, go over the things I like and dislike about it, and score the catalog. Here’s how I’m scoring all the catalogs.
Scoring Criteria
I’m going to be looking at the following areas and applying them to each catalog we receive:
- Number of pages – 1 point per page over 100 pages; minus-1 point per page under 100 pages.
- New varieties – 1/2 (.50) point for each new variety for 2026.
- Total number of seeds – 1/4 (.25) point per seed.
- Selection of “Specialty Seeds” – By “Specialty Seeds,” I mean any specially designated seeds that are separated from the other seeds. Examples are All-American Selections, Italian Gourmet, and Indigenous Royalties. – 1 point will be awarded for each specialty category.
- Images – 1 point if there is an image for every seed; 1/2 (.50) point if fewer.
- Non-Seed Offerings – 1 point for each category (fertilizers, seed-starting items, merchandise, weed control, pesticides, garden gear, etc.)
- How Is it Organized/Ordered? – 1 point if its order is a positive; minus-1 point if it’s a negative.
- Beauty – This is completely subjective, but it’s my way of determining if it’s aesthetically pleasing to look at. Does it include original artwork? Are the images crisp and clean? Is the text easy to read? A maximum of 10 points can be awarded.
- What Sets it Apart or Makes it Unique? – This is another subjective category. What about a catalog makes it stand out from the others? A maximum of 10 points can be awarded.
Links to Other Reviews
Pages – 63 Points
For the Baker Creek catalog, I’m referring to the free version that is 163 pages. There is also an expanded version that is more than 500 pages and costs $14.95 to order.
New Varieties – 5.5 Points
They are offering 11 new varieties for 2026.
Total Number of Seeds – 359.75 Points
Baker Creek offers 886 vegetable, 448 flower, and 105 herb varieties for a total of 1,439. To this point, this is by far the most seeds offered by a company. Not all of them are featured in the free catalog, however.
Specialty Seeds – 0 Points
All of Baker Creek’s seeds are heirlooms, which I don’t count as specialty since that’s all they sell.
Images – 1 Point
They include one image for every item sold in the catalog.
Beauty – 10 Points
I’m a big fan of Baker Creek’s catalogs. The images are beautiful, and most of the time, you see more than just the vegetable or flower. They often include images of how the item can be used in juices, salads, etc. There are also several pages dedicated to a single seed, essentially giving a full-page ad for one item.
Non-Seed Offerings – 5 Points
They offer non-seed items in the following categories: books, clothing, fertilizer, gardening tools, and sourdough starters.
Unique Quality – 7 Points
Baker Creek has fun with its catalogs. As mentioned above, they like to include images of how the item can be used, such as teas from edible flowers, juices from vegetables and fruit, and custards from pumpkins. If a variety is especially large, they’ll feature an image of someone holding the item to show how large it is. Baker Creek is owned and operated by an eclectic group of people, which comes across in the catalogs.
How Is it Ordered/Organized? – 0 Points
I actually don’t enjoy how Baker Creek organizes their free catalog. I haven’t looked at their larger catalogs, but I’m assuming it’s organized in a similar manner. While it’s alphabetized, which I appreciate, the seeds aren’t categorized by vegetable/flower/herbs, so it’s actually a bit difficult to find specific seed varieties.
Review
We have been fans of Baker Creek for probably six years now. The first mini garden we had together was grown from a lot of Baker Creek seeds. Their seeds are of the highest quality, and they have varieties that no other companies offer. They are a company that is dedicated to seeds and helping people live self-sustaining lives. They host several homesteading events each year at their headquarters in Missouri, and gardening plays a key role in those events. Their catalog conveys the care and dedication they have for gardening and seed preservation.
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