Industry
Gardening industry.
21 scored listings in Gardening.
Category Stewards
No category steward assigned
Focused stewardship categories for this industry will appear here after reviewer assignment.
All filters
Showing entries
| Select for comparison | Description | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Adaptive Seeds | A small Oregon farm-based seed company selling certified organic, public-domain, open-pollinated seed adapted to the Pacific Northwest and other short-season climates. Adaptive Seeds scores well because it is transparent about growers, rejects proprietary seed lock-in, and keeps the seed relationship close to ecological farming. | farm-based organic seed company | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds | A private heirloom seed retailer selling open-pollinated, non-GMO vegetable, herb, flower, and rare seed varieties through a major catalog and online store. Baker Creek has real seed-diversity value, but it scores low because founder-centered control, ideological theater, disclosure failures, and documented controversies weaken trust in the institution. | private heirloom seed retailer | Medium confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Limited-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 | -3 | 0 | -3 | |||||
| b | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Bootstrap Farmer | A family-owned online seller of heavy-duty seed trays, greenhouse kits, hoop-house supplies, grow bags, microgreen gear, and grower education. Bootstrap Farmer scores well because it emphasizes durable reusable tools, US manufacturing, free grower education, and small-farm utility, while remaining a private founder-led ecommerce company. | family-owned greenhouse and seed-starting supply company | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Botanical Interests | An Epic Gardening-owned seed brand selling vegetable, herb, and flower seed packets with detailed growing instructions and broad garden-center distribution. Botanical Interests retains real product value, but the score is limited by acquisition into a venture-backed creator-commerce system and by post-acquisition audience-to-store integration. | Epic Gardening-owned seed brand | Medium confidence (AI) | Epic Gardening | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Burpee | An old-guard seed, plant, and gardening-supply retailer selling vegetable, herb, fruit, flower, perennial, and garden products online, in catalogs, and through retail channels. Burpee has genuine horticultural history and useful products, but it scores low because private control, opaque sourcing, catalog marketing, and retail scale do not create accountable power for workers, growers, or customers. | old-guard seed and plant catalog company | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Limited-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Epic Gardening | A creator-led gardening media and online store selling seeds, raised beds, tools, supplies, books, and paid gardening memberships around a large YouTube and social-media audience. Epic Gardening is useful and educational, but it scores only midrange because venture-backed content-to-commerce creates audience capture, founder dependence, and commerce embedded inside advice. | creator-led gardening media and ecommerce company | Medium confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -2 | -2 | -1 | 0 | |||||
| b | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Experimental Farm Network | A nonprofit cooperative seed network and online seed store supporting collaborative plant breeding, rare seed increases, and climate-adapted agroecological crops. It scores highly because unusual seed access is tied to nonprofit cooperative research, open participation, and long-term food resilience rather than private catalog rollup growth. | nonprofit cooperative seed network and seed store | Medium confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 7 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Fedco Seeds | A worker- and consumer-owned cooperative selling vegetable, flower, herb, tree, tuber, bulb, and gardening-supply products online and by catalog. Fedco scores as one of the best gardening retailers because ownership is structurally shared with workers and customers while the product line supports seed sovereignty, resilient food gardening, and practical affordability. | worker- and consumer-owned seed cooperative | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Gardener's Supply Company | A formerly employee-owned Vermont garden-supply retailer now acquired by Gardens Alive after Chapter 11 bankruptcy, selling raised beds, seed-starting gear, supports, tools, plants, and garden-center goods. Gardener's Supply keeps useful products and a strong legacy, but its current score falls because employee ownership ended and the brand is now controlled by a private catalog acquirer. | Gardens Alive-owned gardening retailer | Medium confidence (AI) | Gardens Alive! | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Limited-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Gardens Alive! | A private multi-brand catalog and online garden retailer operating or owning brands such as Gurney's, Breck's, Spring Hill Nurseries, Park Seed, Wayside Gardens, and Gardener's Supply. Gardens Alive scores low because useful garden access is bundled into a consolidated catalog roll-up with opaque private control and distressed-brand acquisition. | private multi-brand gardening catalog company | Medium confidence (AI) | Policy-capture concerns; see Policy Capture. | Developed (AI) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | Limited-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Greenhouse Megastore | A BFG Supply-owned online retailer selling greenhouses, greenhouse coverings, trays, containers, hydroponic supplies, grower equipment, and gardening supplies. Greenhouse Megastore has useful equipment, but it scores low because ownership is embedded in a consolidated green-industry distribution chain rather than an accountable grower-owned structure. | BFG Supply-owned greenhouse and grower-supply retailer | Medium confidence (AI) | BFG Supply | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | Limited-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| b | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Growing Spaces | A Colorado greenhouse manufacturer selling passive-solar geodesic Growing Dome greenhouse kits for home, school, community, and commercial food growing. Growing Spaces scores well because durable food-growing infrastructure and B Corp certification point in a good direction, though private product control and high purchase cost keep it below cooperative infrastructure. | passive-solar greenhouse manufacturer | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | GrowSpan / FarmTek | A Growers Supply / ESAPCO greenhouse and agricultural-structure supplier selling GrowSpan, FarmTek, ClearSpan, and related buildings, greenhouses, coverings, equipment, and grower supplies. GrowSpan / FarmTek has useful production infrastructure, but the score stays low-middle because it is a large private commercial supplier with quote-based sales, financing, cannabis-sector growth, and little structural customer or worker accountability. | greenhouse and agricultural-structure supplier | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | Limited-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -1 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | High Mowing Organic Seeds | An organic seed company selling certified organic, non-GMO vegetable, herb, and flower seeds for home gardeners and commercial growers. High Mowing scores well because organic seed availability and grower education are real public goods, but private control keeps it below cooperative or nonprofit seed institutions. | organic seed company | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Johnny's Selected Seeds | A 100% employee-owned seed, plant, tool, and grower-supply company serving home gardeners and market growers. Johnny's scores high because employee ownership and serious trialing give the company more accountability and product integrity than ordinary catalog seed retail. | employee-owned seed and garden-supply company | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| b | No vegan or vegetarian badge | MIgardener | A Michigan-based creator-led seed shop and gardening education company selling low-cost vegetable, herb, and flower seeds around a YouTube and social-media audience. MIgardener now scores above Epic Gardening because direct affordability, a large seed catalog, free seed-only shipping thresholds, and practical growing education outweigh ordinary creator-store concerns, while founder dependence still keeps it below cooperative seed institutions. | creator-led seed and gardening education company | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Monrovia Nursery | A large private nursery grower and plant brand supplying shrubs, trees, perennials, edibles, and ornamentals through garden centers and online plant information. Monrovia scores in the middle because plant quality, regional production, and sustainability work are real strengths, but private control, pesticide exposure, plastic-pot burdens, and ornamental-brand marketing limit the evaluation. | large nursery grower and plant brand | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Material-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| b | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Rimol Greenhouse Systems | A New Hampshire-based greenhouse manufacturer and distributor designing, fabricating, shipping, and helping install greenhouse systems for farms, schools, nurseries, homesteads, and garden centers. Rimol scores above generic suppliers because the product is durable food-growing infrastructure and the company appears closer to its customers, but private control still limits accountability. | greenhouse manufacturer and installer | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | Limited-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Seed Savers Exchange | A nonprofit preserving, regenerating, selling, and facilitating exchange of heirloom and open-pollinated seeds and plants. Seed Savers Exchange scores near the top because it treats seed diversity as shared cultural infrastructure rather than merely as a retail category. | nonprofit heirloom seed-preservation organization | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| b | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Southern Exposure Seed Exchange | A worker-owned and worker-run seed company selling organic, open-pollinated, heirloom vegetable, herb, and flower seeds, especially for Mid-Atlantic and Southeast growers. Southern Exposure scores very high because it combines democratic worker control, seed-saving culture, regional adaptation, and practical home-food production. | worker-owned heirloom and organic seed company | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| No special badge | No vegan or vegetarian badge | Territorial Seed Company | A privately held seed company selling vegetable, flower, herb, fruit, and gardening supplies with a Pacific Northwest orientation and organic seed work. Territorial scores in the middle because regional trialing and useful products are real strengths, but ownership remains private and the public record does not show binding worker or customer control. | privately held regional seed company | High confidence (AI) | Not separately reviewed. | Developed (AI) | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None found0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |