Comments regarding Seed Savers Exchange

It took me a while to realize that I can 'just buy' seeds from SSE (for a while I thought I had to contribute as well, and with a crowded garden of many varieties mine wouldn't be too precise!).

I finally caught on last year though .. I ordered a bunch of seeds in the fall sale - old varieties, odd stuff, etc.

I like the easy website & reasonable shipping (plus good fall sale), not to mention their history & contribution to seed preservation & history. Any publications related to or by SSE or Kent Whealy are likewise excellent!

Everything reasonable & as expected.

I wish they'd have people add their 'zone' or location in seed reviews so it'd help us decipher failures or successes mentioned! (this comment goes for all suppliers who sell seeds or plants and don't and all commenters too!).

This is my second year using SSE due to the wonderful success I had last year. The seeds arrived promptly and had excellent germination rates. I got an excellent harvest, which for a novice like me was something of a miracle!

This year they've been wonderfully communicative about possible delays due to the pandemic, and my seeds shipped well within the stated TAT. I'm looking forward to another beautiful growing season.

I also appreciate how thorough their resources are. Their online guides are incredibly helpful. And their print catalog is a treat, full of tips and recipes that I never would have thought to try. I will certainly be using them in the future!

I recently ordered 6 different types of seed from the Seed Saver Exchange catalog. It is a beautiful color catalog. I ordered on line with my credit card. My seeds arrived within a week or so as ordered. This is the third or fourth year I have ordered seed from them. Excellent service. The seeds perform as identified. I am always happy with the produce I receive from their seeds. Dependable and reliable. Thank you.

Excellent non-profit organization with a good selection of heirloom seeds. They also offer a member-to-member exchange network which supports direct sharing between gardeners as well as operating a seed bank for protecting rare seeds. I support them them because they're a great company and I know my dollars are going into ensuring ongoing biodiversity in our food supply which is important in our changing world and for nutrition.

Have ordered multiple times over the past several years. The orders always arrive promptly. The germination rate has always been good, and the folk have always been courteous and helpful when I've called. This is one of my go-to seed sources and a place I wholeheartedly recommend.

I have ordered from SSE for years, and I have always had an excellent experience with their live plants and their seeds. They send healthy, large plants and their seeds always sprout.

I will update next year with comments about their apple trees, if I am able to get in order in this time before they run out of stock!

So far so good. Seeds arrived very quick via mail and my order and shipping cost accuracy was pretty straightforward. My germination rate so far has been acceptable, although I must admit, I am a backyard gardener so I'm only growing on about a quarter of my 2 hour homestead currently. My only negative is I ordered 3 types of certified seed potatoes and about a month after received an email that two of the three, Certified Organic Purple Viking & French Fingerling Potatoes, did not meet USDA standards and I had the option of cancelling my order or accepting Conventional seed potatoes at a lower price. I am definitely OK with that but probably would not have ordered those initially with that knowledge, as I could have gotten conventional spuds at my local big box store for less and saved the high shipping cost. I suspect the SSE varieties will still be higher quality once I receive them so I may withhold final judgment on this topic. But, overall, I am fully behind what SSE represents and will continue to look for future seed purchases in their catalog and website to preserve the legacy of our forefathers' farms and gardens.

Posted on February 6, 2015, updated February 17, 2016
This is my second year to order from SSE, and I was thrilled last year with the success of their seeds. I will also report that they sent the seeds very quickly. My late January order came in within days!

I have had nothing but good experiences with this company

I placed my first order with Seed Savers Exchange and I ordered 20 packets of seeds. They arrived extremely quickly (Ordered on Sept 11, 2015 and they arrived Sept. 14, 2015). I'm very happy with the large selection they have and can't wait to get some planted!

Seed Savers Exchange provided me with a fantastic introduction to gardening. I started out with a 5x5 plot and now, six years later, have a much larger space -- 53x27. In part, this is due to the seeds and transplants they offer; in part, it's due to the helpful bulletins they send out. Each year, I enjoy adding one or two new plants to my repertoire, and the online seed catalog available through Seed Savers helps me stretch my imagination and interest and figure out what I want. I've been pleased with their careful packaging, informative inserts, and helpful customer service. The transplants I've received are in excellent health when they arrive -- they're bigger, greener, and sturdier than anything I can find locally -- and they've always done well in my garden. An exceptional organization.

This is my first time ordering from seed savers exchange. My experience was great. My order shipped at the date promised and arrived on time. I ordered the tomato sampler pack, the pepper sampler pack, and one ground cherry plant. So in total I ordered 13 lives plants. The plants were well packaged and secure in the box, the transplants were still moist and all apeared healthy looking, accept three tomatoes and the ground cherry but I called customer service and Kathy was kind and quickly offered to replace the dead transplants which I gladly accepted. The pepper plants are in the ground and doing very well. My three surviving tomatoes are also in the ground and thriving. I will definitely order from seed savers exchange again because the customer service was great and the response to my plant loss was instantaneous and I should have my replacements in a few days

I am not a member but have ordered for several years. Fast service every time. Excellent results from all seeds ordered.

I have placed several orders over the past five years. I have had good luck with their seeds. Last year, I received one packet with only two seeds. After emailing the company, I was quickly sent a replacement and extra pack. I've had especially good luck with their tomato and pepper varieties.

I've ordered seeds from Seed Savers several times and always received them promptly and with good results.

This year was the first time I ordered live plants from them. Of the twelve that shipped, the sleeve of one plant got shifted during shipping allowing the stem to break. A quick e-mail to Seed Savers had a replacement plant shipped the following day which arrived in very good shape.

The plants seem to be doing well outside after 1 week. I will order from Seed Savers again next year.

Not the cheapest but you will find heirlooms that cannot be found anyplace else. They also maintain an exchange catalog were members seed their seeds. I ordered some bean seeds which were expensive for the few seeds at $4.00 each package 30 seeds but I feel will worth the cost.

I've ordered from Seed Savers numerous times, including twice last year.
(This year I ordered through my local garden center to save on shipping.) Whenever I've ordered from them, I've always recieved my orders within five business days.

Seed Savers always sends a bonus packet with my order, even that one time I ordered just two packs. Shipping is same price as one of their packets, so if you like tomatoes and don't care what kind you get, it's kind of like getting free shipping. (I unfortunately don't like tomatoes, but it's always nice getting free stuff, and I've used the bonus packs for germination and grafting experiments.)

Their packets are the most expensive seeds I ever buy (mainly because I use them as a benchmark and won't buy anything that costs more than a packet of Seed Savers seeds), and in their case I don't mind the price because I support what they do.

The selection of heirloom seeds available to non-members is probably better than every site I've visited save two (Baker's Creek and Trade Winds), and if you become a member you'll have a surfeit of choice. (Something I aim to get myself next time I have a full-time job.)

Seed Savers has been my go-to company for years; I first see if something is available in Seed Savers, and only get stuff from another company if it's not available through Seed Savers or is significantly (at least 1/3) cheaper.

Based on selection alone (not to mention still-reasonable prices and the good work that they do), it's a shame that Seed Savers isn't in the Garden Watchdog Top 30.

Seed Savers Exchange is another organization that provides a wide variety of heirloom seeds at reasonable prices, even if you are not a seed saver. I personally support its mission to preserve genetic diversity of vegetables, herbs and flowers. I have found the germination rates high and the service excellent. Seed Savers Exchange meets and exceeds the service level of many for profit companies. I too enjoy the catalog and the stories. If you are looking for interesting and tasty heirloom varieties, make sure to spend some time with the catalog and the yearbook.

I really am pleased with the products we received from Seed Savers Exchange this year. I have had seeds from them before, but usually it was a couple packets of seed along with seed from a bunch of other companies. However, 2013 marked my first gardening season in the Western Wisconsin area (versus SE WI) and I made a 'pilgrimage' to Decorah, IA, instead of Randolph, WI.

I had been to Heritage Farm once before on a tour, so this was my first real visit without a company rep making it an awesome experience. Everyone that was working in the store on the Saturday we visited was friendly and helpful. It was a busy day, but all of the seed racks were well-stocked and there was a man stocking things as they went empty. Despite the fact that there were seeds and soil and 'dirty' stuff, the store was nice and clean. Diane Whaley was there and was so very nice -- I could have talked to her all day about gardening. It really made my heart happy to find a new seed 'home' near where I lived, because I love to go and buy my seeds in person rather than ordering from a catalog if I can.

All of the seeds that I bought (50+ varieties including tomatoes, peppers, dry beans, greens, melons, squash, cole crops, herbs, and a few flowers) came up really well. I had no problems with damping off or mutant shaped seedlings from improper drying/harvest equipment or anything at all wrong with them. Throughout their indoor time, the seedlings from SSE were great! As the year progressed and the fruits of the labor began to get harvested, I was pleased with how each and every variety was true to type -- not like some of the seeds I grew from other companies (see other reviews).

However, as much as I was pleased with my seeds, I was even more impressed with the potatoes we got from SSE. It was my first time ever buying seed that was not WI certified. From SSE, we had Desiree, Yellow Finn, Kennebec, and German Butterball. From Jay-Mar in Stevens Point, WI, we had Russet Burbank, Violetta Rose, and Yukon Gold. All were grown in the same garden plot and we had 25 or more hills of each variety. Being that it was our first year in a garden that was lawn in spring... well, let's say conditions could get a bit grassy at times. We had few Colorado Potato Beetles, but tons of Blister Beetles and then the grasshoppers finished them off in August. When it came to harvest time, I was sick to see the potatoes from Jay-Mar. They were pathetic -- small and very few potatoes per plant. The varieties we had from SSE were all nice and large and had lots of potatoes per plant. To me, that proves that the quality of SSE's potatoes are going to hold up a lot better in my garden no matter what the gardening conditions are. If they could do that well this year, it makes me excited for future years when we have things amended and going well.

In all, I highly recommend Seed Savers Exchange. They might not have some flashy new hybrid that everyone *has* to have, but they carry the tried-and-true varieties that will bear well no matter what the season brings and no matter what the gardener growing them does. For a family, that dependability goes a LONG way!

I am a novice gardener and bought 6 seed packets for a fall garden, mostly lettuce greens. They were shipped within a few days.

Some germinated quickly, others planted in another bed a few feet away took longer to germinate. My point is, same seeds, slightly different microclimate, different results.

Very glad places like Seed Savers Exchange exist and glad to support their mission in a very small way.

This is my second order this year and both times I was extremely pleased. The second order I placed was on August 22nd, and the seeds arrived on August 26th (The shipping was quite fast), just on time for fall planting. The shipment included a free seed pack.

The order I made in the Spring included peppers and tomatoes, and both types had 100% germination.

The selection that the SSE offers is excellent and the quality of seeds is unparalleled! I plan on ordering more in the future.

Opened box upon delivery; of six plants, five were floating loose, and one was completely missing (pot was there, but where's Waldo?). This is the second year in a row I've had exactly the same experience. Sucked it up and went on in 2012, but not this year. No more. I've had enough. Will never order again; shame, they're probably doing great things for the plant world but if this is how Seed Savers chooses to represent itself in the public, retail sector...well, there's a problem. Learn how to pack, people! I'm only one state away, for heaven's sake! I've had several plants shipped to Illinois from HAWAII that made it in perfect condition!!!

"On Apr 25, 2013 9:30 AM, Seed Savers Exchange responded with:

We are sorry to hear of the poor condition your plants were in upon receipt. Customer satisfaction is guaranteed, so please call and we will be happy to send replacement plants or a refund right away. We do take great care to ensure plants are properly packaged before they leave Seed Savers. The packaging itself is really pretty simple, and usually effective. A collar over the soil/stem holds the soil in place, a sleeve fits over the entire plant, with tabs that extend to hold the pot/collar in place, and many box sizes in increments of six which prevent movement inside the box (illustration on order page at http://www.seedsavers.org/onlinestore/Transplants/). However, we know that the shipping process itself is not always forgiving and even our best preparations cannot prevent the destruction you have observed. We hope to hear from you soon. Thank you. Tom Wahlberg, Seed House Manager"

Posted on April 18, 2013, updated April 22, 2013
I like the mission of Seed Savers and that they have preserved so many varieties for gardeners, for that alone I won't rate it a negative experience. I have never traded seeds at SSE so can't speak as a member. I bought seeds in 2012 and had the poorest germination rates I have ever had. Some of the vegetables didn't germinate at all. To be fair, I contacted SSE, and they sent out duplicate packs of seeds to replace the poor germination seeds (but keep in mind, it was too late to plant most of them that year). Now I have planted the replacements and one of the packets has had no germination either. One of them germinated beautifully. I don't know how they are saving seeds and why it is so inconsistant, but I don't make big orders from them anymore for this reason. I want to. The catalogue is so interesting and I love the family stories they take time to document. It's just most of the time the seeds give me real problems.

Quite possibly the worst customer service experience I've been unfortunate enough to encounter.

Became a member to receive a Yearbook as well as purchase a large amount of seed for our CSA (we're very interested in becoming part of the seed exchange/saving community and providing our local community with Heirloom fruits and vegetables through a small CSA), and placed our first order of nearly $1000. Long story short, we were never shipped our yearbook (which we needed to select flowers and herbs for our CSA--obviously time sensitive) after multiple phone calls. Each time we called, we were assured that it had shipped or it would ship ASAP or told that our concern would be forwarded to the person who manages memberships. A month and a half later, we have still yet to receive our yearbook.

After growing concerned that our seeds would ship with the same level of expediency as the yearbook, and a number of days passing with our order still in "Not Fulfilled Status", I decided to call and ask to change my shipping to overnight (seeds really need to get started ASAP to make CSA deadlines, etc.). I was not asking that SSE pay for the additional shipping charges, just that I be given the opportunity to upgrade which I figured wouldn't be such a big deal since it no action had been taken on my order relative to shipping before I called. I was wrong--the customer service rep was notably unwilling to do anything besides saying she'd email the shipping department, then proceeded to neglect returning my calls twice. A number of hours later (shipping cut off was noon), I checked the status of my order and it was being processed as UPS ground. Additionally, my partner had called that morning before me and was told that it had already shipped that morning, which was obviously not the truth. SSE's customer service appears to display an unacceptable culture of deferment and apathy.

I'm sure SSE is great for the hobby gardener who has an interest in saving seeds and preserving heirloom varieties (and doesn't mind if it takes until July to get a seed catalog), however their exceptionally poor customer service eliminates them as a reliable source for larger operations that have important timelines and commitments to customers.

We'll be cancelling our large seed potato order and will look elsewhere for flower and herb seeds.

"On Apr 1, 2013 8:02 AM, Seed Savers Exchange responded with:

We appreciate that you allowed Seed Savers Exchange to be a source of seeds for your CSA, and we hope to be able to be there for you in the future, if you will allow us the opportunity. We are sorry this situation turned out negatively; that is not how we pride ourselves in helping people. During the busy spring season, we allow a 7-10 day turnaround time for order fulfillment, and we hope that this deadline was met for you. We do care about all of our customers, and strive to offer the most positive experience we can."

I've ordered from SSE for over 5 years now and I've probably experienced around a 90% germination rate, which I'm sure is the norm for any high quality seed company out there.

SSE has an incredible selection of heirloom veggie, herb and flower seeds. I've also ordered their garlic and potatoes and have had great success.

I love Seed Savers Exchange and I would never hesitate to recommend these guardians of heirloom seeds!

I think it’s probably just human nature that we tend to post comments about vendors when we have a problem with them. I certainly have done so here in the past. But when I put together my list of recommended seed suppliers for a Senior Gardening posting this year, I realized that I should make a positive comment here about each of our suppliers that have performed so well over the years.

We’ve been a “listed member” in the Seed Savers Exchange annual yearbook off and on for years. When SSE began direct sales, we began finding items we’d stopped growing (for whatever reason) such as America spinach. We’ve also used them for tall pea varieties, which we prefer over the dwarfed varieties, as they’re easier for old folks to pick.

Several years ago, we started growing and processing our own ground paprika. We were able to combine two SSE offered, open pollinated varieties (Alma and Feher Ozon) with our Paprika Supreme variety to make an excellent ground paprika.

We still list and purchase seed through the SSE annual yearbook, but really enjoy the illustrated listings online and in the print catalog.

//www.senior-gardening.com/features/suppliers.html

I garden in containers and have many years' experience. I usually buy another seed brand but made two separate purchases this fall of Seed Saver's seeds, impulse buys at different gardening stores. Expiry date stamp on both was 2013.

Of the entire packet of Bloomsdale spinach sown, just one seed germinated and flourished. I also tried red romaine. To date, not a single germination. This is extraordinary.

Meanwhile I continue to sow fall crops from my usual brand, and every seed seems to germinate.

While I support the principles of Seed Savers strongly I could never recommend these seeds to anyone based on my experiences with them.

"On Oct 15, 2012 2:50 PM, Seed Savers Exchange responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. I want to assure you that we do test every lot of seed every nine months, and do not pack anything that does not exceed the Federal germination standards. A quick review of the 2 items you had purchased indicates the current lot of both items germinating above 85%, but that can certainly be affected negatively depending on storage conditions once it leaves our facility. Please contact our office directly, and we will re-ship your purchase, or credit your account for these packets, and hope that you will give Seed Savers another chance. Thank you."

I ordered garlic bulbs from this company and decided since I was placing an order to also order a packet of kale seeds. After entering my info on line I got to the shipping part and there were several choiced. The $3.00 shipping was automatically checked by the web site and I decided to go with that. My kale seeds arrived and there was the $3.00 S&H charge on the invoice. About a week later the garlic arrived and that had a S&H charge of $8.50. I called the company and told them I was not happy paying $3 to have one $2.75 seed packet sent to me that weighed about an ounce. There was nothing obvious on the web sit when ordering that said they would be sent separately. I told the girl I talked to that the $3 S&H was automatically checked and she told me she would let there computer people know that it was confusing. That was the extent of their help. I was not happy and will not be ordering from this company again.

"On Sep 11, 2012 1:41 PM, Seed Savers Exchange responded with:

We appreciate your point of view. Due to the fact that these items ship separately, there are separate shipping/handling costs associated. When placing an order online, the total charges, including shipping and handling, are shown before an order is submitted, at which time an order can be edited or cancelled. We are sorry that this was not communicated clearly enough. We are looking forward to moving to a new system late this fall that will charge actual shipping/handling to alleviate these misunderstandings in the future.""

I am extremely pleased with Seed Saver's Exchange. 95 to 100% germination rates on tomatoes (ordered seven or eight varieties) this year. I recently ordered lettuce, spinach, and Bok Choy for a Fall garden and they included two packets of tomatoes to try. What a nice surprise to find, after I received exactly what I wanted after I ordered. I will be ordering from SSE again soon. Also, my tomatoes are now 7 feet tall, when almost everyone else in my area has lost their tomatoes. Had good production rates in another tough year for growing.

this was my first time ordering from this company and my first time starting seeds..
i got everything i ordered really fast even tho i sent a money order via snail mail..the shipping was a lil high..but after reading about this company and what they do..i had to support them...
i also joined the flower and herb exchage and im looking forward to that..my flowers from the SSE are beautiful and i would order from this company again.

We alway order a couple hundred bucks worth of seed from them,shipping is always quick, germination rates are always really well 90-95%

Posted on June 12, 2012, updated June 12, 2012
Posted on June 8, 2012, updated June 12, 2012
Recently, I requested a catalog from SSE. I loved it and the idea of connecting with SSE Member's through the yearbook, I decided to join. At no point upon ordering the catalog did I get any sort of password so when I went to join SSE, I was told I had an account. Instead of a working lost password button, you get an onscreen message saying you have to call the company. Fastforward to new account (which I need to have corrected, but not part of my negative concern with SSE), I opted to join as a member under the reduced/fixed income as I am a 100% disabled vet ($25) and the flower/herb option ($10). I reviewed the order and placed it for $35.00 while knowing that I STILL have to call to order the yearbook since that isn't an option (another frustration) when purchasing membership. Upon checking my bank account for pending charges, it shows $50.00 to SSE. I try to call and have to leave a message for a call back on Monday to try and sort this out. So far, I am not happy with the web site ordering process, incorrect charges or having to set up a "second" account when I didn't sign up for a first one. Based on my experiences, not having a customer service rep available on weekends is outside the norm these days and only leads to further frustration. So far, I am a very unhappy consumer and considering foregoing any membership with them.

"On Jun 12, 2012 1:45 PM, Seed Savers Exchange responded with:

Dear Waldeburg,
We value your feedback as a customer and appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns. I’m very sorry to hear of your negative experience with us. We did get your message over the weekend and were happy to be able to speak with you today to resolve the situation. Thank you for contacting us directly, we appreciate being able to make things right.
Sincerely,
Laura
SSE
"

I bought only melons, several varieties, but the germination from each variety was less than 10%. They are as bad as Johnny's.

This is a very good option. I have NEVER had and problem with germination (around 99%). The young (leaf crop) plants all emerge early (2 - 4 days, usually) and have a very healthy appearance --- not sickly and skinny.

I will buy again and again from them.

Posted on May 10, 2012, updated May 14, 2012
I ordered 6 transplants - 5 tomato and 1 pepper for shipment April 30 to MD. Shipping costs $12. Items were shipped on time but badly packed and arrived damaged. No pepper plant at all in pot and 4 plants dead. Most ID tags and soil were out of pots, so no way to really identify which one survived. Immediately notified company and they said they would reship. They have reshipped according to e-mail on May 7, but shipped via post office. Should be interesting to see when these plants arrive and what shape they are in.

The short version for people just looking for a reputable seed company.
I have ordered from the following companies for years
they all have good prices, customer service and good germination rate.
Johnny's, Kitazawa Seed, Rohrer seeds, Territorial Seed Comp, and Seed Savers Exchange.

Posted on March 15, 2012, updated March 23, 2012
Shipping a very good time. Now let's see the quality of the seeds. Thank you.

Ordered several varieties of lettuce and bean seeds. The package arrived quickly. Germination rates were above 80% for each of the lettuce varieties. I would order from here again.

I've gotten seeds from Seed Savers every year since 2007. I have the BEST luck growing their tomatoes from seed. I get the Czech bush tomato seeds and they've converted me from a tomato tolerator to a tomato lover! I've had great luck with butternut squash, chard, and lettuce seeds as well. On the herb front, the borage seeds do really well where I live (Virginia) and help draw bees to my garden. In terms of flowers, I've only ever gotten the purple coneflowers and those are easy to grow, too. I'm looking forward to another good garden year.