Comments regarding Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.

This is my second year to order from this company. It has the most beautiful and complete list of seed of any company out there. They are also extremely prompt in responding to my order. I would recommend them to anyone who gardens.

I ordered seed online this year and the package arrived at my door before I even had time to think about it. I'm impressed. But mostly I'm impressed by the quality of the seed, both its viability and the heirloom varieties Baker Creek has found. I garden in north-central Arkansas, in the Boston Mountains, and I find that at Baker Creek I can find seeds that are precisely adapted to my climate and growing conditions. I appreciate being able to find watermelons from Iraq, but mostly I love those good old Ozark varieties of just about anything I'd like to grow. Thank you.

Good selection of veg and flower seeds; very fair prices for the product and for p&h; orders have been filled quickly; the seeds have been viable. It's a pleasure to do business with this company.

I received my seed order from Baker Creek in 4 days from ordering, exactly as I ordered it, along with a complimentary package of seeds. This was my first order from them and needless to say, I'm impressed. I will order from them again.

I would consider myself a gardener of mainly fruits and veggies & some flowers with average knowledge and skill i.e. cool crops vs warm crops, soil types & plant zones. A few years ago my husband and I started a project to build a greenhouse in our backyard with the primary purpose of growing fruits and vegetables all year round plus some non-conventional things not found in the grocery store. Extensive research went into the project and eventually included what types of seed and varieties to use. Through the course of my research, I learned what has been done to our food supply and I was just blown away. I decided to try to seek more "natural" plant varieties. I came upon Baker Creek with not very much effort and they had the same idea I did. I have become VERY particular about varieties. Baker Creek has allowed me to be able to choose varieties more suited to the growing conditions in the greenhouse from parts of the world with the same conditions. I mean if i want to grow tomatoes and the greenhouse is running a little cool, I can use tomatoes from Russia or some other cooler region of the world instead of buying genetically engineered varieties "well suited for greenhouse production."

ORDERS: I have placed 2 orders this year so far. I was unaware of the 'free seed' policy and was delighted to see my free packet. The second order I received a different free seed variety, which happened to be a variety I was debating on getting in the 1st place but opted for another choice -- got it anyway DOUBLE BONUS! With both orders the seed packets were in my mailbox before the credit card transaction cleared my account (regular delivery). I like that whoever packs the shipment signs the invoice with their name. Its a nice personal touch that lets me know they care about all of their orders no matter how great or small and real people work hard to keep the company running.

GERMINATION: I have had a 99% success rate in germination from everything from tomatoes, cauliflower, melons, etc... I would however like some advice on getting Papayas to germinate. I started some seed late last summer. I wanted them to grow in the greenhouse all fall and be a nice size by this spring. I wasn't expecting them to be close to fruiting but I wanted them to be bigger and stronger than regular seedling size. I did half a packet. Out of the half only 1 seed germinated and made it to about 1/2 an inch, stopped growing, then died. I conditions in the greenhouse were warm enough so I figured I was just inexperienced with papayas as this is my 1st try with them. Several weeks ago I decided to try the some more (indoors and under lights at a constant 78-80 degrees). I did 4 seeds. Still no success. I examined the seed itself inside the dirt and its not even softened or swollen. I only have a couple of seeds left and wondered how to properly start papayas with success? What am I doing wrong?

All in all I use the Baker Creek catalog as a point of reference now and compare most other companies I come across to this one. I also love the quotes in the catalog. This year I notice a couple of recipes in the catalog. OUTSTANDING!! As a suburban we are limited to whats at the grocery store and most of the time I think "wow I would love to grow those but what do I do with them." Including recipes in the catalog is a great idea in fact you should have a cookbook with recipes of your items especially the more rare things. I would buy it.

Posted on January 20, 2010, updated January 27, 2010
So glad there are people like you running very worthy business! This was my first order but will defiantly not be my last. Along w/ seeds I ordered your magazine. If it is anything like your catalogue it will be Great.
My one & only complaint~ where's my free seed pkt?
I ordered 100$ worth & after reading all the other comments it seems as if everyone got an extra treat in their pkg...where's mine? Always love a free seed!
Great company~will use for yrs to come

This is my second year buying from Baker Creek. Very happy! Can't wait to plant!

I put in an order of 25 packets of seeds on Friday and it was in my mail box by Monday (with priority shipping)- just three days later! Everything I ordered from the last year came up- and in spades. So fast and efficient- Baker Creek is by far the fastest of the three places I've ordered seeds from in the last two years. I'm a little less than thrilled that one of the packets of carrot seeds wasn't sealed closed, but they included-for free!- another variety of carrot. Thank you!

This is my second year ordering my seeds from here and I LOVE THEM! Last year I had no problems with seed germination at all. My garden was beautiful and I do not have the best soil in the world.

I received my seeds in a timely manner and a $5 bill was stapled to my invoice for the seeds that were out-of-stock, which made me chuckle and fall more in love with the company! I also really appreciate the free seed packets! This is not something any company has to do, but I appreciate the gesture. And, if I do not receive free seeds in the future, I will continue buying from them.

Thank you for being such a great company! And, please stay as down-to-earth as stapling my cash refund to my invoice? I love it!

Until next year, Jade

Although my parents raised gardens when I was a child, I never considered starting a garden until last year at the age of 39. I was warned by "experienced" gardeners that heirloom seeds were difficult to grow, but I insisted on non-GMO vegetables. With the help of Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening" method, I successfully grew beans, corn, tomatoes, a variety of peppers, lettuce and a pack of free carrot seeds that Baker Creek generously sent with my order. Their service and products are top notch, and I just received my 2nd order (promptly) for this coming Spring. My only regret is that I didn't discover this company sooner!

I ordered seed packets on Tuesday Jan 19 and received them on Jan 23. That is fast. Also- only one out of 40 was not in stock for which they sent a free pack as a substitute. I got a free flower pack as well. Great service; I will order from them again.

Ordered four packets on Monday and received my order on Friday of the same week. Packets look nice, and I even got a free one! Great source for heirloom seeds...will order again.

I ordered seeds from 3 companies' websites on Sunday, Jan. 17. All 3 sent me email confirmations. On Thursday, Jan. 21, I received my order from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in the mail. I have not yet received seeds from either of the other companies. Our last frost in Waddell, AZ is 2/15 so I need to get transplants started soon and am very happy to receive my order so soon!

It is most important to me and my family that we grow our vegetalbles from non-hybrid seeds. This is my second year to purchase seeds from this company. Their website is easy to visit, their selections are delightful and I am so pleased to find the types of seeds that I thougt had become impossible to find. My last order was placed on January18th and they arrived promptly on January 22nd. Great service, super fast shipping and I am pleased to have my seeds in hand, ready for this springs planting. Thank you all at ''Baker Creek Seeds' & thank you for the wonderful & colorful catalog.
It pains me to see someone post a negative rateing especially when Baker Creek Seeds seems to bend over backwards to please their customers. I am comforted to know that they are willing to refund, replace or exchange for a different seed AND offer an appology in writing! Their willingness to please their customer indeed deserves a positive feedback.

I ordered my seeds on a Sunday night and received them Thursday! I expected a longer wait because of how long my order from a different company took to arrive last year. Thursday night I realized I forgot to order some seeds so I got back on rareseeds.com to order a few more and just got my second batch of seeds on Tuesday (after a holiday weekend). I'm impressed with how fast the orders came! My second order also came with some free tomato seeds. :) I can't wait to start my seeds in a couple of months!!

Very Positive! Great catalogue and online availability; excellent selection. Seeds arrived in just a few days; plus a bonus free package of Peonies!

I first heard about Baker Creek last year when a coworker brought in their catalog. I was very impressed by the selection, beauty & the interesting information about each variety. I placed a seed order, and had a positive experience with both customer service & the seeds themselves.

This year's order arrived in less than a week. In addition to the packing slip was a second note thanking me for my order with a phone number & an email address I could contact if I was less than fully satisfied. So far, so good. Great service, great company...

Thank you Baker Creek!

I placed my order online Jan 13th. Order was filled Jan 14th. Order was received in Gloucester MA Jan 15th via USPS First Class. Nobody can beat that! I hope the seeds germinate that quickly...

Seeds ordered online arrived quickly, well packed and clearly identified.

They sent the seeds to the correct shipping address and a back up paper invoice to the billing address. Very nice experience.

Will report back on the seed sprouting progress in a few weeks...

Great selection of seeds, great catalog, great website that works well every time I order, cheap shipping, and fast service. I don't think it gets much better than this.

After looking through the beautiful catalog and seeing the wide and varied assortment of seed they offer, I put an order in online January 11th and received it January 14th. Included in the box was a note saying they were sorry for any delay as they have had a huge increase in orders. I thought that was very speedy, so no worries about any delays on my end. Thanks Baker Creek for such great customer service.

I HAVE FINALLY FOUND A SEED COMPANY THAT HAS ITS ACT TOGETHER !! I can't believe the quality of the seed and the speed. I placed my order on Monday afternoon and found my order in my mailbox on Thursday...yes 3 days later !! I didn't know that was possible!!! Needless to say, this is the company I'm ordering from for the rest of my natural life!!! This is also the first "review" I have placed about any company anywhere, but I am just blown away by a 3 day wait for seed...oh, and the shipping/handling charge..I ordered $50 worth of seed and paid a whole $3 shipping and handling...bye bye Gurneys...hello Bakers Creek !!

i was looking for very specific seeds and was happy that i found them at baker creek.i send my order in and received my seeds within one week.they also send me free seed package which i really appreciated.thanks again.now i need to wait for spring in order to start my garden

jbarbara50 in Anchorage, AK. The web site is very informative with a great selection. The order came very quickly, with the product attractively packaged. I look forward to testing the seed in our short Alaska growing season. I'm fairly certain I will be purchasing more.

I've ordered three times from Baker's Creek--the diverse, interesting heirloom seeds I've received always arrived quickly and germinated, produced well. They have the best selection of interesting varieties I've seen, and an amazing catalogue.

Love the catalog... Love the website...Love the forum...heck of a lot of nice, helpful folks at Baker Creek. Definitely a big thumbs up for Jere and his crew.

I really like this company, it has a great variety of seeds at a reasonable price, and the shipping is not bad either. I really like the fact that they always send you a pack of free seeds with any order, many other companies just send you a free pack when you spend so much in their store but not this one, they send you a freepack even if you only order 1 pack of seeds. I also have had a good germination rate with all the seeds they have sent me as well and will definetely buy more seeds from them in the future, keep up the good work.

A wonderful seed company. They don't get any better! Try them out and you will agree I am sure.

i have been ordering seed for over 5 years now and been happy with every order. i had one problem with a Banana Squash seed last year, and they immediately mailed me a new package. the folks there are very helpful on the phone or through email.

I agree.
He has a fine company and its reputation stands on its own.
The employees are a real part and share in the pride.
They have been very helpful anytime I have had question or needed help.
If you ever get the chance to go there in person, do it. Wow, whatta place.

I'm a member at the forum over there. I saw there was a rating and came over to post mine. Not trying to be sneaky, just give my opinion.

I have ordered from these good folks for almost 6yrs now and have NEVER had a problem with seeds germinating. Rather than give a good business a Negative rating I would sugest that if you are unhappy that you give them a chance to make it all right. They are a class act and a leader in the and advocate for good food.

I appreciate the time and expense that they put into testing seeds like corn in order to weed out GMOs.

Thanks again for all of your hard work. It is easy to see that what you do is not just a business but it is also a passion.

Posted on February 23, 2009, updated January 6, 2010
I am new to heirloom plants.I have never mail ordered seeds before. I was refered to BC from a fellow gardener who loved her plants last year. I went to their website and looked it over. Made my decisions and ordered $55. worth of seed, mostly tomaotes. I was like a kid going to the mailbox everyday. 10days later I finally get an envelope from them. Can you imagine my surprise to find 3 boxes of herbal foot soak?! I imediately called customer service. She apolized several times, asked me to send it back to them, and they would reimburse me. I offered to mail it onto the correct person instead of paying postage 3x on same package. I called back 2 more times before I spoke with someone who could help me with MY order. They resent my order (along with the postage paid for the other order and 2 free tomato seed packets) No company is perfect. Mistakes happen to everyone and I feel BC corrected theirs quickly and much to my pleasure. My seeds arrived 2 days later.

This is the second year that I have ordered from Baker Creek. The catalog is beautiful and well organized. And I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with the company.

I placed my order online using their new system, and found it to be easy and intuitive. I especially enjoy that the public can rate it.

I also received my order in a timely fashion. I placed the order on December 31 and immediately received an email confirmation. My complete order came to me today (January 6) in a nice bubble-wrapped envelope.

They are pleasant, responsive, efficient, and their catalog is amazing. I will always order from Baker Creek when possible.

I've been ordering from them for the last few years, and now I won't order anywhere else. They have the best selection and customer service. I called a few weeks ago and asked if we could have a second catalog sent (my daughter always confiscates mine!) and the lady I spoke with was very helpful and friendly. (The catalog came very quickly, as well!) Also, I feel safe ordering from them, knowing that their seeds aren't coming from a big "conglomeration" and test GMO free.

I started buying seed from Baker Creek three years ago. I have had only positive experiences with this company. Their catalog is beautiful, full of heirloom seeds. I will continue to purchase the bulk of my seed from Baker Creek in the future.

Baker Creek has been a positive experience. Great service. Dependable seed.

Have learned a lot also due to their active stance against GMO seed. Thanks for taking the time to educate others.

Everything was perfect. I was very pleased. The only problem is that I bought in bulk last year so I wouldn't have to buy any this year. Now I don't have an excuse for my parents to dish out moolah for anything. Grr.

Just got my 2010 catalog last week and I'm totally OVER THE MOON again with the gorgeousness. I made at least 2 orders last year (my first year 2009) and both went very well. I had great germination and enjoyed a bumper crop after the drought let up. I love the freebee watermelon and eggplant seed packs they sent with my order. There is always more seed than promised in the packs. The catalog is a work of art that sends me into a dreamy state!

PS: I suggest all yall order early and beat the rush & sold-out blues.

Was amazed at the gorgeous catalog I received from Baker's this last spring, and felt compelled to place an order, though I had already finished my plans for ordering seeds. Ordered lettuce, carrots, and tomato seeds; all germinated terrifically and grew outstandingly well. They threw in some free wildflower seeds, which also grew very well. I will definitely order from Baker Seed again, and look forward to their 2010 catalog!