Comments regarding Seed Savers Exchange

first time order; very impressed by the selection, the generous amount of seed per package, and the detailed cultivation information on each package. I will definitely order again in future.

First, I have been very disappointed with the poor germination rate of their seeds. Second I ordered prairie plants from them and was told today that they would not arrive until the middle of next week, meaning they would sit in a UPS truck over a hot, 3-day weekend. Thier rationale is that being prairie plants they are tough enough to handle anything as they should be dormant. I don't understand how any plants, much less prairie plants can be dormant at this stage of the growing season.

Last week I ordered 12 tomato, pepper and ground cherry transplants from SSE, and they arrived today in excellent shape. Their packaging is phenominal; UPS left the package upside down on my doorstep, but it didn't make any difference-all of my transplants were still firmly in their pots with all their soil still in the pots with them, and nothing broken. The transplants themselves are robust and healthy. I ordered these from SSE because it was pretty late and other places had already sold out of the transplants I wanted, but next year SSE will be my first choice.

I have placed two separate orders of seeds, and three separate orders transplants from SSE. Very impressed with how friendly and helpful their customer service is. The many seeds I ordered have since sprouted; about 85% germination rate.

The three transplant orders are 1 group of pairie plants and 2 groups of tomatoes & peppers. Out of the 6 pairie plants, one was a little immature to be sent (I thought they had been hardened?) and didn't make it after it was put in the soil. The others were fine, although one is showing signs of stress.

One group of tomato and pepper transplants look fine; still waiting for another group to arrive next week. Will update when that comes.

I placed an order with SSE and received in about a week. Seeds nicely packaged. Also bought a seed growing reference book and just love it. Will purchase from them again.

Placed order online and rec'd email confirmation promtly. Rec'd seeds within about a week and a half. I believe in what they are doing, so I am willing to pay $2.50 for a packet of 25 tomato seeds because I think it is important to have people dedicated to seed preservation.

I've been an SSE member for several years now and decided to try the retail side of the company this year.

I renewed my membership on line and placed a retail order. My Yearbook came promptly when it was supposed to, and my seeds followed shortly.

Everything was packaged beautifully and I love the ease of the website for placing orders.

I would not be without my SSE membership, as I believe in what Kent Whealy is doing with all of my heart. Even if I could not garden for some reason, I would still be a member to support the organization.

I have purchased seeds and plants from Seed Savers (Madison, Wisconsin store) for more than three years now. I have always been very pleased with their seeds and plants. My only complaint...since the Madison store closed I'll have to mail order or drive to Decorah!

Always a great place to shop!

Great company to deal with, have had no problems with any of the seeds I have ordered and they have a wonderful selection. Customer service is great, kept me well informed when one item was delayed and I received it much faster than the expected delivery date. Will do business with again this year.

They aren't exactly the quickest with delivery, but they have great seeds at good prices.

Great company, great prices, and great ethics.

Rare seeds of amazing plants, great prices, fast shipping, and excellent quantity of seed!

I suggest the spicy purple "Dragon" Carrot and tough Morning Glories. (Best when direct-sown)
Happy Gardening.

I joined seed savers exchange this year, it was money very well spent to say the least. Their year book is fantastic, it takes hours to look through all the facinating tomato varieties that members offer, that plus the great selection in their catalog gives a stagering number of choices.
I ordered seed from them for the second year and was pleased with how the order was handled. Seed germination was good considering our growing season got off to a bad start with3 weeks of cool damp weather, they did very good considering the difficult growing season
I will be doing business with seed savers from now on, between them and baker creek seeds, and seeds of change I have fantasic resources for heirloom seed and information to add to my knowledge to be the best grower possible.
Seed savers exchange deserves full support for a true and honorable endeavor to save our seed heritage.

Shipping and communication from this company is a bit slow, but the seeds I received were as described, well packaged and **most important** all germinated! Reasonably priced, too. Overall, I would recommend them.

Wonderful. Wonderful seeds, wonderful packaging, wonderful instructions, just wonderful! Even had an addressing issue for a gift and the customer service person was wonderful about it! I'm looking at my big, strong tomato seedlings now and am quite pleased.

I love this company as much as I do Baker Creek! Placed my order on the website and it arrived within 9 days. The order was correct and properly packaged. I really enjoy receiving the catalog and browsing the website throughout the year because they give wonderful information for each item. I've ordered from SSE twice and I'll keep ordering for future gardening.
GREAT company and wonderful customer service....very knowledgeable and helpful! All I grow is heirloom and it is due to this company and Baker Creek that I am also an organic grower :)
My 10 yr old and 4 yr old love the SSE catalog so much I have to put it up out of reach so I can look at it before they cut the pictures out to compare our plants with the pic's!

I've been a member for years and also order from the catalog. This is the place to go for heirloom seeds. All the seeds and tomato transplants that I've ordered from their catalogs have been excellent quality, 100% germination for seeds and healthy strong tomato plants!

I'm absolutely captivated by many of these varieties- 'Noir des Carmes' melons (I didn't know that I wanted to grow melons until I saw this picture and read the description), then there are the tomatoes, and the lettuces... ah, yes the lettuces! They are gorgeous and delicious!

We are very fortunate that so many people around the world have kept so many of these treasures to pass on and that this organization exists to pass on our gardening heritage!

It is also VERY important to me that the companies that I order from have signed the safe seed pledge. Way to go!

I placed an order for seeds and transplants online. The seeds came quickly--nice selection, btw. I'll report back when the tomato plants arrive in May.

I placed my first seed order this year with Seed Savers. All were shipped quickly but one. It was backordered.

By co-incidence the backordered seed was one I decided that I wanted to order more of than originally requested. I hated having to place a new order for 1 packet of seeds that I know was already on backorder so I decided to try my luck and call the company to see if it was possible to modify my original order instead. The woman who answered said it was no problem. She brought up my original order request and made the changes. She said the seeds will be shipped (the backordered & new request) together.

They definitely get my vote! Nowadays, most customer service people I talk to barely know how to do their job let alone make order specific changes. It was refreshing to talk to someone who knew how to answer my questions without having to transfer me first.

I have ordered from this company for the past two years and have had excellent results! I have ordered flower seeds, vegetable seeds and rose bushes through their agreement with the Antique Rose Emporium. All orders have been correct and prompt. The seeds have grown beautiful plants, especially the Grandpa Ott's morning glory and the dwarf peas and cherry tomatoes (grown in containers for my children). The roses have been fantastic bloomers (their first year) and arrived in great condition and also on time. I will continue to do business with them and can recommend highly.

I have recently placed two orders with SSE. Both orders were shipped immediately. The seed selection is wonderful and the seeds germinated well. I will be ordering again as I keep discovering unusual varieties that they carry.

I ordered several packets of seeds. Since I just received them several days ago, I cannot attest to quality. Their service, however, is great. I received the seeds very quickly and without incident, I'm pleased so far.

I placed my first order this season. quick turnaround and when the person processing my order realised I had entered the same item twice I got a phone call to verify that item(which was indeed a mistake), and correct the order. it shipped promtly the day I called. excellent work.

Found this company mentioned in one of the Garden Web forums discussion, then went to Garden Watchdog, and finally to their website. Thought not alot of seeds on the web general catalog, still very good selection and variety. Placed order and wow, got the seeds fast. Okay, they may be higher than other places for seeds, but its a non-profit organization doing a good thing. That gets my vote and business. Looking forward to starting the seedlings. Fast efficient service and good overall selection.

I had the chance to visit their Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa. What a nice experience. They have a store there where you can buy seeds, books, and other items. They also have a small herd of very rare white cattle which were lovely to look at. There is a general catalog with a wide selection of seeds, or you can pay a membership fee and have access to a far wider range. I've always been pleased with what I bought from them, and it's a good feeling to help support such important work.

I found these good people on the internet. I was always on the outlook for the heirloom veggie seeds my grandparents grew. Between the catalog and the seeds savers exchange yearbook I'm finding a previously lost past. Service is top rate, selection for my needs at least is excellent. Go there, buy seeds and join to support a very worthy cause. It's our life, it's our heritage.

Seems like good folks and a good source of heirloom seeds. Right after I ordered I got an email saying the order would be delayed 5 days to a week, which doesn't matter to me in January in Zone 6, but it's refreshingly responsible for a retailer. Just as important, true to their word a week later it shipped!

None of the "well it might be a little longer" repeated 'til January turns into April.

Steve Cox
Holland, Iowa

I've been ordering from them for years, and I have nothing but good things to say about them! One time there was a delay in shipping one package of basil seeds, and I received a hand written note apologizing and explaining the problem.

I ordered from them first time this spring. I felt I didnt get good germination so I called the co. They sent me TWO pks of seeds instead of replacing the one and I was very impressed b/c theyre not a big name outfit and im sure theyre budget is tight. I will be ordering heirloom seeds from them again!!!

Ordered three packets of seeds to try them out - all germinated well (+90%). I can't keep the catalogue at work - everybody wants to see the unusual varieties they carry! (can't wait to eat my first Prescott Fond Blanc cantaloupe!)

I enjoy ordering from there catalog.You get a good amount of seeds not like the store bought packages where you just get a few seeds. Always a good selection and sure to find something you haven't tried before or that's not available anywhere eles. Germination is always good. I look forward to getting my catalog.

Excellent assortment, super high germination rates and a myriad of seeds you can't find anywhere else! :)

I ordered heirloom tomato seeds from this company about a week ago. I realized after I placed the order, or course, that I forgot one variety. I emailed them but missed the shipping date. They sent me the single packet of seeds for cost only, no shipping charge. It was my fault, and they helped me anyway. The seeds arrived in 4 days, packaged well and correct. Very good company.

Along with being a member of the exchange and receiving the benefit of thousands of seed varieties offered in the annual exchange, I also have purchased seeds from the organization's seed catalog.

SSE is the grand daddy of the heirloom seed movement. They are the model for many other similar organizations and small specialty seed companies - our's included.

They are definitely worthy of our support!

The Group that started the now popular heirloom seed movement, I have been a member for 6 years and it has been worth 10 times the membership fee to me!

#1 in all ways!

Jere Gettle

The SSE now has a website. At this site you can join the SSE, order some of their publications, or even place an order for vegetable and/or flower seeds. They only sell a limited number of varieties, but they're all great.

These folks are GREAT! The seeds you received are very high quality. The membership price is well worth it because you are then networked with literally thousands of home gardeners all over the States, Canada, UK, and Mexico. I have made some great relationships through this exchange and the gardens beautiful.

We've had nothing but good luck with the seeds. We start from seed in February and had a 95 percent germination rate. Most varieties produced very strong plants and we ended up giving away 350 tomato plants to friends and family above and beyond the 40 we planted.