Comments regarding Pinetree Garden Seeds

I've been ordering from Pinetree for a while. I'm very happy with most of the seeds they've sent me. I'd say that perhaps 3% to 5% of the types I've ordered didn't germinate at all, which is okay with me because their seeds are cheap and I usually order too many anyway.

On the other hand, I had a bad experience ordering strawberry plants from them. I think I ordered some other green plant or bulb and wasn't too happy either, so have decided to only order seeds from them. (They did replace or credit me for the plants, but why go through the hassle again?)

My favorite seeds they sell are Sungold tomatoes and pineapple tomatillos.

I've tried many seed supply companies and have found Pinetree to be one of the best! Delivery of items has been quick on seeds and seasonally shipped plants/bulbs, seeds produce at an excellant germination rate, prices are more than fair. Their choices of products are numerous; the people involved are simply great to do business with. After 14 years of trial, error and failure with other suppliers, I keep returning to Pinetree as I can fully depend on this company's goods.

I've ordered from Pinetree only twice that I can remember - once a few years ago (2002) and once this year. Why did I wait so long to order again? Because I didn't need to order - the seeds I bought back in 2002 are still viable!!!! I've kept them in the refrigerator, and planted a few each year (I only do 3-5 tomato plants per year, so it takes a while to use up several packets of several varieties). Ordered some more stuff this year because I am finally running out of the old seed, I'm growing more food than I used to, and it was just soooo tempting, looking thru their catalog.

Now here comes the really exciting part....
I ordered seeds AND asparagus and jerusalem artichoke tubers all back in February, knowing the plants wouldn't arrive 'til spring. Received the seeds quickly, then, believe it or not, FORGOT I ordered the plants. Bought some asparagus at the local big-box nursery & planted it. When the Pinetree plants arrived, I pulled them out of the box, confirmed they were good & healthy - and stuffed them back in the box to wait til the weekend to plant. Then waited another weekend. And another. Finally decided I'd better do something quick. Extended the asparagus bed & added about half the Pinetree asparagus crowns (which had started to sprout in the box) Planted the other half in a new bed elsewhere in the garden. Set the Jerusalem artichokes aside to plant later in the day. Then had some unexpected company stopping by and went into turbo-clean mode (throwing stuff in boxes & trashcan so I don't look like a total slob). Yup, I lost the jerusalem artichoke tubers. A month creeps by. The poor, abused asparagus is growing healthy & happy & about twice the size of the big-box-store stuff! And, here's where it gets REALLY bizarre. I found the jerusalem artichoke tubers, in a box in the hot, humid garage, where they'd been accidently tossed back in early April! I figured they were probably dead and useless, but opened the bag just to check. To my surprise, two of the tubers still displayed healthy-looking root and shoot nodes. I planted them in a pot, and, believe it or not, THEY ARE GROWING!!!!! All I can say is, Pinetree sells some REALLY strong plants, if they can survive that kind of abuse & keep on ticking. Yes I would order from them again (and I promise I'll take better care of the plants this time).

After the frustrating experience that I had with Wayside Gardens, I suppose I became a bit paranoid. In checking my orders from various companies I found that Pinetree Gardens had indeed shipped the seed that I had ordered and they were in perfect condition. I had also ordered two live plants which I expected to be shipped at the proper planting time for this area. When I checked their online catalog, I found that both of these plants were "sold out." I called Pinetree and talked to the nicest lady you can ever imagine. She told me indeed the plants were "sold out", but since I had ordered early, my plants would ship next week. I can not tell you how nice it was to deal with a knowledgeable person who did not try to give me a runaround.
I definitely will continue to order from this company.

Again this year, great selection, service and germination rate for several seed varieties. I'm particularly excited about Bacopa blutopia which I've not seen offered by others in the U.S. to retail consumers. A good number of my mature perennials were started from Pinetree seed and continue to be outstanding. For value, there isn't anyone else like them, and I've ordered from no fewer than 30 MO companies in my gardening life.

Wow, I was floored by the negative comments since I have been ordering from Pinetree for probably ten years or more without a problem of any kind with seeds, books, products OR customer service.

BTW, the reason that they give less seeds (and a correspondingly cheaper price) is because they are specifically geared toward the backyard gardener. In one catalog now many years gone, I read about how Dick Meiners started out with the idea that most gardeners did not need as many seeds as came in most seed packets. I LOVE this approach. There's not nearly as much waste this way, which is good eco stewardship, IMHO. Think about it...how many of us with yards and not market stands need 50 zucchini seeds for instance??

Pinetree has a good selection of interesting varieties, and when I asked them if they'd consider carrying a particular tomato I had really found worthwhile, they said they'd pass on my suggestion. Fast forward a couple years and lo and behold they were carrying it! AND when I planted some older Sungold and SunSugar seed (late) last season, they sprouted like champs and proceeded to take over the garden bed they were in. We spread some of these vines out at end of season and had some close to ten feet long.

I've found that you get what you give with customer service. Having done customer service work myself, it can be very hard not to return diatribe for diatribe. Even if you are displeased, try to remember that the voice on the other end of the line is doing the best they can with what they've got. They are not trying to thwart you or hold up your order!

Re the person who was told to "give it a try" and see what happens -- unless it was said to me directly in a nasty tone, I'd not have been offended. Via email, you really cannot tell tone. The suggestion was just a simple statement of fact. How else would you get to the next step of figuring out if replacement was needed?

I've ordered from this company twice before and all my experiences with them have been good. The timing between ordering and shipping was fast. There was initially a problem with my debit card and the customer service person was really nice and it all got straightened out promptly. I ordered seeds and books and they arrived UPS nicely packed. What I really like about this company is the price point. I like to try a lot of varieties and I don't need 200 cabbage seeds of one variety so this enables me to try different items without having a lot of left over seed and without breaking the bank. Also, love the books. Great price on books I'd love to have but don't want to pay the normal retail cover price.

I have been gardening for years,and I ordered over 30 packets, for these prices and such an assortmen I was impressed. Right now they are in my Biodome and are germintining perfectly.lus, over the years I scoured the website and ctalog a have never seen pplanys like some they sell!

This was my first order with Pinetree, and it has been a pleasant experience. The prices were excellent, and allowed my to try a larger assortment. The germination on those I've started so far has been excellent, and delivery was speedy.

I have used Pinetree seeds for most of my plantings for several years. The packets are small but very reasonability priced which allows me to grow more varieties for an affordable cost. This year (2 orders thus far) as in the past I have received exact and complete orders of seeds and supplies in reasonable time. Shipping gets slow during the busy season but they warn you of that. I also appreciate the easily recyclable packing material.

I ordered seeds and books via the Net from these folks this year. Order was filled promptly and completely. They offer good value.

I ordered vegetable seed from Pinetree, which arrived promptly. I did discover a mistake in the order. I emailed the company and received a response the next day. With an apology for the oversight. I was told they would send the correct seed pkgs and for me to just keep the one's I already had.
Prices were quite reasonable and service was excellent. I will certainly buy from them again.

I LOVE THIS COMPANY. My order (several (6) packets of vegatable seeds, some cover crops, and 12 peat flats) came in less than a week and a half, and was packaged very nicely using the flats as the main support and some newspaper. At the bottom of the box I found a few ads, an extra order form, a packing slip stating that everything came except walla walla onion seeds and a credit for $1.10, as well as a $2 coupon!!! I will be ordering within the next week.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I've had great experiences with Pinetree Garden Seeds! I have ordered a wide variety of flower seeds, both annual and perennial, from this company each of the past two years. All seed varieties have had excellent germination rates and have grown into strong, healthy, beautiful plants. The prices and shipping are quite reasonable, too. If you haven't ordered from them before, go ahead and give them a try...

I, too, have ordered seeds from PineTree for about 10 years.
I appreciate the lower cost for less seed. Who needs 2000
seeds of one plant for a backyard garden? I have always received exactly what I ordered, and it all comes fast, too. I will probably order from PineTree for many more years to come.

I've ordered from Pinetree for the past few years and always received my order promptly. I like their smaller packet sizes and the prices are great! My garden last season was planted mostly with Pinetree seeds, and it was the best ever. I already have received this season's order and can't wait to get planting.

I have ordered from Pinetree for about 10 years now and have always been satisfied. If they are out of an item they send you a credit to be used towards your next order. I enjoy finding their catalog in my mailbox every December.

I have ordered seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds for over 20 years and have never had a problem with their seeds or their service. I like the small packets so I can order more varieties and their prices are always reasonable. I also love to browse their discounted books and other items. I just received my order for 2008 in record time.

I have ordered seeds from Pinetree for many years, probably around 10 years. I have always ordered early, usually in December shortly after I receive the catalog. I have received my orders within a week or shortly thereafter. I like the smaller, lower priced packets. I have already ordered, received, and grown out a batch of wheatgrass (kittygreens) from their 2008 catalog. A couple of years ago I ordered a vial of wave petunia seeds and it had a low seedcount. I emailed them and they promptly sent out another vial. Thanks, Pinetree.

Ordered a large number of seeds and quite a few berry plants last spring - as well as lots of plastic mulch and seed starting products. They were a new company to me, but as an organic gardener on a budget, I couldn't resist trying them out. Their seed starting and mulch products were less expensive than anywhere else I saw, and the products were great.
I had fantastic luck with all of the seeds I purchased, and even good luck with the clearance flower plants I bought at the end of the season. The blueberries did very well. Our only failure was the raspberries. We didn't have a single one of the 30 I ordered survive. I planted half at my house, and my daughter planted half at her house. We did have a dry summer, but we watered 2-3 times a week, quite deeply (we have a well, thank goodness). Most of the plants never broke dormancy, and the few that did didn't survive. But who knows why? I'm not sure I can blame that on the company.
I will be ordering more products from them this winter for this coming summer's garden, although I don't believe I'll try any more of their raspberries. I was happy with their service; got my orders in a timely fashion, and exactly what I'd ordered.

I have ordered from Pinetree for the past several years and have been pleased with their seeds and plants. Their website is not the most sophisticated on the net (it's better than it was!) but I love the smaller seed packets and the prices are great.

I have purchased from this company three different times and have been very pleased. Recieved a broken ornament and was replaced with 24hr shipping. Courteous, friendly phone transaction each time & things were packed very well. I've purchased numerous sale priced items which I've been delighted with so I will continue to shop them first. Deb

I have ordered from Pinetree Seeds for many years and
have never had any problems. My seeds have always
been as I expected and have grown well. The only thing I
was disappointed with is they have discontinued many
of their vegetable seeds I always liked and ordered. Likely
what they discontinued was not a highly requested item so
do not order my vegetable seeds from them any longer but do order a considerable amount of flower seeds.

I have shopped with Pinetree for a number of years and find them to be extremely inexpensive, prompt, and cooperative. Recently, I took advantage of sale items of Siberian iris and daylilies. When I reported that several of the daylilies and all of the iris had not made it, they refunded my money. Their garden products such as black plastic and red plastic mulch (used to increase growth in tomatoes) are much cheaper than those of other garden centers and catalogs. I was well-pleased with my tulips and daffodills that I ordered this fall. Time will tell how they do when they come up.

I have ordered seeds and plants from Pinetree for several years. I also work at a nursery that orders seeds from Pinetree. I appreciate the no-frills, low price/small quantity approach and have had excellent results with their products. My purple wave petunias were easy, gorgeous, and CHEAP! I did have a packet that was supposed to be mixed zinnia augustifolia which turned out to be entirely orange. One baneberry died, the other is beautifully alive. But I don't expect every plant --especially cheap, small plants, --to live. It is entirely possible that it was my fault that this small plant did not make it. And when you order a plant that is $4.95, you have no business expecting it to be anything other than small.
If you order only one thing from Pinetree it should be their fabulous Korean gardening tool. It's a hand tool that I cannot live without!!! I lost it a few times last year, so this year I painted the handle bright red. And the price!!!!
Pinetree is just about my favourite seed company.

These folks are always a pleasure for me to deal with. That said--I'd like to note that the seed provided by Pine Tree has always been dependable and true-to-type. This may not seem as important as having the box delivered on a particular day of the week, but after the expense in time and money, this gardener wants her pencil-pods to be pencil-pods and her hubbards to be hubbards. Pine Tree Gardens has never let me down. Kudos to you, Pine Tree.

I had no problems. Seeds were delivered on time. They had great prices. Everthing grew. However, it would be nice if they would seal seeds in a foil envelop so excess seeds can be used the following year.

I ordered a few packs of seeds for a fall veggie garden....they arrived in only 4 days!! Their selection is great also. I did order a little garden planner (only .95) which was not in my order when I received it, but I've sent them an email and I'm sure I'll get it later. I would definately order seeds from them again.

The cheap price on seeds packets is a pretty good reason to check this company out, though it is worth mentioning that the quantities are fairly small.

Everything I've planted thus far has sprouted and done beautifully. Especially pleased with the purple Trionfo Violetto pole beans, Vera lavender, pennyroyal, and hollyhocks. I haven't been able to plant the morning glories or borage yet and I just planted the millet, but I think I'll have decent results with all of these as well.

Their catalog is a bit weird and they could use more photos, but I like the way it's organized, along with the personal slant of their descriptions. The shipping was also pretty fast. I would definitely order seeds from them again.

I placed an order for seeds, onion sets, asparagus, strawberries, Kiwigold raspberries, rhubarb and cherry bushes in January. I got the seeds in good time but was waiting for the plants. When they hadn't arrived by the first week in May I called to enquire and they said the order was being held up because of the cherry bushes. I then requested them to please send what they could because it was getting late to plant the onions. The rep agreed and within 2 days I had my order except the cherry bushes which I am still waiting for. Customer service was excellent in this matter and the plants arrivied in excellent condition. I have ordered from this company a number of times and continue to be pleased.

I have been purchasing seeds as well as plants from this company for 12 years and have never had any problem (except reining in my budget) when it comes to their line up. I have ordered bluberries which were FAR larger and healthier than those of the big box stores as well as less expensive.
I love their honest review of the seeds they have planted and evaluation of their performance...drawbacks included...which you will NEVER get from corporate seed companies.

Their books are too inexpensive not to enjoy buying too many. And their seeds have never failed to germinate..even when I have kept them for 4 years. The small size is perfect for the homegardener/hobbyist and nothing costs so much that it is frustrating when something goes wrong and the seedlings die.
I cut them slack on delivery issues...they are in MAINE for crying out loud! They get snow and cold as bad as Canada! But that also tells me that their homegrown stock should be hardy.
I love them and will not leave them. My only complaint is their catalogue could use a bit more flash....but it would probably drive up the cost of the seeds.

I have ordered from Pinetree Garden Seeds for a few years now. Like most home gardeners, I appreciate the price and size of their seed packets. I had always received my order promptly in years past ;so this year when my order didn't arrive after 3+ weeks, I emailed them requesting the status of my order. They replied they had mailed it a month ago; and asked that I check with the post office and verify the mailing address.
Was I embarrassed!! I had given them the wrong PO Box #! They were SO accommodating given that the mix up was my fault. They sent out another order for just the cost of shipping. This saved my vegetable gardening season, I will continue to use Pinetree Garden Seeds and will recommend them to other home gardeners. I am certainly a satisfied customer.

I ordered a few hard to find cultivars for trial this year, They arrived promptly and germination has been excellent. Because of their small quantities, I can't use them for main crops, but for a backyard gardener, or when just wanting to evaluate a cultivar, they seem ideal.

I have seeds from this company that are 5 years old and they all germinated for me this spring... I love this company! I don't think anyone offers better pricing for better quality than they do!!!

I usually order from them every 2 or 3 years (I save seeds for years) . I was really surprised how fast my order was shipped this year. In previous years it had taken too many weeks. I'm glad they have fixed this.

I like their selection. They have varieties of vegetables from around the world.

I was a little aprehensive about ordering from Pinetree after reading some of the comments, but I'm glad I did. I ordered seeds, which arrived in a reasonable amount of time. I haven't ordered any plants from them, but after this positive initial experience, I plan to.

On the plus side, the smaller packets of seeds are very affordable and encourage to try new things. The seed ordered mostly germinated very well.
On the minus side, the plants received were very small and not very vigorous, but somehow most managed to survive. The blackened and dead looking hosta root I got in September surprised me by coming up the following Spring, just a couple of leaves but it is alive...

I have ordered from Pinetree for several years and love their selection, prices, and service. Their seeds are usually in packets small enough for an inexpensive trial, but large enough to grow a small section of plants. Their discount book prices are fantastic (too fantastic, actually).

Germination is very good, though it does not seem as good as the seeds from Johnny's or Stokes.

Shipping is timely, but not super fast. Costs are very reasonable. Expect reused boxes (fine with me) and newspaper packing (also fine). I only had one problem with books packed in the same box as bags of seed starting mix - the books were coated with peat moss. A quick vaccuming solved the problem, but the books should have been in sealed plastic bags.

Three issues:
1. Their website is better than it used to be, but it needs two things:
a. A savable shopping cart/wish list feature.
b. A search engine. You can't search their site.
c. A way to order larger quantities of favorite seeds.

I love this company, and continue to look forward to ordering from them for years to come.

i have ordered, save for last year, every year for the last 6 years. i LOVE them. there books are low enough priced that i can afford several. only wish that they was discribed a bit better as that i ordered one beliving was some thing different that what it was. i ordered last time nearly 65 dollars in seeds and loved all. last year i used up surpluss seeds from the last two years. still had a 90% + germ rate one most one and two year old seeds. will order from them again. most seeds are about .65-.79 perpacket. even the more 'expensive' seeds are only about 1.50 packet. and they have soooo many extras that i shall probably be a life long coustomer.shipping is cheep. nothing is more annoying then ordering a 10 or fifteen dollar order only to find out that you will pay that much or more for s&h. and all you ordered was 5-6 pkgs of seeds. wont happen here.
they also have the 'in' veggies each year. i would not expect this at a discount seed store.