Seed Catalog Review: Territorial Seed Company

Territorial's peaceful catalog is nothing if not thorough. Like Seeds of Change, Territorial includes growing guides for all of their seeds. Their selection of fruit seeds and plants canvasses uniquely tempting options, including fig, pomegranate, kiwi, and hops. They also sell rhubarb seeds - most companies just carry the crowns. I've never started rhubarb from seed, but am considering trying; if it works out, it's definitely the more economical option. Their cherry tomato collection is enticing, and they carry some gorgeous popcorn. I broke down and bought seeds for Cosmidium burridgeanum, or Phillipine, an affordable alternative to the pricey but delectable chocolate cosmos. Territorial's Pot and Patio Lettuce produced so much out of one container last summer that we were giving bags of it away - and this when I was 8 months pregnant and eating like mad!

Besides the cornucopia of plants and fungi tested in their Oregon research facility, London Spring Farms, Territorial sells the gadgets you never knew you needed: asparagus knife and steamer, bean frencher, pea sheller, garlic twist. Perhaps the most lovable aspect of this unassuming company is their commitment to send one free packet of Nantes Carrot seeds, with every order. The attractive paper envelope is a simple but classy single-color paper number that reads, "The seed is provided FREE so that you may donate fresh carrots to a food bank, soup kitchen, or neighbor in need." Territorial's "We can do it!" grassroots Recession Era response is in part inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt's 1943 Victory Garden, and their catalog boasts a bucket of 30 seed packets for creating your own Victory Garden; it's "the perfect starter collection for self-reliant gardening." Territorial's not flashy; they're the serviceable worn-in jeans of the seed catalog world, cashmere-soft from years of reliability. A beautiful luxury if your values are in the right place.