Seed Savers was founded in 1975. “Diane and Kent went on to form a network of gardeners interested in preserving heirloom varieties and sharing seeds. Today, with 13,000 members and 20,000 plant varieties, Seed Savers Exchange makes its home on 890 scenic acres in Winneshiek County, Iowa, at Heritage Farm.”

Johnny’s is great not only for seeds but also for their extensive growing information. We reference their website all the time for planting and care instructions.

“We believe in re-imagining what our world can be like. We believe in a deeper understanding of how re-built food systems can support health on all levels – healthy environments, healthy economies, healthy communities and healthy bodies. We believe in a hopeful and inspired view of the future based on better stewardship for our planet.”

A family-owned & operated business in Maine, we love MPL for organic seed potatoes (yes, you plant potatoes to get more potatoes!), garlic for fall planting, and onion sets (much easier than starting by seed).

DK Organics is a great source for local compost in Lake County. There are two options – “Superfine Compost”, which has been finely sifted and is perfect for starting your veggie garden & “Regular Compost”, which is a little cheaper and works fine too, but has larger chunks and sticks in it.

The Mulch Center is located in Deerfield, IL, so it’s great if you are in northern Cook County or southern Lake County. $36/cubic yard, minimum 3 cubic yards + delivery.

MWRD creates compost at its 6 locations in the Chicago area, and there options for both delivery and pick up (free!) if you don’t need that much and can pick up with your own buckets.

Midwest Organics makes great compost and you can often find it bagged at garden centers. If you are just starting out your garden though, you will want to place an order for delivery because of the large volume you’ll need. Order the Organimix brand compost $28/cubic yard (not the Garden Mix, this likely is a mix of compost and topsoil).

Midwest Compost offers Organic Compost $28/cubic yard. Again, don’t go for the Garden Mix, as their mix is 50/50 compost & topsoil and you want straight compost.

This is our favorite book for a deep dive into the no-till, simple method that we love so much. We think you should have all of these books in your library, but if you only choose one, this is the one.

Eliot Coleman is the grandfather of small-scale growing, farming his land in Maine. He traveled through Europe and discovered the ways of the Market Gardener – small gardens but extremely high-yielding. He also designs tools that are then created & sold through Johnny’s Seeds.

Another great book by Eliot Coleman, this one focuses on extending the season to grow more both earlier and later in the season. This is important for us here in the Midwest!

This is a little bit more focused on a Market Garden production operation, but it’s also been super helpful to us. Jean-Martin is a wealth of information and a major player of the small-scale farming movement.

Ben Falk is a designer, grower and homesteader in Vermont. He consults on large-scale permaculture designs all over the country, but his home is a particular inspiration to us. Check him out and be awed.

Charles grows food on the land around his home in England. It is totally stunning – you will likely have house/garden envy. Also, check out his Youtube sight for great how-to videos.

Jodi Roebuck is an energetic ball of growing, growing, growing. His family lives on maybe the most beautiful piece of property in New Zealand and they do great work. Farming is his business, but he also does a lot of on-farm education and is super open in sharing his knowledge.

Curtis started growing greens at his house as an experiment to see if he could get a business off the ground. He has, and now he teaches all over the world on growing in small spaces and creating a profitable business.