The Tasteful Garden

Vegetables

207 County Road 561
Woodland, Alabama 36280 (United States)
(678) 818-9154

Notes

Specialized mail order nursery shipping 45 varieties of Heirloom and Hybrid tomato plants, over 50 Culinary Herbs, Peppers, Vegetables, and many other edible plants for your own Kitchen Garden.

posted on November 19, 2004

Reviews:

positives
neutrals
negatives

Displaying the 50 most recent reviews

RatingContent
Negative
On Jun 13, 2022, loret03 (1 reviews) from Naperville, IL

I ordered 18 vegetable plants March 21, 2022 and by mid-May, nothing had arrived, so I called them and was told most of my plants were not available due to pest problems. In the past, I had always had perfect customer service from them and received all of the plants (but I did not order in 2021 and my understanding is the original owners sold the biz around then). The woman on the phone offered to send me some of my original order along with some substitutions and a refund of the rest of the order that she could not fulfil. I accepted, and two weeks later, I received 5 unidentified tomato plants which she said were $71.00. I complained that I received none of my original order, and $71 is high for 5 plants. She said that her shipping costs had increased and I explained that should have been told to me before shipping out the 5 plants. My original order was for $167 for 18 plants and that cost included shipping 18 plants. After many phone calls, a lot of emails, and a complaint to the BBB, she said she refunded the entire amount. We shall see.....still waiting for refund. I know the owner is upset that I complained to the BBB, because she emailed to let me know.


Company representative comment on June 13, 2022:
On Jun 13, 2022 6:37 PM, The Tasteful Garden responded with:

Thanks for taking the time to post your experience, Loretta. I have spoken with you a few times on the phone and resolved the error we made in your order, as you know. Most of your comments here are untrue and I won't take the space to argue. In fact we are longtime best friends of the founders of The Tasteful Garden, grew up in Michigan and have been living on our family's Heritage Farm in Alabama since 1998.

Our reputation means a lot to us so it's important that folks know we have fully refunded your order, apologized and explained what happened every which way, sent you screenshots so you might understand what UPS charges for shipping (not us) and still you decide to disparage us online. That's OK, there are many more people who love what we do and we are sorry you are so unforgiving of our mistake.

Most sincerely, Laurie

Negative
On Jul 17, 2020, TomatoJoe (1 reviews) from Prescott Valley, AZ

After reviewing their pictures and shipping policies, I ordered a couple of tomato plants. They were supposed to ship the first week in June but soon (and after they were supposed to have been shipped) I was told there would be a considerable delay but had no recourse as they do not offer refunds. Still, the plants would be be "guaranteed healthy and between 2-6 inches" upon arrival. Sadly, they were incredibly smaller than that and the tiny sprigs looked to be about 1 inch tall when they were alive BEFORE they were shipped. Now they looked dead but I followed the instructions with the shipment and hoped that they would bounce back strong. No such luck. The day after I received them I wrote the company a note asking for a refund. No response until the middle of July when I wrote them again and this time they responded and I was advised that they needed to hear from me within 10 days of when I received the shipment and to include pictures of the plants in their pots. Even then, if they had accepted my complaint I still would not receive a refund. I did send pictures of the dead plants that I had left in my planter in hopes that something might grow. They said they couldn't tell what I had sent. I write this off to experience. I have bought plants online before with great success but I will never buy from The Tasteful Garden again. Terrible experience.

Negative
On Jun 26, 2020, Mikeyh (1 reviews) from Friday Harbor, WA

Tomato plants were backordered for several weeks and when they arrived the were definitely in 4" pots but two of them were about 3" tall and 1 had a broken stem. Although I shared pictures and voiced my disappointment I was told they looked fine and to wait for a few days to plant them. I live in the Pacific NW and our growing season is short and I explained to the that these tiny "plants" would never have time to mature and produce fruit. I would never use this company again for anything!

Positive
On Jun 16, 2020, blycoxdave (1 reviews) from Burkittsville, MD

I had to post because my first experience with The Tasteful Garden has been really great. The packaging is the best I've seen – no plastic peanuts, but really intelligent structures that keep the plants in great shape during transit. And the plants themselves are sturdy and healthy. I will definitely return to this company!

Positive
On Apr 25, 2020, CulturedGarden (1 reviews) from Dunedin, FL

My first try at gardening in Florida, I had several questions. Customer Service couldn't have been any better. So impressed, I proceeded with a large order of tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. I couldn't have been happier with the plants when they arrived. They were immaculately packed with the utmost care for the plant's well-being. The plants included simple instructions of handling them and accumulating them to sun. I lost two tomato plants, but it was not the fault of the company. All other plants have flourished. The two I lost, because I rushed them into the sun too soon and for too long--it was a shock to their little systems--a lesson learned. I received my plants in the middle of march and my tomatoes and pepper plants have flowers, some already have fruit. Tasteful Garden took the work out of trying to figure out what to plant when. They only ship plants to an area with coordinating planting times. I can't wait until next year. I'm expanding my efforts with their great plants.

Negative
On Sep 10, 2019, verani (2 reviews) from Londonderry, NH

Hi, I ordered a large amount of cool season vegetables to have them all arrive dead. I tried for replacements through BBB and the owner would not replace them. I had called this business and emailed the owner only to find out it was an employee using her name and computer to respond to me. I will never order from them again and would like to warn anyone whom might. Stay Away! Please! Or you'll be sorry...

Neutral
On Sep 9, 2019, WoodlandGarden9 (1 reviews) from Quitzdorf am See, SN

I would not order from A Tasteful Garden again. My issue was more or less resolved by a refund, minus shipping, but this is not a company I trust. I ordered 6 plants, none of them arrived in good condition. One of them was twisted and broken and was not plantable. The remaining five were severely infected with either a bacterial or fungal infection. These were also not plantable as I did not want to risk infecting the rest of my garden. The flyer that came with my plants says customer service can be reached by phone Mon-Fri 9am-4pm. I called immediately and my call was not answered or returned. I sent an email with photos. I received an email back saying someone was only in the office Mon & Tues- which makes the flyer misleading and another reason I do not trust this company. I was told new plants would be shipped a week later, add a few days for shipping to that and we are now too close to my first frost date. I wrote back and asked for a refund, which was honored. But since my shipping was not refunded I still lost money on this totally unusable order. I was also not offered and apology, for whatever that is worth.

Positive
On Jan 18, 2017, KMA1010 (1 reviews) from Franklin, TN

Fantastic company!!! Wonderful customer service! I am new to gardening and ordered a variety of organic herbs! Shipping was fast, products arrived looking good, and got them planted. For some reason, whether the weather got too cold even with me keeping them in the garage or over watering, some of my plants did not make it. I contacted Connie at Tasteful Garden and received far more than replacement herbs! I received support, guidance, encouragement and again, just fantastic customer service! I would HIGHLY recommend ordering from this company. Customer service is a lost art in so many businesses but it's clearly a priority for the very kind, helpful, and generous folks at the Tasteful Garden! HIGHLY recommend!!! Fabulous plants, awesome help and support, and they stand behind their products and with their customers!

Positive
On Jul 27, 2015, pwcorgi (2 reviews) from Los Alamos, NM

I ordered six tomato plants from the Tasteful Garden, and requested a shipping date in mid-May. I received helpful email notices about my order, even a heads-up when they were shipped, so that I'd be ready for their arrival. The package came on the date I requested, plants all healthy and packed carefully. The plants were large and heatlhy with lots of leaf growth; bushy, not at all spindly. They'd even begun their hardening off process before shipping. It took only a few days of gentle acclimatization to get them ready to plant permanently. They're producing like mad, and I've had ripe tomatoes earlier than I expected. I can't say enough good things about this company. They're on my favorites list indefinitely.

Positive
On Jun 10, 2015, Beckah (6 reviews) from Memphis, TN

I ordered Sweet Million tomato plants from The Tasteful Garden. They are a variety that my husband and I love and, usually, some of them come back for us every year. We had pretty hard winters in '13 and '14 and we didn't get many returns. So, this year, we decided to order more to replenish. It was a little late, about the last week of May. (However, we deliberately waited later to plant this year.) The company could not provide that variety stating that they were too large to ship. Connie, sweet thing, gave me the option of choosing another variety or being refunded. I described to her the type of plants we were looking for, but left the choice up to her. (As they had some that were listed as 'sold out' on the website, but were enough to satisfy my small order.) She sent 'Juliet'. And all arrived large with buds and/or flowers, very green, and bursting with health. We've never had this variety before and hope we really enjoy them. Regardless, I will be ordering from The Tasteful Garden again.

Positive
On Oct 27, 2014, CeliaGeorge (1 reviews) from Xenia, OH

A lot of people grow their peppers from seed, but here in Ohio, we have a shortened season, so this year, we bought plants. Specifically, from The Tasteful Garden, we bought ten (10) serrano pepper plants - and they are outstanding. The yield is phenomenal. And, we have been able to make our best hot sauce thus far. Order these pepper plants from The Tasteful Garden, and you will be absolutely pleased - they are wonderful - thank you, The Tasteful Garden!

Positive
On Jun 19, 2014, saraoutland (2 reviews) from Burbank, IL (Zone 5b)

Posted on May 2, 2014, updated June 19, 2014 Posted on May 1, 2014, updated May 2, 2014 I ordered a few plants from this company last fall. A few of the plants were damaged in shipping and they requested I send pics and I did and they replaced the damaged plants. So in Nov. of 2013 I placed my spring order. It was a small order however they are quite pricey it was around 200.00. After waiting for spring all winter and starting my own seeds inside, I received at the end of feb brussel sprouts, cauliflower, onions, and potatoes. I also called to have them hold my order longer but they said I called too late and they had already pulled my order, but they were willing to add some strawberry plants. I tried to have them hold my order because the weather here was bad and the ground was still froze and having freezing weather. No prob I would just keep the plants in the house. The plants arrived late at night left on porch via ups and I didn't see the box until late. I unpacked the plants and put them with the rest of my plants. The next day when I got home from work I was looking at the plants which I should have done at first and they had aphids all over them. The cauliflower and sprouts were just tiny seedlings and were smaller than the plants I started from seed. I sent a complaint and put these plants outside and they froze. They sent me new plants and said the plants were small because they used jiffy pots. They sent me some bigger ones with no aphids. I wanted to cancel the rest of the order but they asked me not to and assured me the rest of the order would be up to par. The plants had a few yellow looking leaves. Then a few days later my plants inside started getting sick and they had yellow looking leaves or burnt looking or brown spots. I lost all of my tomatoes and some peppers and some cauliflower and sprouts and also some of my broccoli and eggplants. I knew it had come from the plants and should have canceled the rest of my order. But I really wanted the sweet potatoes and other plants and now I needed the tomatoes I ordered. I just received the rest of my order yesterday and the plants have the yellow and browns leaves. I can see signs of the disease. The sweet potatoes arrived brown and black. I cant put these plants outside yet it is too cold and I cant keep them with my other plants. I am going to throw them away. I hope this disease doesn't ruin my whole garden this year and I am highly upset and disappointed. They have to be aware of these sick plants and are still sending them to people. And they charged me a lot of money for this. I have emailed them twice once last night as soon as I looked at plants and also today. No response. I am going to contact my credit card company to see if I can dispute the charges from last year when I paid. I also will be contacting the better business in their state to file a complaint. I cant believe this. I sincerely hope my whole garden is not ruined. I have invested a lot of money this year and I have 21 straw bales that I paid 7.00 each for not too mention dirt and seeds and plants. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY. I want to know how many other people have received sick plants??


On May 2nd, 2014, saraoutland changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: Connie contacted me today and says she will do whatever it takes to make this situation right. They are saying that the plants are not diseased and that they may have been wet leaves exposed extreme temps during handling. She agrees to ship me new plants or give me a credit which ever id prefer. I guess only time will tell. It is very.hard to find organic plants and i do not want this company to get a bad rep. I will keep a close eye on these plants . And pray that they dont kill my garden. I will update this site. I would had prefer to dealt with just the company but they did not respond back right away which i do understand it is a busy time for nurseries and home gardeners alike.
On June 19th, 2014, saraoutland changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: So just an update on the plants from tasteful garden, onion plants, they are growing but are quite smaller than some other onions I planted, also two of the four strawberry plants died, but this may be due to several harsh freezes they endured due to cold/late spring. A few of my strawberry plants didn't make it through the winter too. A rough one. Brussel sprouts are much smaller than some others I have planted. Tomatoes when I finally received some undamaged they are good. Very large plants, some with blooms, by now I have a few small green tomatoes, again it has just started to get warm. Cauliflower didn't do anything. I got a perfume pepper plant, it is doing well a short bush type of gourmet pepper, it is blooming now. I ordered a melon it died, potatoes, none sprouted, and sweet potatoes all arrived quite dead. I ordered sweet potatoes from some where else and they are beautiful and hopefully it is warm enough for them to produce. I had some problems and for the most part the company did their part to make it right, putting most of the blame on shipping, which I can somewhat understand. For the plants that didn't do anything they offered to refund my money, which is very noble. I will probably order for fall, especially since they have some broccolini plants which I love and haven't found anywhere not even seeds. Happy gardening and happy harvest!!

Positive
On May 15, 2014, bleepy (12 reviews) from West Islip, NY

I just unpacked my first and fairly large order ( 12 tomatoes, one sage plant) and I am blown away. I have never seen such giant happy plants from any mail order company. I don't think I've gotten such big plants from a nursery. I live in New York and every plant in the huge box looks perfect. I have a small garden so I see no point to buying boring plants. I wish they had the other six types that I bought elsewhere. I really can't get over it! So happy!

Positive
On Apr 22, 2014, Bec_No_Va (39 reviews) from Sequim, WA (Zone 8a)

Great nursery with a great selection of plants! Packaging was excellent & I'm very pleased my experience...will absolutely order from them again!

Positive
On Jan 16, 2014, JoefromOrleans (8 reviews) from Orleans, MA

A great family run business that provides high quality plants. Delivery is prompt and the plants arrive in great condition. Since I started growing from seeds, I order less frequently, but when I want an herb that is difficult to grow from seed, I turn to The Tasteful Garden. While not organic, the sweet potato plants and sets are robust. Even though we are over 1000 miles apart, I am confident that my order will arrive in great shape.

Positive
On Sep 24, 2013, geezlouise62 (1 reviews) from Portage, MI

This past spring I had received a plant that I didn't order and contacted customer service. They replaced it with the one I ordered x 2! No questions asked! I look forward to ordering every year from The Tasteful Garden. I wouldn't buy my tomatoes anywhere els. Thanks for the great customer service and quality plants! Amy Carson

Positive
On Jun 3, 2013, (0 reviews)

Very nice tomato plants. This was my first order with Tasteful Garden and I am completely happy with the experience. Nice size tomato plants, largest I have ever gotten via mail order service. Also you don't have to purchase more than one kind to be able to get the tomato you want. They have a nice big selection of tomatoes. Several different kinds. I would not hesitate to buy from Tasteful Garden again.

Positive
On May 24, 2013, zippyz (1 reviews) from Etna, CA

Customer service is excellent - just got my Rutgers tomato starts and they look healthy --- I had some shipping delays and the first batch came many days after FedEx had promised and were bone dry and wilting --- Called Connie and she immediately sent out more starts via UPS and they arrive in 3 days and I am one happy camper--- The good thing for those of us in California is that they do the necessary pest inspections to be allowed to come into our state.

Positive
On May 15, 2013, idealpeggy (1 reviews) from Lexington, KY (Zone 6b)

This is my first experience ordering vegetable seedlings by mail order. They had some varieties I couldn't find seed for anywhere, and really wanted to try. It turned out to be a very pleasant and rewarding undertaking. This company allows you to choose your shipment date (how cool is that-?) and allows you to order whatever quantity you wish, rather than having a minimum order of like twelve at other places. My plants all arrived in beautiful shape-they take great pains with packing. They were all well developed and healthy and came with many instructions and tips. I started not to even read the instructions, as I'm a fairly experienced gardener, but I actually learned a few things!-also cool! Best thing of all, they all have already produced "fruit"-actually tomatoes and peppers-even though our weather has been frightful, and all but one are still hardening-off. I would highly recommend ordering from this company. I know I sure will again!

Positive
On May 2, 2013, Gully (15 reviews) from Ellicott City, MD

Wonderful experience. Plants arrived on time and beautifully packaged. Not a leaf out of place. Great size on all of the plants. This was my first order from them and based on this experience am headed back to order more!

Positive
On Apr 17, 2013, KJWThack (7 reviews) from East Lansdowne, PA

I received my first ever order from Tasteful Garden today. I ordered 8 tomato plants, and they are the largest most beautiful tomato plants I have ever gotten! I usually shop at a few local nurseries for my tomato plants, but this year I wanted a greater variety of heirlooms so I went online instead. The plants were very well packaged and they are in perfect health. I will definitely order my tomatoes from them next year, and I am thinking about getting some more different veggie plants from them this year too. Highly recommend!

Positive
On Mar 12, 2013, NicoleC (3 reviews) from Madison, AL (Zone 7b)

Initially I was displeased with the company because they charged my credit card months before the item was going to ship. When I complained, they refunded my card and set the order aside, then charged my card when it actually shipped. While I disagree with their policy, they certainly did what they could to please me. My asparagus crowns arrived today and are large, plump and healthy, and were worth the wait.

Positive
On Dec 17, 2012, wpuccio (1 reviews) from North Valley Stream, NY

I ordered a few items from the Tasteful Garden for my mother for Christmas to be delivered in April this year. I obviously did not have the plants to give her so I asked if there was anyway that I could get a card or something to show my mom. I figured that this could help to explain that she would be getting some heirloom tomato plants for her garden this spring. She loves to garden, it's quite a source of pride for her, and I really think that she will love getting some new varieties. So after I filled out the feedback form on the Tasteful Garden website a woman named Connie emailed me and asked for a few more details to see if she could help. After a few very pleasant emails back and forth Connie created a beautiful card for me to give to my mom on Christmas. She even came in and emailed me on Sunday!! So due to Connie's kindness and overall positive experience you have earned a lifelong customer. I look forward to ordering more items from the Tasteful Garden and keep up the good work, especially you Connie!! - Bill Puccio

Positive
On Sep 12, 2012, srsapb (1 reviews) from Ruskin, FL

I'm in love with this site, The Tasteful Garden - sending it to my sister today! As hot as it has been this year, I've been trying to find strawberry plants early, so I took the chance, regardless, that it might be too hot to ship successfully so soon, but because these strawberry plants disappear so fast, I took the chance - the plants arrived by regular shipping, and they are just beautiful! I couldn't be more surprised or pleased-will order more fall plants in a couple weeks! Sincerely, Sheryl Ryals-Storch


Company representative comment on September 12, 2012:
On Sep 12, 2012 8:07 AM, The Tasteful Garden responded with:

Thank you Sheryl! Better order fall vegetables soon, we are selling out very quickly...

Positive
On Mar 14, 2012, ozone3 (1 reviews) from Fort Worth, TX

All I can say is "Wow!!" This was the 1st order I placed with The Tasteful Garden and the plants completely exceeded my expectations. Great packaging and some of the most hardy plants I have seen!! I ordered 1 tomato plant, 1 Stevia plant, and 2 Sweet Pickle Pepper plants (this was the ONLY placed I could find these). Extremely large & healthy plants!! I will definitely be ordering from this company again.

Neutral
On Sep 19, 2011, rissole (7 reviews) from Atlanta, GA

Posted on September 19, 2011, updated September 19, 2011 Posted on September 17, 2011, updated September 19, 2011 I ordered several plants from the Tasteful Garden in the past few months. Two of them were blueberry plants. It's been a hot summer, but the Tifblue plant made it through. However, the Climax did not, even though I watered it regularly. I ordered some potted herbs as well. The lemon verbena looks great. The thyme looked great for over a month, but then about 90% of it suddenly dried up and died. I don't know what happened. I watered it regularly, but tried not to overwater. It's still in the original container, and gets a good bit of sun too. I think it may still survive, but I'm not entirely sure. I did order a raspberry plant as well, and it's doing fine. I'm disappointed that I had to order another blueberry plant from another company to replace the Climax that died. I'm disappointed about my thyme too, but maybe there's hope. Anyway, I don't know whether I will order from this company again or not. I understand why a small business wouldn't want to guarantee their plants, but as a consumer, I generally prefer to order from larger companies who do.


On September 18th, 2011, rissole added the following: I just wanted to add to what I wrote. The plants did arrive in good condition. As far as guaranteeing that the plants will survive, a company cannot guarantee that per se, but some companies will replace plants that don't survive within a year of the order. My blueberry plant started to die about 4 weeks after it arrived. I did not contact the Tasteful Garden about this, because nowhere did I read anything that they would replace it a few weeks after I ordered it. As for the thyme, I didn't realize that one should transplant it into a larger pot, but that's helpful to know.
On September 19th, 2011, rissole added the following: Oh, just wanted to say about the thyme. I'm going to transplant it right away, because it's still hanging on at least! :)
Company representative comment on September 18, 2011:
On Sep 18, 2011 8:24 AM, The Tasteful Garden responded with:

Our plants are 100% guaranteed to arrive in good healthy condition. We cannot however guarantee that every plant will always survive no matter what happens, no nursery can. If your blueberry plant died within a few weeks of arrival, we would be glad to replace it. The Lemon Thyme, like all thyme plants can be a bit finicky but if it had been transplanted as we recommend into a larger pot, the results may have been better.

I don't know if this customer contacted us or not, generally we do send replacements with no questions asked but obviously if they did arrive healthy and growing well, something happened to them later which was out of our control.

Positive
On Jun 12, 2011, Misipi_Law_Lady (1 reviews) from Oxford, MS

I'm a brand-new gardener, and this is my first year to grow tomatoes. I ordered six heirloom tomato plants from Tasteful Garden this spring, and they arrived big, gorgeous, and right on time. I somewhat abused the new plants--we had a cold snap and could not plant for a couple of weeks after the plants arrived. Even still, they took off once they were in the ground, and have grown to over five feet tall! Most of the plants have produced beautifully and have just started to ripen. The varieties I've sampled--Yellow Taxi and Big Raspberry--are quite delicious. I also ordered a strawberry plant, also healthy. Oddly, a HUGE weed sprouted from its roots along with the plant. It's in a container, so the weed must've come with the plant. Not a big deal, the plant recovered nicely after I dug it up and pried the roots apart. It's still producing. Two big, green thumbs up! I plan to order from this company year after year.

Neutral
On Jun 4, 2011, magnaastra (49 reviews) from Charleston, IL (Zone 6a)

Posted on May 6, 2009, updated June 4, 2011 Awesome packaging, and delivered exactly when promised...but what was truly amazing were the plants themselves: big, beefy, healthy things. I definitely got my money's worth, and then some. Will be a repeat customer for sure.


On June 4th, 2011, magnaastra changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following: After my previous experience with the Tasteful Garden, I was very disappointed with this year's performance. My order was "supposed" to ship on X date; I never received it, nor was I provided any communication until I initiated it. I was told that their new hire failed to process the order correctly. Well, since I deal with a) new hires; and b) order fulfillment (critical patient care measures/procedures/policies, to be exact) in my career, I was disconcerted by this explanation. Where are the process safeguards? And, of course, everybody has to start somewhere, but where's the supervisory oversight for new employees? I will add that their customer service rep was most courteous as she was doing her job, even though I was far from satisfied with the gist of the response. I'm not giving the big "N" rating since I know from prior experience that they DO have good product. But all the great product in the world is useless if delivery systems are flawed. I won't be returning.

Positive
On Jun 3, 2011, nu4a (1 reviews) from Brent, AL

When I contacted The Tasteful Garden; I only wanted one tomato plant that I had been unable to find. They sent me two of them. And . . . WOW! Beautiful healthy plants that the likes of which were 'choice plus'. Packaging was beyound belief. What a stroke of luck! I don't plan to order from anyone else so long as they have what I want. The nicest folks you'd ever want to deal with. They've got a friend for life in me! Try 'em; you can thank me later.

Positive
On Apr 9, 2011, grollcat (6 reviews) from Virginia Beach, VA

Purchased tomato, vegetable and herb plants from The Tasteful Garden in mid March. They were shipped within 2 weeks and were packed extremely well. The plants exceeded my expectations - they were much larger than what I can find at garden centers this time of year and were very healthy. I will definitely order from them in the future!!

Positive
On Jun 15, 2010, stevenforehand (1 reviews) from Camden, NC

I ordered 4 San Marzano tomato plants from the Tasteful Garden. When they arrived, they were the most beautiful plants and very well packaged. After a week or so, 3 of the 4 developed a disease and died. I went back to the website to order replacements and the folks at the Tasteful Garden replaced them at no cost. What a wonderful company to deal with! Thanks! I highly recommend them.

Positive
On Jun 4, 2010, flashingreds (1 reviews) from Champaign, IL

This is the second year I've ordered tomato plants from Tasteful Garden, and I couldn't be more pleased. My eight plants were packed so nicely, and they were huge and very healthy. I appreciate that they ship early in the week, so the plants reach me by midweek and aren't sitting in some warehouse over a long weekend--a problem I've had with other mail order plant companies. I have been recommending Tasteful Garden to friends and family looking for specific heirloom tomatoes.

Positive
On May 28, 2010, grik (11 reviews) from Saint Paul, MN

First time order. I ordered 5 Jimmy Nardello Sweet Pepper plants because I couldn't find any locally. The plants arrived about 3 days earlier than expected which was great. They were very well packed - the soil had plastic wrap carefully covering the tops of the pots and each pot was in an individual cardboard compartment in the box. They were good sized plants and arrived in perfect condition. I would definitely order again from them.

Positive
On Apr 13, 2010, stangster (1 reviews) from Houston, TX

They shipped my six tomato plants to Houston promptly in early March as promised. I could not believe how large, dark green and vigorous these plants were! I planted them in mid-March and they are all doing very well - simply could not ask for better. Best of all, I didn't have to argue with anyone about shipping the plants in March to TX. Will buy all my hard-to -find plants from these good folks in the future!

Positive
On Apr 3, 2010, Friedman777 (2 reviews) from Nashville, TN

Posted on April 2, 2010, updated April 3, 2010 I am a quite experienced gardener and a heavy user of mail-order garden plants. I ordered 3 items from The Tasteful Gardener after seeing great reviews here: asparagus, 1 tomato and 1 eggplant. I had them delivered early so that the asparagus could get in on time. The asparagus seems okay, though it hasn't come up yet; the tomato plant was beautiful and is doing well. The eggplant, however, was not in great shape and has continued to wither despite my best efforts - keeping it in a sunny location, taking it outside on warm days, etc. I probably should have reported its poor condition immediately, but thought I could salvage it. I reported this to the company and basically got the response "you ordered delivery too early so it's not surprising it died. You are welcome to order another one." The other types of eggplant I have grown from seeds for this year are doing just fine; I'll stick to my own, thank you. And I won't order from the company again.


On April 3rd, 2010, Friedman777 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: Within 12 hours of my post, I received an email from the company saying they would replace the damaged (now dead) plant. I believe their claim that a cold spring has made for difficult shipping and a large volume of complaints. Based on the experiences of other gardeners with this company, I expect I'll receive a nice, healthy plant that will thrive in my garden.
Company representative comment on April 3, 2010:
On Apr 3, 2010 11:38 AM, The Tasteful Garden responded with:

Thank you for your post, we have not had a large number of complaints this year but a large number of orders which is great! However, this spring has been extremely cold which has made early shipments, prior to last frost dates, susceptible to cold damage. We highly recommend choosing a ship date very close to or after your last frost date for best results. This plant was shipped to Tennessee in mid March. We also offer split shipments for early plants such as asparagus, onions and lettuces.

Positive
On Feb 2, 2010, wdh3114 (1 reviews) from Fulton, MD

I was new to gardening. I recieved outstanding advise and customer service. They stand by their products and resolve issues quickly. I am now in my 3rd year with The Tasteful Garden and love gardening. Wouldn't trade them for any other company!

Positive
On Jan 30, 2010, frweaver (5 reviews) from Mableton, GA

I first ordered from the Tasteful Garden last spring and was very pleased. I ordered a collection as a wedding gift which I was told did really well. I sent plants to a young niece who loved them. And the ones I ordered for myself also did well, in spite of the unusual weatehr we had in Atlanta last year. I recommend the company and am planning this year's order now!

Positive
On Sep 9, 2009, Sue_CT (1 reviews) from Enfield, CT (Zone 6a)

I ordered about 6 heirloom tomatoes and a pepper plant. The plants, although not quite as large as those I received from a a closer mail order company, were healthy and did quite well in my garden. Since I don't have the room or lights to grow good plants myself, a source for actual plants rather than seeds for heirloom varieties is crucial. I did have my pepper plant substituted for a different variety without consulting me, but when I contacted them with my objection they offered to send the correct plant when it was available. When it arrived, it was quite small. But, when you run out of a plant, it takes time to grow a new one and I am sure they just sent it as soon as they felt it was large enough to travel. The originally supplied substitute plant went into the garden and was healthy enough at first but then got a strange type of wilt, with no discolored leaves or signs of disease, it just wilted and died quickly of some disease but the replacement plant that arrived so small is still out there and I am hoping the weather will hold long enough to get the peppers on it mature. Given the problems inherent in shipping live plants and the difficulty in finding good selections of heirloom plants, I would say I was definately satisified overall. I am still eating the tomatoes and enjoying them a lot! :)

Positive
On Aug 17, 2009, LOVIE2 (13 reviews) from Boston, MA (Zone 6a)

I ordered from TG for the first time this year for the majority of my herbs - they did fabulously! I am a first time gardener and I will deifintely use them again. There was a problem with Dill making the trip tp MA and they tried over and over - but I am grateful they were willing to work with me instead of dropping me or not communicating with me about what to do. Excellent customer service and products.


Company representative comment on August 17, 2009:
On Aug 17, 2009 3:45 PM, The Tasteful Garden responded with:

Unfortunately, Dill can be very tricky to ship because of hot weather or cold weather which means that there is only a short window during springtime that we are able to ship it successfully. Although it may be cool in Massachusetts, the back of UPS trucks can get quite hot on the way and Dill is just more sensitive to heat than other herbs. Thanks for your comments!

Positive
On Jun 26, 2009, tootle (7 reviews) from Jacksonville, NC (Zone 8b)

I have dealt with this company a number of times and have always been more than pleased. The plants always arrive promptly and in excellent condition. I picked tomatoes from my Ozark last week and they were delicious. I highly recommend the Tasteful Garden to everyone!

Positive
On Jun 5, 2009, susiequilts (3 reviews) from Syracuse, NY

What a terrific mail order experience. I received my Hybrid San Marzano tomato plant this afternoon. The plant was well packaged, large, healthy, and ON TIME. It arrived exactly when they said it would. This tomato plant was larger and healthier looking than the three other tomato plants I purchased from my local (and well respected) nursery. I ordered from the Tasteful Garden because they had such a nice variety of tomatoes that I can not find in my area (Central NY State.) Because I have had bad experiences in the past with other larger and better known seed and plant companies, I only ordered one tomato plant; so I could test them out. I wish I had ordered my whole garden through them. I can't wait until next year when I can order MORE plants from them!

Positive
On Jun 3, 2009, KatiedlC (3 reviews) from Durham, NC

Excellent service. I ordered 12 tomato plants and they arrived in good condition and are doing GREAT. They were larger than I expected and very healthy. All the plants were shipped quickly and when I asked them to be. A+ !

Positive
On May 7, 2009, bluelime (3 reviews) from Fort Worth, TX (Zone 7b)

Great packaging and very large tomato plants! I let them rest for a few days before planting them and they're doing great. I'm very pleased with my plants and I'll definitely be a repeat customer!

Positive
On Apr 23, 2009, Raisa (4 reviews) from Memphis, TN (Zone 7b)

I ordered and received (..just when I was told I would) five superb Sweet Million tomato plants. I could not be more pleased. They are all about 10 inches tall ..leafy ..strong and healthy. They were beautifully and carefuly packaged and there was not a weakened or broken stem in the bunch. This is my second time ordering from The Tasteful Garden. I ordered several plants and a coupleof gardening aids from them last year. I am still just as pleased and will be doing business with them in the future.

Positive
On Apr 2, 2009, pj617 (1 reviews) from Damascus, MD (Zone 6b)

This was my first time ordering from them and I could not be more pleased with my purchase. The plants arrived exactly when the company said they would and I must say that the tomatoes and herbs I ordered were packed for shipping better that any other company I have used before. All the plants were healthy and much larger than I thought they would be. I will definatly buy from them in the future.

Positive
On Feb 27, 2009, cmayes71 (1 reviews) from Powell, TN (Zone 6a)

The tasteful garden is a wonderful place to purchase plants, etc. I love that they use organic growing practices. If I have a question Cindy gets back with me quickly. She is very knowledgable. They value customer satisfaction and I will purchase from them year after year.

Positive
On Jan 7, 2009, gordonsgrl (1 reviews) from Atlanta, GA

The first year I visited The Tasteful Garden in person since I live in Atlanta GA. The folks were very nice and I got to see their operation up close. I bought 7 varieties of tomatoes, 3 vegs and a couple of herbs. One tomato and one veg never produced but everything else was beautiful. The next year I ordered online and the order was delivered right on time (late April) and beautifully packaged. As mentioned before, do not yank off the plastic wrap but take the time to find the scissors and gently cut them out. This time I ordered 11 varieties and different vegs/fruits. The varieties were very successful (except the one a cat got to). Some produce more than others but that depends upon the varieties. I like that there is a good variety but not too overwhelming. It is a small business and they care about customers and service so if something is wrong by all means call them up and talk to them.

Positive
On Sep 5, 2008, stringbean1 (1 reviews) from Earlville, PA

I have been ordering from the tasteful garden for a few years now and the plants always arrive when they should and in perfect condition. They thrive in our garden.

Positive
On Aug 23, 2008, skippys_garden (1 reviews) from Belmont, MA

I received a very nice email yesterday from the Tasteful Garden. Their unattributed posting of my garden photos on their website was an error. They will add a note to indicate the photos are from my blog. And they sent me a coupon code for free plants! I'm very excited to try out their plants.

Negative
On Aug 22, 2008, matriarchy (1 reviews) from Reading, PA

I feel the same as KParr. I find it a poor reflection on their business ethics. Not to mention their gardens! I don't know many gardeners who don't have their own photos of their own plants. I still see the photos on the website, and I still would not buy from them. It would have been very easy to simply ask for permission in advance. There are few web designers who are not aware of copyright laws, and there are many sources of inexpensive commercial photography available for web use. This kind of thing really irritates me. No one accidentally harvests photos from a personal website.


Company representative comment on January 1, 2009:

On Jan 1, 2009 11:02 AM, The Tasteful Garden added:

See reply below. The beautiful raised beds at Skippy's Garden were chosen to show how a small city garden using all raised beds could be used with great results.

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