Q: I saw an article that you wrote that said there were garden vegetable seed catalogs available at the Direct Gardening Association web site. I can't find that site. Can you help?

A: Well, that group ended last year during the pandemic. So, to help you out, here are my favorite vegetable seed catalog companies.

Jere Gettle has been a vegetable gardener since he was three. By 17, he was selling heirloom garden seeds. He now has three retail stores and an entire heirloom village you can visit. The Baker Creek catalog has over 1,500 seeds. He and his wife Emilee publish the Heirloom Gardener Magazine and the Heirloom Life Gardener book. For more information, check out www.rareseeds.com.

Dixondale Farms is the home of the Onionman and a lot of good onions. dixondalefarms.com The Harris Seeds catalog has a good selection of vegetables, plus flowers and tools. Find them at www.harrisseeds.com.

The Chas. C. Hart Seed Co. Is one of the few garden seed companies that understands the difference between genetically modified (GMO) and genetically engineered (GE) seeds. This company has been around for over 125 years and is an excellent source of garden seeds. If your charitable organization needs vegetable garden seeds this is the company to contact at www.hartseed.com.

Double A Vineyards is an awesome source of grape vines. doubleavineyards.com. Indiana Berry & Plant Co. is a great source for strawberries, brambles, blueberries and grape vines. indianaberry.com

Renee's Garden has garden-tested and taste-tested heirloom and gourmet vegetables, flowers and herbs. Her seed packets are very detailed, and Renee personally grows every plant variety before it is offered in the catalog. Find her catalog and cookbook at www.reneesgarden.com.

The Territorial Seed Company has all the essential seeds and supplies at territorialseed.com The Totally Tomatoes catalog may not be completely tomatoes, but it is close. Check it out at www.totallytomato.com. Wood Prairie Family Farm is the place to get any kind of potato. www.woodprairie.com

Many heirloom varieties are extremely rare and would probably be extinct if it weren't for a community of gardeners who are committed to keeping these treasures alive. The Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) has provided an organized link for gardeners who feel the importance of maintaining the existing biodiversity of our food supply. SSE's members are maintaining thousands of heirloom varieties, traditional Indian crops, garden varieties of the Mennonite and Amish, vegetables dropped from all seed catalogs and outstanding foreign varieties.

Each year, hundreds of members use SSE's publications to distribute seeds to ensure their survival. Each winter, SSE publishes a Seed Savers Yearbook which contains names and addresses of hundreds of members and 6,000 listings of rare vegetable and fruit varieties that they are offering to other gardeners. Seeds are obtained by writing directly to the members who are listing those varieties. To request the free 80-page color seed catalog, check out their web site at www.seedsavers.org.