Best Seed Catalogs for Heirloom Tomatoes (2026)

This is my 24th year growing heirloom tomatoes, chile peppers, berries, and squash at HeathGlen Organic Farm. I’ve ordered seeds from dozens of companies and learned which ones deliver on germination rates, variety selection, and value. This guide covers my current recommendations for finding both common and hard-to-source heirloom varieties.

Quick Summary: For heirloom tomatoes: Totally Tomatoes has the largest selection of heirlooms and hybrids. Tomato Fest specializes in organic heirloom seeds with 600+ varieties including rare finds. Pinetree Garden Seeds offers smaller, affordable seed packets. Kitchen Garden Seeds (Scheepers) carries hard-to-find specialty varieties. Baker Creek has beautiful photos but charges for the catalog and has reduced selection. Read time: 8 min | Experience level: Beginner to intermediate

Jump to: How to Decide | Best for Tomatoes | Best for Berry Plants | Good for Vegetable Seeds | FAQ

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What Should You Look for When Choosing Tomato Varieties?

If you are confused about all the various uses and flavors of heirloom tomatoes, this article on the flavor profiles of heirloom tomatoes might help.

What Are the Best Seed Catalogs for Tomatoes?

The following recommendations are the seed catalogs I am using in 2026.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (now called Rare Seeds): 

This catalog is definitely eye candy and it used to be the first one I went to in the spring as it has great descriptions and great photos of heirloom varieties.  In 2023 however, they reduced the range of varieties they carry, and they started charging for the catalog.

It is now $14.95 to get the catalog if you have not ordered from them before. I personally won’t pay for the catalog, but I did get a free copy because of prior orders.

In 2023 I was unable to find any of the specific or rare varieties of heirloom tomatoes and heirloom winter squash that I have ordered in the past. Still beautiful photos, but their selection has diminished.

Kitchen Garden Seeds (Scheepers)

John Scheepers seed catalog has a number of specialty tomato and vegetable seeds that I cannot find in any other catalogs to-date. They tend to be a little more expensive, but I always end up buying some of the hard-to-find seeds from them.

Tomato Fest

Tomato Fest specializes in organic heirloom tomatoes.  I order these seeds online as they don’t have a paper catalog that they send out in the mail.  You can download their pdf catalog (82 pages) if you want, but the website is easy enough to navigate.

Tomatofest has over 600 varieties of tomatoes, many of them rare and some of them exclusive. 

This was the only place I could find the Julia Child variety, Aussie (my favorite of the large reds), Carmello and Dona.  And they’re organic seeds!

Pinetree Garden Seeds: 

Pinetree Garden Seeds is a great resource for gardeners that want to order smaller amounts of seed, but still have access to a large range of variety choice.  They usually have about 15-20 seeds per pack rather than 30-40 of other seed companies, and each pack costs about $2.00 to $3.00, which is less than other companies. 

Germination rate has been great from these seeds and I always order from them whenever they carry the varieties I want (I will order 3 packs at time and still save money). No pretty pictures though!

Totally Tomatoes: 

This has been my go-to catalog for tomatoes for a number of years.  They have a huge number of heirloom AND hybrid varieties. 

I always include some of the better hybrids in my order, as they generally have better disease resistance and some pack just as much flavor as the heirlooms. 

Not all of my customers can successfully grow heirlooms, and I include a range of hybrids for specific purposes (like Bush Champion for patio tomatoes) in my overall order.  They also carry a wide range of sweet and hot peppers. 

Prices range somewhere between Baker Creek and Pinetree.  Germination is  dependable.  They are not exclusively organic, but they probably have the largest range of varieties.

What’s the Best Catalog for Berry Plants?

Indiana Berry & Plant Company is my one of my favorite catalogs for strawberries and raspberries that grow well in the Midwest. I also like Norse as a good source for small berries.

I grow 600 blueberry plants, but they are over 20 years old now and I purchased them way back from Towerview Nursery in Michigan. Blueberry plants are something you want to research more in depth for your particular micro-climate.

Good Companies for Vegetable Seeds

Sometimes the seed companies have crop failures or low inventory of certain seeds. I have missed out on some of my preferred varieties in previous years so I always order early now.

I order all my seeds the first of January and find I still have to scout the internet for a few of the hard-to-find varieties.

For vegetables & herbs beyond just tomatoes, I have found the following companies to have reliable germination rates, good seed selections and be responsible in their seed conservation:

• Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
• Johnny’s Selected Seeds
• Renee’s Garden Seeds
• Seed Savers Exchange

A Guide for Successfully Growing Tomatoes

I have been answering my market customer questions on growing tomatoes for the past 24 years. Last year I put together a workbook on growing tomatoes (emphasis on heirlooms, but addresses tomatoes in general) to answer these questions and help guide you to success, whether a beginner or advanced.

The guide (available on Amazon) summarizes my overall experiences and knowledge as a long-time tomato grower, but if you want to learn about a specific aspect of tomato growing, check out the following posts:

• For germinating seed indoors
• Growing tomatoes in pots
• Best seed catalogs for tomatoes
• Best trellis systems for tomatoes
• Season extension for tomatoes
• Taste of heirloom tomatoes based on color

FAQ

Before you order, check out this taste testing post on the flavor profiles of popular heirloom tomatoes.

Remember that planning for your end use is key

So, there you go. 

The greatest thing about winter paper gardening is the vision of how great the tomato garden is going to be “this year”.  Hope springs eternal!