Out here, the seed catalogs start showing up in the mailbox right around the time the wind is still mean and the ground is still locked. That is on purpose. The catalog folks know a gardener's mind drifts to next year long before the snow lets up, and a stack of free books on the kitchen table is the cheapest dose of spring you can get.
I have been ordering seeds and tools through the mail since before my oldest could read, and I still keep a shoebox of dog-eared catalogs on top of the fridge. Some of these outfits have been steady. A few have changed hands, changed names, or quietly drifted off. Below is what I would actually send away for in 2026, and what to know before you do.
Why a paper catalog still earns its keep
The websites are fine. I use them. But a paper catalog spreads out on the table, and you can mark it up with a pencil while you drink your coffee. Eileen circles the flowers. I circle the cover crops. Nobody is fighting a screen.
The other thing is, a good seed catalog teaches you. The descriptions tell you days to maturity, disease resistance, what zone the variety likes. That is hard-won information from people who actually grow the stuff. Worth more than the postage, which is free.
Seed catalogs worth your address
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Based in Virginia, worker-owned, and they are the real article when it comes to heirloom and open-pollinated seed. Their 2026 catalog runs about 884 varieties between vegetables, flowers, and herbs, with a focus on what holds up in heat and humidity. That matters less to me up here in Nebraska, but their okra, peppers, and garlic have done fine in our patch, and their selection of cover crops and grain seed is better than most.
If you save your own seed, this is the catalog you want. They tell you which varieties are open-pollinated and how to keep the line clean. Order through Catalogs.com or direct from them.
Veseys Seeds
Veseys is up on Prince Edward Island, so they know short seasons and cold ground. They mail close to two million catalogs a year and only send to folks who ask, which I appreciate. The 2025 books went out in late December and they have been steady.
Their bean and pea selection is strong, and they carry a fair amount of bulb stock for fall planting. If your growing window is on the short side, like ours, their varieties are picked with that in mind. Browse the Veseys catalog and request a copy if you want it in print.
True Leaf Market
Out of Salt Lake City. They carry better than 5,000 varieties, including a lot of microgreens, sprouting seed, and herbs you do not see everywhere. I have ordered their wheatgrass and a couple of their tomato varieties and had no trouble.
Reviews online are mixed, mostly because some folks who buy in bulk for microgreen operations push germination rates hard. For a home garden, the seed has been clean and the shipping quick. Their catalog is at Catalogs.com.
For tools, structures, and the rest of the yard
Northern Tool
This is the one I lean on. Tillers, log splitters, pressure washers, generators, the small engine parts that always go right when you need them. The print catalog (sometimes branded Kotula's) lists specs you can compare side by side, which beats squinting at a phone in the shop.
Look, if you are buying anything with a motor, write down the horsepower, the engine brand, and the warranty before you order. Northern Tool is good about putting that information on the page. Request the catalog here.
Amish Country Gazebos
If you are thinking of putting up a gazebo, pergola, or pavilion, this is a fair place to start looking. They are out of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and they will mail you a catalog you can actually plan from. Pricing in 2026 runs roughly $3,000 on the low end up to $40,000 for the bigger custom builds, with most gazebos landing around $12,000.
That is real money. Measure your yard twice and price the slab or footings before you fall in love with a picture. Their catalog is at Catalogs.com.
BrylaneHome (outdoor section)
Brylane is still going as of 2026, with a new catalog out. They are not a seed house, but if you need patio furniture, planters, outdoor rugs, or storage that does not cost a fortune, it is worth a flip-through. Their catalog is here.
Whatever Works
Whatever Works is an odds-and-ends catalog, mostly small problem-solvers for the yard and garden. Critter deterrents, hose menders, kneeling pads, that sort of thing. I have tried a couple of items, some I use, some went in the give-away box. Catalog is still being mailed for 2025, available through Catalogs.com.
Terrain
Terrain is the garden brand under the Anthropologie umbrella, with stores out in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, and California, plus a newer spot at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Their catalog leans pretty, more decor and entertaining than tools or seed. Eileen likes it. I look at the planters and put it down. If that is your speed, order it through Catalogs.com.
Tree2mydoor
This one ships gift trees and plants. Decent idea for a housewarming or a memorial planting if you do not want to send cut flowers that go in the trash in a week. Their catalog is here.
How I plan a garden order
Same way every winter:
- Walk the patch in late January with a pad of paper and write down what worked and what did not.
- Pull last year's catalogs off the fridge and the new ones from the mailbox.
- Make one list of seed, one list of tools, one list of soil amendments. Keep them separate so the seed budget does not get eaten by a new pruner you did not need.
- Order seed first, in February. Tools and structures can wait until you know what survived the spring.
If you have not ordered a paper catalog in a few years, do it once this winter. The catalogs are still free, the seeds are still cheap compared to grocery produce, and reading through one on a cold morning is a good kind of trouble to get into.
