Comments regarding TomatoFest.com

I ordered from TomatoFest for the first time in the fall of 2011. I was very pleased with the enormous selection of heirloom seeds, plus the ordering process was easy and delivery time was good. Give this company a try.

Posted on February 27, 2012, updated February 27, 2012
Placed an order and it was delivered quickly and everything arrived as ordered! Great site to order from! A++++

Gary Ibsen's TomatoFest.com is surely a place worth considering when it comes to heirloom tomato seeds. My experience has been exceptional. Check it out for yourself!

Here is my response to him just recently:

Dear Gary,

I just want to say that the seeds you sent me last year, which was my FIRST EXPERIENCE with you and your tomato seeds.....WERE TOTALLY AWESOME! I really mean that!!! I live in Pennsylvania and you not only gave me sound advice and wisdom about the questions I asked you concerning the varieties I was requesting to grow and how would they do, etc., but I am so glad that California grown plants like it here in Pennsylvania just as much (at least I hope so:):):) SMILE!

My last comment would be that if possible, I wish I could show you a picture or two to validate just how nice these tomatoes proved to be. You will not be disappointed.

Gary has a guarantee that he also stands by. Happy Gardening.

I growth tomatoes starting from seed for 15 years. I bought from TomatoFest first time this year 6 + 1 free varieties. I shall report that almost 100% of seeds germinated, plants growth healty and produced as per description (except for some large size, but probably it was due to my mistakes). I absolutely got the best result I had until now with tomato seeds! Finally TomatoFest is a serious company. TomatoFest offers in very professinal but friendly website a wide selection out of the few and often unqualified hybrid varieties we can found in the garden shops. TomatoFest is the heaven for tomatoes lovers! Thank you TomatoFest!!!

Excellent customer service, huge selection, and very high germination rate. Plants are looking excellent. Really highly recommended.

I ordered seeds in March and started them inside. Their seeds rapidly took off! Put the seedlings into my garden in April. I have never seen such prolific plants! My Tiny Tim is full of baby tomatoes and blooms. My Italian Tree (which I believe was a freebie) is incredible! Has grown to 5 ft. tall already and is HUGE and still growing! I have never seen anything like it! ! Full of blooms and tomatoes already. I am SO pleased with this company and will readily order seeds again.

I ordered a number of packets from Tomatofest this year and started a bunch of seeds. I was very surprised to not get the greatest germination-all my other tomatoes did great. So, I wrote to ask if there had been a problem or if the varieties I started were known to be slow. To my surprise and delight I very quickly received a fast reply saying that there hadn't been any other reports but that just in case he was sending me new seeds. He sent packets of all three seeds I'd asked about--AND two extra varieties as a bonus!! Wow! Talk about customer service. I've since read that the black varieties can sometimes be harder to germinate than others. I also didn't choose priority shipping so the seeds were sent first class mail-and not in a bubble envelope-which could mean the seeds were damaged when cancelled-I won't do that again! In any case, I'm very pleased with the company-the seedlings are growing well and seem happy. Their selection is great and shipping was very fast both for the original order and my replacements.

Awesome choice of tomatoes! The seeds arrived so quickly I barely had time to get potting soil. Terrific germination.
Now if we'd get some sun.....!

Great selection. seeds arrived promptly, with an extra bonus packet and clear instructions. Germination rate nearly perfect.

TomatoFest is the best!

When I think heirloom, I think of the good old days. And this company still knows how to treat their customers. Just like it used to be! Gary sure knows how to take care of business.

I'll pass TomatoFest.com on to everyone I know for years to come. Thank you Gary Ibsen!!! You and TomatoFest.com truly are the best at what you do.

It doesn't get any better.

C. Reinert

I ordered tomato seeds for the first time this year, seven different kinds (ambitious, I know). TomatoFest shipped the order promptly with an extra packet included. Also included were planting instructions. I planted the seeds this past Sunday (3-13) and hoped for the best...I'm a newbie to seeds. Last night (3-16) when I got home from work, I was ecstatic to see that "Black Cherry" and "Green Zebra" had sprouted. Then this morning, I see that "Taos" (the freebie), "Broad Ripple Yellow Currant" and "Sprite" were very busy overnight and had sprouted as well. Again, being new at this, I have to say that I feel very encouraged and confident after this experience. Thank you, Tomatofest! I will be ordering again next year. Keep up the great work!

I recently ordered seeds from TomatoFest (//www.tomatofest.com/) for the first time. (Discovered the company while looking for hard-to-find seeds for the Orange Strawberry Tomato.) Waited about ten days but no seeds and the time to start them in my area is now, so on a Sunday morning I emailed the TomatoFest folks about the missing seeds. Within a few hours, I had a reply from Gary at TomatoFest. We determined that there had been a typo in the shipping address. And even though I offered to go knock on the door where the seeds might have been shipped, Gary sent me a new envelope of seeds on Monday. He couldn't have been nicer or more prompt in response to my query.

TomatoFest has a great selection of tomato seeds. Add this level of service, and I plan to buy from them again.

This is the first time I have planted tomatoes from seed. I usually buy plants from local nurseries where I was introduced to a few heirloom varieties and loved them.

I found TomatoFest while searching for a variety that I had grown last year and was amazed at all of different tomatoes. While very excited at the prospect of 600 different kinds I was able to keep my order to a modest ten different ones.(My husband thinks I'm crazy - after all what's wrong with plain old red tomatoes.)

The seeds arrived promptly and I have had nearly one hundred percent germination in only five days ( I use a heat mat.) I can't wait until transplant time and of course the first harvest. I will save some seeds, but I will surely want to try more of their different seeds next year.

This is the fourth year that I've ordered seed from TOMATOFEST. Each year my order gets bigger and bigger as there are just so many Heirloom tomatoes to choose from. I sewed my first batch of seeds on Jan. 12th of this year and by Jan. 15th already had seedlings. Now it's just a 2 1/2" jungle in my potting trays. It looks as though the germination rate is 100%. Everything I planted last year was prolific beyond my dreams as I shared with friends, neighbors and family.
The Aussie and Thieneman's Austrailian Heart were two that got raves.
I have another order in now...I'll just have to enlarge my garden!!!! Gary and Dagmar are the greatest people to deal with as I feel as though I know them. I can tell they love what they do and get great pleasure from pleasing their customers. You certainly won't go wrong ordering from TOMATOFEST for all of your Heirloom varieties.

This was the most positive experience I have ever had with a mail order company!! I am an avid Canadian gardener and was treated with utmost professionalism and courtesy. No question was left unanswered. Everything was sent in a timely manner. I had one small mistake in an order and this was resolved within HOURS!!! I will recommend this site to all of my gardening friends in my horticultural society and to my community. Thank you Gary and Dagma for such wonderful service, promptness and generosity!

I have been ordering from Tomatofest.com for the past 5 years and have nothing but great things to say from start to finish.

First the website has great details on their tomato varieties and they categorize them in many different ways as to find the perfect ones for you. There is also cutting-edge growing information provided for you such as the "Earthtainer" as well as great links on tomato gardening resources. They really want you to be successful. Any questions I sent in have been answered promptly, with care, concern and accuracy. They really know their stuff.

Second - Super speedy delivery. My package literally arrived across country from CA to NY in 3 days - I was thrilled. Speedy delivery

Third -The germination rate is 95% + on every variety every year. I have always had enough to share and have now developed a following around the spring " Hey Joe, does your wife have any of those tomato plants like last year"

The plants grow hearty and vigorously and yield just as described in their website. One of my favorites the Blondkopfchen" as my brother put it so well "has freakishly amazing amounts of tomatoes" I have no ground space and am forced to grow in pots and every year I have an abundant crop and after implementing the resources of the "Earthtainer" provided on their website I have surpassed productions of past years.

I have no need to look any further. You will certainly enjoy doing business with tomatofest.com even just looking at the website is a thrill. No disappointments at all with this company

Enjoy and happy tomatoing.

This is the third year I am ordering from TomatoFest and can't imagine ordering from anyone else. The varieties are amazing and the germination rate excellent. If you don't know what to order (although the catalogue descriptions are good) talk to Gary. He is the tomato master.

Planning to sell tomato seedlings, I ordered bulk for five heirlooms
and for the first planting of 180 had 97% germination. :) The second
planting was disaster due to soil (?) from a box store and my over-eagerness to plant. My third planting will rival the first and I
am a very happy camper with Gary Ibsen and Tomatofest. They were
very generous on their seed count also. I will recommend and repeat
purchase.

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE: The website is well worth a visit: it has detailed descriptions of all the heirloom varieties, and everything you could possibly need to know about growing heirloom tomatoes. I contacted Gary through e-mail as I had a bit of a trouble with my browser, and found him to be most accommodating!

I grow heirloom tomatoes for local plant sales for spring and fall in Scottsdale, AZ. I have ordered tomato seeds from TomatoFest for the past five years. The selection is the best in the US and their service is outstanding. My germination rate from their seeds is between 90 and 100 percent. I have met Gary Ibsen at one of his TomatoFest celebrations in 2007 and he is a dedicated heirloom professional.

I absolutely love the detail of the website and the attention to detail. This is my first time ordering from TomatoFest and since I am on a tight budget I ordered from the sales section. I ordered several determinate varieties because it is easier for me to maintain the lower growing/less vining varieties since I have two artificial hips. I not only received my seeds promptly - it really seemed like the next day - but I received a free packet of seeds that I was interested in growing!

I will post my results after the germination and/or growing season.

I order from this company every year. They have a wonderful selection of heirloom tomatoes, each listed with valuable information about growing needs, days to fruit, and pictures of each variety. The shipping is prompt, and they always send me a free extra packet as a thank you of some variety I didn't order.

Yes, the seed quantity is small, but I don't mind as I feel it is worth it to have unusual and high quality plants in my garden.

The germination rate is about 80%, which is less than some other companies I've tried, but pretty good for touchy heirlooms.

Seeds stored in the freezer and germinated the following year have a lower rate, about 50%. But good enough to make it worthwhile.

The times I've contacted them with a question or an issue I've received response within 24 hours. Great customer service, great product. I'll order from them agian.

Awesome company! The website is amazing to search through. All my seeds were in the box and I've got no complaints.

I ordered from Tomatofest last year and this year also. My germination rate was very high last year, I expect it to be high this year as well. you do have to order a minimum of $15, but tomato seeds remain viable for many years. The selection is staggering, with a lot of information on the site about how to grow tomatoes. Prices were fair, and shipping was very fast. I will order from them again..and again...and again, until I have tried at least 100 of the varieties they sell.

I ordered 28 packets of tomatoes on 12/27 and received them in less than one week. Everything was packed very neatly and I received an additional packet of seeds. I had a question I emailed to tomatofest and received a reply on a Sunday evening within hours.
Service was excellent, I expect the germination of the seeds will do just as great as the service I received.
Extremely happy doing business with this company!

This is a great company. I sent an inquiry email asking for recommendations for tomatoes for very specific growing conditions and got a personal reply within 24 hours with over a dozen reccomended varieties. Customer service lives!

I placed an order Dec. 2, 2009 and they were shipped on Dec. 9, 2009. Excellent service. I too received a bonus packet. While I have never grown seeds from this company previous reviews indicate I should have excellent germination. I echo the positive comments about the Website. It is a joy to visit and learn about the different varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes they grow organically.

I placed an order on 12/15/09 and received it on 12/19/09. Fast delivery plus a bonus pack. Will order from them again.
Don (DEMinPA)

Ordered seeds on 12/07/09 via their internet ordering system and received seeds 12/18/09. All clearly marked in individual packets plus a freebe tomato packet. If they come up true (no reason to believe they won't) I'll order again. They also sent emails with an order confirmation on 12/07/09 and another email when they mailed the seeds.

I ordered 12 seed packets from their fantastic website. Seeds arrived promptly, a free pack was enclosed and all germinated without issue. E-mail inquiries regarding further shipments were responded to politely and promptly. I highly recommend this vendor.

Even if you never order seeds from them, the website alone is worth the money for its amazing selection and information. I am personally pleased to buy my seed from someone who is in the business because of their passion for tomato farming. The work is all done painstakingly by the owners. Amazing. Yes, there is a 15 dollar minimum, but it isn't hard to do when you consider the selections, and I have had great sucess with their seeds. I would highly recommend Tomatofest.com. If for no other reason, you are supporting a "mom and pop"

I ordered 8 varieties of tomato seeds and (with their included bonus) received 9.

Just now, 8 days out, 7 of 9 have germinated at 70% to 100%; I'm still waiting on Abraham Lincoln and Arkansas Traveler.

After an "iffy" experience with Reimer (no communication over a billing issue--see my post there), it was a refreshing delight to have Dagma telephone me simply to verify my shipping address, which is not the same as my mailing address.

For that phone call alone, I give these folks an A-plus!

I ordered my seeds on Tomatofest.com. The next week I received an email confirming that the order had shipped. I received the seeds exactly 10 days after placing my order. Keep in mind that they shipped from CA and I live in NH. Also, I chose the cheapest (and slowest) shipping option. So that was fast. Thank you very much!

For many years, I have settled for the couple of varieties of tomato plants offered at local markets, put all that work into them only to get varieties and flavors that aren't much different from what's readily available fresh in stores during tomato season without all the work. This year, I decided I'd try growing from seed, with old or unusual heirloom varieties. A Google search brought me to Gary Ibsen's TomatoFest where I spent an inordinate amount of time reading the wealth of information and poring over the different varieties. The site itself is marvelous in every way and very easy to navigate.

Painfully, I had to limit myself to 5 varieties which arrived just a few days later. Gary included a packet of freebie seeds as well! That brought me to a total of 6 varieties.

Oddly, three of the varieties sprouted, and how! but three, including the freebie, did not. So I e-mailed Gary and two days later, I had replacements, including a replacement for the freebie and two more freebies! No questions asked. Now THAT is service.

But the plot, she thickens. One morning, several days ago, behold and lo, the three varieties that had 0% germination (whilst the others were about 98%!!) were all hatched! With a vigorous vengeance! So now I have all the original order and freebie growing nicely. As well, I have duplicates of all of those plus two MORE freebie varieties. If those all germinate at the same percentage as the others (98-99%), I will have tomato plants coming out of my ears and friends and neighbors will benefit!

For the record, I have tried to reimburse Gary for the replacement seeds now that we know the issue — whatever it may be — was on my end, and not an issue with the seeds, but he would have none of that.

10 out of 10 rating, and with highest recommendations!

After placing my initial order and meeting the $15 minimum I realized that I'd forgotten to order one of my favorite tomato varieties. I emailed the company and asked if they'd sell me just one packet of seeds since I'd already placed my larger order. Gary Ibsen was very gracious and allowed me to purchase just one packet of seeds - and he included his usual free packet of seeds as well. This will be the first, and probably only, place where I order tomatoe seeds from now on.

I've ordered from them in the past as well and have always been impressed with the level of customer service. A couple of years ago 2 of the 12 or 15 types of seed I ordered from them failed to germinate. Thinking the fault was mine, maybe these particular varieties needed special treatment, I emailed the company. They promptly replaced the 2 varieties and they germinated beautifully.

First of all the website is First Quality- with well written explanations and beautiful photos of every item I felt like I was making a well informed decision (Gary's passion for tomatoes is truly infectious).

I received the seeds 5 days after my order (which for the record I placed at 10 pm). It would have been expected that I would receive my order next week and was very surprised to get it today.

As for the $15 minimum- that's only approximately 5 packets of seeds (with 600 varieties available how hard would it be to find 5 that you want?).

And, yes the seeds all came in the same packages (I assume to keep printing costs down) but they are very clearly labeled so that really shouldn't be an issue.

And as a bonus I got a free packet of seeds...could it get better?

I'll update this post after harvest.

I was looking for seeds of some heirloom tomatoes and a seach engine pointed me to this company. They had the ones that I was searching for so I ordered. They do have a fairly large minimum order for such a specialized company but I found enough interesting seeds to meet the minimum. I didn't receive the seed by the time that I thought reasonable and contacted them. They responed almost immediately with the word that the seed had been sent on a date that should have gotten them to me way before then. Without any prompting, they said that they would send a second shipment. They followed up with an email that one of the seeds was a duplicate with a different name so that they would choose something interesting to substitute. When the seed arrived in a day or two there were also 2 bonus packs. I haven't grown the seed yet but they certainly get an A+ for customer service!

What I like from any seed company is communication, and this is where Tomatofest shines. Excellent service, reasonable prices, and 1 week turnaround from my online order.

This is my second order for the year with Tomatofest.
The number of tomato varieties they carry is second to none that I have found in the USA.
Just like the first order earlier this year my seeds arrived within two days of placing my order on their website.
I am happy to be able to leave Positive feedback for this company. The Feedback I am leaving is deserved.