How to Get Seeds for Free

Many of us love spring because it’s the time of seeds and planting this year’s crops, flowers, and other garden lovelies. For us, collecting and sowing seeds becomes addictive, with new vegetable varieties to try and a few first-time flowers to grow. We get hooked. We drop a bomb on seeds. We do it year after year.

Truth be known, most of us are also fine with it. Thumbing through seed catalogs and scoping seed racks at the store are loads of fun and moments full of wonderment. Plus, there are a lot worse, and plenty of useless, things we could be dropping our cash on than the garden. So, we can justify the splurge.

But, what if we didn’t have to? What if it was easy to get seeds for free? Loads of seeds are completely free and within our reach. How awesome is that?

Source: Sow Much More/YouTube

Save them

First and foremost, we can keep seeds from most plants that we grow. Usually, that equates to far more seeds than we get from a three- or four-dollar packet. Any type of bean or pea is super easy to get seed from. The same can be said for cucumbers, squashes, and melons. Pepper seeds are easy to collect. Any greens we like can be left to flower and provide seed. And, of course, flowers of all sorts produce seeds for the pretty part of next year’s garden.

It’s true that harvesting seeds from some types of plants, such as tomatoes and carrots, requires a bit more work. But, dozens of common plants require nothing more than letting them mature and hang around until it’s time to collect free seeds. Take advantage!

Source: SSEHeritageFarm/YouTube

Exchange them

Seed exchanges can be free, but the top ones with the broadest variety of choices do cost a little in the way of a membership fee. But, the basics of a seed exchange is that members collect seeds from their gardens (or the wild) and add them to the catalog of seeds available from the exchange. Members, then, have access to the submitted seeds.

This is how garden enthusiasts can increase the diversity of their gardens. Often in-person seed exchanges are community-based, so the seeds will be proven winners for the local climate and environment. Free seeds that love growing in the area—that’s hard to beat.

Source: Indie Alaska/YouTube

Borrow them

Wildly, there are seed libraries around the country that will let gardeners check out seeds as if they are library books. A grower can choose seeds for free and take them to plant at home with the stipulation of bringing seeds back in from the plants the original seeds produce. This keeps the seeds rotating, allows gardeners to try new stuff, and spreads the joy of gardening.

The beauty of the situation is also that these libraries don’t charge late fees or penalties. The seeds you’ve borrowed are on loan with the hope of new seeds coming back in, but seed libraries are also aware that planting seasons can be unpredictable. So, even if you can’t live up to your end of the bargain, the seeds are still free.

Collect them

Neighbors, friends, family, and even strangers are also out there growing plants, and they often have stuff that has gone to seed. Most people are happy to share that with you if you are willing to collect them. Don’t be shy about asking. Break the ice by noting how beautiful the plant is and then go for a cheeky, “Mind if I grab some of the seeds?” This also works for lots of wild plants and trees.

It works well for plants that multiply and spread via runners or clumping. It’s often as easy as digging up a bit of the oversized plant—helping out said friend, neighbor, or aunt—and taking a fully-grown specimen home. Score.

Request them

Finally, getting free seeds can sometimes come from a wish list. Rather than getting a bunch of random birthday presents, Valentine’s candies, or stocking stuffers, request the seeds you hope to plant in the spring. It’s an inexpensive gift that people will be excited to give, and it’s always nice to know what someone wants.

They’ll be able to ask how the plant is doing. You’ll be able to take photos to share and celebrate the results of all those gifted seeds. Everyone is winning and happy. The seeds might not have been free in the larger scheme of things, but they were free for you.

Related Content:

• The Pros and Cons of Planting Seeds Versus Planting Seedlings
• How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors
• How To Start Growing Garden Seeds Using a Water Jug Greenhouse [Video]
• A Guide to Growing Edible Seeds
• 6 Ways to Use Avocado Seeds to Minimize Food Waste

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