About Us

Our Current Organic Certificate (pdf)

Our Seed Growers

Quality Promise

Our Non-GMO Policy - Read about the Anti-GMO Lawsuit OSGATA vs. Monsanto - We're joining with other seed growers and farmers to sue Monsanto. Read about the lawsuit and our non-GMO policy.

Internships

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange offers more than 700 varieties of vegetable, flower, herb, grain and cover crop seeds. We emphasize varieties that perform well in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, although gardeners and farmers from all over the country grow our seeds. We do extensive germination and purity testing to ensure that we always provide the highest quality possible.

Read in our resource library about why we specialize in heirloom seeds and primarily offer open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds.

You may order seasonal items for later shipment when placing your full seed order. Gourmet, heirloom garlic and perennial multiplier onion bulbs are amongst our specialties (shipped beginning in September for fall planting). We also offer ginseng and goldenseal for fall shipment. When you plant these endangered woodland medicinals, you help ensure their survival for future generations. In the spring, we ship a variety of unusual and heirloom potatoes.

As part of our mission to promote seed saving and traditional plant breeding, we provide a variety of seed saving equipment in quantities appropriate to home seed savers (in our Supplies), as well as seed saving resources in our Books & DVDs. Our catalog would not be possible without the efforts of the seed savers who created, refined and maintained these heirlooms.

Some of our seed growers have opted not to become Certified Organic, although they do use natural, ecological methods. We indicate these seeds with an "e" symbol. Since certified organic farmers must plant certified organic seeds when available, we prioritize offering USDA certified organic seed for varieties that are particularly well-suited to market gardeners. Rare seeds that are best suited to home gardeners may be contracted to our non-certified but philosophically sustainable growers.

We offer many unusual, Southern heirlooms, such as peanuts, southern peas, naturally colored cotton, collards, okra, turnip greens, corns for roasting and meal, and butterbeans. Customers are often surprised by the diversity of our heirlooms, especially our tomatoes, peppers, and melons. We think that after you try them, you'll agree that our tomatoes taste better!

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is located near Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in the gently rolling foothills of Central Virginia. Although we emphasize varieties adapted to the Mid-Atlantic region, we serve gardeners throughout the United States and Canada. A large percentage of the seed and bulb varieties we offer are grown by us or our growers. We have a commitment to quality in all aspects of our service to our customers.

Our seed company started in 1982 as an outgrowth of a love affair with heirloom varieties and in seed saving. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange had its beginning in a small family garden and a kitchen co-opted for seed processing. The kitchen garden has since expanded to numerous growing areas supplemented by a nationwide seed grower network. Now the seed company has its own office, germination testing facility, and environmentally controlled seed storage areas. From the beginning we have believed that our seed company serves: (1) as a source for new, high performance varieties, and (2) most importantly, as a preservation tool for collecting and distributing varieties with special qualities: varieties with heritage, flavor, disease resistance, or other qualities of interest to gardeners. Click here to read more about our early history.