Great Web Resources for Gardeners

Help Weave the Web

If you have a web resource or seed shop to recommend, or you would like us to add a link to your business to this site, please contact us. If your site would be beneficial to our customers, we will add it to our links page.

Plant Databases and General Gardening Information

Dave’s Garden — Articles, forums, and databases on all aspects of gardening. Great place to talk to other gardeners!

The Garden Helper — Gardening encyclopedia and guides to growing and caring for gardens, plants and flowers.

Mother Earth News — Long standing resource on all things Earth.

National Gardening Association — Very informative articles, plant database, photos and help identifying plants, regional tips, community forum.

PlantFacts — Portal to searchable multimedia learning center with information on plants, their diseases, images, gardening tips, and growing guides. Compiled by Ohio State University with information from across the US and Canada.

USDA Plant Identifier — Database of standardized information about vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the US and territories.

Specific Tools and Techniques

Biodynamic Principles and Practices — Introduction to the ideas behind biodynamics by the Biodynamic Association, who define biodynamics as “a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition.” Many educational resources on site.

Garden Guides Garden Planner — Neat interactive tool great for planning companion planting in a rectangular or square bed, especially for square-foot gardeners. Tons of garden guides on specific subject elsewhere on site.

No Dig Vegetable Garden — Extensive free resources on the no-dig/no-till method, raised beds, and compost, with a special focus on kids’ activities.

Soil Resources

Web Soil Survey — Interactive soil map from USGS

You can get your soil tested for nutrients as well as contaminants like heavy metals through many county extension offices and universities. Try googling “soil testing + your county/state” to find soil testing close to you, or you can use a mail testing program such as the University of Delaware’s.

Pest Management

University of California Integrated Pest Management — Identify and manage all types of pests in home, farm, and garden.

Seeds, Plants, and Supplies

No promises or guarantees about anything you buy from any of these suppliers. These are all companies either used by us here at Gardening by the Moon, or recommended to us by customers. We are not affiliated with or sponsored by any of the following companies, but we do believe you can get high quality seeds and farm & garden supplies from them. Seed companies are listed by region/biome so you can most easily find seeds suited to your garden.

We would love to hear your recommendations for seed suppliers! We are especially looking for small, locally-focused farms and distributors which specialize in open-pollinated varieties hardy to their area.

seeds & plants — Eastern Woodlands

Fedco — Cooperatively owned seed company and nursery based in Clinton, Maine and specializing in cold-hardy, organic, open-pollinated seeds, tubers, perennials, and trees. Indigenous Royalties and Black Benefit Sharing programs ensure these communities are compensated for their seed.

Greta’s Family Seeds — Montreal, Quebec-based family-owned seed company specializing in organic and non-GMO heirloom seeds. $5 shipping to Canada, does not ship anywhere else.

Fruition Seeds — Organic, open-pollinated short-season & regionally adapted seeds, trees, tubers, and tools out of Naples, NY.

Hudson Valley Seed — Accord, New York-based seed farm and company specializing in heirloom varieties, organic seed, and garden art. Seedlings available for those close enough to shop in person.

Truelove Seeds — Community oriented farm-based seed company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania offering culturally important and open pollinated seeds.

Sistah Seeds – Open-pollinated seeds grown sustainably in eastern Pennsylvania with the mission of regenerating culturally-important varieties and seed-keeping traditions from the African Diaspora.

seeds & plants — Southeastern

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange — Worker-owned cooperative out of Mineral, Virginia, specializing in open-pollinated and heirloom varieties adapted to the Midatlantic and Southeastern regions.

Ujamaa Seeds — A cooperative of Maryland area seed farmers growing culturally relevant heirloom seeds. Also growing guides and garden goods.

Backyard Garden Seeds – Organically grown seed from Olive Branch, MS.

Plant and Heal – Based in Midway, GA, and selling non-GMO seeds, bareroot plants, and extra-dwarf container-sized fruit trees.

seeds — Great Lakes

Annie’s Heirloom Seeds — Madison, Wisconsin-based heirloom and organic seeds as well as books, tools, and supplies.

seeds — Great Plains

Prairie Road Organic — Family-owned seed farm based in Fullerton, North Dakota. All organic everything since 1977.

seeds & plants — Western Mountains

Plants of the Southwest — New Mexico-based seed company specializing in drought-tolerant varieties. Native wildflower mixes formulated for different bioregions in the Rocky Mountain region, including High Desert, Low Desert, Prairie, and more.

Canyon Nursery — Family-owned organic greenhouse and nursery in Castle Valley, Utah.

Botanical Interests — Broomfield, Colorado-based company carrying organic vegetable and flower seed, specializing in wildflower mixes formulated to different biomes in the region.

Beauty Beyond Belief Wildflower Seed — Boulder, Colorado-based seed supplier carrying regional flowers, reclamation & cover crops, heirloom vegetable seeds, and more.

seeds — Southwestern Drylands

Native Seeds/SEARCH — A nonprofit seed conservation organization based in Tuscon, Arizona seeking to find, protect and preserve the seeds of the people of the Greater Southwest so that these arid adapted crops may benefit all peoples and nourish a changing world.

seeds & plants — Pacific Coast

GrowOrganic.com — California-based seed supply and nursery; website has variety of free growing guides and how-to videos.

Redwood Seeds — Manton, California-based seed farm specializing in drought-tolerant organic and open-pollinated varieties.

Uprising Organics — Network of family-run seed farms based around Bellingham, Washington growing organic and open-pollinated varieties suited to the Pacific Northwest.

seeds — all regions

Seed Savers Exchange — National organization dedicated to preserving and sharing heirloom and landrace seed varieties. Seeds available for purchase and exchange. Excellent gardening and seed-saving information, including small-space and container gardening, available for free on website. Has an ongoing seed rematriation program to return native Turtle Island seeds to the people to which they belong.

Mountain Rose Herbs — Great source for medicinal herb seeds.

Coco and Seed – Hydroponic and soil container kits for indoor growers.

pest control

Nature’s Control — Wide database on pest insects; variety of beneficial insects and supplies for sale.

Nature’s Good Guys — Selling a wide range of beneficial insects and food.

Predatory insects can be very helpful in controlling pests, but it’s always recommended to do some research before ordering to make sure you won’t be introducing invasive species into your area.