P. O. Box 361
Redwood City, California 94064 (United States)
Notes
The owner Craig Carlton Dremann, started garden at six years old with pansies and Benning's Green Tint Scallop squash, and was collecting seeds of four o'clocks and acacia trees. Decided as a kid, if was ever going to have a seed business, wanted to have lots of seeds in each packet, so you never had to hunt for a few seeds at the bottom. Most packets have 100 seeds.Established in 1972 when at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, as the first seed company to only offer open-pollinated HEIRLOOM vegetable seeds, and NO hybrids. Along with a wide selection of vegetable seeds, we specialize in dozens of hot peppers including the current WORLD'S HOTTEST LAB-TESTED, our "Chocolate Champion®" Habanero with a lab-tested average of 1,662,000 Scoville heat units, which beats the last Guinness record-holder, the Carolina Reaper.
We are closing our business after 51 years, in 2023 or whenever all of our seed jars are empty. All of the seed prices have been lowered to only $1 per packet, with postage extra. There are order blanks at http://www.ecoseeds.com that you download, fill out and send in with a check or money order.
Stock up and put them in your refrigerator where they will stay good for at least 3-4 years. We tested seeds stored refrigerated and they stayed viable for 20 years that way.
Also, buy on Ebay a “mini digital hygometer” and put that battery-powered moisture meter in with your seeds, and keep the moisture level below 30%. By NEVER storing your seeds at room temperature and ALWAYS refrigerated, and keeping track of the moisture with your mini-hygometer, you will have strong viable seeds for years and years.
SEED LIST at [HYPERLINK@www.ecoseeds.com]. You can download the pages from our 2023 catalog, which has our heirloom vegetable variety descriptions and planting information at [HYPERLINK@www.ecoseeds.com/2023catalog.html]
Craig's heritage from his father's side is Native American via his great grandmother Hannah from the Deer Clan of the Tuscarora Tribe, so you will see three traditional Hopi Corn varieties in the seed list. For growing a corn crop during our decades-long Western US drought event, this is the most drought resistant flour corn variety on the planet, able to grow in sand dunes in the desert without irrigation, and is also the softest to grind for corn flour, with the kernels being pure starch and no hard parts like the dent corns.
Thanks for the support from the tens of thousands of gardeners who have planted our seeds over the last 51 years.
FUTURE WORK--Ecological Restoration -- Craig is continuing his work with his other business, “The Reveg Edge” restoring native grasses and wildflower fields, and since 1992 has already restored 800 acres back to 95% native cover in California. Invented methods to mow monthly and able to unearth dormant native seeds still in the soil, and convert flammable weed grasses back to fire-safe wildflowers at [HYPERLINK@www.ecoseeds.com]
In the Western US, the weed grasses are causing massive million-acre wildfires each summer, so by converting the weed grasses back to wildflowers, you permanently eliminate 98% of the fire fuels.
FERTILIZING the WEEDS—Many home gardeners when they read this paragraph, might think that Craig jumped off some space ship from Venus, but here it goes. Craig discovered that by fertilizing, you could get rid of some of California’s most widespread and persistent weeds, like the yellow star thistle (YST) that covers 12 million acres. The star thistle only grows in soil where domesticated grazing has removed the soil nutrients and organic matter, below the thresholds needed for other plants to grow.
By adding fertilizers in October 2022 to a 3/4 acre YST patch with 100 plants per square foot growing all summer, only 90 days later 99.9% of those thistles are gone, replaced by other plants that needed the extra nutrients to grow. Story at [HYPERLINK@www.ecoseeds.com]
This method could work in thousand-acre weed-infested fields, or weeds in your own garden, yard or lawn. Do you ever wonder why weeds pop up in your lawn? -- Could only be a lack of nutrients needed by your lawn grass to grow properly!
ALTERNATIVE “PEPPER SEARCH”, to Guinness for finding the World’s Hottest Peppers – Guinness World Records has been the only place for many years, to confirm that you have discovered or developed in your garden, that you have the new world’s hottest pepper.
Craig had discover a new world’s hottest pepper a few years ago, growing in a home garden, but has been unable to get this new record into Guinness, because they now have 35 impossible rules to follow.
Now there is an alternative to find the world’s hottest pepper, the “Dremann Heat Search” where you send in 16 dried pepper along with $100 for the lab testing at the Southwest Bio Lab, and see if you have “Beat the Reaper, at [HYPERLINK@ecoseeds.com]
ANTIBIOTICS from GARDEN PLANTS!--Another project is discovering plant-based antibiotics that work against drug resistant bacteria like MRSA at [HYPERLINK@www.ecoseeds.com] -- Craig has discovered dozens of plants whose unrefined plant juices used topically can instantly kill drug resistant bacteria like MRSA and acne. Craig wishes he had discovered these plants as a teenager with a bad case of acne, but now there are possibilities for the teenagers and people with MRSA skin infections in the future.
Craig’s COOLING the PLANET project -- The other project being worked on, that got started in 2002, is Craig’s “Cool” project to cool the planet and help cure Global Warming at which is the proposal to set aside large areas of desert in 24 countries and start planting 50 billion trees, to sequester carbon and take care of Global Warming—at [HYPERLINK@www.ecoseeds.com]
The “Middle East Green Initiative” planting of trees in the 24 countries got started at their COP27 meeting in Egypt on November 7, 2022 that you can watch at [HYPERLINK@www.youtube.com] – and the planting is going to be planting at the rate of a million trees per day – until 50 billion are planted.
On You Tube, you can watch commitments from the leaders of China, Djibouti, Egypt, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, the UK, and Yemen to help cure Global Warming by planting trees, plus all of the other projects that they are going to get started right away.
THE USA has the chance of helping cool the planet, by using the Western native grass rangeland in a new way--the ranchers using the native grasses as animal forage, only make $1 per acre per inch of rainfall each year after expenses.
Whereas taking the cows and sheep completely off the land and allowing the native grasses to grow, could make the ranchers 10-20x their income, and utilize those 600 million acres of native grasses to sequester carbon and help end Global Warming and Climate Change in our country also.
posted on September 12, 2006
Reviews:
Displaying the 13 most recent reviews
| Rating | Content | |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | On Jan 26, 2013, VORTREKER (5 reviews)
from POTTSBORO, TX (Zone 7b) I posted a negative comment about this company in error and cannot find it. I have had nothing but good experieces with them and their educational information is superb. | |
| Positive | On May 14, 2011, boulio (1 reviews)
from Sabinsville, PA (Zone 5b) Two days ago I received a sweetgrass plant I had ordered from Redwood City Seed Co. and I am very pleased with it. It is NOT some puny little thing that looks as though it was picked up off the floor and sent to someone after the big mailing rush is over. I have received plants from different mail order nurseries that looked like that. Not so with this plant. Its a whopper and it was in quite good shape after coming all the way across the country. I immediately potted it up and today it is beautiful and I have no doubt it will thrive. I will be very happy to deal with this company again. | |
| Positive | On Apr 22, 2011, Beirdd (1 reviews)
from Ranger, GA I ordered three plants, and after about a month, one of them was not thriving. I received a postcard asking if any plants were not growing healthily, so I called them to ask if I could have a replacement. Not only did they send a replacement, they replaced the entire order of plants. I told the owner this was not necessary, but he insisted on replacing all three plants. Great, great folks! Oh... about the credit card thing... I have a business and accept credit cards. I understand fully that Redwood City has a minimum order when using a credit card, and don't blame them one bit. Credit card companies charge for the use of their cards, and some of the processors are outrageous. Many small businesses have rules with minimum charge amounts, and it is NOT against any credit card company's rules to do so. | |
| Positive | On Mar 23, 2010, LadyKimberlyDi (1 reviews)
from Saint Ignace, MI I've purchased seeds and plugs from Redwood City for years and years. Their prices are great, the products first rate, and they're very personable and respond well to special requests. When I asked to buy at a bulk rate in between two of their lots, the owner laughed and asked why 25, but he immediately agreed. We're a very small business with just a tiny bit of sales in his area, but he always treats us exceptionally well. I believe Customer Service is a big priority for them. One year the post office left my package in town over a 3 day Memorial Day weekend, but the plants did all thrive. When I told him about their condition, he was quick to offer replacement plants if any died. After that, I noticed that Craig works out his deliveries so we get the plants mailed at the start of the week and they usually arrive mid-week. The plants should have originally been delivered Friday or Saturday, it had been mailed to come BEFORE the weekend, but Craig was willing to make up for the USPS mistake. Redwood City's knowledge on the plants and seeds they sells is amazing and growing. Each season, I'm more impressed with what he's added to his collection/base and he's willing to pass this on to help his customers/buyers successfully grow their plants. Personally, I give Redwood City Seed Company my HIGHEST endorsement. It's a terrific company. Thanks! | |
| Positive | On Mar 17, 2010, vintovka (2 reviews)
from Smithville, OH (Zone 5a) Redwood City Seed Company thus far has been the fairest and low cost seed company I had ever dealt with. They are easy to talk to and will answer any questions you have. This is going on my second year buying from them and I'm very pleased. I never had a problem with their seeds germinating. In fact they give more seed than they ask for in price. Not to many other seed company's do that. | |
| Positive | On Nov 8, 2008, srullens (1 reviews)
from Newark, DE I have bought seeds from Redwood City Seed company many times in the past few years. I have never had a problem with any order that I have place. They grow true to the variety, very good germination rate. Also very good selection of Peppers (Hot and Sweet), Herbs and other Vegetables. Some which are rare and hard to find else where. Also very customer friendly too. I highly recommend this Company for gardeners who start from seeds!!! Thank You Very Much Craig Dremann!! Shawn in Delaware. | |
| Positive | On Oct 29, 2007, E_Moody (1 reviews)
from Morrilton, AR I have bought seeds from Reedwood City Seeds for 3 or 4 years now and have been extremely satisfied with the service and their pepper seeds. The first year I purchased seeds, my order got lost in the mail and when I called them, they immediately sent me a duplicate order with no questions asked. This last year, when I was ordering my seeds, the company representative helped me get the seeds I wanted at a lower price than I had expected. I had planned on purchasing two seed collections but, he suggested I purchase one collection and only two seperate seed packages instead and stopped me from getting a couple duplicate seeds. This means they probably got less of a profit from my order but, a more satisfied customer. They have also been extremely helpful in selecting free seeds for my four year old son. | |
| Positive | On Jul 8, 2007, ZenSojourner (4 reviews)
from Fairborn, OH (Zone 8a) I have bought seed from Redwood City seeds several times in the past 10 years and have never had a problem. They carry seed that I cannot get anywhere else, and at reasonable prices. Shipping charges are also OK. I believe the negative posting regarding the credit card policy should be removed. A minimum order requirement is not unusual for small businesses and isn't against any rules. A surcharge for using a credit card is against the rules, but that's not what he's doing. It costs the merchant money to accept your credit card, and given the small profit margin in this kind of business, it is not at all unreasonable for the merchant to require a minimum order, else all his profit is eaten up by the credit card charges he has to pay. The policy is VERY clearly stated in the catalog and on the website. Given the specialized nature of this man's business, I feel it is unfair to allow one disgruntled customer who didn't even have a valid complaint (I can't speak to the other negative rating, except to say that nobody's perfect) to have such a heavy impact on the rating for this business. The complaint regarding the credit card policy is unwarranted and unfair and should be removed. Send the man a check if you're not buying that much stuff from him. Sojourner | |
| Positive | On Aug 22, 2006, thebigriddle (1 reviews)
from Ferndale, MI | |
| Positive | On Jun 23, 2006, lepp (1 reviews)
from Virginia Beach, VA | |
| Positive | On Dec 3, 2002, dianthusman (29 reviews)
from Pecos, NM (Zone 5b) A good company to work with. Some of their heirlooms I've found nowhere else, and the seed has generally been of high quality. I would order from them again. | |
| Positive | On Jan 11, 2002, peppy (1 reviews)
this company carries some rare seeds that I couldn't find elsewhere.They were very helpful with questions, giving information freely and acurratly. They even sent me more seeds for free when I couldn't get the first ones to sprout, with suggestions.The viability of the chili pepper seeds was excellent.The owners of the company themselves talk to you on the phone, and are very knowledgeable.I am very pleased and glad I discovered them. | |
| Positive | On Apr 1, 1995, OysterEinstein (2 reviews)
They seem passionate about peppers but also offer lots of other neat seeds, endangered cultivated plants; many natives. They seem nicely non-commercialized. | |