How To Get Free Heirloom Seeds

Did you know there are ways you can get heirloom seeds completely free? Let me show you how you can get free heirloom seeds.

I think heirloom seeds are the best seeds you can grow in your garden. There is such variety in heirloom seeds that you will want to buy them all.

Sometimes getting all the seeds you want can be pricey. There are ways that you can get these seeds for free!

No, these sources of free seeds are not scams. I have used these sources to get free seeds and I enjoy using them all.

Sources for free heirloom seeds

Some of these sources require some work from you and in return you get free seeds. Here are my favorite sources for free seeds.

Seedlinked

Seedlinked is a citizen science project. This means that Seedlinked asks citizens to answer questions about the vegetables they grow to gather data.

Seedlinked uses this data in their app to help gardeners decide which seeds are going to grow well in their growing zone.

The best part about Seedlinked is that they give you free seeds! You can sign up for trials to evaluate certain vegetables and they send you the seeds for free.

Most trials will send you three packets of seeds all for free. All you have to do is report on how these plants grew in your garden. That is it!

Seed Savers Exchange runs a trial called ADAPT. They run this trial using Seedlinked for data recording, and I have grown seeds through this program for many years. You can join the next ADAPT trials here.

ADAPT trials use this information to evaluate which seeds should be included in the next Seed Savers Exchange catalog.

They usually trial many varieties each year, and I have trialed everything from beans and lettuce to peppers and tomatillos.

Local Seed Libraries

Seed libraries are another great source for free heirloom seeds. These are becoming more popular in public libraries.

These libraries will each have their own way of operating, but some libraries will ask you to save some seeds from the plants that you grew from the library’s seeds.

The saved seeds that you return at the end of the year will be available for another gardener to grow the next year.

If you want to find a local seed library you can use this seed library map. If you don’t have a local seed library on this map, ask at your local library because they may still have one.

Friends and neighbors

If you have a friend or a neighbor who saves their own seeds ask them if they would be willing to give you some seeds.

I save my own seeds and I always share the extras with my friends and family. Most seed savers are thrilled to share seeds with other gardeners, so don’t be afraid to ask around.

Save Your Own Seeds

The best way to get free heirloom seeds is to just save your own seeds. While saving your own seeds does take time you can easily save hundreds of seeds on your own.

You do need a fan and screen to dry your seeds on, but saving your own seeds is pretty inexpensive. If you want to learn how you can save your own seeds check this page out.

I save so many seeds from my garden that I don’t have to buy many in the spring time.

Swap Your Seeds

If you are saving your own seeds you can trade them for other seeds at a seed swap. This is a great way to get seeds for free, because when you save your own seeds you often have extra to share.

If you want to find a local seed swap ask at your local library for more information. You can also find seed swaps on Facebook and other social media sites.

I have even participated in online seed swaps where everyone sends a seed packet in and you get a different one in exchange.

Some seed swap events are held where everyone brings in their seeds and sets up a table. Then everyone can go around and swap seeds with other gardeners.

If you need to package your seeds for a seed swap you can get my vintage printable seed packets here.

The Seed Exchange

Seed Savers Exchange has a website called “The Exchange”. This is where seed savers can post their seeds for sale.

The Exchange is a great way to find rare heirloom varieties that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. You can join “The Exchange” here.

Some exchange members will accept seeds for seeds. This is another great way to get heirloom seeds for your garden.

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