A seed kit is one of the few gifts that keeps paying off months after the wrapping paper is gone. It is also easy to get wrong: a 140-packet kit can overwhelm someone with a balcony, and a single packet can feel thin for a homesteader planning a full season. This guide sorts our kits by who you are buying for and what they cost, and it is honest about what each one does not include.
Every seed we sell is heirloom, non-GMO, non-hybrid and open-pollinated, so the person you give it to can save seeds from their harvest and plant them again. Our seeds are not certified organic, which is one of the questions we are asked most often.
Quick picks
| Who it's for | Our pick | Price | What's inside |
|---|---|---|---|
| A first-time gardener | Seed Safe Beginner Garden Kit | $29.95 | 35 varieties, 17,000+ seeds, 35 plant markers |
| A vegetable gardener or prepper | Survival Seed Vault Kit | $29.95 | 35 varieties, about 16,000 seeds, resealable Mylar bag |
| A cook | 35 Herb Seed Varieties | $29.95 | 35 herbs, about 18,885 seeds, 35 plant markers |
| Someone who loves flowers or pollinators | 35 Flower Seed Varieties | $29.95 | Annuals and perennials, about 21,000 seeds |
| A homesteader with room to grow | Homestead Seed Vault Kit | $55.95 | 70 varieties, about 33,600 seeds |
| A stocking stuffer | Culinary Herb 5 Variety Pack | $9.95 | Five kitchen herbs |
For a first-time gardener: Seed Safe
New gardeners usually do not know yet which crops they will love, so variety matters more than volume. The Seed Safe gives them 35 different crops to try: four lettuces (including the compact Tom Thumb, which suits small beds and containers), two carrots, two radishes, Roquette arugula, two tomatoes, Cubanelle and Hungarian Hot Wax peppers, Spaghetti squash, Crimson Sweet watermelon and more. Each variety is in its own labeled paper packet with growing and harvest guidance, and the kit includes 35 plant markers so seedlings don't become a guessing game.
What it does not include: pots, soil, trays or tools. If you want the gift to be ready to use on day one, add a bag of seed-starting mix and a few cell trays. Our guide to starting vegetable seeds indoors is a good thing to send along with it.
For the vegetable gardener or prepper: Seed Vault Kit
The Survival Seed Vault Kit is our best seller, and it is the kit people buy for a parent who already gardens or for a family member building an emergency supply. It covers the staples of a full vegetable garden: Bush Tendergreen and Henderson lima beans, Early Bantam sweet corn, Marketmore 76 cucumbers, Roma VF and large cherry tomatoes, Waltham 29 broccoli, Waltham Butternut squash, Sugar Pie pumpkin, Sugar Baby watermelon and Genovese basil, among others.
The packets come inside a resealable Mylar bag with a zip closure, which matters if the kit will sit in storage before it is planted. Seeds last longest kept cool, dark and dry. If the person you are buying for plans to store it, our article on how to store seeds for survival explains where to keep it, and how long heirloom seeds last covers which crops keep longest.
Seed Vault or Seed Safe? Both have 35 varieties at the same price, and none of the varieties overlap. The Seed Vault leans toward classic, high-yield garden staples. The Seed Safe adds crops people are less likely to have tried, like Green Globe artichoke, Mary Washington asparagus, American Flag leeks and Georgia Southern collards. Gardeners who want both can get them together in the 70-variety Homestead Seed Vault Kit.
For the cook: herbs
Herbs are the easiest "grow it and use it tonight" gift. The 35 Herb Seed Varieties pack covers kitchen favorites like basil, cilantro, rosemary, oregano, parsley, dill and thyme, plus less common traditional herbs, with a plant marker for each. For a smaller gift, the Culinary Herb 5 Variety Pack ($9.95) fits in a stocking.
Winter is a fine time to start herbs on a sunny windowsill or under a light. Our guide to growing herbs indoors with grow lights walks through the setup.
For tea drinkers, the Herbal Tea Seed Starter Kit ($16.95) includes Roman chamomile, peppermint, lemon balm, lavender and purple coneflower, plus 8 reusable starter pots and 8 compressed soil disks, so it is ready to start without a trip to the garden center.
For flower lovers and pollinator gardeners
The 35 Flower Seed Varieties kit mixes annuals for color in the first summer with perennials that come back in later years. It works for borders, containers, cutting gardens and pollinator patches. Many perennial flowers need a cold period before they sprout, so a winter gift gives the gardener time to plan. For monarch fans, the Milkweed Seed Starter Kit includes four milkweed species with pots and soil disks, and our butterfly milkweed guide explains the cold-moist step.
For the homesteader with space: the big kits
If the person you are buying for has a large garden, or wants a seed supply that covers several seasons, the ammo-can kits keep everything organized in one sturdy container. The Homesteader's Essential Seed Kit ($82.95) has 105 varieties, and the Ultimate Survival Seed Kit ($99.95) combines our vegetable, beginner, herb and flower collections into 140 packets with about 73,700 seeds. Packets are grouped in resealable Mylar bags inside the can.
Be realistic about size. A 140-packet kit is a multi-year supply for most home gardens. For someone with a few raised beds, a single 35-variety kit is usually the better gift. Our guide to comparing survival seed vault kits lays out every size side by side.
Tips for giving seeds
- Match the gift to their space. Apartment or patio: herbs, lettuce or a starter kit with pots. Backyard beds: a 35-variety kit. Acreage or long-term storage: a 70- to 140-packet kit.
- Add a note about timing. Most of these seeds won't go in the ground until spring. Pointing them to a planting calendar for their area (search their zip code plus "last frost date") turns the gift into a plan.
- Keep the seeds cool and dry until spring. A closet shelf is better than a garage or a sunny windowsill. Heat and humidity shorten seed life.
- Pair it with one practical extra: a bag of seed-starting mix, a pair of garden gloves or a set of cell trays.
- Not sure what they'd pick? Our eGift Card arrives by email, so it also works as a last-minute gift.
Ordering for the holidays
Orders over $20 ship free within the US, by USPS, and we ship within one business day. For delivery by Christmas, we recommend ordering by Tuesday, December 15. That gives your order time to reach USPS before its recommended December 17 send-by date for Ground Advantage. Delivery times are USPS estimates and can vary by location. If you are cutting it close, the eGift Card is delivered instantly.
Common questions
Are these seeds organic?
No. All of our seeds are heirloom, non-GMO, non-hybrid and open-pollinated, but they are not certified organic.
Can the person save seeds from what they grow?
Yes. Because every variety is open-pollinated, seeds saved from the plants will grow the same type of plant, as long as varieties of the same crop aren't cross-pollinating in the garden. Our article on what heirloom seeds are explains how that works.
Do the kits include soil or pots?
The 35-variety kits and the ammo-can kits include seeds, packets with instructions and plant markers, but no soil, pots or tools. The seed starter kits (such as the Herbal Tea and Milkweed kits) include 8 reusable starter pots and 8 compressed soil disks.
How long will the seeds last if they wait until spring?
Stored cool, dark and dry, the seeds will be fine for spring planting. How many years beyond that depends on the crop: onions and parsnips are short-lived, while tomatoes and squash keep much longer. See how long heirloom seeds last for crop-by-crop detail.
Reviewed by Ryan, owner of Gardeners Basics, an heirloom seed company that ships from Spanish Fork, Utah.
