Comments regarding Backyard Berry Plants

I just received my order of alpine strawberries from Backyard Berries. The order was delayed somewhat due to COVID-19; however, Keith was great about responding to my emails and providing as much information as possible in his responses. When the plants arrived, they were carefully and safely packaged for shipment. The plants were strong and healthy. I am very pleased with this purchase. I purchased blueberry plants two years ago and they are also growing as anticipated -- strong and robust. I am happy to do business with you!

I ordered 9 blueberry bushes (8 1-quart and 1 2-gallon,) 4 raspberry bushes, one blackberry and one rosemary.I was stunned by how beautiful, healthy and vibrant each and every plant looked. Great care was taken to package them so that there was no damage in transit. They also thrived for quite some time in their pots as I hadn't dug out their new homes yet. Keith has been phenomenally patient and helpful with all my questions, selecting cultivars, suggesting companion plantings and just general advice. That commitment means the world to someone who has never grown berry bushes before. I would order from him again in a heartbeat and when I clear out some more space in my backyard!

Backyard Berry Plants has definitely gained another customer.

I ordered 4 Certified Organic Blueberry bushes; just to try them out.

The plants came in, and were perfectly packaged with no damage. The proclaimed 2 yr old bushes; look as good as some of my 3-4 year old established plants.

Excellent customer service. Keith made me aware of receiving the order, and gave notice when the plants shipped.

I ordered 16 raspberry plants this spring and have just planted them. Besides an excellent selection, excellent descriptions, and organic certification, when the plants arrived they were absolutely stellar!! So HEALTHY...well done. I give this nursery the highest recommendation.

Sheer happiness that I came across Keith's Back yard Berry Plants. I don't know what I love about his business the most.
All parts of his business are exceptional

1. Unbelievable variety of best Berry bushes. ( I researched in national tasting tests the best berries, sure enough Keith had the top winners)

2. The best customer service I remember coming across, in any business.

3. Comprehensive incredibly informative website, it created confidence in selecting even for a total new gardener like myself. So much info I still go back to read it, as I am planning the 3rd place in my garden that I can put his berries.

4. ***** five star quality plants.

5. Somehow all perfectly shipped, prime plants.


Plus...As detailed and carefully laid out Keith's website is, when I rang for additional info because I wanted this Berry garden to be perfect I would ring with additional questions ( like I can only find rock phosphorous instead of soft rock phos' is this ok? He was beyond patient.

If anyone is thinking of throwing some Berry bushes in your backyard my advice would be to 100% do it and make sure you do it with Keith.

Gabrielle, a very happy repeat customer. Thanks Keith!

Backyard Berry Plants have by far the most amazing raspberry plants available. Keith truly exemplifies what an Organic Grower can turn out. I never in my life imagined how large and thriving his brambles would be. The plants arrived quickly and I couldn't believe how big they were. They are 3 1/2 feet to 4 feet tall and as big around as a pencil with roots that fill a 2 and 1/2 gallon pot. If you want Excellent stock for your raspberry garden or patch. Thank you so very much for the AWESOME Jaclyns.

This was my first time ordering plants on line and this was an exceptional experience. I asked Keith several questions via email about different varieties of plants for my location and space and he was very helpful and quick to respond. The communication about the shipping was very informative, including date of expected arrival, tracking number etc. The plants arrived in excellent condition and were very carefully packed. They were large and healthy plants, even with blossoms and some had tiny berries starting to grow! I would definitely order plants from Backyard Berry Plants again, and have already referred a friend! The website is also very informative!!! Lots of helpful information about planting and ongoing care and fertilizing for healthy plants and the best berry yields. Thanks Keith!

very positive experience, I asked Keith some questions about their heirloom blueberries and he answered quickly. After ordering I received an update when shipped and when it arrived it had some of the best packaging I've seen. All 8 plants were secured in the box and to each other in groups of 4. Very minimal signs of heat stress from sitting on my porch all afternoon and perked right back up with some sunshine and water. Great experience and would definitely do business with them again.

Posted on August 28, 2014, updated December 15, 2014
Posted on August 15, 2014, updated August 28, 2014
I've been putting in an edible landscape at my new house; this is the first time I've done this type of gardening on this scale. As I learned more I came to realize that that local nursuries just don't have everything that I want/need. So, reluctantly, I placed my first on-line order earlier this year with an edible landscaping company that I won't mention. It was a very poor experience, with all of the alpine strawberries I had ordered being small unhealthy, about half dying within a few weeks. So I did some looking around, I found Dave's Garden and read the reviews. From there I found out about Backyard Berries and thought I'd give it a try. I placed an order for four blueberries, which have not yet arrived (I'll post a review once they do) and sixteen alpines, which arrived today.

The plants were large, healthy and extremely well packed. The planting instructions were excepetional. Keith was excellent to work with - yesterday there was a problem with delivery, I had told Keith the address was wrong, not knowing the cause. He was very apologetic, offered to refund my money if the plants arrived dead, etc. Turns out it was my own mistake - I had made a typo when emailing him my address, which I discovered later. I'm sure he was aware that it was my mistake, but he didn't act like it; he certainly epitomizes the notion "the customer is always right" (even when we're wrong). In any case, the delivery issue was resolved and my plants arrived looking great - much bigger and much healthier than any alpines I've ordered on-line (this is my fourth go-round, given the ever-expanding size of my plantings and the high attrition rates on my previous orders from a different company). The packaging was far better than what I've experienced on previous orders; one company put a bunch of clear packing tape over the leaves and crowns of my previous order, which played a large role in killing about half the order within a week. Keith's, conversely, had a nice spacing between the crowns and the tape, small enough to keep the soil in but far enough to keep from hurting the plants. It was obvious that a lot of care and dedication went into the packing - really first rate.

My interactions with Keith have been nothing but positive; he's very responsive, he's been very understanding when I've been wishy washy about which cultivars I wanted (I'm working with a small lot, so I tend to try to shoehorn big plants where I really need something smaller). I can't wait to see my blueberries - two Sunshine blues, one Bonus and one Chandler; I'm sure they'll be excellent as well.

I highly recommend Backyard Berry Plants.

I was looking for thorn free raspberry plants and found Backyard Berry plants. I emailed Keith about this and he told me about his plants. It took me two years to buy my house but I was soon looking up Keith's saved email to order. Although he was sold out of the brambles for this year when I emailed him he was able to find me 2 plants and shipped them to me. A friend knowing I wanted thorn free raspberry plant ordered me a plant from Burpee. I wish I could post a picture of the difference between the two companies. Costing the same and received within a week of each other I planted both. But the Burpee one was in a cup sized container and Backyard Berry Plants were in a 2 gal container. . What a difference. Thank you Keith for my wonderful thorn free raspberry plants.

I ordered blueberries and figs from this company. All plants were in excellent condition with sturdy top growth and well developed root balls. The blueberry planting directions on their website were excellent. There were no directions for planting figs in the ground, but I have done it before, so that was OK. I know they don't put figs in the ground in IL, so perhaps that was why there were no instructions.

I am fairly new to gardening and started gardening organically on a small scale. I ordered eight berry plants from Keith at Backyard Berry Plants about four years ago. They arrived as promised, packaged very well and looking very healthy. Since that time my husband and I have followed Keith's recommendations every step of the way from planting to fertilizing and mulching. His website is very helpful. Our little plants have grown into beautiful, full bushes, laden with blueberries. This year, about a week into the berry picking season, our bushes were attacked by Japanese Beetles. We tried to pick them off one by one but they came in such large numbers we lost control. We thought we had lost our harvest after only a week of picking. Since I was not interested in using any kind of chemical pesticides, I reached out to Keith by email for any advice he could offer. He promptly responded and offered me a solution which we tried the same day I received his response. Within a few days, we had regained control over our berries and the beetles had all but disappeared. Our yield this year (over double from last year) has surpassed our expectations. Our freezer is full and I am a happy customer.

Keith provided accurate info and recommendations. Plants arrived packaged well and exceeded expectations. Already enjoying fruit. Planting guidelines greatly appreciated.

I ordered 8 quart sized potted blueberry plants and all of them arrived in excellent condition. In fact, they are the best looking blueberry plants I ever ordered via mail order. They rival the local nursery offerings but are certified organic. I'll now get all my berry plants from Backyard Berry Plants.

I received very nice, well-branched, blueberry plants from Keith. Keith was very responsive to emails that I sent. He was very knowledgeable and you can tell that he is interested in educating his customers. It was an overall pleasure to do business with Keith.

Keith was wonderful to work with. My blueberry plants arrived quickly and I was expecting them to be small. But they were 24-30" tall and so beautiful and healthy! One even had blooms on it! Plants were packaged very nicely. Wonderful company!

We received our 8 blueberry plants and could not be happier. They were packed nicely and arrived on time. I opened the boxes and found the most beautiful plants! Much bigger than what we expected and looked so healthy! In fact, one of them is blooming now in my yard (I just got it for 2 days)! I also ordered 8 strawberry plants, can't wait to get them!

Keith is so nice to work with. Not only he responded to my emails very quickly but he is also very helpful. He didn't have one of the blueberry plants I ordered and sent me another variety to substitute it. After I told him I didn't really want the variety he picked for me, he immediately offered to send me another one! What a nice person!

My husband normally againsts buying plants online because he doesn't believe the plants can be as healthy as the local nurseries. But after he saw Keith's plants, he told me that I should just order from him from now on... haha, I guess he was very impressed too.

Keith and company did a great job from start to finish. Answered my emailed questions immediately, shipped exactly when promised, plants arrived in perfect shape, and they were much bigger than we'd expected. Thank you!

I have purchased blueberry plants from three sources over the years and this year decided to go with Keith at Backyard Berry Plants.

I chose Keith because the level of detail that he provided about the various varieties he offers and his commitment to organic suggested he had a real passion for his plants and the business he has built.

I received the plants last week and planted them this past weekend. I was absolutely thrilled with the size and condition of the plants when I opened the box. They exceeded my already high expectations and confirmed my opinion that Keith is passionate about what he does.

I will definitely buy from Keith again as I continue to diversify and extend my blueberry grove in the future.

Posted on April 4, 2012, updated April 24, 2013
I just ordered a variety of brambles and blueberries from Keith. Since I am local, I drove down and picked up the plants.

I have to agree with everyone below - the plants are amazing, HUGE, and in great shape. Far far nicer than I had expected.

On top of that, Keith is a great guy, very personable, very knowledgeable, and took time out of his (very busy this time of year!) day to chat with me and answer a lot of questions.

I have nothing but positive things to say, and would not hesitate for a second to do business with him again (and will in the future).

I purchased 12 different varieties of blueberry cultivars from Backyard Berry Plants. I am an extremely satisfied customer because the plants I received are very healthy and already flowering. I am especially grateful that the company is organic. At my local garden store, there were only two varieties available, Jersey and Climax, they were not organic and they looked like twigs. Having the option of selecting multiple varieties will increase pollination rates and will extend the fruiting season.

The customer service for Backyard Berry Plants is outstanding! I emailed Keith numerous times and he always responded quickly usually within hours. I asked him very specific questions regarding planting depth, width, materials, fertilizer, etc. One of the blueberry cultivars I had picked, Keith emailed me saying that it would require extra watering in my zone 7b, but that is was an outstanding performer. I'm new to growing blueberries and asked him if he could please substitute with the Southern bush Sunshine Blue because it is more heat tolerant. Keith had no problems doing it and put up with my indecisiveness.

The company's website is simply honest about when the plants could be expected to produce blueberries - expect some next year and then more each increasing year. Honesty and integrity are important to me as a purchaser. There was no deceptions about how much fruit and when the plants could be expected to produce.

The plants were packaged securely and none were damaged during shipping. I give Backyard Berry Plants my highest recommendation and would gladly order from them in the future!

Helpful with plant selection and care...fast response to questions and ordering. Plants arrived beautifully wrapped and healthy. My raspberries are already producing and my blueberries are growing rapidly (and very healthy). Ordering again this year to fill my backyard with fruit...will continue to order for successive plantings of strawberries.

I have planted a lot of fruit trees and bushes over the years but the blueberries that I got from Keith at Backyard Berry Plants have been by far the most spectacular. You can tell as soon as you open the package that these plants got individual attention, in fact I would not be surprised if Keith had a name for each individual. The difference between these plants and typical ones you get at a typical nursery is that these look so healthy and vigorous. You can tell they are ready to be set in the ground and explode with production as opposed to most nursery plants that need to be coddled and look quite unpredictable and scared of their new home. These plants are very thrilled to be at their new space at our home. Thanks.

I got 2 dward blueberry and 4 alpine strawberry plants from Keith. I was so pleasantly surprised by how FABULOUS the blueberry plants look when they arrived. They are bigger than I thought and just very healthy looking. Keith along the way was very helpful with his advice on the selection and care of these plants. I was delighted to see some flowers on the Blue North already. Highly recommend this place! Thank you Keith!

We are a certified organic greenhouse/farm located in Wisconsin. We were looking for some organic blueberry plants to add to our current vegetable, herb and flowers plant offerings. I found Backyard and they have been wonderful to work with. Keith is a wealth of information and very helpful. The plants came boxed and very secure. They were well wrapped, healthy, and looking great. They even added some extra labels so we can label each plant variety. I am looking forward to working with Keith and Backyard Berry Plants in the future. Thank you.

I ordered 2 of the Friendship Blueberry Plants from Keith at Backyard Berry Plants & I can't be happier! They arrived in AMAZING condition. They are beautiful plants. The colors on them during the fall are awesome! I just got them in the mail today Oct 18th 2012 & am VERY pleased with my purchase. Much bigger & better than expected!! High quality healthy plants!! I would definitely recommend them to anyone. Keith is very nice to deal with. Customer service is outstanding!! They go above & beyond. Even providing a tracking number so you can see where your plants are & when to expect them to arrive. I would DEFINITELY recommend this company to anyone who hasn't purchased from them before! You won't be disapointed! A+++ all the way!!!!!!

Posted on April 21, 2012, updated May 7, 2012
Very impressed with my Blueberry plants when they arrived in PA. Better than I had hoped. Chandler, Bonus, Blue Moon, Patriot. packaged well. I have immediately ordered some Raspberry Plants. Keith communicates very well and was extremely helpful. The whole experience was great.

I've purchased blueberry plants from a number of sources: local garden centers, mail order potted (Stark Bros) and bare-root (Miller Nurseries). Last fall, I found //backyardberryplants.com/. At first I thought the prices seemed a little high, but I took a chance on 4 bushes, and I'm glad I did. As nice as the plants are, they were actually a bargain. When I opened the box, I was blown away by the quality of the plants. They were bigger and looked healthier than any I've ever purchased before. I planted them using the soil-less planting method described on his website (peat and pine bark). This spring, they were the first of my plants to leaf out, and they are BEAUTIFUL. There were lots of blossoms and I now have many little berries developing. My 3 year old son is thrilled at the prospect of picking blueberries in his own back yard.

On top of that, the customer service is as good as the plants. Keith is a pleasure to deal with, and the website is full of useful information. I don't know what more you could ask for. This is what America is all about - a local guy on a family farm (not a mega-corporation), incredible products, outstanding service, environmentally responsible, and a good price. I didn't know operations like this existed anymore.

I am from New York and i ordered four blueberry plants from from Backyard Berry Plants and I could not be happier! They have the BEST customer service. When I first looked through their website, I was overwhelmed with the large variety of blueberry bushes. I spoke with Keith and he guided me to the plants that would work best in my area, with my skill level, etc. He was very patient with me and also very informative. he responded to all of my emails in an efficient manner, always responding back within the day I sent the email. Unfortunately, FedEx lost my package of blueberries I purchased. Before I called him I was very nervous that he would give me a hard time about sending a replacement ( I have had very bad customer service experiences with many companies) , however, he handled it in the PERFECT way. He was very understanding and professional, and he even shipped out my replacement order the very next day!! I received my four blueberry plants a couple of days ago and they are GORGEOUS. They look completely healthy and sturdy, and some of them have blueberries on them already!!

This is by far the best company I have ever dealt with. I highly recommend purchasing from them, I will definitely be purchasing from them in the future. Thank you Keith! Keep up the good work!

If you are looking for a place that provides great customer service, then this is the place for you. Keith is very communicative, and offers a great deal of advice on the plants they sell. I was pleased with my order of blueberry bushes. I especially liked the Northland bushes that i received. The shipping/transit time was very quick and bush arrived with moist soil in the pots. I had ordered some black raspberry canes last year, and they are growing well for me. as well.

Big, beautiful healthy blueberry plants! I'm so pleased and impressed. Certified organic. I ordered blue moon and blue gold.

Keith is very responsive and helpful with e-mails questions.

Excellent mail order experience! Quality operation.

Wow! Beautiful big healthy blueberry plants. And certified organic. Hard to find varieties--I got 10 Blue Moon and 5 Hannah's Choice. Each plant was in a 2.5 to 3 gallon container, with a well-developed root system, several strong canes per plant. Over 3 feet tall plants (not including pot and roots). LOTS of blooms. I picked them up this week (first week in April). I had been e-mailing Keith with many questions all winter, before I even ordered, and he always responded quickly and helpfully. Above and beyond expectations, we are just thrilled. I will definitely be a repeat customer.

The plants arrived today and they are absolutely beautiful. Huge blooms on all three, and berries already starting on two of them.

This was my first time ordering from Keith. I found him while doing a blueberry Google search and I couldn't be happier with my decision.

I hate leaving any more of a footprint than I need to and therefore I had concerns about printing and mailing. I try to do all I can the green way, so I contacted Keith and he was very responsive; took my order by email and payment by PayPal - it couldn't have been easier!

I also found this site very helpful and easy to navigate. He has all the information about growing, fertilizing, and soil requirements right at your fingertips.

Posted on December 13, 2010, updated October 10, 2011
I ordered two raspberry bushes from BBF and am very happy with them and the customer service I received. I ordered from another company earlier this year (Dimeo Farms) and had an EXTREMELY negative experience so I was hesitant to do mail order again (please read that review if Dimeo is on your shortlist), but I really wanted organic bushes. But I realized that someone in the Columbus area who I have worked with on a tree planting before posted a positive review so I decided to take the chance and am glad I did. The owner was very helpful in helping me decide which varieties to get, even tho I was only ordering two. He shipped it to me very quickly which I needed because I had left it to November to order, and needed to get them in the ground quickly. They came and the canes were about 2 1/2 feet tall with full leaves on them. SUCH a difference from the bare twigs I got from the other company. I only wish I had bought my blueberry bushes from BBF earlier.

Ordered 4 berry plants here about 1.5 weeks ago (2 blueberries + 2 blackberries). Ordering process was not as "quick" as we like it these days as it is a mail-in process, but it was completely worth it.

As the website states, they come in 2.5-3 gallon pots, but if you've ordered online before, you know that may not mean much.

However, I was completely blown away. Here are my takeaways...

(1) Keith is extremely responsive via email and responds rather quickly (< 6-8hours).

(2) Shipping was via FedEx, a tracking number was emailed to me, and shipping was fast (1 day from Bloomington, IN to Lake Villa, IL)

(3) Keith sent an email with care instructions on what to do when the plants arrived (unpacking them e.t.c).

(3) The plants were extremely well packed. No damage at all during shipment. No soil coming out of pots, no broken branches, no lost leaves. Perfect.

(4) THE PLANTS ARE HUGE. Let me say this again. THE PLANTS ARE HUGE. All plants came bushy and full of leaves. I will try to update this post with pictures, but in the meantime, I'll tell what I got:

- Navajo Blackberry : 2 canes growing off the main trunk. Canes were 3-4 FEET long. That's about 75% max height for this cultivar. Not very upright, but that is how young blackberries grow.
- Ouachita Blackerry : 1 canes growing off the main trunk. Cane was 4.5 FEET long. Again, 75% max height. Slightly more upright than Navajo, but again, these plants are only 2 years old and will become more upright next year.
- Friendship Blueberry : Numerous canes (>4) growing off the main trunk. Very upright structure. All canes 4.25 FEET tall. This is 90% max height.
- Polaris Blueberry : Numerous canes (>4) growing off the main trunk. Also very upright. All canes 3 FEET tall. At about it's max height.

As you can see, those are HUGE size plants. Not the scrawny small stuff you get from almost all other nurseries. I ordered a blueberry from another nursery last year and their "1 gallon" pot contained a 14" whip looking thing. For only a little less.

Furthermore, if those nurseries were selling these sizes, it'll be at least double the price.

(5) Care guide on his website is detailed and fantastic. I am following it exactly. Will report how things grow next year.



After receiving my stuff, I'm kinda disappointed that Keith doesn't have much more positive ratings here. I've order from over 14 different online nurseries and NONE come close to this.

Thanks Keith and I hope to pick up some raspberries in early spring 2012!

Huge, beautiful, healthy plants!

These guys are GREAT! My plants shipped and arrived exactly as promised. AND what gorgeous plants they are. I will definitely go to these folks again. Thank you thank you. Kae in WNC

I'm so glad I added these beautiful, healthy, huge berry plants to MY backyard. Yes, the prices are a little higher than some, but considering the incredible quality, and the selection of truly rare cultivars, these blueberries would be cheap at twice the price. I picked my order up (very accomodating person, is Keith), so I can't comment on the shipping, but I'm sure Keith does as great a job at that as he does raising berry plants. Would very definitely buy again.

Plants came yesterday. Absolutely beautiful plants. The nicest blueberry plants I have purchased. Healthy looking with great looking stems. The color on the Blue Moon is a knockout. Geez who needs the berrys with a plant with winter color like that. Last year I paid a premium for 5 year plants from Willis Orchard and Keith's 1 gallon plants are so much nicer than the 5 years plants it is not even funny. I wish I had bought all my plants from BackYard Berrys. Just super quality plants I and I have purchased a lot of blueberry plants.