"Bunny McElwee" wrote
Should I
stick with local garden center seedlings or go the start from seed route?
If
so, where is the best place to buy seeds, and where can I get catalogues
from the top seed companies for next year?

There are trade-offs. If you want a lot of plants (and
other-than-common varieties), starting from seed is good and sort of
cheaper. That is, seeds are cheaper than plants, but if you really get
involved, heating mats, lights (or a greenhouse!), containers, etc.
can have you raising the legendary $50 tomato. If you want more
generic plants, a garden center can save you time and grief.