Outsidepride has no pride in its business, complete lack of customer service, or its products. I paid for seeds and never received them. My order was lost in the mail, and this awful company could care less. Manager Brian Hake doesn't answer emails, the company literally has no working phone support (they disconnected phone support since they get so many complaints), and they blow you off with lies over email and one attack after the other if you dare ask for your order status or the products you ordered. This crooked company has committed fraud against me.

Very poor communication.

Paid for seeds 1 week ago. I went on Outsidepride's website to determine if seeds had been shipped. Previous orders from several years ago appear first; most recent order all the way at bottom. No information RE shipping. Called (800) 670-4192. Customer service said seeds were already shipped priority, "but seeds can take 2 to 7 days to arrive". I asked if seeds were sent Fedex or USPS: "I don't know." "I'm not sure what happens on the weekends as far as shipping goes." "When did you place the order?" How does a seed company not keep track of this information?

TLDR: I have received no communication RE shipping of my seeds from Outsidepride, there is no/little information RE my order when I call the company. Online, there is NO information RE my order other than an "order number".

Instead of microclover, they sent me a competitive week that was neither micro nor clover. Then they proceeded to deny it, even after I sent them photos. I am still fighting this weed in my lawn 4 years later.

Let me warn you about Outside Pride, especially if you have a critical order. Last month my order for $350 worth of wildflower seeds sat idle for almost 2 weeks. Checking the tracking info I found that FedEx had the label info, but 12 days later they were STILL waiting for the package to be given to them. I should have had the seeds in my hands a week before. I tried in vain to contact Outside Pride.They ignored an online info request, a phone call to their office (not the order line, as they have no info), and an email. Timing was critical so I had to cancel the order and now I will be three weeks behind in my planting to catch as much rain as possible. It you have a critical order, understand their customer service consists of ignoring you if there is a problem. Similar complaints here, and at the BBB they claim they never got any emails. Right.

I have ordered some microclover seed from Outside Pride that has been fairly successful, but it is hard to tell with thousands of seeds and a lawn application what percentage came up. My main issue is with flower seeds I ordered. I ordered bulk nasturtium seeds that I wanted to grow in a 40' x 5' strip along my driveway, so I figured nasturtiums would be easy and bought almost a pound of seed in different varieties, all told. I always have good results with nasturtiums--they're ridiculously easy to grow. I soaked the seeds prior to planting, as directed (and it is the advice most given) and 80% of the seeds floated and within an hour or two were mushy! I planted them anyways because I had bought more than I needed and not that many came up, even in full sun, planted correctly in poor soil, and with adequate water. I was quite disappointed because, at the same time, I used packets from another reputable seed supplier for nasturtiums for my hanging baskets and they've been going very strong.

I thought I might say something to the company but looked up their policy and was surprised to find that they basically have no guarantee or warranty on their product once it reaches you in the mail. Somewhat ironic, given their name. So, they can hypothetically sell you old/dead seeds and I guess that was just your fault for believing them. It is too bad, because they have viola varieties I'd be interested in buying but it hardly seems worth $5 per packet plus shipping to find that nothing grows.

I have been using Outsidepride for over a year. I purchase from Amazon because their website seems a little slow and I prefer the convince of Amazon.

Germination rate, quantity, and price their seeds has been excellent! My yard is filling up with plants from their seeds. They keep me so busy because germination rate and seed quantity is so high! I'm out of trays and the tray sales ended for the season months ago.

I can compare them to he box store seeds. burpee, and those companies. Rarely so store bought seeds even germinate for me so I don't even buy those anymore.

With outside pride, I simple look up the plant seeds needs and check each box. I also treat seeds differently than sprouts and full grown plants. This may be why my germination rate is higher? Yes, I see the negative reviews but they differ so much from my experience.

Seeds have a light soil with perlite, vermiculite, peat, and whatever natural amendment this plant needs and it's Ph. I add a small amount of ground alfalfa as it has a natural growth hormone and nitrogen and a very tiny amount of azomite. I water seeds copiously but reduce watering once they sprout.

I hope this information helps! I think this company is a great resource. Also, for these prices please don't expect a team of customer service people to answer calls. You're going to have to be a little more self reliant. If you get one bad batch then try another but maybe start small first?

I have bought grass seed and flower seed from this company for several years. I have also used Parks and Burpee. Never a problem. Only "problem" with the flower seed is that you sometimes get more than you need. But on a price-per-seed basis, Outsidepride is a good deal.

I was a bit concerned about ordering from this company because of a few things; mixed reviews here, an indifferent customer support rep, and that they heavily promote "liquid aeration" products, which are widely known to be snake oil.

But I really wanted a specific seed and they had it at an affordable price; moreover, it was difficult to source on a retail basis anywhere else. So I went ahead and bought their poa trivalis/poa supima mix for my shady, rain drenched, compacted clay rental backyard.

And I am thrilled to say that the grass performed great! At first I was concerned because it grew so slowly, but that's the case with the poa supima (I was used to ryegrass blends), and it's far hardier than everything else I've tried before (literally everything but bentgrass).

Should've bought more, but will this spring. Just wanted to chime in with a positive, because with so many negatives here, think should balance it out where they "got it right."

Bought some California poppies. HUGE successful bloom. Also some Milkweed seeds and some other assorted seeds. Shipping was fast. Everything seemed to sprout. Prices are good and cost to ship is fair. I 100% recommend this company!

This company is definitely a piece of work. All previous comments regarding it being difficult and a waste of time are true. I purchased seeds that failed to sprout like others have. I've grown plants from seeds for decades so I'm not new to gardening. The seeds from another package had approx. 40% germination, they claim they have high germination ratio. I wrote to them, they were just as others said. I will give them this , they did send me another package of seeds. The package that did germinate and grow , produced bright pink flowers. They were supposed to be blue. Amazingly bad quality control. Do not bother with "Outsidepride"

Beware - this is a company to avoid. I ordered grass seed from this company and spent a few hundred dollars. All down the drain. While some of the seeds germinated, most did not and much of what germinated did not survive, despite being planted and cared for by an experienced landscaper. But here's what's really BAD about this company - their complete lack of customer service. They have a 24 hr call center for orders but NO number for customer service. If you have a problem you're told to email the company and then guess what? - NO RESPONSE. My recommendation: Avoid this company. Period.

Please allow this post as I want to warn fellow gardeners about a shady company who sells online, on Ebay and on Amazon... a US company that appears to be on the up and up. Please share this warning to other garden groups I would hate for anyone else to go through what I have and lose money like I have.

In January I ordered 3 packets of seeds from Outsidepride.com, blue cupid dart seeds, white cupid dart seeds and yarrow seeds. Each were 4.99 a packet + shipping. Later I purchased fernleaf bleeding heart seeds for my mothers new home. I am no novice with seeds but I have not grown any of these seeds before so I read everything and followed all the instructions, even verified on other websites. Fast forward and all seeds have been planted, the yarrow looks great but nothing from the others. I double check and take the next step in the bleeding heart's process but the cupid darts should have been long up.

April 9th I emailed customer service explaining about the cupid dart seeds not germinating and if they could offer any insight and perhaps replacement seeds. I spoke to Candy. She was rude and blamed me for them not germinating saying that I planted them both too shallow and too deep and that because I used potting soil I killed the seeds with fertilizer. I tried these seeds two ways in two different soils by the way. I bit my lip and said I would give them another shot.

During this time I found someone online that knew the seeds well and said they were easy! I located another vendor, purchased the seeds and planted them. Nearly all have come up and still nothing on my final test from Outsidepride's seeds.

On May 2nd I replied to Candy and explained what I had found. I got nothing, no replies. I tried calling them but the number is only for orders and is just a call center. I went to Facebook and at first the Facebook crew was trying to help and gave me another customer service rep to contact. I did so and waited... nothing. I went back to Facebook and I was told "I'm very sorry for your experience. Candy is excellent in customer service. I have to trust that she knows what she's doing.". I asked by doing what, she hasnt done anything but ignore me and I just want this taken care of. This went back and forth a bit and in the end I was told "There is not going to be any further assistance to you."

I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and I made a post on their Facebook page which they removed and blocked me from posting. Please spread the word! I am out nearly $20 with shipping and this company is knowingly selling bad seeds and then refusing to make good. I wish I had purchased from them on Amazon or Ebay, at least I would have had some protection, but using their own website I have none.

Purchased their blackjack bermuda seeds directly from their site and none of it germinated. Should have read their warranty / return policies before I spent any money on this shady company.

Basically, if the seeds don't germinate it's your fault.

I sent a detailed explanation of how I prepared the soil etc etc and made a mistake of typing 1.8" instead of 1/8" and they said that's why my seed failed. I planted it "too deep".

This was a bare spot touchup job so no way I would dig 2 inch deep. It was a simple soil tilling, removing all dead grass and weeds, adding peat moss, leveling, applying the seeds and then applying a top coat of lawn soil at a depth of 1/8".

I've had better success with the stuff I get at home depot. (Scott's and Pennington)

Purchased 2- 25 bags of fescue for heavily shaded area. Also purchased 5 lbs. of pure POA which should be mixed at about a 10-20 to one ratio due to the high cost of poa. ( 5lbs. @ $ 180.00 ) The theory is the poa will eventually become the dominate grass. The problem is it will not grow. I set up 3 pots to start a sample batch to see what each seed looks like after it sprouts. The two fescues filled in nicely and nothing grew in the poa planter. I tried the poa again and got the same results. It seems as though the POA seed I rec'd must have been sterile ?? Don't know why it won't grow but my emails to Outsidepride go unanswered. Pretty much tossed away $ 180.00 I matters to me but evidently not to outsidepride.. Lesson learn Shame on them. Unhappy customer from eastern LI farm country

The product I received from Outsidepride had a large number of mystery seeds mixed in with the seeds I had ordered, as well as viable parasites. I contacted the company about the problem and for a refund. My claim was dismissed, and I was treated with contempt and blame.
The only thing I can recommend with Outsidepride is to stay far, far away.

Ordered Myosotis Sylvatica, Purple Coneflower Echinacea, Rudbeckia Hirta Gloriosa Daisy, Plains Coreopsis, and Lychnis Coronary seeds from Outside Pride in march 2016.

The Plains Coreopsis did very well and the Myosotis sprouted but didn't flower, probably due to the dry weather we had last spring and summer in Vermont.

But the 5000 Gloriosa seeds produced only one flower, while other Rudbeckia Hirtas I ordered from a different company thrived massively. The Purple Coneflowers also didn't yield anything and I know from previous experience that they are usually easy to grow and are first season bloomers. For now I'll give them the benefit of the doubt because of the dry weather, but I suspect I got mediocre seeds since the other company's seeds did fine. I will update about these after next summer.

My real problem was with the Lychnis Coronary seeds. They were labeled as such but were in fact Silene Armeria seeds! And they didn't do too well either (5 flowering plants out of 5000 seeds) despite the fact that this plant is very easy to grow, even in the worst of conditions.

I ordered Soil Doctor and Miniclover the 7th of August, order confirmed the 8th package arrived 10th. The qt bottle of Soil Doctor lid was taped down, no spillage at all. My first reaction when opening the box was thank goodness they taped the cap on the bottle The box it came in was over sized and minimal (paper) packing material. As far as the quality of the products
that remains to be seen.

I purchased China Aster Seeds in 2014 and I had great germination success. The following year (2015) I bought more seeds but NO seeds germinated and the seeds from 2014 had poor results. I contacted Outside Pride and got a response basically interrogating me about how the seeds were started. I have been gardening for more than 30 years, I am a Master Gardener and I have a small greenhouse business and also a vendor at our local Farmers' Market. Frankly, I know what I'm doing but the huge number of questions asked by Outside Pride made it sound like I didn't know what I was doing. After I was responded about how I started the plants I have not heard anything back from them. It's not the money but the reliability of a company's products that bothers me and lack of getting back to me for an explanation. Apparently the sides were old and not viable, especially the 2015 seeds

Customer NO service. Let me explain that when calling the number listed for Outsidepride, it appears to be ONLY an ANSWERING ORDER SERVICE (who can only TAKE ORDERS or SEND EMAILS in regards to orders) even during normal business hours. THREE times I have called to resolve this and I'm told some one will be in touch via email. I requested to speak with some one from this company and was told I could not. I CANNOT GET ANY ONE ON THE PHONE but and ANSWERING SERVICE to help me, nor have I received any email. It has been two days (48 hours) since I first called and I have yet to get a response. June 20th I placed an order. On June 22 received email seeds had shipped. On Wed June 22 I received seeds other than what I ordered. The invoice included confirmed I had ordered correctly. I immediately called the listed number only to have an ANSWERING SERVICE operator tell me she would let the company know and that I would receive an email, as, that is the way Outsidepride communicates. I should have already received a replacement for what I ordered. If they mailed the correct seeds today it would be too late. I see a copy of this will be sent to the company. Perhaps this is the best way to get a response. Good bye, Outsidepride.

Viable seeds and good prices. Received the order within a week; satisfied with product. FYI: ordered via amazon.com

Posted on September 12, 2014, updated May 8, 2015
Posted on March 1, 2014, updated September 12, 2014
I placed an order for 1 item because I was a little put off by the negative reviews, but was very pleased with the results. I received the geranium seeds about 3 days after ordering. They came in a sealed foil pouch and looked fresh. The seed count was generous.

I concur with Parrydox and had a similar, horrible experience with their customer service. I am currently looking to purchase some sedum and succulent seeds. The have a wide selection however my previous experience made me hesitant. Reading Parrydox's review reminded me of my experience and why 1 have stayed away thus far.

They proudly advertise a high (70%) germination and that they stand by their product. However, when you contact them with an issue it is naturally your fault and you have not idea what you are doing.

I ordered similar 2 varieties of sedums, planted them following their recommendations under the same conditions. One set of seeds germinated nicely while the other had <10% germination. When presented them with these facts, of course I am the idiot. I am no expert gardener and never claimed to be one. However, I am a scientist and when you have 2 groups with very similar characteristics under the same conditions you expect them to behave the same.

Save yourself some agony and find another supplier.

It has been three years since I ordered from outside pride. What spurred me to write a review is I recently saw they had items for sale on Amazon. I trust Amazon usually but was immediately turned off for buying seeds on there when I saw they are a supplier.

I ordered almost $100 worth of items. I ordered mostly bulk items as I was aiming for a field of certain plants and flowers that we had prepared in advanced. An example is the Love Lies Bleeding. I ordered a bulk amount and what ended up growing that summer was just the plain amaranth weed. Not a single beautiful weeping love lies bleeding. It quickly became a weed in my land and I am still battling with it to this day.

I have since bought Love Lies Bleeding from other sources and they did great.

Another example is sunflowers, I ordered a big bag of sunflower seeds and the germination rate was terrible. I was lucky to get ten sunflowers out of thousands I had planted. Yes, thousands I painstakingly individually planted.

I also ordered blue chicory and ended up with a field of yellow dandelions or some other odd yellow weed. Luckily, my goats liked it and ate it down.

That same spring I ordered seeds from other companies and they all did great. When I tracked back through my garden journal, all the plants that did poorly were from outside pride. They definitely have an odd outside pride to be selling bad products.

I just realized they are less than an hour away from me. I'm tempted to visit the place and see if they are even real. That's how crazy my experience was with them.

I rarely leave negative reviews but in this case, the results were so horrific for the amount I spent, I feel I must warn others.

The emails sum it up, read for yourself and you be the judge.

Me: The Crimson Clover Seed - 2 LBS Inoculated you sent me was the wrong item. The packaging must have been labeled wrong because it said Crimson Clover on it. I planted it and something else grew. It's some kind of creeping vine and has taken over my yard. I attached a picture of it. The White Dutch Clover you sent me was perfect and is doing very well. I don't want to leave a bad review, how can we settle this?

Outsidepride: Our crimson clover has 16 reviews rating it at 4 1/2 stars.  You can't get any better than that.  Not to mention of our web site we sell about another 10,000 lbs a year.  Not one single complaint.  It is impossible to ship the wrong seed.  What is growing there is just a weed from your soil.

Me: Either way, I gave it months with regular watering and the Crimson Clover never sprouted. If you won't stand by your product then I won't be doing business with you again, and I'll make sure others know why.

Outsidepride: Months with regular watering?  Crimson clove sprouts in about 5 days.  It is pretty obvious you had no idea what you were doing.  That is about the easiest seed in the world to sprout.  Stand behind our product??  There is nothing wrong with our product!  Look at the label and see the germination rate not to mention the fact we have had 2,421 orders of it this year and not one single complaint.  Try being logical.  Out of the 16 reviews, there is not a single one that is a 1 star or a 2 star review.  Even the 3 star review only complained because it was larger than they thought or the wildlife kept eating it all down.  There is not one single review out of the 16 posted complaining about germination.  What does that tell you?  Was the seed bad, of course not.

Me: Since it didn't sprout within several months, then it must not have sprouted within 5 days, either. Obviously it is something wrong with your product

Outsidepride: Actually I tutored statistics all through college.  What was obvious if you are sitting there waiting for it to sprout 2 months later than you have no idea what you are doing.  Obviously wrong with the seed?  Are you kidding me?  I saw the photo of that mess you called a planting.  It is also obvious there were herbicides used there?  Gee, I wonder if the herbicides could have anything to do with the seed not sprouting.  Gee, I wonder why out of 2,421 orders I am the only one who is complaining about sprouting?  Gee, I wonder why out of the 16 reviews posted on Amazon, there is not a single one complaining about seed germination?  Gee, I wonder why even the most recent reviews posted just last month, whose seed all came from the exact same lot gave it 5 stars?  You are obviously a liberal to be so illogical.

Me: I really don't know what being a liberal has to do with this, but I am, as a matter of fact, a veteran of the United States Air Force and a conservative. The fact that you brought politics into a debate over germination times is beyond me. You'll grasp at anything and everything to keep from taking accountability. Your behavior is absolutely appalling.

The emails went on in this manner, but I don’t have enough room to include them all.

This person believes that Outsidepride is infallible, and that there is no such thing as human error. Their biggest argument was that they had “perfect” reviews and that “no one else” had ever complained before. But after looking around at other reviews, I found that it had been a common problem among other customers as well.

The fact of the matter is, that if it’s inoculated seed you really can’t tell what seed is inside unless you wash it off. The so called "weed" that this person claimed was growing in my yard is in fact called Partridge Pea. It's indigenous to Connecticut. This person should know that since it is something sold on Outsidepride.com. The fact that this person called it a weed goes to show that they know nothing about their own product.

So simply based on principle, don’t give these people your business.

Posted on May 11, 2014, updated June 9, 2014
Posted on May 11, 2014, updated May 11, 2014
In the past year, I ordered approximately $140 of seeds (grass, flowers, and vines) from this company and just placed another order for $37. The service is always quick and the seeds have higher germination rates and better prices than those I bought from other companies.

The only possible error is that my dwarf morning glory mix has only produced blue flowers so far. But I won't quibble over a $5 pack of seeds (and they got the rest of my orders correct).

I noticed some reviewers complaining about failed germination. I just want to point out that seeds and seedlings sown outdoors can dry out or get eaten by insects, birds and other animals. My seeds from Outsidepride have almost 100% germination when started indoors, but much lower rates when sown outside. It really depends on your climate and gardening skills.

So far, so good! Ordered on a Friday night after business hours, the seeds were in my mailbox half way across the US on Tuesday. Shipping was very reasonable for six packages of seeds. Now it is up to me to bring these little seeds to life!

I recently ordered Gibsonii Castor Bean seeds, Paeony flowering aster, Monarch of the Veldt, and several other seed types from Outside Pride. As of today, the Castor Beans are up (3 days) as are two of the asters (planted five) and one Monarch of the Veldt--both germinated within 4-5 days. That is far faster than usual, and the seedlings look great. I never expected such fast or sure germination. I'm going to be bursting at the seams for space for plants by the time I can move them outdoors. Incredibly impressed with the quality of the seed. I've ordered before and had good returns on the seed, but this time it is exceptional. I see negatives but don't agree. I've ordered a couple of times over the last 7 years. 7 years ago got a pound or so of clover which germinated very well and took off. Got some Verbascum seed earlier this year which also were quick to germinate. I've been very happy with the quality of the seed.

This past year I ordered snow in summer seeds (plus the shaker bottle) from this company. I was looking forward to having my entire bank covered with these beautiful flowers and I faithfully followed the directions yet had no plants come up all year. I emailed the company expressing my frustration (remember I'm a senior lady not a computer genius.) I received what I thought was a sarcastic response from someone (in customer service?) informing me that they hadn't had any complaints in the last 13 years. Considering it inappropriate, I told them so and suggested they consider customer service. The same person again responded sarcastically about me expecting good customer service when I was using caps and exclamation marks. I would never order from this company again and would discourage others from doing so. It seems customer service and manners are a thing of the past.

Having just started the herbal seeds I recently received from an Outsidepride order, I decided I need to review.

This is my second order from this company and have received the order in a timely manner (very quickly) and as represented.

The seeds are packed in foil envelopes which make it easy to store what isn't used right away.

I will say the seeds are a bit pricey but what isn't these days!

The varied selection of herbal seeds is amazing. The planting and growth information is a good foundation for plant care.

And, should you require a large volume of seed, they have that option available.

All in all, good site and good people to do business with. I will purchase again ~ thank you. Kristi

I ordered several wildflower seeds from them. Good selection. Don't know how well they will germinate until I sow them in Spring. No problem with shipping or packaging though. So far so good.

Happy so far - ordered about $200 in seeds and everything I ordered came promptly and very well packaged. I really like how much planting information is on each package. Planting temperature is especially helpful to have. (Would recommend adding whether the plant is an annual or a perennial..)

You might find some better prices elsewhere but the selection of seeds is fantastic.. it took me two days to decide what seeds I wanted of the ~800 varieties available that will grow in my zone!

The only frustration I had was my cart kept emptying if I left the site more than an hour or two..Would like if the cart could remain for 2-3 days.

Thanks!

this company is a sham. I ordered $74. of seeds. they never arrived. there is no phone number with which to contact them. they do not provide a shipping tracker. most importantly you will waste you money because they wont send you your seeds.

I purchased both Mini clover and Irish moss from Outsidepride. The miniclover sprouted within 5 days and is much smaller than my white dutch clover that I have planted on a bank. The Irish moss took about 2 weeks to sprout, but now I have a think carpet of greenery!

Note from the Garden Watchdog editors...

I purchased 12 different seeds from Outsidepride's website. I started them all in trays and had great success with all. I did email a few questions and they got right back to me. Overall I had a great experience and will buy from them again.

Note from the Garden Watchdog editors...

I bought around 20 seeds from Outsidepride.com about 2 months ago. I planted all the seeds in my greenhouse and every single seed germinated! Some took much longer than others, but the seed quality is excellent.

Note from the Garden Watchdog editors...

I ordered a dozen packets of seeds through Outsidepride's amazon.com store. I've always been reluctant to spend more than a few cents for seeds in my gardening career, so I didn't know quite what to expect from seeds priced just above my comfort zone. When they arrived in the mail today, the impeccable quality of the packaging and seeds, not to mention the generous quantity of seeds in each packet left me speechless. I was so thoroughly impressed that I had to rush to write a review-that is, after I cut open each packet and admired the precious seeds laying in my hand. Receiving the Outsidepride order really made my day, I'll definitely be back soon.

I recently bought Irish Moss, Magic Carpet, and Mother of Thyme ground cover seeds from Outsidepride. Order number was OUT-398765 and the seed arrived promptly. I planted it in trays indoors and the Irish Moss and Mother of Thyme sprouted within 2 weeks. The magic carpet was slower, but still sprouted within a month's time. I will definitely do business with Outsidepride again.

Note from the Garden Watchdog editors...

I recently bought Irish Moss and Creeping Thyme Magic Carpet from Outsidepride and their Shake N' Seed bottles (OUT-367894) was my order number. The order was shipped the next day and I was emailed a tracking number. I planted the day after I received the order and the Irish Moss sprouted within 10 days. The magic carpet took quite a bit longer so I emailed Outsidepride. I recieved a return email within 2 hours and they told me it can take up to 28 days to sprout and to keep the seed moist longer. Sure enough, within about another week or so I had sprouts everywhere! I would definitely recommend Outsidepride to everyone.

Note from the Garden Watchdog editors...

I have been buying seeds from Outsidepride for years including the miniclover. They always ship fast, the seed is of high quality, directions are right on the packet, and they are always quick to respond if I have a question. I could not be happier with the service I have received from Outsidepride.

Note from the Garden Watchdog editors...