Gurneys

Has anyone tried any of Gurney's products and/or seed? Any feedback you have would be greatly appreciated.

Not for quite a while, use to be an excellent company, but changes in the industry are rampant. It is now owned by Gardens Alive and has a 50/50 rating in the watchdog. May be ok for seeds but I don't think I would order plants from any of the multi- tasking companies. Most of them drop ship from contract nurserys and have little control over the product..

You're the best Farmerdill, thanks! Johnnny's Seeds is a good company though, right?

Can't be beat for short season seeds,

I've had really bad luck with a lot of things from Gurney's, except strawberries. They were great. Some of the plants were very small and didn't do well.

The biggest problem is that I ordered some plants and a tree I really wanted and I wasn't informed that they were out of stock until well after they should have been delivered and then I couldn't get them from another source. If I ordered in January they had to have known before June that they were not going to be able to send the plants.

I work with a doctor who told me that NONE of the trees he ordered from them grew last year!!

Johnny's is a good company. These are the other places I order from: Swallowtail Seeds, Tanager's Song Farm, Tomato Grower's Supply, Pinetree Garden Seeds, Heirloom Seeds, Sand Hill Preservation. Bluestone Perennials and Nourse Farms. For bulbs I've found John Scheepers and Colorblends to be the best for the money, selection and product.

These are the places I stay away from as much as possible: Breck's (way too much money and not reliable); Spring Hill (poor packaging and small plants); Van Bourgendien's (just plain poor quality). Don't buy anything from Direct Gardening or Gardens Alive or any of their companies. Wayside Gardens and Park's Gardens tempt you with exclusive plants but they are very costly and small. They do have great packaging and will replace anything that doesn't grow. I don't know if I dare order from them again. It is hard to lose a whole season even if they do replace the plants.

How is that for telling you what to do? LOL. I don't mean to sound bossy. I have just made some costly mistakes.

Ecolage is real good.

Thanks guys. Looney I appreciate you honesty, thats what I wanted to hear. No one wants to waste money, and more importantly, waste valuable planting time,

kanita, you can also use the Garden Watchdog here at DG. It has over 200 member's responses to how they felt about Gurneys. There's a lot of good info there on many, many garden suppliers. Just click on the tab at the top of the page.

Flip

Yep, it's always good to check out GW.

That way, you get a mix of experiences to read about. For example, I love both Breck's and Wayside/Parks... in fact, Wayside has sent me some of the biggest bulbs and plants I've ever received by mail. And I take advantage of their specials, so that makes their prices more reasonable for me. On the other hand, the one thing Gurney's failed to ship me this year was strawberries, so that's just the opposite of Linda's experience! They did send me mislabeled seeds the year before, so I have to agree that they're slipping, but hope they will pull out of it.

Thanks guys. I initially did a search for Gurneys in WD but nothing came up. Maybe I misspelled it.

Its usually easier to click on the beginning letter (in this case G) and scroll down thru the listings. Computers are picky, It will read Gurney but not Gurneys

Critterologist is right. We all have different experiences. Some are positive and others not. Garden Watchdog is a great source for varied opinions.

My complaint about Wayside and Parks is that my plants have been very small and most of them did not come up this spring--not even the ones I gave to people in another zone.

I love their catalogs but prices seem high to me. For example, both companies offer a blueberry bush in a 3 inch pot for $14.95. Nourse Farms offers the same blueberries in bareroot form in the spring for $7.10. You would have a very hard time stuffing those roots into a 1 gallon pot.


Critter, what did you order that was large and grew well? I have a credit for the plants that didn't grow. I bought perennials.

I buy alot of seeds from Gurney's and have been very happy with them. they have alot of unique varieties and they ship quickly. I've never had a problem (but then, I don't buy bulbs or live plants, either.)

Wayside has sent me some enormous bulbs -- daffs, grape hyacinths, oriental lilies -- and a half price gardenia bush that was twice the size of another one I'd ordered from (I think) Breck's. I agree that their prices are high unless you're using one of their coupons &/or ordering specials, but they are good about honoring their guarantee.

Gurney's has a hybrid cuke (the burpless one) that out-performs any other variety I've tried, so they'll keep getting some business from me! I can't comment much on their plants, since I never saw their strawberries, but they did send me a nice, fat bundle of purple asparagus crowns that I gave to a friend who says they're doing fine.

Sequee - What unique seeds do you buy from Gurney's. I've had so much fun started my own this year?

Criterologist - Thanks. Maybe I'll use my credit on some bulbs.

Oh, goodness, I don't even remember all I've ordered. As I recall, this year I placed the Johnny's order and Steve Krause placed the Gurney's order - then we split everything. It was great fun! I place an order with Gurney's every year, though. They offer a half price deal once or twice a year and I stock up on anything fun I can find, as well as any varieties of tomatoes I haven't tried yet. I'm a true junkie!

Here's a picture of my Bon-Bon Squash! I LOVE this plant!

I jus gotta make a pitch for one of ours:
http://405.scifstore.com/module/store/
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A satisfied customer!

Oh, yum! I've never heard of these guys before, but that Early Moonbeam Watermelon - gotta try that next year! And maybe some of the Libra Winter Squash!

Oh, dear - I'm already planning NEXT year's garden and I've barely reaped the rewards of this year's labors.

Git it bad!

I'm with you Sequee... already thinking about next year, and have only picked peppers so far this year. Charlie - I will definitely be ordering from them. Thanks for the link.

thanks for the good recommendation, i aim to please ;-D