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:

• Baker Creek
• Fedco Seeds
• High Mowing Seeds
• NE Seed
• Seed Savers Exchange
• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
• Sow True Seeds
• Territorial Seeds

Pinetree Gardens 2026 Seed Catalog Review

Pages – 29 Points

The catalog has 129 pages, and none of the pages are advertisements.

New Varieties – 24.5 Points

Pinetree is offering 29 new varieties this year, including three new tomatoes, two new squashes, and two new melons.

Total Number of Seeds – 311.5 Points

There are 119 herbs, 434 flowers, and 693 vegetable seeds for a total of 1,246 seeds.

Specialty Seeds – 1 Point

Pinetree Gardens offers one specialty type of seed, which are their All-American Selections. These seeds are tested in independent trials.

Images – 1 Point

The catalog has one image for every item offered in the catalog.

Non-Seed Offerings – 24 Points

Pinetree Gardens really shines with its non-seed offerings. I believe they feature more equipment in their catalog than any other seed company. The categories I counted are seed starting, planting mediums, garden labels, watering aides, trellising, inoculant, fertilizers, thermometers, container growing, season extenders, weed control, insecticides, animal deterrents, pollinators, garden gear, household, kitchen gadgets, countertop sprouts, canning essentials, spices, teas, essential oils, and books.

How Is it Ordered/Organized? – 1 Point

The catalog is divided into three sections for its seeds – vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Each section’s seeds are then alphabetized. It makes finding a specific vegetable, flower, or herb very easy.

Beauty – 10 Points

Pinetree Gardens catalog is bright, easy-to-read, and clean. The text color always stands out from the page. The images are high-quality and do a great job of highlighting the product being sold.

What Sets it Apart or Makes it Unique? – 8 Points

There isn’t a lot that makes this catalog overly unique, but that isn’t a bad thing. It’s simply a very good catalog that provides everything you need as a gardener. One unique aspect is the brief growing guide for each vegetable. It includes the germination time and temperature, seed sowing requirements, harvesting information, and more. And if a vegetable is prone to specific diseases, there’s a key that indicates what each seed is resistant against.

Review

2025 was the first year we received Pinetree Gardens’ seed catalog and purchased from them. They have become one of our favorite companies to purchase from, and it started because of their catalog. The 2026 catalog continues what they did so successfully in 2025 (and likely in the preceding years). I love the variety of seeds they carry, their prices, and all the non-seed items they sell. Their keys and icons make it very easy to identify and find what you’re looking for. Finally, I’m a big fan of companies that make their own seed collections. They’re such a great way for gardeners who have difficulty making decisions or are just getting started to try a bunch of seeds at one time. Overall, I think Pinetree Gardens has the best catalog, but we’ll see if the scores reflect that.

As an aside, their employees and customer service are great. They had a very minor issue this year where catalogs were sent to the right address but with the wrong person’s name. They reached out to everyone to explain what happened, which is so kind.

Score: 410 Points