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. The first installment will be Pinetree Gardens catalog, but before digging into the review, here’s how I’ll score 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

• Pinetree Gardens

Pages – 3 Points

The catalog has 103 pages, and none of them have advertisements on them.

New Varieties – N/A – 0 Points

Neither the catalog nor the website indicate which seed varieties are new for 2026, so I had to give this category 0 points for not applicable and unavailable.

Total Number of Seeds – 146.5 Points

Sow True has 414 vegetable, 111 flower, and 61 herb seed varieties for a total of 586.

Specialty Seeds – 2 Points

Sow True features two types of specialty seeds – Slow Food’s Ark of Taste varieties and Small Farm Grown. Ark of Taste seed varieties are ones designated by the non-profit Slow Food to be vital to culture and should be preserved at all costs. Small Farm Grown varieties are ones grown on smaller-scale farms, which reflects Sow True’s commitment to support smaller farms when possible.

Images – .5 Points

Roughly half the seeds have images.

Non-Seed Offerings – 20 Points

The catalog and website sell non-seed items in 15 categories: hand tools, garden gloves, kids tools, soil amendments, soil testing, fertilizers, cover crops, seed starting, seed saving, growing supplies, pest management, indoor growing, gifts, merchandise, and books. They also have pages of the catalog dedicated to educating gardeners with a planting guide, a seed-starting guide, seed saving tips, a companion planting guide, and definitions of open-pollinated, heirloom, cold stratification, and scarification.

How Is it Ordered/Organized? – 1 Point

The catalog is divided into categories of vegetable seeds, bulbs & live plants, vegetable seeds, herb seeds, and flower seeds, and each category is ordered alphabetically. Each category also has a marker on the edge of the page for quick reference.

Beauty – 10 Points

The catalog is easy-to-read, colorful, and features crisp imagery. One of my favorite parts of their catalog is the artwork that graces the cover and the featured seed packets.

What Sets it Apart or Makes it Unique? – 10 Points

I find Sow True Seeds’ catalog to be among the most unique that we receive. It’s shorter and narrower than others, being shaped similar to a book rather than a magazine. This compact shape makes it easy to carry and tuck in a pocket, as you would a journal. I also love the blend of artwork and photography, and the free guides make it more of an educational resource than a simple catalog.

Review

Like Pinetree Gardens, 2025 was the first year we received Sow True Seeds’ catalog or purchased seeds from them. They are an excellent seed company. They’re located in Asheville, North Carolina and operate as a co-op rather than a traditional business. That buy-in is reflected in the quality and care of everything they do. They go out of their way to support small farmers, to educate, and to create a community. It’s also reflected in their catalog. The seed descriptions are brief, clear, and informative. They provide all the necessary information with little extra. There are tables for each vegetable that provide the seed depth, spacing, germination time, days to maturity, and isolation distance. Combine that with the bonus guides, and it’s one of the best catalogs you can request.

Score: 193 Points