This content is sponsored by Symple Commerce.
As more states have legalized cannabis, growing your own flower at home has skyrocketed in popularity. While there are many incredible resources available to assist novice growers and longtime cultivators alike, the most important ingredient for a successful harvest is the cannabis seed itself.
Starting with high-quality seeds from a well-established, reputable seed bank drastically improves your chances of cultivating cannabis crops suitable for harvesting. However, especially for beginners, it’s important that whatever seed bank you choose has your back throughout the growing process.
“You get a lot of these seed banks that sell you the genetics, and then you’re just kind of left out to dry,” explains Parker Curtis, one of Homegrown Cannabis Co.’s grow experts.
What you should look for in a seed bank will depend on your preferences and requirements, but in general, you want to research the company’s variety of strains and seed types, quality, pricing, shipping options, payment options, the resources and support provided, return policy, and germination guarantee.
A germination guarantee, where a seed bank promises to replace or reimburse customers for any seeds that do not germinate under the conditions they’ve outlined, is perhaps the most critical deciding factor for new growers, since it minimizes their financial risk.
“In the cannabis industry, the biggest thing is who is actually offering a germination guarantee?" says Ayman Dandashi, head of partnerships at Symple Commerce. "Which companies were saying, ‘Hey, we guarantee that these are going to pop and sprout and get you to a seedling, and then an amazing plant.’”
Most of this information can be found on each seed bank’s website, but it’s recommended to browse customer reviews as well to verify that the customer experience lives up to their promises. Symple Commerce shares its top 10 online seed banks below.
Seed Supreme: Best Overall
When it comes to the best cannabis seed banks, Seed Supreme tops the list time and time again. They’ve gained a loyal customer base due to their high quality, reliability, accommodating customer service, unmatched variety, and stabilized seed versions of popular American cultivars and clone-only strains. Seed Supreme’s inventory boasts more than 350 strains from world-class breeders, including feminized, autoflowering, landrace (genetically pure, naturally developed strains native to specific regions), and regular seed types, as well as seed variety packs, fertilizers, and nutrients.Since the options can be overwhelming, customers can browse curated seed collections like high-yield seeds, fast-flowering seeds, seeds for making hash, or beginner seeds. Seed Supreme offers 26 different CBD-dominant seeds, which is more than most of its competitors, though it’s still a relatively small selection for such a large seed bank. They’re best known for legendary strains like Acapulco Gold, Northern Lights, and Grandaddy Purple, but also source rare and exotic strains from their extensive global network of breeders.
Seed Supreme has over 7,000 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.8/5 stars, a testament to their satisfied clientele. Their seeds can be on the pricier side in smaller quantities (most start at $55 for four seeds), but the price per seed drops nearly 50 percent from a 4-pack to a 25-pack. The quantity options depend on the strain. Every order over $50 comes with free extra seeds, new customers get 10 percent off, plus customer discount codes, special offers, other freebies, and BOGO deals are frequently available for customers who sign up for Seed Supreme’s newsletter. Free first-class shipping is included in orders over $90, and every order comes with a tracking number and discrete packaging. While some reviewers mention inconsistent delivery timelines, most customers receive their seeds in 1 to 2 weeks.
Customer service and support are key to Seed Supreme’s success. In addition to a customer service phone line open during business hours, Seed Supreme has a live help chat on their website, a germination guide detailing multiple germination techniques, a blog with articles on a variety of seed and growing topics, a help center of frequently asked questions, and a community garden photo gallery featuring pictures and feedback from customers who have actually grown plants using Seed Supreme’s seeds.
Each strain profile includes the strain’s genetics, variety, flowering type, yield, effects, THC and CBD content, flowering time, plant height, terpenes, flavors, and strain origins, and a solid amount of seed-specific customer reviews to provide helpful insight. Seed Supreme’s biggest draw is its 100 percent germination guarantee, valid for 120 days. As long as the customer can provide evidence of proper germination using the paper towel germination method, Seed Supreme will replace any seeds (plus extra seeds as compensation!) that fail to sprout. Their return policy also allows you to return any unopened products within 14 days of receipt for a full refund.
For their extensive and diverse collection of high-quality seeds, customer support resources, and ironclad germination guarantee, Seed Supreme takes the title of best overall cannabis seed bank.
Homegrown Cannabis Co.: Best for Beginners
Homegrown Cannabis Co. puts a specific emphasis on providing education and support to its customers, making it an obvious choice for anxious beginners. World-renowned grow experts like Kyle Kushman and Parker Curtis use their knowledge and experience to select seeds and breeders with the most stable genetics, highest potency, greatest yield, resilience, and genetic integrity, but they’re also on hand manning a 24/7 hotline, and will even video chat with customers to give personalized growing advice.New episodes of Homegrown’s “potcast” Grow Weed at Home With Kyle Kushman drop every week, new articles on all kinds of grow-related topics are posted regularly, and there are more than 600 video tutorials on Homegrown’s YouTube channel. The most unique feature Homegrown offers is their community forum and Homegrown Diary platforms, where home growers can record and track all of the data related to their plant’s growth cycle, post pictures, and chat with other home growers – almost like a social media site specifically for DIY cannabis growing.
To ensure success for newer growers, Homegrown’s seeds are germination, viability, and moisture-tested regularly for quality control. Though it doesn't quite have the gigantic selection of Seed Supreme, they still have an impressive variety of feminized and autoflowering seeds, a selection of seed variety packs, and a small amount of regular seeds. They offer competitive pricing without sacrificing seed quality, with deals like 12 seeds for $99 and rotating BOGO deals on many of their best-selling strains. Its CBD-dominant strain selection is a bit lacking, but they do carry six high-CBD strains specifically bred for maximum medicinal benefits. Seeds can be purchased in packs of 2, 4, 8, or 12, so as their name suggests, they cater more to home growers than large grow operations.
Homegrown offers more info per strain than almost any other seed bank, providing THC and CBD percentages, lineage, effects, terpenes, flavors, customer photos, yield range, flowering time, and flowering type stats for every seed, as well as descriptions of what they’re like to grow and how they smoke. But if you’re still stuck on which seed to choose, take Homegrown’s Seedfinder quiz to be matched with your ideal strain.
Homegrown usually delivers seeds in 4-9 days, in discreet, high-quality packaging. Shipping is a $14.99 flat rate, or free for orders over $50, and always comes with a tracking number. Homegrown is often named as a good seed bank for beginners because of its forgiving germination guarantee and return policy. Homegrown will compensate customers for any seeds that don’t germinate in 120 days using the paper towel method outlined in their online germination guide, and any unopened products can be returned for a full refund within 14 days of receipt. This flexibility and reliability have earned Homegrown over 15,000 reviews, with an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars. With the Homegrown Stash loyalty points program, customers earn loyalty points with every purchase and can cash them in for discounts and other perks.
If you anticipate wanting a network of resources and support to assist with your first grows, Homegrown Cannabis Company is your best bet.
Atlas Seed: Best for Large-Scale Grows
Atlas Seed proudly calls itself a “farmer-breeder owned, in-house cannabis seed bank.” Founded by growers and farmers in California with decades of large-scale agricultural industry experience (growing vegetables and wine grapes), Atlas Seed is the best option for larger home growing endeavors and commercial grows. It specializes in breeding and seed production programs, and was the first to market with feminized F1 hybrid cannabis autoflowers, created by inbreeding parental lines and crossing them into feminized F1 hybrid cultivars.Because they only sell seeds grown and developed in-house, Atlas’s selection isn’t as broad (under 100 options with only one CBD strain), but they do consistently innovate new strains. Atlas carries both autoflower and regular/photoperiod seeds, but all of the seeds are feminized, so anyone interested in breeding their own strains would need to source male plants elsewhere. Thorough strain descriptions include each seed’s lineage, vigor, flowering time, yield, mold resistance, a few customer reviews, feminization percentage, genetics, potency, aroma, and flavor.
By prioritizing seeds’ genetic resilience and the long-term health of the resulting cannabis plants, Atlas ensures that seeds will hold up during mass cultivation while still producing consistent results. Its high-yielding, high-potency, mold-resistant strains offer the best of both worlds, combining the consistency of clones with the convenience of autoflower, while still maintaining the genetic diversity necessary for optimal mold and pest resistance. Atlas’s website has a decent amount of online resources, like a germination guide, grower guide (complete with a list of equipment and grow options to consider), a growers’ Discord and subreddit, and topic-specific forms to contact customer support, but many of their resources seem to be directed at larger-scale grow operations utilizing at least several acres, and may not be helpful to home growers. For wholesale growers, Atlas is a great option, offering exclusive discounted pricing for bulk seeds and seed packs, a larger selection of seed pack sizes, and a broad selection of their products in bulk for wholesale members.
Atlas says it offers fast and discreet shipping to anywhere in the U.S. with tracking numbers available upon request, but the only information available on its shipping timelines or rates is that orders are usually dispatched within 24 to 48 hours of payment. Prices start at $18 per seed (even though it’s really two seeds) or $56 for five (really eight) and go up to $20 for a single pack or $65 for a five-pack. Unfortunately, Atlas Seed does not accept any returns, evaluates refunds on a case-by-case basis, and does not have an official germination guarantee. Customers can contact them for a possible refund if their seeds fail to germinate under the conditions Atlas outlines, but may still find themselves out of luck. However, Atlas Seed does also sell seedlings (in packs of three for $100), so if you’re struggling with germinating your seeds, you could opt to skip straight to the seedling phase.
For more experienced growers, commercial growers, or anyone working with a large growing area, Atlas Seed is the way to go.
DNA Genetics: Best for Innovative and Rare Strains
DNA Genetics, formerly known as Reserva Privada, is a West Coast seed bank with a tenure of more than 20 years in the industry. It started in Amsterdam in 2004 and moved stateside in the 2010s, establishing itself as an industry veteran with a solid reputation among home growers, breeders, and retailers alike. It sells feminized seeds, autoflowering seeds, and regular seeds, all with modern and stabilized genetics.DNA specializes in breeding its own unique strains. As a result, the selection is limited to about 75 strains, but the seeds can’t be purchased anywhere else. Besides stocking crowd-pleasing favorites, DNA Genetics has pioneered famous strains like Canelo (a parent of the iconic OG Kush and Strawberry Banana strains), Chocolope Fem, and DNA Cake, so it's one to watch for the next big breakout strain. It provides an extensive description of each strain, with cultivation tips, effects, flavor, lineage, genotype, flowering time, yield, and more, but very few strain reviews from customers. Additional education is provided in the form of FAQs, linked cannabis articles, and video tutorials.
DNA Genetics is another good option for people growing in larger areas since it sells seeds in larger packs and offers bundles of up to 2,000 seeds for wholesale clients. Five free seeds are included with any orders over $120, and most of the limited-time promos also seem to involve free seeds in orders over a certain price. It offers a loyalty rewards program, as well as 10 percent off your first order, but general pricing is at a higher tier than many competitors unless you’re buying in bulk. Seeds start at $79 for five or $170 for 20, but those prices are slashed from $100 and $340 respectively, and it’s not clear if the listed prices are temporary sale rates or everyday deals.
The most cost-effective option at DNA Genetics is the Seed Vault Club, where members get four annual boxes of exclusive and unreleased cannabis seeds valued at more than $300 each. This is a $620 annual membership fee, and DNA Genetics only takes 420 members a year, so you have to be fast.
DNA Genetics ships orders (with tracking numbers) to the U.S. (minus Kentucky and Kansas) and Canada within 1 to 2 weeks for $5.99, or for free with orders over $100. The foolproof germination guarantee on their homepage simply states, “In the unlikely event that your marijuana seeds fail to germinate, we will replace like for like quickly and without fuss,” and a return policy, but their return window is only 7 days rather than 14 like most others (unless the product is damaged or faulty upon receipt). Customer service support is limited to email, and responses will usually take 24 to 48 hours, so if you’re anticipating needing a lot of direct support, you may want to purchase your seeds elsewhere.
i49 Seed Bank: Best Sales
i49 Seed Bank’s more than 20 years of experience has led to them offering high-quality, fast-germinating seeds with pristine, stabilized genetics. All of their genetics are produced in-house, but that doesn’t limit their variety. i49 currently offers 337 different seeds (including 7 high-CBD strains) in a mixture of autoflower, feminized, and regular seed types. Extensive data is available for each strain, and although strain reviews are lacking, customers are able to browse seeds by flowering type, seed variety, cultivation method, genetics, and other specific needs. Glowing customer reviews (nearly 800 reviews with an average of 4.7/5 stars) specifically mention i49’s Blue Amnesia as a high-yield strain ideal for multiple harvests, as well as Bubblegum as a beginner-friendly strain perfect for small growing spaces.At first glance i49 Seed Bank’s seeds seem to retail at a much higher price point, starting at $75 for just 4 seeds, but hefty discounts during sales bring that starting price down to $26.25, and BOGO deals double the seed count. That’s $26.25 for 8 seeds, one of the cheapest costs per seed on this entire list, and doesn’t require a massive order. (Seeds are available in quantities of 4, 8, 10, or 20.) They also give customers multiple payment options, including card, bank transfer, paying over the phone, Bitcoin, and apps like Zelle, Venmo and Cashapp. Tracked 5 to 7-day shipping is available for $9.99, or expedited shipping (3 to 5 days) for an additional $5, and free shipping for orders over $99. Though they do have a customer support hotline, i49 Seed Bank provides almost no grower education or resources outside of their strain descriptions, and only offers a vague germination guide, and no germination guarantee. Their website mentions checking their germination guide before contacting their support team to replace seeds that failed to germinate, but elsewhere it states “i49 Genetics does not accept any liability and does not provide any guarantees in respect of any of the products sold on its website.” Unopened products can be returned within 14 days of receipt, but then you’re still taking your chances on the germination process. On the plus side, you can get high quality seeds pretty cheap during i49’s sales.
Seed Bank: Best Updated Classic Strains
Seed Bank has been around since 2003, making it one of the oldest seed banks on this list. As old hands in the seed bank industry, Seed Bank’s primary specialty is taking classic strains like Blue Dream, Gorilla Glue, and Bruce Banner, and breeding them to enhance their most desired features. Their seed packs are available with 5, 10, or 25 seeds, allowing for larger orders but limiting the options for sampling seeds in small quantities. Seed prices can get down to under $10 per seed when on sale, but with a regular base price of 5 seeds for $69.99, it’s not the most cost effective. However, orders over $75 do include free, discreet, tracked shipping, and any orders bought with a digital payment method (bank transfer, Visa or Mastercard, Bitcoin, Venmo, or Zelle) include free seeds. Seed Bank’s biggest draw is their lightning fast shipping times; most orders should arrive within 2 to 3 business days once dispatched. Because they have such fast inventory turnover, their seeds are also fresher than some competitors.Seed Bank carries around 150 strains (including 4 CBD-dominant strains) in autoflowering, feminized, and regular seed types, but the majority of their options are feminized seeds. Each strain description includes its lineage, appearance, flavors and aroma, effects, growing patterns, THC percentage, yield, harvest month, height, grow difficulty, ideal grow environment, and strain-specific customer reviews. While their inventory is regularly checked to make sure their seeds remain above an 80% germination rate to 90%, SeedBank does not have an official germination guarantee. If a customer can provide evidence that seeds were properly germinated, Seed Bank will review the case, but without an explicit promise to replace the failed seeds. However, their return policy does allow customers to return unopened products within 14 days of receipt. Seed Bank’s biggest education contribution is their breakdown of the different flowering types of seeds, but other educational resources are limited. Customer service can be reached via telephone or email, but there’s no estimated response time. Seed Bank makes your old favorites better than ever, so if you have a classic strain in mind but wish it was slightly tweaked, you’ll probably find an updated version at Seed Bank.
Happy Valley Genetics: Best Breeder Collaboration
Happy Valley Genetics is a partnership between the award-winning cannabis brand Happy Valley and the Colorado-based natural selection breeder ETHOS Genetics. ETHOS is a well established cultivator that’s been in the industry for over a decade, even though they’ve only been cultivating commercially since 2019. Their unique, feminized seeds are extremely rare to find, so Happy Valley Genetics is known for being one of the few places that keeps them in stock. With a very small selection of seeds only available in packs of 6 (for $60, plus three free seeds with every purchase) , this is a seed bank for growers who already know what they want, and may just have a hard time finding it. Happy Valley Genetics’s strain descriptions have all the standard info, plus an emphasis on terpene profiles and lab test results available upon request, something not mentioned by most other seed banks. But, there are no customer reviews of their strains or the seed bank as a whole.Shipping from their headquarters in Massachusetts is priced at a flat rate based on the size of the order, with orders under 9 items shipping for $10.40 or larger orders shipping for a hefty $18.40. Orders should arrive within 5 to 7 business days, but Happy Valley Genetics doesn’t offer any other information on packaging or if tracking numbers are shared. They also have limited payment options, only accepting Visa, Mastercard, or Discover. In terms of educational resources, their blog has articles on cannabis-related topics like growing tips, common germination issues, and scholarships for courses in cannabis cultivation or entrepreneurship, and they have individual FAQ pages explaining the different flowering types of seeds they offer. Their most unique resource is the PhenoHunter by Happy Valley Genetics, an iPhone app that allows growers to record every detail of their plant’s life cycle, as well as add comments, notes, photos, and other data. Happy Valley Genetics has a lackluster germination guide and no germination guarantee, so beginner growers are mostly on their own here. They do however have a customer support line open during business hours, as well as a support form that they typically respond to within 24 hours. Unopened products can be returned within 14 days, but if the items are damaged or incorrect, customers must notify Happy Valley Genetics within 24 hours of receipt to be eligible for compensation. This is certainly not a beginner seed bank, but has a dedicated following of terpene hunters and genetics fanatics.
ILGM: Best for Grow Kits
ILGM, or I Love Growing Marijuana, was founded by Robert Bergman as a passion project, with the aim of spreading knowledge about cannabis cultivation. The brand was created in 2012, launched its online store in 2015, and opened a headquarters in Amsterdam, where they started as growers supplying coffee shops, last year. ILGM carries between 200 and 300 strains (10+ CBD-dominant strains), but only sells feminized seeds. They stock popular choices like Moby Dick and Yuzu Euphoria, and are known for their take on White Widow, an autoflowering variety that thrives in any setup, space, or temperature and resists common diseases. Seeds start at $89 for 5 seeds, but the price per seed drops significantly with larger quantities, and ILGM runs frequent promos with big discounts. Most seeds are available in packs of 5, 10, or 20, but some are only in packs of 5 and 20, or just 20 (the 10 + 10 seed specials), which is a lot if you’re trying a new seed. As a compromise, they offer a few variety seed packs, with three different kinds of seeds in each grouped by growing conditions or shared lineage. Each strain description has all the basic stats of the plant, plus info on potential negative effects of the strain, indoor versus outdoor flowering times, feeding details, and the history of the strain.
A free “grow bible” is included with every seed purchase form ILGM, and many more guides, a Seed Finder quiz, and other resources are available on the ILGM website. Their live chat function allows you to chat directly with customer service, something that has given ILGM a particularly strong reputation among growers. ILGM’s germination guarantee is valid for 12 months, which is much longer than most, but may require customers to mail back any seeds that failed to germinate in order to receive replacements. Unopened seeds can be returned for a refund, replacement, or discount code for the value of the order. ILGM is the only seed bank on this list to also offer guaranteed delivery, meaning they’ll replace missing orders up to 90 days after the order was shipped. Shipping is always free, tracked, discreet, and fast (2 to 5 business days). Purchases can be made with cash, check, money order, wire transfer, all major credit cards, Zelle, or Bitcoin, but the billing address cannot be a P.O. box. Because ILGM sells seeds, nutrients, and fertilizer, they also sell 4 different complete growing kits starting at $229. Each kit has 20 feminized seeds, fertilizer for 5 to 10 plants, and plant protector for 20 plants. The convenience and savings that come with purchasing everything in one bundle appeal to novice and experienced growers alike, but can be particularly helpful for beginners.
Royal Queen Seeds: Best for F1 Hybrid Strains
Royal Queen Seeds is an award-winning seed bank and breeder with a deep connection to Dutch cannabis culture, starting in Amsterdam coffeehouses and currently operating brick-and-mortar stores in Amsterdam and Barcelona. While they’re relatively new to the U.S., they have decades of experience abroad, and have been on the forefront of industry developments like F1 hybrid cannabis seeds. Seeds are available in packs of 1, 3, 5, 10, and 25 in around 150 varieties, but many pack sizes and strains seem to be out of stock, so it’s important for customers to note that not every item on their site is available. Royal Queen seeds have a wide price range, so a single seed can cost between $5.50 and $19, and 25 seeds will run anywhere from $69 to $252. Frequent promos, discounts on best sellers, sales, and freebies give customers more bang for their buck, and their Growers Club loyalty program offers even more savings, as well as exclusive access to new launches and products.Low stock aside, they have a good variety of autoflowering and feminized seeds, a few regular seed options, 16 CBD-dominant strains, CBG, CBDV and THCV strains (one of each), strains with landrace genetics, twelve different seed sampler packs, and an exclusive seed line in collaboration with Tyson 2.0, Mike Tyson’s cannabis brand. But the main attraction here are Royal Queen’s unique, fast-growing, high-yield, F1 Hybrid strains that can’t be found anywhere else. Epsilon F1, the fastest growing autoflower they have, is a customer favorite, combining genetics from Blue Dream, Blueberry, Amnesia Lemon Haze and Black Domina. All of Royal Queen’s strains have extremely detailed descriptions and data sheets, supplemented by customer photos, reviews, and answered questions.
Royal Queen Seeds does a fantastic job providing ample educational resources, with a particular focus on promoting organic and sustainable growing and cultivation techniques. Often praised for their customer service in their 43,000+ reviews, Royal Queen can be contacted via email or phone. Free, tracked, discreet shipping will get your package to you in 7 to 9 days, or pay for standard shipping to get your order in around 3 days. Payment methods are limited to Visa, Mastercard, or bank transfer. Though Royal Queen Seeds accepts unopened returns and will even reimburse customers for return shipping costs, they do not offer a germination guarantee.
North Atlantic Seed Co.: Best for High-CBD Strains
Founded in 2012, North Atlantic Seed Co. is a woman-owned business that’s been voted Best Online Seed Shop for the last two years in a row. With almost 3,000 seed options, they have a decent amount of every kind of seed: fast-flowering, feminized autoflower, feminized regular flower, regular autoflower, and regular photoperiod. Seed pack sizes vary by strain, but can be as small as a single seed or as large as 100 seeds, and cost anywhere from $5.50 to $20 per seed. They carry in-house strains by Dirty Bird Genetics as well as third-party seeds, including seeds from several other banks on this list (even rare ETHOS Genetics seeds). But the selection of 42 CBD-dominant strains North Atlantic Seed Company offers is unparalleled– even more than giant seed banks like Seed Supreme. Customers can browse by seed type, breeder, recommendations, strain characteristics and more, but there are no strain-specific reviews available.Only orders over $200 get free shipping, otherwise it’ll cost between $7.95 and $31.95 depending on how soon you need it delivered. Their packaging is discrete though, and they will email a tracking number within one business day of dispatch. Payments can be made with all major credit cards, Bitcoin, money order, or cash, but the billing address for any cards must be in the U.S. North Atlantic Seed Co does not offer refunds, returns, exchanges, or a germination guarantee, although you can try requesting a replacement in the form of store credit within 60 days of purchase if your seeds don’t germinate. Instead, they offer perks like 10% off your first order, freebies with every order over $10, and a loyalty rewards program. Their customer service options are limited to an email, but they do regularly update their blog with strain reviews, how-to articles, guides, and other helpful resources. With no returns, refunds, replacements, or exchanges, ordering from North Atlantic Seed Co is more of a risk, but if you’re looking for the perfect high-CBD strain, you’ll have the best luck here.
