Baker Creek Seeds (RareSeeds.com) is America’s premier heirloom seed company, offering thousands of rare, open-pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds to home gardeners and small farms. Founded by Jere Gettle in 1998, Baker Creek has grown into North America’s largest heirloom seed company. Their mission is to preserve seed diversity and share real, flavorful varieties from the past. The company’s name appears on the covers of their famous seed catalogs and on every packet of pure, non-GMO heirloom seeds. Baker Creek Seeds supplies heirloom vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs – including many rare varieties not found in grocery stores. This article explores Baker Creek’s offerings and services: from their free seed catalogs and vast online store to organic practices, rare varieties, customer reviews, and more.
Baker Creek Seeds publishes two colorful seed catalogs: a free 164-page Rare Seed Catalog and a larger Whole Seed Catalog. Each issue is packed with vibrant photos of heirloom vegetables, flowers and herbs, detailed growing tips, recipes, and historic anecdotes. For example, the 2026 Rare Seed Catalog is free by mail in the U.S. and contains “164 pages of colorful photos with descriptions of our most popular varieties”. The Whole Seed Catalog (available to order) offers even more articles, large photos and garden recipes. These catalogs are a treasure map for gardeners: showing what heirloom treasures to grow and how to succeed. (See the image above for catalog covers.) Baker Creek encourages every gardener to “Request the FREE 164-page Rare Seed Catalog” to plan their garden.
Why Baker Creek Seeds?
Baker Creek Seeds stands out for its heirloom focus and quality. They sell only open-pollinated, non-GMO seeds – no hybrid or GMO varieties – and support organic growing. All seeds are untreated and “pure and natural,” meaning pesticide-free. In practice this makes them ideal for organic gardens, even though Baker Creek’s seeds are not USDA-certified organic. Many of their customers are organic farmers and gardeners who save seed year after year. The company’s ironclad seed guarantee backs every packet: if a seed doesn’t grow to expectations, they will replace it or refund you.
Other key features of Baker Creek Seeds include:
- Vast, Heritage Selection: Over 1,800 heirloom varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs. This is one of the largest selections of heirloom seeds in the U.S., including 19th-century Asian, European and American varieties.
- Rare & Unique Varieties: Many unusual or “lost” seeds. New introductions each year (e.g. the Syrian Aleppo pepper or colorful Martian Jewels corn). The company continually hunts the globe for exceptional seeds to add to the catalog.
- Free U.S. Shipping: Baker Creek offers free shipping on all U.S. orders with no minimum purchase. (Their Trustpilot page notes “fast, free shipping of seed packets with no minimum”.) International shipping rates do apply for customers outside North America.
- 100% Satisfaction: A money-back guarantee on every order. Customers can shop with confidence knowing Baker Creek stands behind its seeds.
These attributes attract novice and expert gardeners alike. As the RareSeeds website proclaims, “Every order includes free shipping within the U.S. and is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee, so you can shop and plant with confidence”.
Baker Creek Seed Catalogs:
Baker Creek’s catalogs are legendary in the gardening world. They publish two annual seed catalogs: a free Rare Seed Catalog and a more extensive Whole Seed Catalog. The free catalog can be requested online and is mailed to U.S. addresses (bulk mail takes 2–5 weeks). It’s 164 full-color pages featuring the company’s most popular heirloom varieties with beautiful photos. Highlights include vibrant vegetables like Heirloom Tomatoes, Dragon Tongue beans and Little Gem lettuce, as well as cottage-garden favorites like zinnias and marigolds. The image above shows covers of Baker Creek’s catalogs – real heirloom treasures in print.
The Whole Seed Catalog is a “big” volume sold separately. It includes expanded descriptions, recipes, stories and more in-depth gardening articles. Baker Creek describes it as containing “large beautiful photos, recipes, and stories about the gardening lifestyle”. In short, it’s a gardening magazine as much as a catalog. Both catalogs invite gardeners to explore uncommon heirloom seeds and share knowledge (like seed-saving guides, botanical lore, and spotlight plant histories). In the digital age, they also offer a PDF of the free catalog for easy browsing (without waiting).
By signing up, gardeners can quickly get Baker Creek’s catalog in hand:
- Free Rare Seed Catalog: 164 pages, mailed free in the U.S.. (International customers can order it for a shipping fee.)
- Whole Seed Catalog: Larger paid catalog with bonus content. (Often $4.95 or free with purchase.)
- Seed Stories & Guides: In addition to catalogs, Baker Creek has an online Seed Stories blog and Grow Guides to help gardeners learn new techniques.
The catalogs themselves often include new “Featured Varieties” (rare introductions) and seasonal favorites. One Baker Creek review noted the catalog’s diversity: “Great catalog of different kinds of seeds… free packet of seeds with your order”.
Heirloom Vegetables – Flavor & Diversity:
A core strength is Baker Creek’s heirloom vegetable seeds. These open-pollinated vegetables tend to be more flavorful and nutritious than modern hybrids. For example, heirloom beans like Dragon’s Tongue or Adventist Pole are prized for taste and nutrition. The website explains:
“Heirloom & open-pollinated vegetables are known for being more flavorful and – often – more nutritious than hybrid varieties”.
Baker Creek catalogs list classics (e.g. ‘New Kuroda’ carrot, ‘Little Gem’ lettuce, ‘Dragon Tongue’ bean) alongside rare gems sourced worldwide. Recent introductions include Martian Jewels corn, Aleppo pepper, Spotted Aleppo Syrian lettuce, and Adventist Pole bean – seeds with unique colors, flavors or histories. Many of these varieties date back over a century or are tied to traditional cuisines from Asia, Europe, or the Middle East.
Growing heirloom vegetables also helps biodiversity. Since open-pollinated plants breed true, gardeners can save seeds for next year, preserving each variety’s unique genetics. Baker Creek encourages seed-saving and offers guidance (see their Growing Guides). By planting heirlooms from Baker Creek, gardeners “protect seed heritage” and “maintain the genetic diversity of our food supply”.
Some famous Baker Creek vegetable seeds: Heirloom tomatoes (‘Green Zebra’, ‘Mortgage Lifter’), colorful peppers, Asian greens like mizuna and komatsuna, squash of every stripe, and resilient root crops like beets and parsnips. Each is non-GMO and untreated, meaning truly “pure and natural”. This makes them ideal for organic and sustainable farming.
Heirloom Flowers – Beauty & Pollinators:
Baker Creek is also known for its heirloom flower seeds. Their catalog is full of annuals, perennials, bulbs and wildflowers. The flower page on RareSeeds.com exhorts gardeners to enjoy a “large selection of heirloom flower seeds, from Agastache to Zinnias”. Baker Creek’s heirloom flowers are prized for “authenticity, resilience, and breathtaking beauty shaped by generations of careful selection”. Unlike mass-produced hybrids bred for shipping, these heirloom blooms often boast richer fragrance, more vivid colors, and longer blooms.
Flower varieties range from cottage-garden classics (hollyhocks, sweet peas, calendula, cosmos) to exotic and rare blossoms. For example, Baker Creek’s newest flower introductions include rare zinnias and unusual morning glories not found elsewhere. They regularly add unique sunflowers and other unusual species discovered through global seed expeditions. By growing these heirloom flowers, gardeners also support vital pollinators in their backyard. Baker Creek explicitly connects heirloom flowers to preserving “floral biodiversity” for generations.
Popular Baker Creek flower seeds: Cosmos, celosia, salvia, rudbeckia, marigold, and specialty vines like cardinal climber. Each is open-pollinated (so you can save seeds) and untreated. In gardening forums and reviews, customers often mention the flower seeds as much as the vegetables – praising their vivid blooms and genetic diversity. As Baker Creek says, heirloom flowers are “living antiques” that carry horticultural heritage into modern gardens.
Organic & Non-GMO Assurance:
Baker Creek Seeds prides itself on natural seeds. All Baker Creek seeds are open-pollinated and untreated. This means no coated or chemically treated seeds, and certainly no GMOs. In fact, they affirm that “pure and natural seeds means untreated, free of pesticides”. Gardeners can plant Baker Creek seeds in organic or sustainable gardens without worry. The company explains that while they are not USDA-certified organic, many of their seeds are grown by organic farmers and are suitable for organic production.
A gardening expert notes: “Although our seeds are not certified organic, they can certainly be used in an organic garden and many are grown by organic farmers”. In practice, Baker Creek often highlights varieties popular with organic growers. Their commitment to “non-GMO, open-pollinated varieties” is a guarantee of genetic purity. Any gardener who values healthy, natural produce will find Baker Creek seeds meet those standards.
Rare Varieties and New Introductions:
What truly sets Baker Creek apart is their emphasis on rare and unusual heirlooms. They actively seek out “lost” varieties and offer unique hybrids from other lands. For instance, on their Vegetable page they highlight new offerings like the sprouted Aleppo lettuce and beans from Syria. In the Flower section, new introductions include rare zinnias, one-of-a-kind sunflowers, and extraordinary color forms from seed-hunting expeditions.
Every year’s catalog adds dozens of these innovations. Think of plants like Martian Jewels corn (speckled kernels of orange and red), or Abbott Red Cinch Pea beans with stunning patterns. These are not your ordinary supermarket varieties. Baker Creek’s team travels globally to source seeds – often from rural farms or remote regions. They rescue heritage varieties that might otherwise vanish.
For gardeners, this means access to plants they’ve never seen before. Growing these extraordinary seeds is a thrill: you could be the first to plant a Himalayan melon or a Mardi Gras heirloom squash. By offering new rarities annually, Baker Creek ensures every catalog has surprises. This focus on diversity keeps heirloom gardening exciting and fulfills their motto: “grow food with flavor and history”.
Shopping at Baker Creek Seeds:
Baker Creek’s online store – RareSeeds.com – is the central hub for ordering. The website is easy to navigate by category (vegetables, flowers, herbs, etc.) or by the catalog index. Key shopping highlights:
- Free Shipping (U.S.): All orders ship free anywhere in the United States. This is heavily advertised: “Every order includes free shipping within the U.S.”. Many gardeners count this as a huge perk, especially for small orders.
- No Minimum Order: You can order even a single packet of seeds and still get free shipping. As one happy customer wrote: “Fast, free shipping of seed packets with no minimum… they give you a free packet of seeds with your order.”.
- Satisfaction Guarantee: Baker Creek reinforces customer trust with a 100% satisfaction policy. The site states: “If it doesn’t grow to your expectations, we’ll make it right with a replacement or refund.”.
- Secure Shopping: The RareSeeds.com site is professionally run (developed by a store platform) and supports safe checkout (PayPal, credit cards, etc.). They provide tax-exempt pricing for farmers, volume discounts, and useful features like account order history.
- Physical Stores: In addition to online, Baker Creek has two brick-and-mortar stores. The original Bakerville Ozark Store in Mansfield, Missouri (their Ozark Village headquarters) is open weekdays. It’s a must-visit garden shop and farm, featuring thousands of seeds, live plants, farm animals, and a restaurant. They also operate the historic Petaluma Seed Bank in California, an old seed house open to visitors. Both locations exude Old-World charm and carry rare heirloom seeds and gardening supplies. (See Baker Creek’s Store Locations info for addresses.)
Baker Creek Seeds also sells related products: gift certificates, gardening books (including their own Heirloom Gardener magazine and cookbook), and heirloom plant starts in season. All of these are available through RareSeeds or the stores, making Baker Creek a one-stop shop for heirloom gardening.
Customer Reviews and Reputation:
How is Baker Creek perceived by gardeners? Reviews are mixed but often positive. On Trustpilot, Baker Creek (RareSeeds.com) has an overall score of 3.2 out of 5 (59 reviews). About 39% of reviewers gave 5 stars, praising the seed quality and service. Notably, many fans highlight the free seeds and speedy shipping: as Sara wrote, “Fast, free shipping of seed packets with no minimum… I couldn’t be happier.”. Others rave, “This is a great company that offers heirloom seeds and some really interesting varieties!” (5-star review).
However, some customers report issues: slow international delivery, or dissatisfaction with seed germination (often a result of gardening conditions rather than seed quality). A few negative reviews on sites like Yelp or Reddit mention order delays or communication problems. It’s worth noting that Baker Creek is transparent on their site about USPS delays and commits to reshipment/refund if packages are lost.
Overall, gardeners who love unique heirlooms tend to be loyal customers. Many experienced growers return year after year for new discoveries. The Trustpilot listing (see Baker Creek Seeds reviews) explicitly mentions “Over 1800 varieties of Vegetables, Rare Flowers & Herbs. 100% Non-GMO open pollinated seeds. Free heirloom seed catalog!”. These key points (diversity, quality, free shipping, free catalog) drive the positive buzz. As with any mail-order seed company, experiences vary, but Baker Creek’s dedication to heirlooms has earned them a strong reputation among heritage gardeners.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is special about heirloom seeds?
“Heirloom” seeds have a documented family or cultural history. According to Seed Savers Exchange, heirlooms are varieties “passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.”. They are always open-pollinated, meaning they breed true to type. Baker Creek Seeds specializes in these heritage varieties – many over 50 or 100 years old – preserving biodiversity and authentic flavors.
How do I get a Baker Creek seed catalog?
Baker Creek offers a free printed Rare Seed Catalog each year. You can request it by mail at RareSeeds.com/catalog. It will be sent (free in the U.S.) in 2–5 weeks. They also have a downloadable PDF of the catalog. For more extensive content, Baker Creek’s Whole Seed Catalog can be purchased online. Both catalogs feature hundreds of heirloom vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
Do Baker Creek Seeds ship for free?
Yes – Baker Creek includes free U.S. shipping on every order. There is no minimum order size for the free shipping. International customers must pay applicable shipping fees. Note: USPS delays can occur; Baker Creek suggests contacting them if orders are delayed (they offer replacement or refund).
Are Baker Creek seeds organic?
Baker Creek seeds are non-GMO and untreated, but most are not USDA-certified organic. The company encourages organic growers to use their seeds and notes many are produced by organic farms. In practice, Baker Creek heirlooms meet organic standards as long as you plant them in organic soil and treat them in accordance with organic practices. The seeds themselves are simply “pure and natural”.
What kinds of seeds does Baker Creek sell?
They sell a vast range: heirloom vegetables, herbs, flowers, and even some fruits and edible seeds. Popular categories include tomato, pepper, bean, squash, and lettuce seeds; along with zinnias, marigolds, and other flower seeds. They also offer bulbs, cover-crop seeds, and a selection of gardening supplies and books.
Can I visit a Baker Creek store in person?
Yes. Baker Creek’s flagship seed store is the Ozark Store in Mansfield, MO (the old homestead on Baker Creek Road). They also run the Petaluma Seed Bank in California. These locations have farm gardens, animals, seed banks, and gift shops full of heirloom seeds and souvenirs. Hours and locations are listed on their website. Visiting is a full experience in heritage farming and gardening.
Conclusion:
For gardeners craving flavor, history, and diversity, Baker Creek Seeds delivers true heirloom treasures to grow. Their extensive online catalog of heirloom seeds and free printed seed catalogs make it easy to explore rare vegetables, flowers and herbs. Whether you want baker creek seeds vegetables, baker creek seeds flowers, or any other category, you’ll find unique, non-GMO varieties with each order. The company’s commitment to open-pollinated genetics ensures you can save seeds and continue the heritage. With free US shipping and a solid guarantee, shopping Baker Creek is convenient.
Baker Creek Seeds is more than a supplier – it’s a community hub for heirloom gardening. Explore their website or order a catalog to plan your next garden full of baker creek seeds heirloom favorites. Have you grown heirloom tomatoes, peppers or flowers from Baker Creek? We invite you to share your experiences and tips in the comments below. And if this article helped you, please share it on social media so other gardeners can discover these heirloom treasures. Happy planting, and may your garden overflow with the heritage and flavor of Baker Creek Seeds!
