Comments regarding Horizon Herbs, LLC

I have ordered seeds from Horizon herbs for a couple of years and always had more than my expectations filled. In fact it was not unusual to have a free pack sent with your order with a thank you and smiley face. I wanted some plants they had available that I wanted. Being from the bootheel of New Mexico and shipping plants in September, I was a bit worried. But to no surprise I received my order in three days in perfect condition. I planted my plants and the root ball was firm, but not growing out the bottom. Thanks Horizon herbs.

I'm absolutely thrilled with the customer service offered by Horizon Herbs. Richo Cech graciously answered a couple of emails before I purchased a packet of Western Skunk Cabbage seeds. After I mailed my request, the packet arrived quickly. I was surprised (and pleased) to discover that Mr. Cech had also included two (free) seedlings with my order.

"On Sep 10, 2009 9:58 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Thanks. More info on germination of the slow and otherwise recalcitrant seeds of marsh, meadow, forest and plain is given in my new book "The Medicinal Herb Grower." Richo"

I have been dealing with Horizon Herbs now for many years. My experience with everyone on staff has been exceptional year after year. I grow many hard to find herbs and prepare my own tinctures. The support and assistance that I have received from Richo, Becca and Mayche demonstrates the true passion that we all share for our love of the land. I have spoken directly with Richo, and he has also answered detailed e-mails through the years, always supportive and passionate to share his insight.
I consider Horizon Herbs to be the best source for information, hard to find exceptional seed, and glorious plants, year after year. I give them my highest recommendation, and a huge Thank You! for all of the information and support through the years.
Thank You all at Horizon Herbs!
SambucusNigra

"On Aug 23, 2009 3:52 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Hello SambucusNigra,
Anyone with that name is close to our hearts. What a glorious plant!
Richo"

I've always been interested in rare and unusual herbs, and always had a difficult time finding seed until I found Horizon Herbs a few years ago. What a fantastic selection! All of the orders I,ve placed were sent quickly, and the folks who took my phone orders were both pleasant and helpful. I couldn't ask for better service. My copy of the Horizon Herb catalog gets to looking pretty ragged by the end of the season, because I carry it with me as a constant reference. Horizon Herbs has helped me become a better herb grower, and I thank you for that. Richo,keep up all the good work you do, and many blessings to the Cech family. Pinki

"On Aug 22, 2009 5:07 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Hi Pinki,
Thanks for the feedback! We have a policy of changing out our seed as soon as the new seed is germ tested and approved. We also have a policy of sending our best plant first, but like your horizon herbs catalog, some of the plants can start looking like that catalog you described (or they can get even bigger and better, you never know!) Anyhow we happen to know you're an excellent grower, and bottom line what you need is a good root, and you can grow it up from there! Richo"

I know Horizon Herbs offers the highest quality medicinal herb seeds on the market, and their customer service is both efficient and friendly. I highly recommend their new book "The Medicinal Herb Grower" which the famous herbalist Christopher Hobbs has called "The best gardening book on the planet!"

"On Aug 19, 2009 7:18 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Thanks e-violin we are very excited about this book, also, which has been a decade-long labor of love. Richo"

I have had too many good experiences with Horizon Herbs that I would quickly run out of room to write them. But I will just share that the level of integrity and quality of plant and seed material you get from them is the best around. I think i first found out about horizon herbs from there seed rack at the Arcata, ca food -coop. Then i read making plant medicine and starting learning the art of growing your own. I module my small farm after many of the clever gardening techniques Richo creates.
I have sent many customers over to there farm and inspired them to plant more diversity too. Everyday i walk outside and see many favorite flowering herbs from this great propagation/preservation Mecca. Go visit the farm if you can its well worth it. And if you get to pick Richo's wise brain while your at it, consider yourself blessed.
Im not sure why i waited so long to write a comment, sometimes you just forget to say thank you publicly.
Long live Horizon Herbs, and our access to these great healing medicinal plants.
All the best,
Kalesh

"On Aug 19, 2009 7:16 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Dear EcoHerbs,
Thanks for the kind words and may your gardens prosper.
Richo"

I have purchased several times from Horizon Herbs in the last couple of years. This year I was late ordering do to the terrible weather we had here and I only ordered some books and some American comfrey seeds. When I opened the package, which I received in a timely manner, the printed matter that I had ordered was there along with my seeds but there was an extra package of seeds. In a letter Mr. Cech said he was sending me my seeds that I had ordered and was also sending seeds from a different batch of American Comfrey as customers had mentioned having germination problems with the comfrey seeds and he asked me if I would plant both batches of seed and report back to him.
He explained how they planted the seeds at Horizon and then said if I found it to be too complicated to just plant them in the garden as I normally would.and then he said if I found that to be too much hassle and too complicated to just plant my seeds and enjoy them and not to worry about a report.
I couldn't let such generosity go like that so I planted the seeds in pots, monitored the germination rate and time and did make a report back to the company with my results. He did find that conditions in the field were different than those in his greenhouse and was happy to find out why some customers were having problems with germination. I was happy to have helped out in his experiment and I got extra plants out of the deal. A real win-win situation to my mind. Great company to do business with.

John Carver
A happy customer.

"On Aug 17, 2009 3:38 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

John,
Yes, that was a fun experiment that worked even better than I thought it would. Thanks for your help on that. Your experiment showed that germination on the Symphytum officinalis took three times longer on the porch than in the greenhouse. The eventual germination percent was about the same, though, at 85% in your experiments and 90% in mine. My guess is that ungerminated seed could still come up the next year, as this is a plant that exhibits some wild characteristics. Just as an aside, later, I also found out that 30 days of cold, moist conditions prior to planting in a warm place can increase the speed of germination and the germination percentage. May your comfrey grow and thrive!
Richo"

Hi All,
I have been completely satisfied with anything I have ever purchased from Horizon Herbs.All of Richo's books have been a wealth of information,as well as constant "go to" reference books for any herbal concocting I am involved with. And their catalog! A whole page could be written about how full of information it is.
The seed purchases have been wonderful as well,the germination rate have all been right on the money, the plants have thrived,even here in hot and humid South Florida. And what an awesome selection!
It is just wonderful to deal with such a knowledgeable family run company.These folks really care about the earth and it shows in everything they do.
I had the pleasure of meeting the Cech family at an Herbal gathering this summer,and all I can say is WOW! They are as awesome as you could imagine,such great herbal experience,friendly and caring folks.No question asked was too small or simple for them.They were totally accessible and down to earth.
I hope they continue their work at Horizon Herbs for a long time to come so we can continue to plant their seeds and share in their wisdom.

"On Aug 17, 2009 3:42 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Fl Herb Lady,
Yes, that was a great gathering of crazy herbal folks and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. I saw Lobelia growing in the wild along a forested path, and then a few hundred feet further on (up, actually!) came across a nice cushy mound of Partridge Berry. What a treat! It was a long trip but totally worth it! May your gardens crisp up in uncharacteristically cool and moist mornings.
Richo"

Hi,
My company, Osmosis International in Vancouver, Canada is very pleased to work with Horizon Herbs. Our experience with their Customer Service is very positive. Our orders have been timely processed and our questions promptly answered. On many occasions I e-mailed them asking their expert opinion on herbal extracts, for example, and I had my questions answered within the hour. Mr. Richo, thank you for being there anytime I needed your expertise. Horizon Herbs cares for its customers.

"On Aug 17, 2009 3:33 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Hello Osmosis,
People in the healing professions have a kinship because they keep one thing in mind--they are all dedicated to alleviating suffering. Careful atttention to detail lessens the potential to cause harm and increases the power of the good. We're glad to answer short questions about extraction, and I want to personally thank you for keeping positive!
Richo"

I love Horizon Herbs! They have a beautiful selection of wonderful herbs and seeds and their customer service is excellent.

"On Aug 17, 2009 3:30 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Dear ESMITH,
Thank you for your kind words and we are happy to serve.
Richo"

I have ordered from Horizon Herbs for about two years. The products I receive are very good quality, sealed, and there are very few problems with the goods themselves as far as I can tell.

However, I am no longer ever going to order from them again due to a horrific customer service experience that is not a unique event.

Upon receiving my package the USPS postage clearly said "$1" on it, and that is how much USPS charges if that is what is listed on the postage. Upon checking I realized that I had paid over 9 dollars for shipping and politely contacted horizon for an explanation, and was open to this being an error on the part of USPS, myself, or horizon.

I did not get a response.

I queried again 2 weeks later.

I got a one lined response telling me that they are sending a coupon in the mail.

At this point I was irate and asked for a manager.

No manager was provided. They then proceeded to try to explain why the cost was what it was, and to inform me that they don't care if they keep me as a customer because they have other "honest" customers.

I know lots of people embelish stories to make themselves sound more righteous than they are, but in truth this is exactly what happened. I will never order from them again - they were completely unapologetic for ignoring my first email, not answering my question, and then being rude to top if off, as if I am trying to steal from them. My focus is and always is clarity and honesty - I don't care about the shipping cost, I paid it without thinking twice. It's this completely unapologetic and insulting customer service. Even if they offered me a full refund on the whole product I wouldn't take it at this point. It's not about money.

Horrible, horrible customer service. I never heard from a manager and only dealt with one person who deals with online orders. Switching to a new company for my herbs.

"On Aug 14, 2009 1:05 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Decius claimed that a package that weighed 2 lbs sent airmail from the US to Canada only cost a dollar to ship. Actually, anyone who is familiar with airmail costs to Canada knows that this is impossible. However, Decius was upset, so upon hearing his complaint, we sent him a $5.00 coupon. After further complaint, we refunded his card for the shipping cost minus the $1.00 that he felt was a fair charge. Decius, I personally apologise for any rudeness you received from us, and I hope you will find it in your heart to nullify this negative vote on Dave's.
Best regards,
Richo (founder)

Horizon is one of my favorite sources for fun and unusual seeds. I have been ordering from them for several years, and with every order I have enjoyed fast, accurate service, and good germination as well.

I have recommended this company to many of my friends, and all have had similar experiences.

I have ordered from Horizon Herbs for several years now and have been happy with every transaction. They are always willing to help with any problem or question you may have. Because of them I have gone more into native plants and into growing more medicinal herbs. I highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in growing herbs and who is interested in preserving plants that once flourished here in N. America. I look forward to many years of ordering from them.

I'm a long-time culinary herb gardener new to medicinals (at least, medicinals that aren't also tasty...). I got a copy of R's book as well.

The book is fantastic.

Every seed I've started, germinated. I'm just biding time until it's warm enough to set them out!

Fast turnaround from order to shipping as well, what's not to like? Now I'm eying that $700 hydraulic press... :)

"On Feb 6, 2009 7:05 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Thanks very much for the positive review and the kind words. These kinds of things help more than you can know. I encourage you to reserve a pre-publication copy of my new book "the medicinal herb grower." As for every seed germinating, that is an unusually good result. As for culinary herbs, my favorite is Summer Savory. I use it daily, and cannot grow tired of it. Thanks again for your kind words and I bet you'll have a great garden this year. Best regards, Richo"

I am about to order seeds from this company again for only the second time and I wanted to rate them as "great" because every single thing I ordered last year had an amazing germination rate. (I ordered a lot.) In addition, they have a great selection of less common plants that should be planted in gardens by virtue of not only being great herbs, but because they are amazing plants. Cannot wait to grow their seeds again.

I placed an order last weekend and already received the seeds. They had more in the packet than what was printed on the label and the seeds look fresh and viable. I'll keep looking for more to order from this place.

I purchased a few different varieties of seed from them last year, even including some which are supposed to have a low germination rate (specifically, a few varieties of sage, including white sage.) And I found the germination rate was actually much higher than they said, I dont know if I was just lucky and got some really good seeds,lol... or If it had to do with my particular skills or the advice from them... but I had an average 90% germination rate, easily...I was very happy with the results and their prices where very fair as well... the only issue I had with them was that it took nearly a month for me to receive my order, but that couldnt be helped, they where having some issues with a ton of backorders I think if I remember right it was because of a sickness or something in the family...so the long shipping was perfectly understandable under the circumstances.^_^

"

Luckily nobody in the family has been sick, at least not in the kind of way that it would be a good excuse for not sending seeds very rapidly. We generally do a 2-day turnaround on seed orders although we've certainly done our share of same-day shipping and also gotten behind from time to time. Certainly, if anybody needs their seeds by a certain date they should LET US KNOW! You know how it is--we try to do things on time but there are unforeseen circumstances like--somebody calls in sick (or their grandmother dies for the third time since last June) and somebody else "has to give a massage" instead of coming to work as expected. Meanwhile, we have to scramble because a customer in New Jersey is going to Nigeria on Tuesday (its Friday afternoon) and needs their seeds before the plane takes off. Also, the dog got its leg caught in the door and had to go to the vet to have it set, and the well mysteriously quit working, so we had to haul water up from the creek to flush the toilet. There are so many great excuses for delaying orders, like the credit card didn't work, the customer didn't answer their phone or their e-mail when we tried to contact, the address was wrong (the customer was speaking Russian so we sent the seeds to Siberia when actually he said Liberia--you get the idea). We're real people. When we get an order for roots, we go out and dig. When we get an order for seeds, half the time we go out and shake the plant (well, not half the time, but SOMEtimes...). Anyhow, thanks to you and others like you that have patience, we keep the hands on and the quality in. We wouldn't have it any other way. And we wouldn't sell to Monsanto, either. Not seeds, not the company, nothin. Richo"

Whether you want seeds or plants of herbs , Horizon Herbs is the place to go. Not only do they have a most interesting and complete selection, the quality cannot be surpassed. Seed packs are generous and viable. Plants are very healthy and of good size. They are a knowledgeable, friendly, family company. Packaging is the best I have seen anywhere and not a molecule of dirt was disturbed in my orders - even to the opposite side of the country. Email answers to questions are quick and courteous. Thanks!

Highly recommended.
Most of my dealings with Horizon Herbs have been seed purchase for medicinal use or aesthetic value as woodland perennials. Their selection is broad - many hard to find and unusual plants. Germination rate has always been well above average.
They are accessible if questions arise. Only one mishap in dealing with them. Received an incorrect cultivar seed pack. On notification, the seed pack was replaced with seedlings at no charge.

I have purchased seeds, cuttings,live plants and books from this company over the past ten years and have found their quality of material and service to be consistantly excellent. As a Pacific Northwest gardener who grows herbal and medicinal plants in addition to traditional vegetables and ornamentals, having a regional supplier, with real regional experience and information is a huge benefit. I am constantly delighted by the unusual and hard to find seeds and plants that Horizon offers. They are a small, family owned and operated business that I believe deserves the continued support of the gardening community, especially in a day and age when small independent growers and nurseries are being absorbed by the big guys, often with negative results ( I live not far from what used to be Heronswood Nursery, a sad story in my opinion). I am pleased to be a customer and would recommend them highly.

Great hard to find seeds and the seeds came within a couple of days after ordering

With outstanding variety and selection, Horizon Herbs is easily one of the better retailers on the web today. The superb quality of their seeds and courteousness of their staff makes this company one of my personal favorites.

Thanks!

Joe
SF/Bay Area California

A great, great company. All the seeds and plants I have ordered have been of the highest quality, and they have so many amazing and rare medicinal plants you can't find anywhere else! Good service, wonderful friendly and informative staff. Richo's books are always excellent, my personal favorite is "Making Plant Medicine" -- I learned a lot from that book, and am now making my own herbal medicines. Highest recommendation! Thank you, everybody at Horizon Herbs, for being there.

"

Thanks Herbdigger,
When a sponge is totally dry, its hard to get it to soak up water. What I mean by this is, you must have some original expertise to take advantage of good information, good goods. So it goes both ways, really. You have the ability to make use of viable seeds, and you can recognize a rare plant when you see it. The appreciation is mutual.
Richo"

I heard about Horizon from a dear friend. I was very impressed with the diversity and scope of their catalog, as well as the friendliness of the owners. I ordered two seed packets and a Skullcap plant. The package arrived promptly, with the plant well secured and thriving. I really didn't expect it to arrive with so much top growth. It looks great. Horizon is definitely on my favorites list.

"

Oh, thanks, that's good. The funny thing is, I hemmed and hawed for quite a few minutes, there in the greenhouse, trying to find the best plant for you. I have a policy to always ship the best plant first, but its often difficult to FIND the best plant. You look at the flat, and it seems like all the plants are so leafy, there with their friends, and then you pull one out, and it doesn't look so leafy, there by itself. Also, if we're shipping in the inexpensive priority mail box, we can't send the taller plants, so I end up trying to find a short, sturdy one. The one I finally found for you had a few stems, and some were falling off the edge of the flat, and all together it seemed pretty leafy, so I sent it to you. I'm really glad you liked it!"

Thank you Horizon Herbs! I am one of those people that plants green things because I love green things: I love to watch them grow! I have books and books about herbs, oils, tinctures, etc. and I am always stuck in an apartment (I am in the Army), so I have to keep plants in pots. I recently decided that I wanted to make my own medicinal teas and bought a bunch (about 30) of seed packets...I planted them on 08 April 07, and am happy to report that they are ALL beautiful little plants! The Chickweed is especially nice (and yummy) and the Motherwort sprung right up! The rest of them took a while, but it says right on the seed packet that you must be patient! I was worried about the Passion Flower, but I noticed two days ago that there is a beautiful little plant in the pot! YAY. Thank you again so much.
Amy in Tacoma, WA

"

Amy,
Bless you for planting seeds and I hope you have a big garden bed covered with 3 inches of the finest of weed-seed-free compost and a good supply of clear water and just the right amount of sun and shade, sometime soon, right outside your door.
Richo"

As a professional seedsman, I have dealt with Horizon Herbs for many years. We have gotten many seeds from him, and they are always high quality. We appreciate the fact that Richo takes seed quality seriously - such high standards are rare. His primary research into seed germination, storage, and plant propagation is of great value to the rest of us. Friendly, fast, informative. A top notch firm, and providing a valuable service disseminating rare medicinal plants - many of which would not be available at all if not for Richo's dedication. There are very few firms in the world doing this kind of work, and none doing it as well. --J.L. Hudson, Seedsman

"

Hello JLH,
Thanks for the positive vote and I will try to live up to everyone's expectations! I took the opportunity of reviewing the one negative vote I've received in this venue, and I was struck by the gardener's statement "Unfortunately only one of the seed packets that I purchased ever grew." Now I know the problem. You have to REMOVE THE SEEDS FROM THE PACKET before planting!"

I really think that there should be a rating higher than positive; this company deserves it.
This company isn't an impersonal mail order enterprise, there is a working gardener, teacher, and student, (you can't be a teacher without being a student, too, IMO) heading the company, and there are real people working at the other end of each order. The good folks at horizon work with you to ensure the best possible results for your orders, and they don't hesitate to offer advice to that end. I've never had a question unanswered, personally. Their business practices are sound, and ethical, their shipments timely and well packaged, their seed and plant variety is astonishing, ---they run the gamut from ordinary kitchen favorites to exotics from all corners of the globe.
Best of all, (well, I think it's important) they're eco-friendly, and they encourage this type of gardening, in others, as well.

I have been doing business with Horizon Herbs since 1991 when I decided to grow medicinal herbs. There were not many sources of medicinal seeds back then so finding this company was a blessing. Richo has been an excellent source for advice on germination & growing, making plant medicine, trouble-shooting, encouragement, & potential customers. He is knowledgable & experienced & willing to share this with others through the very detailed Cultivation Guide & many books on growing & using herbs. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking for high quality seeds, prompt, friendly service, & a standard of excellence.

Horizon Herbs is amazing!!! They've got such a vast array of herbs-- including very rare and hard to find medicinals. (The catalogs are super cute too!) I was amazed last fall when my pawpaw seeds came and 3 of them had sprouted in route. They were packaged with great care and even had a special note attached. These are people that truly care about the healing plants they provide, and are very willing to give advice to those experimenting and growing with their seeds. I will be ordering from them for years to come!
Christy
yandariel@gmail.com

people at horizon herbs is great, products are excellent and they share valuable information every time they are asked. cant ask for more

Horizon is a one of a kind down-to-earth family run business. I've been ordering from these folks for years and am continually impressed by their excellent catalog, the diversity of their offerings, the high viability of their seed (which is no small feat, considering the difficulty of some species), and the health of their plants. Horizon founder and master plantsman Richo Cech has contributed a great deal to our understanding of the germination and care of many challenging plants, and without the horticultural crutch of industrial chemicals! Through his books and work with United Plant Savers, Richo has significantly invigorated the hands on conservation of endangered medicinals. Horizon Herbs rocks!

I have been dealing with Richo Cech / Horizon Herbs for over ten years, both as a customer and as a supplier of seeds. I consider them a national treasure - much of the progress in the movement to grow our own medicinals can be directly attributed to Richo's untiring effort to locate and supply top-quality, fresh seed of previously unobtainable (or, if obtainable, of poor quality) species. Customer service is excellent; messages are answered promptly.
It is worth mentioning that germination of many of the species in the catalog can be tricky - the mysteries of seed dormancy mechanisms are still being unravelled. I have found it worthwhile to save my seed pots for at least two years. That said, I have also found that many species which I previously considered difficult, slow or erratic germinators (using seed from other sources, botanical gardens, etc.) pop right up from Horizon seed. I attribute this to the freshness of the seed (dormancy can deepen as seed ages).

Horizon Herbs has supplied us with high quality medicinal herb seed for over ten years. We had great commercial success with Gobo burdock seed and recorded yields of 5,000 pounds trimmed root per acre. The people who own and operate this company are genuine gardeners and very good to deal with. I highly recommend Horizon Herbs.

We've been buying seed and plants from Horizon for over 10 years. They not only provide probably the largest range of organic seeds that we have come across but what excites me is that most are grown by themselves and if not they are of known provenance. I have also found their service excellent - and the passion and knowledge that comes through in their catalogue is unique. We tend to buy European seed species from Europe, but for every other origin, Horizon is our first choice.

I was very happy when I saw Horizon Herbs was offering Mandrake plants which we had wanted for our display greenhouses for awhile, but they are hard to find as well as challenging to grow. I ordered two mid winter but they ended up dying in their containers before they broke dormancy. Horizon Herbs willingly replaced them with two recently sprouted, healthy plants.

I rely on Horizon Herbs for my hard-to-find, rare and endangered seeds. I have been purchasing from them for 3 years now and I have had good experiences with every seed that I have planted. Their seeds germinate more dependably and produce much better plants than "commercial" ones that I have purchased from local stores. I can't complain at all and when people ask where I bought my seeds, I direct them to Horizon Herbs.

I farm herbal medicines in UK and Horizon is well known on the side of the pond as an important and reliable supplier of unusual and as well as the most popular herbal seeds. The service is personal and attentive. In addition, it is really helpful to be able to talk to someone knowledgeable about seeds, germination and also the plants themselves. Dormancy is a common problem with so-called 'unimproved' varieties (some suppliers will even call them 'weeds'), which have been designed by nature to wait until conditions are right. We have bought many millions of seeds from Horizon over almost 10 years and would have no hesitation in recommending this supplier to anyone.

I have an herbal medicine practice here in Canada.
After seeing Richo Cech demonstrate some of his plants at the Northwest Herb Faire I became interested in learning more about his company Horizon Herbs. I made a trip down to Williams, Oregan and took a tour of his gardens and facilities. I was greatly impressed with the personal attention and integrity that is used in every aspect of the business. I have since bought a fair amount of seeds from Horizon and remain greatly impressed and happy with the results I have had growing their seeds. I make herbal medicines from scratch and would not think of buying my seeds anywhere else.
Christopher Scipio
Homeopath/Herbalist

I've been working a small organic farm with my family for the past ten or more years and in the last four have taken an interest in growing herbs and medicinal plants to sell at our local farmers market. We do all our own starts for the farm, so it was natural to use the same soil mix and plug trays to grow herbs as we use to grow lettuce and basil. I started growing chamomile and feverfew and borage, don't ask why, I can't really remember now and shyly brought the little plants to the market. People bought them! Encouraged by this, I started looking at herb seeds in our usual farming catalogs, then doing research online to find more. Finding Horizon was super exciting and probably changed my whole life. Getting to know each plant by opening up the envelope and looking at the seeds became a great adventure, one that is still unfolding with each plant in the garden. I also discovered that not everything likes the same media as our garden starts, and am beginning to wander down the path of experimentation with soil media and growing conditions. where next?
A note: I use plug trays to start most things and am a compulsive counter. "Generously packed" means most seed packages contain double or more the number of seeds listed in the catalog. Thanks Richo!