Comments regarding Nichols Garden Nursery

I have been dealing with Nichols for many years. I find them to be very good people to do business with.

I ordered seeds, plants, and Mason bees from Nichols in 2003, and was very happy with everything. I didn't garden in 2004, but have ordered more seeds from them in 2005.

My family has ordered from Nichols several times and always had good luck. They have a great selection of seeds. I try to experiment with something new in the garden every year. With their selection, that task is easy. The prices are fair and shipping has been timely. We have also had great germination rate.

Just got the Bolivian Sunroot that I ordered (also called Yacon) in the mail and the packaging was very well done, the plant itself was in excellent condition and immediately started thriving the moment I placed it in my garden. I haven't had the best germination rates from some of their seeds before (only had nine Borage plants germinate from an entire packet) but I am very happy with the plant I received.

I've ordered seeds and plants (as well as the owner's book on container gardening) this spring, and have been pleased with the quality of the merchandise and the service. Customer service was pleasant and helpful when one of the plants I'd ordered was accidentally left out of the shipment. Nichols is "just down the road a piece," and I look forward to doing business with them on a regular basis.

I ordered three plants from this company as well as a few packages of seed. One of my plants (stevia) arrived looking sick, with yellow/brown leaves. I immediately took it out of the box and gave it a little water and placed it in a partially sunny spot to air it out. My husband inspected the plant that evening and noticed tiny BUGS all over the plant. I carefully inspected my lavender and thyme plant and thank goodness no bugs on them although the lavender was so tiny (2 inches at best). Unfortunately despite our efforts the stevia did not make it. I emailed the company TWICE and basically was ignored.
I wanted a refund of my money because they had shipped me a sick and bug infested plant. For the price of this stevia plant from Nichols I could have purchased a quality organic plant from another nursery.
I am VERY disappointed in this company and will not order from them again. I wish I would have discovered this site before I ordered from them because from what I read I am not the only one who has had problems with them.

I love Nichols!! Fabulous selection, fabulous germination, fabulous customer service. Hoping for more organic seed selection in the future!

I ordered from this company early this spring. My seeds and a catalog arrived first, and today my herb plants arrived. Nice plants, ones that are hard to get anywhere else.

I will definetely order from them, and recommend them, again. Thank you!
Karen Hane

I have been using Nichols seeds for the past 25 years. I have always experienced good germination rate with your seeds. Your varieties perform well for me especially last year when I gardened on a new site during one of our hottest summers on record. I love your Sweet Success Cucumber. I always get consistently good yields of juicy, crisp cucumbers. I appreciate all the salad greens Nichols offers esp Arugula, Mizuna, Misome and all the lettuce varieties. Thank you for being a reliable seed company. Because of your good quality seeds I always enjoy an abundance of great tasting produce from my garden.

I've gardened with their seeds for over ten years and have always been satisfied with their selection and great quality. What especially pleases me is the broad variety of herbs and unusual vegetables that I don't see offered anywhere else. When I phone in an order or have a question the staff is helpful and friendly. It's like talking to another gardener over the back fence. One of the most readable catalogs I receive.

Unacceptably low germination rates on seed--zero to 15% on varieties where I normally expect 80% or better.

I've never had much luck with their seeds. When planted right next to the same or a similar variety from another supplier, I've routinely gotten poor to no germination. I haven't ordered from them in several years, and don't plan to again.

Speedy service and great seed viability.

I absolutely love this nursery. I order almost exclusively from them. They are always prompt, I have had luck with seeds from them that I never had luck with before. I think some of my success may be due to the fact that Nichols grows and offers plants and seed that are especially suited to the northwest.

I have been ordering from this catalog for over a dozen years. They always have unusual and interesting stuff. Their plants arrive in good condition, and their seeds sprout true to description. Nichols has been my most reliable supplier over the years. My only disappointment--In recent years plants are no longer wrapped in moss the way they used to be. I always found this both charming and effective. On the rare occasions when mistakes have been made, they always sent replacements promptly.

I am sorry to say that I have never had much luck with the seeds I've ordered from this company. And I've ordered repeatedly, thinking it must be my hamhandedness.

Very good nursery to deal with. Have purchased seed & other nursery stock (such as hops) in the past for years, & have had very good success with everything. Very good selection for my Northwest (sometimes short season) area.

Great seed selection (a lot of varieties I haven't seen in other catalogs) and good germination. Finally found summer squash seeds that would grow in my garden (after 5 years of failure and wilt) and also a cucumber that did same.
They will get my order again.

I have been using Nichol's Garden Nursery for 30 years. I
have used their seed in California, New York and Oregon.
Nichol's has always done a perfect job for me. We have
another good seed company from southern Oregon called
Territorial Seeds that I have used also. One year I got
both catalogues and did a price comparison. The same exact seeds cost 25% less at Nichol's than Territorial. Nichol's shipping charge was also around 25% cheaper. I will still use Territorial if they have a seed I want that Nichol's doesn't carry but overall, because of the savings, I go with Nichols.

I have ordered from this company for 9 years. They have the widest selection of herb seeds, and herb plants that I have seen. The plants always arrive in excellent condition, and grow great! They also have tea, dried herbs, and other supplies available. A top rate company in my book!

My experiences with Nichols Garden over the past five years have been completely positive. I'm getting ready to order more seeds from them this year.

Have ordered from this company for over 10 years. Always satisfied.

Have bought live plants and seeds in years past. Would buy from them again.

I've ordered from them for about 5 years, and have yet to be disappointed. Their selection (especially herbs) is great, without the high prices that are found with other companies. Garlic and shallot bulbs were received in good condition this past year (don't know what the end result is yet) and were shipped when predicted. The speed of shipment has impressed me as well. Very personable company with a good product!

I have to say I was very disappointed in my order from them. I'm interested in putting in a Lavender garden and they have several unusual varieties. I ordered as soon as the new catalog arrived in January and ordered several packets of flower seeds as well as 15 lavender plants. The seeds arrived sometime in Feb. with a note that the plants would ship in the spring (naturally.) By the middle of May, the weather here in zone 7 was hitting 80 degrees and I'd heard nothing from Nichols. I called the office, and was told they'd get back to me with the order status the next day. I heard nothing. I called again several days later and while they were sympathetic they still had no idea what had happened to my order. I had to call a 3rd time and re-fax my order form to them. They said the order would go out the next day. It finally arrived during the long Memorial Day weekend while I was away and sat in the lobby of my building. Half of my order was not enclosed with only a brief explanation that they would not be shipping it--no reason or apology.I called to enquire and they said that El Nino rains had affected most of their stock (fair enough, but tell me upfront). Half the plants were dried out and several others soaked and rotted. At the moment only one small specimen survives. Their operation is certainly low-tech, but it shouldn't be no- service.

We have ordered from Nichols since 1969, and have always been pleased with their service, and quality of seeds. They carry such an assortment of unusual varieties. Their "Oregon Star" tomato seeds always germinate almost 100%, and the tomatoes are the tastiest, and have very few seeds.

The only thing this great seed company needs to do is to clean up their cluttered up catalogue. Either that, or, put in an index. Other than that little annoyance, you can have no fears about bad seeds or poor service. These guys do a very good job!

Great selection with wonderful results! I have always been satisfied with the quality, the quantity and the timeliness of their shipments (seeds, live plants, and packaged herbs). I would definitely recommend them to anyone serious about gardening and herbs.

Good quality seed and unusual varieties, especially mustards and salad greens. Their "showroom" is kind of ramshackle, homey, smells good, and you can bag your own bulk seed. Watch the help fill orders and do the mailing while you sip herb tea. Stroll the herb garden outback. Mail order with a human face.

I faxed my first order to them and had the shipment on my back porch two days later. I still haven't figured out how they did it! They don't always ship at such incredible speed but I've been impressed with speed, quality, selection, etc. All those things that make a supplier good.

I would like to recommend their seed quality. All seed that I have received from them have almost a 100% germination rate. I usually germinate double what I need because the germination rate is 50%. Imagine my surprise when all the plugs had wonderful healthy seedling in them. The neighbors got a lot of free plants this year. I would order from them again. I only regret my sweet woodruff seeds being unavailable this year. Oh well, better luck in 97.

Another West Coast company that's been around for years. Reliable with speedy order return, although sometimes the stock limited and you get a credit with your order. They aren't too up-to-date tech-wise, though. In 1993, I sent a Fax and it took 2 weeks to get a reply (a lot longer than a paper mail response would take).

I like them; they are a "real" company whose product reflects a small enterprise's attempt to create a niche market. I have always been quite happy with their materials and they serve the gardener by selecting varieties whose success is probable instead of a large collection of untried, glitzy material.