Comments regarding Whatcom Seed Company (Seedrack.com)

I purchased from these guys from 2006 till 2022 never had a problem and my seeds germinated including ponderosa pine, ginkgo beloba, love in a mist rare blue flowers and rare blue shrimp plants. The seeds were quality and came with printed instructions and photographs. I miss this business dearly. Most of these negative reviews seem to be from impatient people that dont understand how to grow difficult seeds.

Hi, and a good Day Eh! ❤️
I was reading through some of the post here about Seedrack, after placing a order with them.
Placed the order on 2018-03-29, reading some of the bad reports about NOT getting back on emails, so I tested my luck with email them, but as people claim, they do not get back to you at all!
So I started to worry, after reading all the BS, any my order arrive on 2018-04-06, very happy with my order from Seedrack, Thank You SeedRack and I will return for more.
Step 2 now will keep you all updated on terming these baby’s!
One Love
holywarz from Canada

Good documentation and safe packing for international locations. Governments places more restrictions of seeds via mail daily. Thanks to Whatcom Seed Co. I was able to get my seeds to another country with no issues. Loved it. They sent what they said they would and did it well.

Posted on April 2, 2015, updated April 2, 2015
I was tempted to leave a neutral comment, because they never emailed me that my seeds were shipped nor responded to my email when I asked them whether my seeds were shipped. Complete silence, but... when I heard from the local Customs office, I knew my seeds have arrived. One more problem was that I clearly asked Seedrack to not declare the 10-seed package as "seeds", yet they clearly declared them as "Garden Seeds". Perhaps they must declare and so I am glad the seeds were not confiscated on my side, because this is Azores, and they are very nice and flexible here. Still not enough "trouble" to leave a neutral review/rating.

Now regarding the seed germination: I will find that out a few weeks later. Regarding packaging and presentation, it's perfect: seeds are carefully packed into bubble wrap and placed into sealed thick plastic bags with colourful labels and coloured page on seed germination. I remember buying from them in the past as well, and had no problems.

I placed an order with whatcom seeds/seedrack.com just over a week ago. After I placed my order I found this site while waiting for my order and honestly, I got nervous after reading some of the reviews here. I figured I would leave some honest feedback myself in hopes of helping others, as I believe some of these reviews MAY not be entirely truthful.. (JMO).

Anyhow, I received my seeds this past Thursday, which was less than one week after placing my order. Obviously, I am happy with their shipping. I had ordered 6 different types of seeds. 2 varieties of coffee beans, 1 order of blood banana seeds, desert rose, silver dollar, and venus fly trap.

I soaked 4 seeds of both coffee varieties over night as per their included instructions. I also did the same with the banana seeds. I have not yet moved onto the other seeds as I wanted to let them sit in the fridge for a while first, again as per their instructions.

After soaking the seeds overnight I found 2 seeds of each variety of the coffee beans had already started to sprout little tap roots. I was very pleased to see this! The Banana seeds didn't shoot tap roots, but I did go ahead and plant them, as I do realize the Bananas can take quite some time to germinate.

All in all, so far I am very pleased with my order. Obviously I have only started a small fraction of my order, but I do plan to continue to update this review as I go along. If I find something that I do not like, I will be sure to post it here. But , SO FAR, seedrack.com gets a thumbs up from me!

I ordered seeds on Feb. 4. 2013 received confirmation they had been sent on February 7th. I really was anxious after seeing all the negative reports here. The order arrived quickly and I recently began sprouting seeds. Each seed type comes in great packaging and each has a page of instructions. I followed that up with a bit of googling as I am a novice gardener. Seed success has been 98% for into-the-soil types. Some of my seeds are in cold-stratifiction and some required sanding or nicking. So far I'm at 50/50 with the Lotus seeds and I am just so happy to see the little guys bursting out of their pods. I just want to let people know that Whatcom Seeds/Seedrack.com seems to be an EXCELLENT company to do business with.

I ordered 5 varieties of hot peppers from Whatcom Seed company this year. They have all germinated at over 80% so far which is pretty good for some of these pepper seeds. Great selection.

Bpwilly

Posted on December 24, 2012, updated December 30, 2012
Shipping and packaging was great, but I've had a 0% germination success rate with these seeds, despite following instructions. I know I ordered a bunch of tropical seeds, which might be my problem, as well as being an amateur....but still, 0%? And I planted a LOT of seeds of different types. None of my tea plants have come up, none of my different varieties of coffee seeds, none of my Acai berries, none of my dwarf pomegranates. I am a little upset.

Ordered from here some time ago, everything went smoothly. Received Joshua tree, Draco tree and Bristlecone tree seeds, shipping was quick (got package within 4 or 5 days). So far have germinated everything expect Draco (but that is to be expected, germination of those can take awhile)
Good experience

Bought a large amount of seeds which arrived very quickly to Australia with low cost shipping. Wonderful presentation, with top quality printing of detailed notes. Did I get better service than in the US? I will see how they germinate.

I've ordered 3 times over the years and never had a problem with germination or the ordering/shipping. I always know the total online with shipping BEFORE I place the order, there was never a surprise. So many (over half) of these reviews in Garden Watchdog on seedrack are from "members" whose sign-up date is the same (mostly, or very close) as the date of the review, look for yourself. One negative that comes to mind says, "DO NOT PURCCHASE AT SEEDRACK.COM!!!", its like they specifically came to DG to say that that day ("Aug. 10th"). Its no wonder Seedrack doesn't monitor the reviews here, the reviews are suspect in the majority. That goes for many of the reviews of other companies too I've noticed.

I will say I am absolutely shocked and disappointed to see the amazing amounts of negative comments for this company. I have ordered rare seeds more than 8 times over the past ten years and I have always been thrilled with my product, shipping was great, and I never experienced germination issues. I must add that I have not ordered recently, perhaps there has been a change within....

I just received my order! it was on time and packaged very well. I looked up pictures of what seeds I was supposed to be getting and they all matched. I ordered seeds for seven of their exotic trees. all of them came and included great information and germination instructions. All the seeds were in excellent condition. For this price I can't ask for more. I was worried, having seen some previous ratings, but the order actually turned out very well!
thanks seed rack

I ordered about $60 worth of seeds this year, my first order. Delivery was prompt, and the packaging and information quite good. Sure, some of the amounts were small, but these are seeds (at least the ones I ordered were). Some required stratification, and when I removed the Redvein Enkianthus from cold storage, found there were only 12 seeds instead of 50. Emailed, rec'd answer next day, and replacement shipped the day after. Can't ask for better than that! Germination has been fair to good, satisfactory for some fairly tricky seeds. I will order again next year!

I have ordered from Whatcom Seed several times before and have never had a problem. Can't really comment on germination rate because I really don't keep track of it but everything has had enough germination to satisfy me. Not having a phone number to call is something I would have liked to have seen on their site but I have never had to contact them and it has not been a problem. I am especially pleased that unlike a lot of other mail order companies they don't charge your credit card until the orders are filled and/or shipped. Would definetly order from them again.

in april 09, i ordered tobacco seeds from whatcom seed co. when seeds failed to germinate , blamed whatcom for sending bad seeds. after finding out the CORRECT way to plant the seeds they germinated 90% plus., and are thriving, my apologies to whatcom .seed co.

ordered some seeds from Seedrack.com, there was some great care taken into the packaging. Really professional and all. very happy with my purchase. Haven't planted them yet. But seedrack.com is a real store. (know some can be edgy buying stuff online).
This is a Photo of my unwrapped purchase. :P

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5 out of 6 types of peppers took on the first planting, still have had no success with the White Hot Habanero.
I currently have 2 Hot Tepins producing and picked my first ripe (red) one today. These are hot. They rate up there with Red Savina Habaneros

i bought a small order of about 8 products (around $20) and recived them fast and in great condition.. i have grown some of them and they are perfect to have around

I got an immediate email confirming my order and listing each item. I will update this post when I receive my seeds. I ordered (what I consider) a large order of 32 items including both common vegetables and exotic palm seeds.

I bought many times from them. Always ship was very fast. Shipping cost is low, packaging is very unique and good & germination rates are very good.
You receive emails that report when your order was delivered & shipped.
I mostly bought palm seeds but many other seeds too.

I placed a small order with them on March 17. On 3-19, I emailed asking if they had an approx. ship date. I have had no response so far. Good news is they have not charged my account.I really hope they send my seeds because they have some that I've been looking for. will update this when I know something.

I have had great success with the protea seeds, the dracena draco, the lithops seeds and all of the other many seeds I have bought from this company over the years. I have never had any problems receiving the items ordered. I am pleased with the variety and the growing instructions.
Exotic seeds are not always for the novice; I think that often failure may be attributable to the wrong soil, the wrong temperature or root rot / seed rot from excessive / stagnant water.
This company is prompt and their seeds are great! Give them a try.

I placed my order last year. It arrived on time and all well packaged. i could tell that lots of care went into the packaging. i also had leaflets with information on each seed variation i ordered. some of the plants did not germinate but i place the blame on myself. i feel it was beginners bad luck. i plan on getting new seeds this year and trying my hand again. the peppers i orders produced a huge output. i was giving them away by the baskets full.

Great company. excellent customer service. Great packaging. Professional, prompt, courteous and extraordinary response. My large order had many back orders. Nothing shipped without my okay. Germination of the seeds was outstanding. Will do business with them again. Sometimes I wonder what people expecet as the negatives I read didn't even seem anything like what I experienced. I am a difficult and demanding customer; an attorney and I say the company is A+. Will do business with them again without any hesistation.

Wow...I was surprised at how many negatives that I saw! I've had 3 experiences with Whatcom that I found to be completely satisfactory. My buddha belly and turtle back seeds arrived very promptly and in great condition. The packaging was ideal too....

I have ordered 3 times from this company and have had great results. Originally, I ordered an assortment of exotic plants I found interesting and every variety had some seeds that germinated. I now have ordered an assortment of seeds from Asian and African species for my geography students. Because baobabs may take months to germinate I planted them three weeks ago - 4 of 5 are growing already...

Packaging was excellent, and instructions very informative. Fast shipping. Most (but not all) seeds are germinating fine; any problems have been my own fault. Some complaints about the low quantity of seeds shipped are out of place, IMO; their website clearly stated the number of seeds I would receive for each species. I'll order from them again.

Placed an order back in December 2005 and before I knew it, it was in my mailbox....super quick shipping! I ordered three types of seeds, for what I felt were very reasonable prices and included were some great planting instructions.
So far, I've just sowed one type, brug.sanguinea, and all seeds have germinated. The other types ordered were Sarracenia purpurea and Eryngium planum.......I will report back only if they fail to germinate but I'm hoping that won't be the case.

reasonable prices, fast shipping, nice packaging and instructions. Cant wait to get the seeds in the dirt!!!

I have ordered many times from this company, and everything has been shipped in a prompt and professional manner, with great little instructions sheets included. They have a neat site, with lots of reasonably priced stuff and they have never disappointed me. I never hesitate to recommend this company. Thanks to Whatcom, I have some great stuf growing in my garden!

Recived seeds in 10 days (Europe). Nice packaging and instructions. Let them know not to write total costs on the package and not to include invoice when sent to Europe (becouse of tax).

Waiting to see germination results.

P.S.: My friend orderd seeds from them in february and germination results were OK, above 70%, some species less, but 50% was surely.

I ordered from this company back in January. The delivery was quick, packaging was very very nice, I got everything I ordered no problems. I will use thime again.

They are great! I trust them competely.

Nice packaging - speedy delivery - good seed germination. I wanted to add that the growing instructions were appreciated. From personal experience on growing plants by seed it is mostly trial and error. If the seeds don't grow it doesn't necessarily mean the seeds are bad! Of course if they are crumbled or crushed then the seller should be contacted, but if the seeds don't grow and you planted all of them at once......your fault for not saving some to try another method. I know that many factors contribute to the germination of seeds. Not all seeds should be planted the same. Some need more watering than others and some need darkness to germinate. Bottom heat is useful and humidity domes work on some seeds. It's all trial and error..........saying a little prayer won't hurt either :)

Overall I rate my transaction as a good one. I'll buy again.

I have ordered with this company and so far my seeds are germinating just fine.
I wanted to add this little tidbit:
I've been trying to start my own milkweed seeds harvested from my own plants this year, and have one out of twenty success rate. Just goes to show, not all seed problems stem from freshness.

Look, I have ordered fro Whatcom Seeds and found them to be perfectly good. Most people here seem to be clueless of the requirements for seed germination. Want a hard one? Try growing Balsa. If you want to grow coffee, get your plants from Toptropicals.com in Florida or fruitlovers.com in Hawaii. Quit trying to grow coffee for yourself, it takes a lot of time and care and in The US it is nearly impossible. I grow and export Cacao plants from my Seattle greenhouse and I know the requirements of most tropicals. If you contact toptropicals.com tell Dave that Rob sent you from Seattle. If you contact Oscar at fruitlovers.com tell him I said hello as well. I have a variety of sources for rare plants if you need more info.

Rob

I am quite surprised with other peoples' experiences with Whatcom seeds. I have had very good luck with their seeds. I have ordered every single cycad species and a couple palms and others, sometimes repeatedly, and I have never had a species NOT germinate. For every palm and cycad I've ordered, I have never experienced germination below 60-70%, which is great for these prices.

I can really only speak for palms and cycads, but I hope people realize that these seeds often require very specific conditions and sometimes a great deal of time before they germinate, up to a year for some species. I say this not to belittle in any way the reviews of those who have been truly wronged, but only as a cautionary note that you must employ a scrupulous germination procedure before passing judgement on the supplier.

I bought seeds only once from Whatcom/Seedrack through eBay about 2 years ago. My experience was completely positive. I ordered Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii) and Buddha Belly (Jatropha podagrica) seeds. I followed the instructions for cold stratification in my refrigerator for the Black Pine seeds. The cold stratification process took several months, but I did get germination from at least four of the seeds. I have three of these healthy Japanese Black Pine plants in my garden and one in a pot awaiting Bonsai treatment (it has remained only a few inches tall whereas the others are now about 1 foot tall). I got zero germination from the Buddha Belly plants from the first shipment I received. I contacted the company by E-mail in regard to a possibly placing another order for different seeds and mentioned the lack of germination of the Buddha Belly seeds. They told me there had apparently been a problem with the previous Buddha Belly seeds and that I would receive a replacement. I basically forgot about the replacement offer, but several months later I did receive replacement Buddha Belly seeds at no cost to me for the seeds or shipping. These replacement seeds germinated well and I now have four mature and flowering Buddha Belly plants.