Comments regarding John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds

I have been buying from Scheepers and Van Englen for over 15 years. When they bought the seed business from Rene Seeds (who a year or so later went back into business), I stayed with new ownership. Minor hiccups her in there but I have been we'll satisfied with quality and customer support. Only once did I have a problem with bulbs and that was my fault as I rushed some summer bulbs who got 1st drown on mid-March storm which then froze hard. The tenderest were mush a week later. If I am planting a few hundred+, I go to VanEnglen their semi-wholesale side..I always buy their english cuke seeds, nasturtiums (which always grow whilst other seed cos' do not), parsnips for soups. I buy from about 5 suppliers usually trying out a new one every year esp if they have something unique. But I buy every year from Scheepers because I trust their quality.

Ordered seeds and got complete order in 5 days!

I just love this seed company. A wonderful selection of seeds and superbly written seed catalog full of wit and wisdom.

Posted on February 25, 2005, updated March 10, 2012
I've ordered once. The seeds were delivered quickly, and germination has been excellent on the varieties I've started so far. I also bought some seeds - which are in very attractive packets - to give away as gifts. The prices may be a little high, but they do have some unusual varieties. Also, when I compared both the price and the seed count, most of the things I bought came out pretty close to other companies as far as cost per seed.

I placed an order for a few packets of tomato seeds in the middle of February. About three weeks went by and I never received the seeds. I e-mailed them asking about the seeds and they promptly responded and re-sent the seeds. I received them about three days later. I am having a similar problem with another company that I ordered from right around the same time. I wish I could say I have had the same quick, courteous experience with this other company, but I cannot. I will placing another order with John Scheepers (probably the items that I can't seem to get from the other company).

Unbelievable! I received my seed order within nine days. Everything was as ordered with no substitutions.

Seeds arrived less than week after ordered. Called to find out the varities in a mixed winter squash mix and the customer service rep actually took the time to find out for me while I was on the phone. Love the varities this outfit offers because you know they will always taste good!

Ordered from this company last year and had good results with their seeds. Not so good with their fall bulbs but can't complain about the seeds. Really like their wide variety!

I ordered about 5 seed packets from them on Monday (a holiday) and received all the packets on Wednesday, in only two days! They look great and have lots of info on the back, though it might not be variety specific. I can't speak for germination yet, but the service alone wowed me. Will definitely order again!

This is an excellent company! This is my second year of purchasing seeds from this company and it will not be my last. All orders have arrived promptly and in excellent condition. All of the seeds I bought from this company that I've planted have sprouted and are now healthy young plants growing in my garden.

Customer service is awesome - when I have written to The Kitchen Garden via e-mail with questions about my order, I have received prompt, courteous responses.

I did learn one valuable lesson that I wanted to share with other new gardeners in the south: I live in zone 8 and usually plant items like onions and potatoes in late January and early February. This is the first year I attempted to order onion slips and seed potatoes from The Kitchen Garden. Even though the company was aware that I live in Zone 8, they were unable to ship those items to me because their warehouses are in northern states, which were experiencing extremely cold weather. Had they shipped these items in Februrary, my potatoes and onions would have perished in the freezing temperatures in tansit.

This is not something that reflects poorly on the company - I appreciate the fact that they let me know why the order didn't arrive when expected and that they didn't risk shipping these items. I'd rather plant late than receive dead plants!

The onion and potatoes arrived last week and have been planted.... they'll just mature in hotter temperatures than I would have preferred. I'm thinking about ordering onions and potatoes for fall plantings in the future.

All that being said, I will continue to do business with this company and appreciate the individual attention they gave me. The level of customer service I received from this company is a rare and refreshing experience.

I love this company. This is the second year I have ordered from them. They have unique seeds and their delivery time is the quickest of any of the companies. I live in Idaho and usually have my order in three days. There are plenty of seeds in the packets and the seeds germinate well. In addition, the packets are colorful with a picture of what's inside. They also have clear planting instructions right on the back. Shipping costs are quite reasonable. I highly recommend this company.

Wonderful doing business with this company. Their catalog and web site are packed with information, I love the extra recipes. Ordered on Sunday and processed Monday. Seeds are in my hands on Wednesday!!! Seed packets are loaded with information. Excited to try my hand at my first real vegetable, fruit and herb garden.

Last year was the first time I ordered from John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds. I've grown organic vegetables for 12 years and have a very large 4- season garden, harvesting through the winter. You get plenty of seed for your money. If you're a gourmet gardener this company has the hard to find and world cuisine varieities that make your heart sing. Germination was outstanding of everything I tried and better than many other seed companies that I order from. John Scheeper salad blends transplant very well, better than some others I've tried, grew vigorously and then held beautifully when other blends were giving up. They seem to take extreme cold well under my winter covered grow tunnels, as low as 13 degrees and I'm still cutting lovely salads January 1! Find the best olive oil you can. I'm recommending this company to my friends and will be ordering again soon.

Nothing bad to say about this company. I love the unique selection they have. One year I ordered some packets that never arrived. They promptly sent out new seeds, no questions asked. Nine months later the post office delivered my seeds that were postmarked from the previous spring!

This company has one of the best values in per packet cost vs the quantity of seed provided. It's just like the old days when you used to get way more seed than you needed per packet! Their selection of varieties is excellent as is their seed quality and performance. They have a very good selection of ornamental edibles, vegetables and herbs that taste as good as they look in the garden. First rate.

Ordered for the first time this year. Seeds were here very quickly and the plants are doing great. I would order from them again.

I ordered seeds from them for the 2nd time last winter. I love their selection of more unusual varieties, and I've been happy with the germination rate, and types of plants that result. I've only had poor luck with the cauliflower and spinach, but our early spring was really weird here, so I think it's more a case of the weather, not the seeds.

Love this company - great selection of products, reasonable pricing and quick shipping. Can't go wrong here.

I've ordered from this company before and was not disappointed. Great seeds and prompt delivery. A++

Interesting/different selections, very prompt service, very polite customer service! Will order from them again.

I've always been pleased with his bulbs, so I thought I would try some of his seeds. I wasn't disappointed! I will be ordering from him again. :-) Tamara

I just discovered John Scheepers this past spring and I've been very pleased with everything I ordered. They carry an interesting variety of seeds. Customer service was excellent and I recieved my seeds in 4 days! That's a record. S&H is very reasonable and that's important to me.

I have placed several orders with the company. I am extremely pleased with what's been popping up throughout the garden all spring and now into summer! Let me say a few words about peas: sugarsnap, petit pois, and snow. Wonderful mizuna, tat soi, lettuce blends. Every vegetable has been a terrific grower and most of the herbs. The ones I've had to struggle with are, predictably, herbs that have low germination rates -- no fault of the seed co. Service was prompt; packaging reliable (no wet seeds en route). I strongly recommend this company.

I placed just a small order, but i will place a bigger one next year. Ordering was fast and easy and the seeds were shipped very quickly.

I ordered some vegetable seeds from this company less than two weeks ago. The seeds arrived in just a few days and I've already got them planted. The service was outstanding! Provided that germination rate is high, I would definitely order from this company again.

I placed my first order with John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds this year. All of the seeds did *very* well, with nearly 100% germination.

The only seeds I had a problem with were White Wonder cucumbers... I direct sewed them along with 2 other varieties, and while the others did fine and came up, nothing was happening with the White Wonders. I pulled back the dirt to see if anything was growing... and nothing. I waited another week, and still nothing.

I wrote an e-mail to them to tell them about the White Wonder cukes... and they wrote back within a few HOURS and said they were sending out a new pack of seeds. A few minutes later, I got a shipping confirmation e-mail.

Honestly, I plan on getting ALL my veggie seeds from them from this point forward! I'm thrilled with the selection/service.

I ordered from kitchengardenseeds online after being enticed by their lovely catalog. (And checking GWD ratings of course!) The seeds arrived promptly and are wonderful little packages as someone else noted. One packet wasn't sealed quite properly and I lost some Milano plum tomato seeds as I was opening the larger garden collection envelop in which it was enclosed. I emailed about losing some seeds, got an immediate response, apology and promise to send a new packet. The replacement arrived in a couple of days along with a "sorry" message on the packing slip. Wow! I only order from top rated companies anymore so expect good product, fair pricing and reliable customer service. This company has outdone itself in all aspects. Will definitely be back there with more orders!

I've ordered from this company 3 times. They are great! Incredibly fast delivery, great catalog, nice website with interesting recipes and most important- I've always gotten 100% germination from my seeds. This year they didn't send the packet of Sungold cherry tomatoes that I ordered, but sent a packet of scallions by mistake. I left a voicemail for them on the weekend. The following Monday I got a return message saying that the correct seed would be sent. That packet arrived a few days later.

I will keep ordering from them and I recommend this company to all my friends and relatives. They are one of my all-time favorites!

The Best seed company I have oreded by mail from. The website is attractive, the recipes unique. The delivery is quick. The catalog is exceptional.
My tomato plant germination seemed to be 100% Banana legs and green zebra being my favorites.
The unique bean variaties, I enjoyed till frost.

I have just received my third purchase of seeds from this company. I have had almost 100% germination from every packet, and the resulting plants are very vigorous and consistent with what is depicted in their catalog. They also have some unusual varieties, described wonderfully in their online store site. I enjoy the collections, groups of seeds for salads, salsa, etc. And I also give them as gifts to my gardening friends, who all rave about them. I have had only wonderful experiences ordering from this company.

I ordered several types of vegetables and herb seeds last year with 100% germination. The seed packets were full of good seeds, and the illustrations on the packets were a piece of art in themselves! Positively beautiful little picures of butterflies, bees and other insects fluttering about the plant that the packet represented. The catalogue is well organised too, with plenty of descriptions and suggestions.

The prices are a little inflated and the choice not as great as with some other companies more geared to mass marketing; you can get the same seeds a little cheaper elsewhere, but if you want something a little special, such as for gifts, you might certainly consider John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds. You get the same top quality with their seeds as you do with their bulbs.