Comments regarding Cross Country Nurseries (chileplants.com)

I have ordered from chileplants.com for the past 4 years. Until this year I had wonderful things to say - large, healthy plants, unusual varieties, well packaged and shipped at the right time. This year, 2022, was completely different. The plants they shipped were small, diseased (yellow and/or black spots on leaves; damaged/rotted stalks), tattered, and generally looked awful. The shipping was also 2 weeks late. The plants were well packaged. I will not order from them again. I've had to go to the nurseries and buy other starter plants as the ones I received continue to go down hill or have died. Totally different experience and so disappointing.

DON'T BUY FROM THEM! I had a wonderful experience last year. This year, I ordered various tomato plants and a couple of pepper plants. I received the 2 pepper plants, with their $14.00 shipping. When I reached out to see where the tomato plants were, I was told that they had sent out an email a couple of weeks prior that they weren't coming because of Tomato Bacterial Canker. I get it that things happen, but there was no email sent and I checked my Spam. I would have canceled, now I feel scammed. No response to my last email, poor customer service says it all.

I had never ordered from this site before, and I would caution everyone not to order either. The plants arrived very poorly packed, some dead, some dying. When I tried to contact them, they expected many, many photographs for proof. Then, they tried to tell me the plants will revive - no they won't. They're DEAD! So, once again, do NOT order from Chili Plants - they do not work with you - very belligerant attitude.

Long time customer of Janie and Fernando (20+). While I am happy that they were able to retire, I am saddened that their business is a shell of what it once was. Last year the plants I received did not look up to the typical standard I could come to expect from chileplants but I attributed it to a crazy 2020 year. This year, I did not receive all of my plants and the ones I did receive looked like they were started a week prior. Very disappointed. No need to reply to me chileplants - based upon the "no soup for you" responses from last year, I will take myself off of your customer list.

I am a long time customer and have never had an issue with chileplants. Primarily, I buy pepper plants. They have always arrived healthy. The selection is amazing.

They have a great website. Photos and detailed descriptions of each pepper.

They include planting and care instructions. Follow those and you will have an abundant crop.

Staff has been quick to follow up to email and phone communication.

I can’t imagine doing business with another company.

I've been in search of a very difficult-to-find pepper after my favorite restaurant starting making a salad with tiny Biquinho peppers. I was thrilled when I found ChiliPlants.com. I've ordered live plants from many nurseries over the years, so I had a 50-50 expectation of these plants arriving intact and surviving. I placed my order when it was still winter, selecting the pepper plants and several varieties of tomato I'd never seen before. 1 week before they were to ship, my credit card was charged, as they state on their website. The plants arrived a week later, right on schedule, despite coronavirus delays. When I opened the package, I was impressed by the packing. The plants were in individual cardboard stabilizing cages and all were in nursery condition! Not a single one was crushed, upended, shriveled, broken or otherwise unhealthy. (This was something I've almost never seen; sometimes the entire package is a dead mess, but usually up to half are lost causes.) Now, 3 months later, I have a boom harvest from every plant! I recently emailed the nursery to see if the pepper seeds will breed true. They are on hiatus til September, but responded in <24 hrs, pleasantly & with complete instructions for harvesting usable seeds. Wow. Just wow! A+++ on plants & service!

Posted on July 30, 2020, updated July 31, 2020
Great service! Delivered in excellent shape! Great products! All plants growing prolifically and superbly. Will definitely be ordering more next year. Fine experience!

I have actually been buying from them for 3 or 4 years. I don't know how to grow from seed. I live in the upper Midwest and I have the option of sending when its a good time. I picked the 2nd week in June. How cool is that!! I get the peppers I order, and if they run out of what I asked for I allow for substitutions. I have never been dissapointed. The Peppers come properly mature and follow a growing season as if I started the seeds myself in December. Shipping is done very well and the plants as best as I could imagine with live plants. I have ordered several years in a row and have never had an issue ever. I would like to add, I thought for sure this year would be a no-go. Many garden centers had lacking items, choices were difficult to find.. We found mostly local growers here in my neck of the woods. When I found Cross Country was still going to ship this year I was super happy! I cannot say enough about this place! I would recommend them to anyone, and have.

I have been a customer for at least 15 years. Always receive healthy plants that are incredibly well packed for shipping. I can't remember any plant arriving in bad shape. I've shared plants with my neighbors, who now ask me every year when I'm going to order peppers. I've ordered mainly peppers, hot to sweet, and all the plants take off and produce well. I follow the gardening booklet to the letter b/c I'm not a veteran vegetable grower and have to put them in pots b/c of critters. When I have questions, the company gets back to me right away with helpful advice (should I water often, should I fertilize, etc.). I recently tried the tomato plants, which smell heavenly and produce lots of fruit. This year I got grape tomatoes - which never make it into the kitchen b/c I eat them off the plant!

My husband and I love to eat salad often but with the spreading of the coronavirus, I was hesitant to go to the grocery store to buy fresh produce. So I decided to grow a vegetable garden. Here is the bonus part - my 11 year old daughter was very excited to try this project with me and so was I! She gets to learn how to grow plants and I get quality time with my daughter. We ordered a box of six plants - a mix of tomato and bell pepper plants. As to be expected there was a slight delay in shipping due to the coronavirus situation but that was well communicated to me and sure enough, the plants arrived the next just like chileplants emailed. I was so impressed to see that the plants emerged from the box strong and healthy thanks to the professional packaging that protected them while in transit. And to my delight, there was a set of planting instructions to guide my amateur gardening skills. The plants are now producing and now we are enjoying the tasty tomatoes and peppers. It is true what they say, that fruits and veggies taste better when fresh picked!

Posted on July 21, 2020, updated July 21, 2020
I have purchased their superhot peppers the last 7 years and have been nothing but pleased with their service and pepper quality. This year, however, there was a minor discrepancy in my order that was not apparent until the pepper pods started appearing. Disappointing, but no huge deal. When I contacted Chileplants.com last week via email and politely pointed out the error, their curt responses have been nothing but unprofessional. Although they refunded me the cost of the plant, there was no apology and I was told in writing "This will end our business relationship" (i.e. I could not order plants from them in the future). Really? Over a $4.50 plant? I have been courteous in all my email exchanges and am appalled that a company would treat a loyal customer in such a manner.

The statement on their webpage "We sincerely appreciate and value your business" is bogus. I wasn't the one who mislabeled the plant, they did. Instead of seeking satisfactory resolution, they dropped me as a customer with absolutely no explanation.

We ordered tomato and pepper plants. One tomato plant arrived broken. I reported this and was told via email that I'd get a "free" plant next year.

I did not report the yummy pepper that died after transplant. One or two other peppers are small and not too happy and are certainly not going to produce like those I got elsewhere. (I've been growing these for 20 years.)

I emailed to say the one free plant offer was not really a satisfactory resolution. To their credit, Cross Country Nurseries gave me a nearly instant credit, but they also sent a snarky email saying this ended "our relationship."

So if you want mediocre plants and attitude, then by all means shop there.

Posted on June 15, 2020, updated July 2, 2020
I received notice that my plants would ship one week late. Three weeks later, I still don’t have them. They won’t answer the phone. I get no response from email. I tried to send a message on Facebook and they quickly blocked me. I was a customer of theirs for five years until this.

They are unsympathetic and have a Nazi like devotion to their policy. Three days to report shipping damages! That is ridiculous!

We love love love CrossCountryNurseries.com
We purchased 24 plants this season in 2 seperate orders and it could not have been easier to do. The plants shipped when expected and promised. The plants arrived healthy and quickly. A "how to" page came with the plants to help get them off to a good start. The website has all the information on how to grow as well. We haven't purchased anything but peppers . We plan on using them as long as they are in business. This is the second season we have used them for a total of 3 purchases and they have been spot on with no complaints what so ever. If you want chile plants this is the place to go.

I had been eyeing this company online since last winter, the selection seemed too good to be true but it is true and the plants I received were already in incredible condition. My wife and I had tried a few other companies last year and we were hesitant to ever order plants online again but Cross Country has changed our minds. 5 pepper plants and one tomato, all came at about 5 inches tall and in lush picture worthy quality. Don't be fooled by others, we have in the past and now that we've found Cross Country that is where we will order from.

I ordered pepper and tomato plants from them and their selection is HUGE! I love the different varieties of hard to find pepper plants. They arrived in beautiful shape on the week that I requested them (a little early for this area of the country, but they shipped them anyway. I use wallowaters to protect plants from lower temps and to get them started earlier.) I couldn't be happier with my order and am anxious to order from them next year and try some varieties that I didn't try this year. They have a huge selection of tomato plants too. Best live plant mail order experience ever!

I recently placed an order with you guys and I am so pleased with everything! As first time customers and forever future customers we will definitely be ordering from you every year! The order got here very quick (I think 3 days and I live in Texas!) and the packaging was awesome! All the plants came with damp dirt and all of it was still in the containers! I could not believe how big and nice everything looked;) Some of my pepper plants already had flowers on them too!
Thank you all for doing an awesome job!

First time purchaser of online plants - they arrived during the week I selected for the delivery, a tracking number was provided for the actual delivery, and the plants were healthy looking on arrival.

A friend bought me 6 Scotch Bonnets through this Company. Why? Ordering plants through mail always turns out to be junk. She definitely didn't waste her money as the plants look like I went to a Greenhouse and picked them myself.
There green, vibrant and healthy.
This company definitely has my business from now on. Great Job Chile Plants. We won a loyal customer!

This is the third year my BFF and I have placed a joint order for tomatoes and peppers. 24-30 plants per year and we have yet to get a plant that didn't arrive huge and healthy and better packed for shipping than by any company we've ever bought from. The plants are twice the size of the ones you get from local nurseries. They ship at the exact time you request, so you know exactly when the plants are coming and can get your beds and pots all ready before they arrive.

Their selection is insane. We start going through the online catalog in January because it takes us so long to pick what we want for the year. Love the tomato selection, especially all the heirlooms. Made the best pasta and pizza sauces I've ever made in my life from them last year.

They are one of the few places that carry the orange Yummy peppers. We get multiples of those because they are so versatile. The Aji Dulce 2 is the best mild habbie we've ever tried. If you want all that awesome habanero flavor without the heat, this is the pepper for you. Their hot peppers are amazing too. I also highly recommend the Fireworks tomatoes. They are delish and produce more fruit than we know what to do with.

I wish I had discovered them sooner. We will never buy our tomatoes and peppers from any place else. They are outstanding!

I live in Ohio and ordered live plants. I have ordered live plants before from other places and had negative results every time. So I thought I would try ordering again. I was shocked when my plants arrived. The packaging was secure and my plants were strong, healthy and watered. Not dry and withered that I have experienced in the past.
I have a lot of nurseries around me but I am so pleased that I will spend the extra money and order more plants.
It is well worth it.
Carla Stacey

Posted on May 13, 2015, updated June 2, 2015
Ok, I have purchased a lot of seeds from various companies over the years online. I have always been hesitant in purchasing live plants. In my quest for the super hot peppers, The Chile Plant website came up from a web search. I purchased several peppers and a couple of tomato plants.
I was counting down the time to when UPS would arrive as I am a big big fan of the Bhut Jolokia and I had a live plant being delivered. When I finally received my package, my heart dropped. It looked like it had been used for a FIFA match. The box was part crushed in and part accordion. I was fearing the worst.
Somehow, when I opened the box, the plants were all fine and no soil was disturbed! Their unique packaging made this possible. The white tomato plant was the only one to suffer and apparent trouble.
I had emailed the company and Janie replied very quickly with instructions as to how to attend to the couple of issues I had. Over the last 6 weeks, my tomato plants have grow more than double and have a ton of dark green leaves and growth. All the peppers are doing fabulously and the paprika is already bearing fruit. Normally, I would pick all the flowers until at least 12-15" on the pepper plants but I wanted to see if my new source of plants would bear fruit. They do.
I have had more than a few emails back and forth with Janie and she has always answered my questions fully. I was really surprised to find out she is also the owner! What incredible customer service she offers. I can be a bit harsh when dealing with customer service, or the lack thereof, and my experience with The Chile Plant has been delightful. My son is purchasing some of the pepper plants and I am coming back for seconds next week.
If you are hesitant or looking for a place to buy live tomato or pepper plants, look no further. When you take into account the prompt and thorough customer service, there is no need to even entertain another company.
A complete and total wonderful experience!!

Below is a copy of the e-mail I sent to Cross Country Nurseries in reference to my on-line purchase. Surprising to me is that even though today is a holiday, I received an immediate response(not computer generated), with certain specific tips addressing some of the issues I had with my garden last year and some advice on my plans for this year. Very Impressed.

" I am a second year customer in NW Michigan. I have to say that the condition and health of the plants I received from you by mail this week and last year, far exceeds the quality of any pepper plants I have ever purchased from local nurseries, big box stores, or farmer's markets.
For me, last year's crop was an expected disappointment because I was trying to be creative and selected some plants that required a very long growing season( written in the book). And, I planted way too early. We had pockets of snow on the ground in May(2014) and freezes as late as mid June. Fall(2014) also came early which was a double whammy. At best we had a good three month season conducive to chili plants liking. The plants survived very well and grew well, but just didn't have enough time to put out mature peppers. We did get a modest harvest, but learned a lot in that process. Your book and website perfectly explained the needs of all of the different cultivars, but some people just have to go it alone. Lesson learned.
This year is already shaping up to be a good one. Weather is more better, all snow is gone, and I am excited. I'll transplant to bigger pots today and not push the calendar, and put them in the ground in a couple of weeks.

Thank you for providing such good quality plants and excellent customer service. Oh, one of my chili-head co-workers is now a new customer for you"

WOW! I was so thrilled when my pepper plants arrived in such great shape. I was very hesitant to order plants by mail, as I had a bad experience a couple of years back when ordering from another company.

The packaging for these plants is FAR superior to anything I have ever seen. The plants I ordered were a very specific kind I like but could no longer find locally. We tried seeds last year from another outfit, but the germination was very poor. I had about resigned to never being able to get them again. So, I took one more chance on the mail order option from Cross Country. I'm so glad I did. The plants arrived (in Utah from New Jersey!) the day after they shipped! They were in beautiful condition and were nice sized plants. They did not experience any noticeable sign of shock or wilt after arrival, even when I transferred them to a larger pot a week later.

I will definitely order from them again next year. In fact I'll probably order some other varieties, now that I've seen what a fine job they do! I've been telling anyone I know who gardens about this company and what a great product they deliver.

Ten Star mail order experience! I am primarily an amateur orchid grower, and bareroot orchids are (relatively) easy shippers. This was my first order from CCN, and I am beyond thrilled. My pepper plants all arrived in perfect shape, in the most ingenious shipping box/inserts I've ever seen. It was very apparent that much care was used in preparing my order. All plant tags are TAPED to each pot, to ensure correct identification, even if the box is jostled (correct ID is critical, IMO). My seedlings were 100% unstressed, strong, and happy.

I set them out to acclimate for a few days, moving into longer periods of sunshine, with the recommended water (GREAT instructions included w/my order). I've had a spring cold, and haven't planted according to my schedule yet, but after 10 days, every plant is thriving and doubled in size. Happy.

I decided to order from this vendor because I'm an amateur chef, and it's almost impossible to find some of the more obscure chile peppers used in many Mexican dishes. No more! I'm beyond excited to use the rare Oaxacan Chilhuacle Chiles, and can't wait to try other cuisines with some of the new, rare chiles I will grow. Bon Appetit.

Highly, highly recommend this vendor. Happy growing.

Being an avid chile-head since I was a child in Southern California, I love spicy/hot food, Chile Peppers, Curries, etc. I have been gardening a long time, not a commercial grower by any means and I grow 100 or more chile plants each year for family and friends, and like to add new one's I think people will like. I found this site looking for hard to find pepper plants native to Hawaii and Peru and Chile Plants.com had what I was looking for, plus my Tabasco seeds were being quite stubborn, so I bought one of theirs also, but I usually don't order live plants online, fearing being shipped in a box will harm the plants, and you never know if shipping companies are being careful or not . I was assured by reading posts from other who have ordered that their shipping and packaging was top notch, just not tossed in a box and mailed. So I ordered six plants to try them out, and my order arrived day I had asked for. The plants were in excellent shape for being on the road for 3 days: no dried out soil, stalks protected and the plants were protected from being bounced around in shipping. Out of the six plants I ordered, 2 had blooming flowers on them, so I had to get them adjusted to my climate, get them re-potted, and feed them lightly a few days later. It's been 10 days since I got them, and they are growing fast with more flowers showing up. Chile Plants.com prices are reasonable, they have an kind of pepper plant you can possibly imagine, and I never seen so many different one's. Next order will be a larger one, including tomato's, tomatillo's, plus some more exotic peppers to add to my chile patch.

I have been organic gardening for 30+ years, long before it was hip to have an organic garden. It was about (5) five years ago that I was referred to Cross Country Nurseries, (A.K.A) ChilePlants.com. The referral came from a long time trusted master gardener who always happened to have some type of rare and unique variety of either tomatoes or peppers growing in his garden. He had always kept it a secret from me as too where he got the plants that he grew. That was until (5) years ago when I helped him redo all of his beds. My reward, and yes it was and still is to this day a reward, was his secret connection with "Mother Nature".

As he sat me down to bring me into his inner circle, I knew my garden was about to change forever.

He finally spilled the beans, (no pun intended) and confessed to me that Mother Nature was actually Janie, the owner and green thumb professor at ChiliPlants.com, his best kept secret to his award winning garden.

He opened his laptop and enlightened me forever, there it was, the rarest and most succulent varieties of edible goodness known to man.

Varieties sourced from as far away as Russia, India and the far corners of the earth, a cornucopia of heirloom goodness just a click away.

But how do you get it here in one piece all the way from Jersey I asked.
He explained that Janie was also a shipping and packaging expert and over the years she had developed special boxes and packaging to ensure a safe, secure and prompt arrival of her babies.

I was sold, "Let's place an order right now" I said, so after perusing through the endless varieties, I chose (12) twelve of what would be the beginnings of my new and unbelievably improved garden.

Before I knew it I was thanking the U.P.S driver and drooling over the sealed box he had brought me, straight from Morher Nature herself. It looked perfect, and unmolested in any way, it was humming with love.

When I opened the box, there they were (12) perfect little plants ready to be transplanted into my awaiting garden.

After a few days of allowing them to acclimate the the harsh Florida sun and after a quick soak in some organic Neptune's Harvest 2-3-1 Fish and Seaweed fertilizer, in they went to my awaiting garden.

The earth began to sing a song of thanks.

When harvest time finally came around, I looked at my notes, and was it possible? Yes, these plants ended up producing 37% more produce then any other plants I had ever used before.

Since that day, even if you gave me free plants from another company,
I would not waste the time, energy and resources planting them.

I only use plants from ChilePlants.com or I don't plant at all.
And I always plant!

Take my advice, give them a try, you will never want to buy your plants anywhere else!

I Promise!

I ordered 12 tomato/chile plants because that is the minimum in which they sell. The plants I received were smaller than expected for the price. Later I discovered that they did not grow as big as my other plants, they yielded very small amount of fruit, and I believe they carried to my residence praying mantis eggs, while they are good for the garden I had never seen them in my garden area before last year. Needless to say, I did not order from them this year. One positive is the booklet of various species of plants that was included with my order which I love to this day.

My son & I were looking for a variety of chili plants and he found this website after having a disappointing experience with a different vender last year (his guarantee was non-existent) having ordered 2 chocolate habanero plants that turned out to be ghost plants, we decided to give these people a shot. We were not disappointed,the order turned out to be fantastic, the plants came in the week we asked for and the plants were correctly marked and healthy. After transplanting these plants have really taken off and some advise from the Nursery, we are looking forward to a great harvest this fall. We will order from them again.

So happy with Cross Country Nurseries! Once again, I have fabulous vegetables growing in my garden. I've been purchasing transplants (tomatoes, chiles, eggplants and sometimes herbs) for at least 5 years now. This is the place to go for special varieties, and very healthy plants. I usually place my online order in late January, or early/mid February. Then Cross Country Nurseries plants my favorite heirloom varieties & cares for them until I'm ready to plant! I tell them which week I want to recieve my plants; they package them up (very carefully) and I either pick them up at the farm OR this year I had them shipped! Either way - the same beautiful plants. This is a small, family farm (with limited staff) but they are very good at what they do; and very thoughtful. Along with your plants you'll recieve very helpful information (to help you care for the vegetables properly). Lots of good information on their website too! **Note: I like to order early (a couple of months before I want my plants). This way they have the time to plant the seeds & grow my special seedlings - just for me!!

I began ordering through Chileplants.com this year after having less than satisfactory experiences with Hirts. All the plants I have received from here are healthy and strong. You can really see the difference in the health and vigor of the plants I get from here vs the ones I used to receive from Hirts. Vibrant green, no wilting, no disease, perfect starter plants. And shipping is super fast too! Thank you!

Been purchasing plants from Cross Country since 2003 and no problems with any plants. I am talking 40-50 plants a year. Can no longer drive 98 miles one way so did mail order this year. They arrived on the exact date requested and were in perfect condition. The packaging was amazing. Wish I had tried mail order a long time ago. You won't believe what good shape the plants were in and how they were packaged for shipping. I would surely recommend Cross Country to anyone who is looking for the best plants they could possibly buy.
Bob Wood, Little Egg Harbor, N.J.

Received my pepper plants on Thursday…right on time. Not one with any damage. Nice sized plants (10 -12 inches) and very healthy looking. This was my first time ordering plants online and I have to say I’m very impressed. I ordered three Carolina reapers, Trinidad scorpion, Fatal II and Habanero red savina. Put them in the ground on Saturday. They adjusted fine and are loving the hot and humid Nebraska summer weather.

Great website & selection of peppers. Great job shipping/packing out to CA. Peppers arrived in good condition. A few were a little leggy but would definitely buy from them again. Highly recommend.

I am VERY impressed with how well packaged these plants were!
Cross Country Nurseries (chileplants.com) provided me with healthy looking plants labeled exactly as I had ordered them. arriving on exactly the day that they said they would, looking better than anything I could have bought locally (With MUCH Less selection locally)
I am looking forward to finally getting a chance to grow these rare treats!

I will be a repeat customer.

This company obviously takes the time to do it right the 1st time, and that in itself is more than can be said for some other mail order company's vegetables.
That and there Enormous selection will keep me coming back for years.

Thank you Cross Country Nurseries.
Finally Hot Peppers, even in the Land of HOTH (lol)

Safe seed pledge, NON GMO NJ garden center.

My dear Hungarian dad was trying to find authentic Hungarian non gmo pepper plants and luckily I found http://www.chileplants.com. I have had the hardest time trying to locate a non gmo nursery in NJ until now. They had over 9 different Hungarian peppers. I've never seen anything like it. I bought 30, some for us and some for our Hungarian friends. Usually I grow my own seeds with the aerogrow garden but this year the peppers didn't do well so I'm thankful I found chile plants and look forward to shopping there every year. I even bought their organic fish emulsion fertilizer for the plants. So excited and looking forward to a great NJ garden year. They ship nationwide too which is awesome. Happy Gardening!

I just received my first order of chili plants yesterday, they were incredible!! I have been growing my own from seeds for the last several years and have come to hate that process, so I thought I would try to order plants. I was skeptical about being able to get plants thru the mail, but to my surprise they were very healthy and happy. Who ever designed the shipping box, is brilliant!! I had no damage at all, and the plant soil was still moist! I will never grow peppers from seeds again. The variety choices that are available are amazing! The questions that I had were answered via email in a very timely manner. I highly recommend this company, I will be a customer for life!!

I have ordered plants on line for quite a few years. I have had some very bad results. Especially with the very hot peppers. Plants were poorly wrapped for shipping, arrived nearly dead, and were very expensive. I recently purchased Carolina Reapers from Dave's garden. What a surprise. Plants were in very good shape. Packaging was done with more than a touch of love. Very happy with my first experience with
Dav's Garden and would highly recommend in the future.