Comments regarding Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.

I have ordered from these good folks for almost 6yrs now and have NEVER had a problem with seeds germinating. Rather than give a good business a Negative rating I would sugest that if you are unhappy that you give them a chance to make it all right. They are a class act and a leader in the and advocate for good food.

I appreciate the time and expense that they put into testing seeds like corn in order to weed out GMOs.

Thanks again for all of your hard work. It is easy to see that what you do is not just a business but it is also a passion.

Posted on February 23, 2009, updated January 6, 2010
I am new to heirloom plants.I have never mail ordered seeds before. I was refered to BC from a fellow gardener who loved her plants last year. I went to their website and looked it over. Made my decisions and ordered $55. worth of seed, mostly tomaotes. I was like a kid going to the mailbox everyday. 10days later I finally get an envelope from them. Can you imagine my surprise to find 3 boxes of herbal foot soak?! I imediately called customer service. She apolized several times, asked me to send it back to them, and they would reimburse me. I offered to mail it onto the correct person instead of paying postage 3x on same package. I called back 2 more times before I spoke with someone who could help me with MY order. They resent my order (along with the postage paid for the other order and 2 free tomato seed packets) No company is perfect. Mistakes happen to everyone and I feel BC corrected theirs quickly and much to my pleasure. My seeds arrived 2 days later.

This is the second year that I have ordered from Baker Creek. The catalog is beautiful and well organized. And I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with the company.

I placed my order online using their new system, and found it to be easy and intuitive. I especially enjoy that the public can rate it.

I also received my order in a timely fashion. I placed the order on December 31 and immediately received an email confirmation. My complete order came to me today (January 6) in a nice bubble-wrapped envelope.

They are pleasant, responsive, efficient, and their catalog is amazing. I will always order from Baker Creek when possible.

I've been ordering from them for the last few years, and now I won't order anywhere else. They have the best selection and customer service. I called a few weeks ago and asked if we could have a second catalog sent (my daughter always confiscates mine!) and the lady I spoke with was very helpful and friendly. (The catalog came very quickly, as well!) Also, I feel safe ordering from them, knowing that their seeds aren't coming from a big "conglomeration" and test GMO free.

I started buying seed from Baker Creek three years ago. I have had only positive experiences with this company. Their catalog is beautiful, full of heirloom seeds. I will continue to purchase the bulk of my seed from Baker Creek in the future.

Baker Creek has been a positive experience. Great service. Dependable seed.

Have learned a lot also due to their active stance against GMO seed. Thanks for taking the time to educate others.

Everything was perfect. I was very pleased. The only problem is that I bought in bulk last year so I wouldn't have to buy any this year. Now I don't have an excuse for my parents to dish out moolah for anything. Grr.

Just got my 2010 catalog last week and I'm totally OVER THE MOON again with the gorgeousness. I made at least 2 orders last year (my first year 2009) and both went very well. I had great germination and enjoyed a bumper crop after the drought let up. I love the freebee watermelon and eggplant seed packs they sent with my order. There is always more seed than promised in the packs. The catalog is a work of art that sends me into a dreamy state!

PS: I suggest all yall order early and beat the rush & sold-out blues.

Was amazed at the gorgeous catalog I received from Baker's this last spring, and felt compelled to place an order, though I had already finished my plans for ordering seeds. Ordered lettuce, carrots, and tomato seeds; all germinated terrifically and grew outstandingly well. They threw in some free wildflower seeds, which also grew very well. I will definitely order from Baker Seed again, and look forward to their 2010 catalog!

I've ordered seeds from Baker Creek for 3 years now. I've never had any problems.

I grow many varieties of vegetables in a very large garden. My garden was the talk of the town this year.

I started several mountain princess tomatoes from seed and everyone was amazed at the clusters I had so early in our short mountain climate.

The only problems I've encountered are due to my own errors. For instance, last spring I had started many seeds inside. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough lights so some of my peppers and tomatoes were much smaller than they could have been.

My only other problem was with my onion seeds. After they sprouted, I left them in a south facing window! Wrong move on my part. Those onions were cooked!

I can't wait to see the variety that will be offered up in 2010!

Happy Gardening everyone!

The seed I ordered here were a big hit. Beautiful old varieties of many different flowers. Love their gorgeous catalog. A joy to read on a cold winters' night, and then all through the year. A masterpiece, really! BRAVO, to you at Baker Creek!

Over the last 10 yrs or so, I have bought hundreds of seeds from them. I "stash" seeds in addition to using them. I have a small freezer that is dedicated to seed saving (stashing). I have never had a problem with any of the seeds that I bought- even the ones that have been frozen for quite a while.
I too get free packs of seeds occ'ly and don't care what the free packs are. The fact that these people are nice enough to give me something for buying from them is great.
They have always been courteous, friendly and immediately taken care of anything that I bring to their attention.
I will continue to buy seeds from them and support them. They are a valuable resource for us.

When I first ordered from this company, I did notice that their website and order tracking does leave a bit to be desired. Hopefully, as their success increases they can address those issues a little better. :)

Overall, my order came in a timely manner, considering that it was the middle of "seed season" and everything was wrapped in bubble wrap and no seeds were missing or broken. I was a bit disappointed that my Asian Winged Beans were back ordered and therefore cancelled. Now that I know about that option of writing that you want the back order shipped when its available, that won't happen again next year.

I planted my seeds, the squash did great, but some of the other seeds had poor or no germination. I know that these things happen, sometimes at no fault of the seed company. I called the company and they were VERY PLEASANT TO DEAL WITH. They made every effort to be kind and to make sure that I was satisfied. I ended up getting my winged beans after all and some other items I hadn't thought to order the first time around, in place of my low germinating items that were now out of stock. The ones that are still in stock are being shipped as well. It was a win win situation for all.

I am very satisfied with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and I will definitely be ordering from them again. I would encourage anyone who has left negative or neutral feedback to give them a call and the opportunity to make things right. I don't think you will be disappointed. :)

The seeds arrived within two weeks which I think is pretty good for an international order. The seeds have all germinated and the seedlings are doing very well. I will definitely order from them again.

One of the best heirloom seed companies. Many great products and good service.

Baker Creek seeds made our summer last year--this review is long overdue. Driven mad by Amy Goldman books, I ordered six varieties each of heirloom melon and squash. Seeds arrived, very nicely packed, about 10 days later. Nearly 100 % germination, combined with an unusually long fall meant lots of melons and squash for us and for Project Angel Heart. Baker Creek has many varieties, great prices AND they've signed the Safe Seed Pledge. Website very easy to navigate, a lush and tempting paper catalog, and yes, great politics. I will happily order from this company again.

The catalog is absolutely gorgeous and I think businesses should put their personal opinions wherever they want, I can (and often do) choose not to spend my money with a company whom's politics I don't like. I also don't understand complaining about free seeds, who cares, give them away for someone else to eat if you don't want them.

I put my order in earlier this year and was very greatful to receive everything I ordered, last year I didn't get items.

I also have noticed far more than the minimum seeds in packets.

Great company.

Last month I thought that I would be leaving negative feedback--and I hated the thought--since I have had great experiences with Baker Creek for years. First, there were the delays-although they were more than adequately explained. Then I found that 4 out of 7 of the tomatoes that I'd ordered did not germinate, although they seemed to receive exactly the same culture as the others. Then, the one item I really wanted was missing from a second order. I e-mailed the company and got a quick and very gracious reply. Pam (thank you Pam!) not only said that she would send the missing item out immediately--but would replace the seeds that seemed to be bad. When I set up my replacement tomato seeds-I made a discovery. There was a small fault in a window that (when the wind was from an odd direction) sent a focused blast of Chicago winter air right to the seeds that had not germinated-sparing the ones that had. The fault was plugged and my replacement seeds sprouted vigorously--in the way I had come to expect from Baker Creek seeds.
Given weather problems and the increased demand that the company has been experiencing (it seems that everyone is reponding to high prices by growing produce themselves) I think that they are coping in the best possible way. I am more impressed than ever. They certainly did not have to offer replacements!--especially since the seeds were absolutely fine. I am recommending Baker Creek to every gardener I know.

Shipped seeds very quickly. Seeds all sprouted very quickly. Prices were reasonable and they had a large selection.

Also, they included a free pack of seeds (some carrots). Very nice touch.

Thanks.

I read about Baker Creek and ordered their catalog early this year. I fell in love with the entire catalog and took 3 weeks to make a decision on 60+ varieties. It was a wonderfully put together catalog with beautiful pictures and illustrations, it also gave a detailed description of the seed and where it came from (which was quite entertaining). I also ordered several books and their Heirloom magazine. My order came in a very timely fashion. The seeds, books etc... came in a box and were well packed. To my surprise they included two free seed packets (yellow star pepper & French beets). They were out of stock on a few things but noted on the form what was missing and gave me an instant check refund stapled to the order. I had such a positive experience that we are planning a trip to their Heritage farm (Baker Creek) for their festival in May (we live in Texas). I love Jere's vision and want to give my $$$$ to a business that has scruples. They are the closest thing to dealing with a old general store atmosphere with a huge selection of rare & heirlooms. I cannot believe that anyone would actually complain about free seeds, that is certainly not a reason to give negative feedback. ****I planted most of my garden in early March - I am in 8A zone and practically everything has sprouted so the seed germinations are above average***I was very surprised by the amount of seed in several packets..if it said 25 seeds on packet there were usually 5 to 10 more.

I ordered bunches of seed from them 2 years ago. They still sprout. When a packet says "minimum 50 seeds," very often there are hundreds in there. I am currently reopening packets for this years sowing and I am happy. I will definitely be a repeat customer.
Thank you Baker Creek.

I was looking for seeds for a fabled "Million Dollar Mellon" about which I had heard in the past but wasn't sure even existed! Via a Google search, I found Baker Creek Heirloom which included an informative blurb about the melons which coincided with the story I had heard. They also had plain old Black Seeded Simpson seeds so I ordered a packet of those as well. Not exactly a big spender order . . . just two packets of seeds, one of which is rare and one of which is very common. But obviously I was not treated any differently from those who would have larger orders because the seeds arrived swiftly and included a free packet of St. Valery Carrot seeds! (YUM!) So far, so very good with Baker Creek!

These guys are the best. The catalog is awesome and cool, I love the quotes! I can feel young creative energy behind this company. The selection is amazing, well described, well illustrated. The seeds were shipped on time and are great. I highly recommend this company, what a pleasure to deal with!

Ordered from them again this year.

Received my shipment minus one item that was no longer in stock in under 7 days.
Got notice when they received my order, got notice when it was packaged on on its way to shipping, and received notice when it was shipped.

Prices can be a little high on some items but it is well worth the price to receive my items in a timely manner; unlike another company I ordered from this year.


Will order again next year.

Ordered seeds on a Sunday night and received them Thursday.

I received everything I ordered.

One of the seeds I ordered was a variety of hot pepper so they gave me free samples of another variety of hot pepper as a bonus.

I couldn't believe how fast the seeds arrived.

I placed my first order with Baker this year after reading so many of the positive comments posted here. I received my order in good time. The only issues I had were the fact that some of the items I ordered were out of stock so I received substitutions but the packing slip did not specify it was a substitution so I wasn't sure if I had received the wrong item or a substitution. I also received a refund for one variety that was out of stock but was completely missing one item.
I emailed them the day I received the order to ask and waited for a response but never received one, finally 2 weeks later I decided to fax them my questions. I am guessing that my original email ended up in email never-never land because Baker Creek responded to the fax within 2 hours, all of my questions were answered and the missing seeds were to be sent out right away. That was on Friday and today is Tuesday so as long as I receive that last packet of seeds soon I will continue to order from them in the future. It is obvious that they try to have good customer service which is more than I can say for some of the other companies I have ordered from this Spring.

I ordered a variety of heirloom tomato seeds, in all colors, and they arrived quickly. I planted three seeds per pot, and except for one type, (which was noted as not germinating well and included extra seeds), nearly every seed germinated, so I've been separating transplants all week, and have three times the tomato plants I intended. If I'd known how well they would do, I'd have put one seed per pot! I did use heat mats and humidity domes for germination & now have the seedlings under good light, but at this point, I have true leaves on all my little plants. Great seeds! Stay away from the Atkinson, which I can't get to germinate at all, and you'll love their heirloom seeds.

Seeds came within a week after I ordered them, even though I had waited until March to place the order. The full packet of free seeds was a nice bonus!

I just received my seed order from Baker Creek Seeds and I still don't know how they managed to get my seeds to me SO FAST!!!

Great job of packaging in bubble-wrap envelope and VERY reasonable shipping charge (I was aghast at some of the shipping charges I was seeing for shipping just seeds).

I've ordered seeds from this company in the past and have always been very satisfied with germination rates and the 'end' results...mostly melons.

I was very pleased at the free packet of seeds that I received happened to be a melon seed (I ordered mostly melon seeds this time) that I had been considering buying/trying.

This is a GREAT, relatively inexpensive source of high quality, unusual and heirloom seeds.

I like Baker Creek. They have interesting varieties and they sent a note of apology for sending the order out late, even though it really wasn't late.

I always find something new that I want to try from their catalogue.

Love the seeds and heirloom veggie/fruit selection at this place! Shipping is ridiculously fast, and customer service excellent. It's a nice touch with the free seed packet in every order too...fun to see what you'll get this season! Definitely a company that has my business for life.

Baker Creek is, hands down, my favorite seed source.

I'm primarily a veggie gardener, with some herbs for cooking and tea thrown in, but I transitioned to heirloom veggies in order to be even more food independent and save seeds.

Basically, I'm a total plant geek and adore gardening.

Now that confession is out of the way.

Their catalog is to die for, truly gardener's porn, if I may say so. Loads of varieties and amazingly strong seed!

While the Applegreen Eggplant had only a 20% germination and was quite weak this year, all of the other dozens of varieties of seeds are strong sprouters with dependable germination. I find their descriptions spot on and really liked that when I called to try to find out a particular breed of eggplant for a container in the hot coastal south, she could spout one right off and give particulars.

For those concerned with GMO, I think it is great this year that they don't just sign the safe seed pledge, they TEST for contamination. That is significant for us home scale corn growers.

And I like the free seeds. Of course it will be whatever they have extra of, but it is still super fun to find the treat in the box.

I ordered last year. Service was prompt, the veggies grew well, and varieties appeared to be the ones advertised.

My single small complaint is that I wish the catalog would provide more specific information about growing conditions, zone hardiness and days to maturity for each seed they list.

The quotes in the catalog are thought-provoking, especially the ones I don't agree with! And the photos are works of art. Together, they provide food for the mind and soul.

I appreciate the fact that Baker Creek makes their catalog readily available in print. For comparing varieties, this format is much easier than online. This year, I requested two catalogs in print. Baker Creek's arrived in a week; the other hasn't shown up after a month. Baker Creek gets 100% of my order this year!

I ordered for the first time. The shipping was prompt, the catalog is wonderful. I enjoy the quotes in the catalog, regardless of my personal views. Those that did not like them were not forced to read them. Duh. The manifest was hand signed with a thank you which is a quality and rare touch these days. I will be ordering from them in the future.

This was my first order with Baker's, but I was very satisfied. Seeds came quickly, within a week, with an apology that they weren't mailed sooner! The germination was the best of any of my seeds this year so far. And I love the catalog, and the free packet of seeds you get with your order!

I've been ordering from this seed company for several years and have been glad to see their selection grow. This year they even had some things that I had ordered from Europe, like Crapaudine beet. I was bowled over by the catalog. And I liked the politics they had in there. Fits in with other catalogs like Fedco and J.L. Hudson.

This was my first time ordering from Baker Creek, and I am pleased with the experience. My order only took a couple of weeks to arrive, which is apparently longer than normal because they included a note explaining the delay was due to that major ice storm. One seed packet was out of stock, and they included the refund with my seeds. So far, I have only started the lettuce seeds and the germination rate seems great. Shipping is only $3 -- you can't beat that! And their catalog is GORGEOUS, and I really appreciate the time and attention they devote to highlighting the powerful forces that are influencing seed/food production -- something we as gardeners and as Americans should understand better.

Put my order in early this year, as I had suspected every seed company would get behind. Ordered January 21, order came on January 31-well ahead of the others I'd ordered from.
As for the political and other statements in the catalog, isn't that what freedom means? He has the right to post it--You have the right to not read it.
I'll definetly order every year.

I have ordered seed from Baker Creek the past three years. Their shipping prices are the best and fast, seed selection is incredible, germination is always very high. I love this company! As for the free seeds, I've never got the same pack twice and am always have to have them!