Description
Bingenheimer Saatgut is a German seed company that sells only open-pollinated, organically grown seed of vegetables, herbs and flowers, to home gardeners and market gardeners. Plants from this seed come true, so gardeners can save their own seed and sow it the next year, which doesn’t work with hybrids.
It grew out of a group of biodynamic farmers and gardeners who began multiplying their own seed in the mid-1980s and, in 1988, set up a place to test, clean and send it in the Bingenheim community in Hesse. The company was founded in 2001 as a public limited company based in Echzell. Its registered shares are only sold to buyers who share its aims, and the Software AG Foundation holds about 40 % of them.
The range covers more than 500 varieties, all grown for seed on about 90 organic partner farms, most of them members of Demeter or Bioland. More than 120 varieties come from biodynamic breeding, many of them from the association Kultursaat, founded in 1994. In December 2025 the company received the German Sustainability Award. A packet costs about €3 before VAT in the 2025 price list, and shipping is free from €45 (2025/26 catalogue).
Strengths
- Every variety is open-pollinated, so gardeners can keep their own seed from year to year.
- All seed is multiplied organically, mostly on Demeter or Bioland farms, from varieties bred for organic growing.
- Registered shares are only sold to people who support the company’s aims, and a foundation holds about 40 % of them.
Weaknesses
- Packets cost more than supermarket seed, and orders under €45 pay for shipping.
- Popular varieties can sell out early in the season.
Who it is for
Home and market gardeners who grow organically and want varieties they can multiply themselves, from a company owned by people who share its aims.