Comments regarding Totally Tomatoes

I ordered several types of tomato seeds. The seeds arrived in about a week and a half. I planted a few seeds from one of the tomato types and they started to come up within a week. The germination rate was good. I planted roughly 15 tomato seeds and have had 12 come up so far. I did not order any plants but would certainly order seeds again.

I have ordered tomato and pepper seeds from this company for the last three seasons. All have been very successful.

I ordered seeds and plant collections. The seeds had about a 90% germination rate and I might order seeds from them again.

I also ordered some plant collections. I expected that they would be small but what I did not expect was that they would send 4 seedlings growing in one 2 inch cube pot. I will never order plants from them again.

2009 is my second time ordering from this company. Fast delivery and complete, correct order. Will add to this review later regarding germination / seed quality. Last time had excellent germination and unused seeds kept for two more years of successful tomato and pepper starts. Nice catalog, great variety, but packet prices are the highest I pay anywhere. I wouldn't hesitate to make larger seed orders from this company if prices were more competitive. Free trial packets are nice and fun to try.

i have ordered seeds and other items from this company before, the seeds do germinate well. However this order, which i just received today, was an order I placed on 3/5/09, today is 3/23/09. I feel that paying nearly 5.00 for shipping an $8.50 order (for an envelope with 5 seed packets) that the order should have at least been sent first class mail, not pony express.
Plenty of other seed companies to order from.

"On Mar 30, 2009 7:47 AM, Totally Tomatoes responded with:

Thank you for pointing this error out to us. We did find the cucumber that was printed incorrectly. It has now been fixed. Sorry for the printing error anyone that got that packet."

I ordered about 15 varieties of tomatoes in 2008. I was pleased with the transaction. Note to others the Microtom tomatoes are a novelty but not the tastiest.

I ordered from Totally Tomato last year and was pleased, so I ordered again this year. The order came promptly. It is too early here to plant the totmatoes. I will do that in about two weeks. I am starting the pepper seeds now. I will post again later to list germination rate.

If you want the best selection of tomoates or peppers anywhere, this is the company for you!! I have ordered from them before and there seeds are always the best!!! I placed several orders for seeds from different companies via the internet one snowy day and recieved them all within a day or two of each other. This company also included free packs of trial seeds which is always a great thing in my opinion!!

I started to wait on leaving feedback until I was sure seeds would germinate, but since we're smack dab in the middle of winter, I suspect if I were to wait the almost two months it would take to see if the seeds do right then unless germination rates were horrible I might completely forget to leave feedback.

Anyway, I received my order in just under two weeks, which I find to be fairly fast. The one downside was that the box arrived with the top part completely cut off, still everything I ordered was in the box and undamaged, so no big.

I also counted the number of seeds in each pack (I'm anal that way) and I wasn't short-changed. I bought four packs of Tom seeds, and one of those even had a few more seeds than stated.

The tomato spirals (4) look to be of good quailty, and were much cheaper than I would have been able to get locally. No scuff marks on them from the damaged box either.

I also got two packs of free seeds - I checked the website, they are "new" from the company. One was tomato seeds and the other pepper - I'm always willing to try tomatoes, but I'm not much of a pepper person, even the so-called mildly hot peppers (I usually find even them to hot). On the other hand, at least two people have all ready requested that when the time comes I plant at least a couple plants each for them, so even those free pepper seeds won't go to waste.

So, I'm very pleased, and like I say unless the germination rates aren't up to snuff then I'll have no complaints.

I have ordered my tomato and pepper seeds from Totally Tomatoes for several years now. This year is no exception. I placed an order in Dec. 2008 and had my order within 2 weeks. As usual they included free seeds. I usually have my garden planned out before ordering but I always find room to plant a few of the freebies they send me and never have a problem giving away plants from the seed I have sown. Last year I had a combined germination rate of 99%+. All the seeds I received this year are packed for 2009. They also offer a large selection of pepper and tomato varieties at prices cheaper than other specialty catalogs that I have seen.

I read this thread and ordered seeds for my father for the holidays on 12.11, With 13 days to deliver the product (all seeds), I thought I was in the clear. However, we are now at Christmas eve and no seeds. I called TT and they didn't answer the phone. The message said they were closed. I emailed them, but I am sure I won't get a response until after the holiday. I am extremely disappointed. I now have no gift for my father, who loves to garden. I can't tell you whether the seeds germinate, as I can't even get them!

I had a really good experience with them. No problems whatsoever.
Both varieties of tomatoes I ordered germinated very well. Between my fat hands and my tremor, I'm very clumsy, so I usually end up with five seeds per peat pot or more, and I swear every one came up. Lots of thinning to do! But I'm used to that, always order extra seed cause I'm such a klutz when it comes to starting seeds.
The pepper seeds were also great! Both varieties I ordered came up nicely, but due to a ridiculously late snowstorm (ok, more like sleet, enough to kill the plants but not enough to stick) only one survived to maturity. The one that did survive was very vigorous, not only lived through the sleet but also through a very hungry tomato hornworm. Still got loads of Sweet Banana peppers.
I was ecstatic to find my fave tomato there at such a good price. Usually Pineapple tomato seeds are quite costly, but they had them very affordably. I also loved the huge selection.
The cilantro, well, I never got around to planting it, so I'll be putting it in pots this year. The lettuce mix I used as a science project for a friend's kids. (I occasionally spend time with friend's kids since I don't have any of my own) We did "indoor salad gardens" in old oatmeal tubs like my mom used to do with me. One kid grew carrots and the other two did the lettuce mix from Totally Tomatoes--the kids loved it! And the lettuce was sooooo good!
The only things from them that didn't do well for me were the Ground Cherries and the freebie pepper seeds they sent me. Poor germination rate on the ground cherries, only one came up, and it was sickly. I didn't like the fact that the freebie peppers were treated seed, but planted a few anyway. Decent germination rate, had three good plants. Gave two away to friends cause I only wanted one, the third died in the previously mentioned snowstorm. But I can't complain too much about them cause they were free.
Loved getting the bonus seeds with my order! The kids I gave the pink tree tomatoes to (didn't have room for a twelve foot tall tomato plant!) were really excited!
Not sure if I'll order from them this year, maybe just two or three things if I do. Trying to keep my garden "small", which for me just means fewer things I have to start indoors. So mostly squash and beans, but I am planning on a few tomatoes and peppers. I definitley want to order from them in the future, but don't know if it'll be this season or next.

I ordered a number of pepper seed packets....from out of all of the seeds, 12 germinated...12 seeds, not packets...won't use again....

Recently ordered several varieties of tomato seeds and they arrived in just about a week of the ordering. Have just finished testing the germination rates and am extremely satisfied. Yes, I will order again in the future.

I normaly order seeds, but with not having my seed starting area ready yet. I order plants, there were so small and died , I emailed them a few days ago and I have not heard back yet. I will make sure to only order seeds from now on , or order plants and baby them till planting time..I hope to have better luck next time.

I have purchased seeds and other products for years from Totally Tomatoes. I've always had good luck and believe the descriptions in their catalog are pretty accurate.

Beware of unadvertised treated seeds from this company!
I ordered some seeds on a Monday after spending ten minutes on hold. I was told that they would probably ship by the end of the week and would then take 5 to 15 days to arrive. I had no choice but to pay extra to get the seeds in a reasonable period of time. When the seeds got to me, one of the varities was treated with Thiram, a fungicide. Being a certified organic grower, I can't use them. Nowhere in their catalog does it say that they sell treated seed. When I told the operator my problem, she told me that their policy is to use untreated seed unless they can't find that variety untreated. No where in their catalog does this policy appear. She said that they could only get this variety treated for this season. The person who takes the order has no way of knowing this. The person placing the order has no way of knowing this. They offered to refund my money only after they send me an envelope to send back the seeds. Their internal policy represents a breach of contract with their customers. Beware of this company. They are not always honest with their customers.

Great People, Great Company , Great Seeds.
Thank you, keep up the great work. Always get the great catalogue along with great seeds and products.
Thank you, Roy. U Cushing

Have been ordering seeds from TT for 5 years. Never had a problem. They are cheaper than Johnny's who I order most of my seeds from. I believe it's unwise and wasteful to order plants from any company. One gets much better plants when planting seed yourself.

Placed my order on Feb 10th I got my seeds but not my garlic. they shipped my garlic on March 20 because of my zone. That is fine but they charged my credit card the full amount. So they had my money for 6 weeks without shipping product. When I called to ask why they did that I was told "that is what we do". I do not like to give my money to a company that does not ship product until 6 wks later. Because of that I do not think i would order from them again. Seeds of Charge charged my credit card as they shipped out product which was 7 weeks later. they did not charge me in one lump sum.

This is my first year ordering from TT. I am giving a neutral rating right now. Here is why. I ordered several tomato and pepper seeds from TT along with other seeds that can not be planted yet (hence the rating). The germination rate on the peppers was outstanding. Not so with the tomatoes save one.. I planted Big Zac had great germination. The rest Abe Lincoln, Country Taste, and Italian Giant Beefsteak had very poor germination (about 10% but not more than 15%) I am not saying I will not oder again out of fairness cuz all seeds are not planted. But would like the ones in question to be replaced.

Kevin Lorentz

"

Hi Kevin,
We are sorry to hear you had germination problems with some of our seeds. I checked our germination rates on the three in questions and none of them were under 80%, all packets were also overfilled by 10%-20% to compensate our customers.
I have requested replacement seeds be sent out today for you. You should have them soon.
Thanks for including your name so I could find the correct order information for the replacements. It really helps us take care of any problems quicker.
Please, feel free to contact our company by phone or email if you experience any problems at all.

Thanks
Ruth
"

I ordered seeds a couple of months ago and they arived in decent time (around 10 days).

I put them in the fridge until I planted them on March 22-23. All of the tomatoes came up within 5 days and almost all of the peppers have sprouted as of today (4/1/08). Peppers can take up to a couple of weeks, so I am not concerned and am sure the rest of the peppers will sprout soon.

The order arrived in decent time, the order was correct when I recieved it and the germination rate was good (obviously fresh seed) - I'm happy with my dealings with Totally Tomatoes.

I order from TT for the first time about two weeks ago. Even though I ordered during the 'rush' season, my order arrived within two weeks of my order date. The seeds look great - I've already started planting some of them.

Have used TT for two years now and the orders have all been complete and shipped quickly. They have a large selection and the information on each selection is very helpful in choosing what I am looking for. The germination rate is excellent on what I have received.

I have used TT for the bulk of my seed ordering of a number of years. They have a great selection of pepper and tomato seeds. I do order early so I get what I want. The seeds germinate great. Better than other brands of seeds that I have started.

Like others have said, I don't order seedlings because they have to come in the mail and how knows how long they are going to sit in some hot truck. To get the plants here in a hurry, the shipping would blow my budget. It's just not worth it to me. I use my local garden center for my seedling needs.

I have used TT for several years well over 20 orders and NEVER had any problems. they have always shipped in a reasonable fashion, however as with most any seed company there are busy times so if ordering in "peak season" most companies will have a delay.. NOT THAT I HAVE EVER HAD THIS WITH TT.
Either way the most important thing is this one fact out of all the seed companies I have used for our organic farm (I won't bother listing them all but enough to say its mostly the big guys you all know)
TT seeds have a much higher germination rate than the others in my case I use their heirloom seeds and I get 95-100% germination consistantly
The other seed suppliers at best I see 70% but they avg under 50%
This says one thing to me, if I need 500 plants I can buy that amount of seeds not twice that much this saves me money, space neeeded for trays of "bad"seeds,nutrients and my time... With that in mind even if I had a minor problem with delays I would still use them I would just order earlier..
Overall I highly reccomend them and would say try it my way order your seeds in nov-jan the slow season.
hope this helps other growers like us

This was my first order from Totally Tomatoes. I've been ordering from Jung for years and have never been disappointed so I thought I'd give TT a try. I especially appreciate the fact that TT provides information regarding tomato disease resistance and tolerance. I'm new to gardening in the mid South and find that diseases and pests are far more of an issue here than they were in my previous location.
My order was filled accurately and quickly. If seed germination rates are satisfactory I will deffinately order again.

I have already placed 4 orders with TT this winter...spending a nice sum of money in total. I try to order all my seeds in Nov, Dec and Jan when the order houses are not so busy. Then I know I'll have what I want by planting time. However I had two packs of seeds on back order and one pack arrived by itself when they got it in. I am waiting on several packages of seeds from TT now. I'm sure they'll arrive in the next day or so because when I click on my account with them it tells me that my order has been processed a few days ago. I am a little concerned that I still haven't seen my pepperocini seeds that are back ordered and charged for according to my receipts...from my first order a while back. I don't know how they keep up with their back orders. We'll have to wait and see. It'll be simple. If by some chance I don't recieve my orders I'll let my credit card company deal with it and...I'll find another company to spend my money with next year. So far I am very pleased with TT and have no reason to complain.

I was a long time and happy customer of Totally Tomatoes before the Jung acquisition. This is my first order since. Arrived promptly with no problems whatsover. I miss the huge selections of the old company, but apparently the new owners have shaken out the moving bugs and are now paying attention to business.

I ordered about 15 different packets of seeds (tomato and peppers) using the online ordering over the weekend after Christmas. The order arrived today, January 7th, and was exactly correct. The e-mail confirmation and the online order information are very helpful. If the seeds germinate well and produce true-to-type, I will be ordering again.

2 years ago I ordered tomato and pepper "collections" from TT. I had stated that I wanted the earliest ship date which was approx. April 15. When May rolled around, I emailed them. A couple days later they returned an email stating that my order was in process. I then emailed again saying this was unacceptable as all of my neighbors were already planting their crops in zone 5. I hear nothing! Then during the second week of June (I think the 16th) a box comes in the mail from TT. By this time I'm furious. When I open it up and see the contents I want to explode. They say they ship 3"-6" plants. The very largest one may have been 3" but there wasn't one leaf to be seen except in the bottom of the box and the stems left were yellow and wilted. What a joke! I email them again with much complaint demanding a refund (nearly $50 for three "collections") and absolutely not a replacement. I finally get a check several weeks later. Just a check, no apology, no letter,not one word. Never again! By the way, I placed the order the first week of Jan. and they promptly billed my credit card. 5 and one half months to recieve a box of compost material. BUYER BEWARE!!!!!

Totally Tomatoes, I would like to commend you and your customer service associates for the easy on-line ordering, very prompt delivery ( both times). Also for addressing my feedback about some of the seed packets being short a few seed... I only ask for replacement of missing seed... they sent me entire replacement packages... The CSR was very polite on the phone and promised prompt replacement of missing seed... I got them 2 DAYS later rush mail!... For those of you posting negetive experience. I think understanding that we are all human and not infalaible and w/ a little patience and understanding ( not yelling and screaming) we can correct problems w/ calm concise civil communication.... Thanks again Totally Tomatoes! Pennygrinder

This past spring (2007) I ordered and received live tomato and pepper plants. They looked horrible. I thought for sure they would die, but I gave them a chance. Good thing I did. In a day or two the plants regained an alive look. Fast forward.... The plants I received from TT out performed all the plants I grew from seed, obtained locally, or ordered elsewhere. I will order from TT again.

Great germination. Good delivery. And now for the best - the tomatoes are terrific!

I ordered from TT in February of 2007. The seeds took 10-14 days to arrive and were well packaged. Two free packets of seeds were included with the order too, which is always fun.

All of the seeds germinted very quickly and thus far, the plants look true to type. Overall, the packets had an average number of seeds compared to other suppliers, the packet prices were lower than many other vendors', they arrived within 2 weeks and they had wonderful germination. I will definitely order from TT again next year.

A few years ago a friend and I ordered tomato plants from this company. They arrived in May; and both of us couldn't believe the condition of the plants - they looked like stubs. None survived.
This year I ordered tomato plants from them again. I thought over the years, they must have improved and my greenhouse was full. The plants came in May (I requested earlier delivery) and, again, not one remotely green leaf on the plants. I tried; none survived.
I am giving this company a neutral rating because when I called about the problem, they were very nice and told me I would see the credit on my statement; I did. Very prompt service in this respect.

My order (mostly ornamental pepper seeds) was received promptly and germination has been good. I received free bonus seeds. Prices for the items I ordered were on average somewhat cheaper than competing companies.

Interesting to see that of the recent negative comments about this firm, most have concerned live plant orders.

I placed an order with this company april 3rd 2007, haven't seen it yet! In all fairness, i called them and the nice lady told me they were shipped on april 9th,(almost a week after ordering) and it would be 5 to 15 BUSINESS days before i receive them, that is anywhere between a week and a month from my order time, she told me that it wasn't bad for the 27,000 orders they were processing at the time. So, me with my big mouth, suggested maybe they should let people know about the backlog on their web site,what a concept. I'm eager to start my seeds, i guess if i were to deal with this company or it's sister companies again, which i won't, i should order in november so i can have the seeds in time for spring. Shame on me never again.

I placed an order online with Totally Tomatoes for 4 tomato supports and several packets of seeds on March 4, 2007. The package didn't arrive until Sat. March 17, and was broken open upon arrival. The seeds were not in the box. I called on Monday morning to report the problem (Mar. 19) and they said they would reship the seeds. I emphasized the need for an early re-send as it is late in CA for planting tomatoes from seed. They said they were busy, but would try. It is now April 5, and the seeds have not arrived. I called yesterday and spoke to customer support. They say the new package was mailed Mar. 27 (9 days after my call!) and should arrive 5-10 days from then. I expressed unhappiness with the slow shipping and was told that they are very busy at this time of year, and I should have placed my order sooner, for instance in Dec. The customer representative was very unpleasant and said she would "note it in my file" that I would not be a repeat customer.