Comments regarding Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Posted on April 16, 2010, updated June 7, 2010
I so want to rate this company as Positive because they have a wonderful selection of heirloom products and other seeds and plants that cannot be found elsewhere. I placed an order with them in February for seeds and a pound of fingerling seed potatoes. The seeds came promptly, accompanied by an invoice that indicated that the potatoes would be sent in early March. That is too late for planting Irish potatoes in southeastern Louisiana; I should have had them in the ground in January. I decided to wait, and take a chance on planting them late, since the weather was unseasonably cool. Early March came and went and no potatoes. In mid-March, I e-mailed them and asked that the order be canceled, as it was now much too late to plant. At this date (April 16) I have not received a response to my e-mail, I have not received any potatoes, I have not received a refund, and I have not received any information about the issue. I have e-mailed them again and hope for a reply soon. I will happily upgrade the rating when this issue is resolved.

I heart SESE. Last year we ordered peanuts and they actually did quite well in our chilly Zone 4 climate. This year we started over 100 ground cherries from SESE, both the Cossack Pineapple and the Goldie varieties and had a near 100% germination rate. The plants are growing strong and vigorously. SESE is not just for folks in the south! Thanks for the awesome seeds!

Fantastic seed quality with an average of 99 % germination rate. I planted 1,800 Buhl corn seeds, 100 Pike melons seeds, 100 Kansas melons seeds, and 300 Rattlesnake beans and literally had an average of a 98-99 % germination rate. Some seeds were started indoors, others sown directly into Southern Indiana clay soil.

Really unique heirloom varieties - especially corn, beans, and melons. One of the few companies that carries Bulh corn.

Fast delivery and good prices. I have placed multiple orders with this company and always received my seed on time!

Excellent informative catalog. One of the best in terms of giving planting dates and directions-as well as product description. Almost like a basic gardening book.

I ordered from this company twice this year already. I like their selection and speedy delivery. Return customers get a 5% discount.
I live in Virginia, and I like that they identify the plants suited to this region.

I recommend this company and their seeds and support their mission of non-GMO seeds.

Great company. Had the one things no one else did...Oxheart Carrots!

This is one of my most favorite vegetable seed company. I love the wide diversity. This year I ordered "Washday" cowpea that I believe may be the same as a "Rotten Crowder" pea that my grandparents grew.

Great selection and prices. Fast shipping. Will definitely be ordering from them again in the future.

Seeds arrived in a timely fashion... already germinating. Wunderbar!

I love these guys, I really do. They're my sentimental favorite. I grow a garden full of their seeds every year. I love their commitment to heirloom, open-pollinated varieties that are well-adapted to the Mid-Atlantic and South, and I love that their catalog is full of thoughtful horticultural advice. Growing some of their varieties (like Hickory King Corn, Cornfield Beans, Hill Country Okra, Cayenne Peppers etc.) gives you a real sense of the history and tradition of gardening in the South.

Excellent heirloom seed source - have used this company for 20 years. Shipping speed and handling excellent, resealable packets clearly marked with germination date and percentage rate. Very good selection of varieties.

Top-notch customer service - I got a personal phone call about a substitution prior to shipping as opposed to a bulk email or note enclosed with my order.

Website can be a little unwieldy, with supersized images filling the screen.

I ordered several packs of seeds and a set of multiplier onions from this company just a few days before a hurricane hit my area. They had the order ready to send the next day, but made a point of not sending it until I let them know that I was ready. (Tree and leaf removal took priority over gardening for a week.)
The onions came with a planting and care guide, which I found very helpful. The seed packaging was generic, but so far they are sprouting fine.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange offers a wonderful quantity of heirloom varieties, including many difficult to find ones at great prices.

The order arrived very quickly and while I haven't yet had a chance to grow any of the seeds one of the packets arrived with extra seeds because it tested low on germination so it would seem that they are serious about ensuring good germination rates on their seeds.

A good selection, including several varieties I've never seen anywhere else. Good quality seeds, too; I think just about every Queen Anne blackeyed pea I planted came up, made a strong plant and produced well. The mustard greens and chard filled up the freezer almost _too_ full, and my lovely, bushy, TALL stand of larkspur was the hit of the community garden I'm in. I'll use this company again. Their prices aren't the lowest, but you get what you pay for.

I ordered from SESE a couple years ago. (just found this website)
At the time they were very helpful when an order got lost due to a confused mailman at our new address. They also answered my silly questions very graciously.

The varieties they offer and choices in quantity are wonderful. I agree that reading the literature was a lot of fun.

I live in the midwest, zone 5 and did well with the seeds, even when a season old at planting.

On the flip side a few varieties were shipped with kind of low germinations tests on the package. That was't inspiring. Everything went well because I ordered much too ambitiously: )

Considering product prices were fair enough to stock up so I never ran into problems, in fact I still have some left over......

Did have trouble getting the catalogue this season. Never came even after requesting it. I understand that these things come up. I just lack the time to follow up when it pops back up in my mind.

Will order again in the future.

In Nov/Dec 2007 I ordered peanut seeds from SESE. After much delay I finally received the seeds (in the shell) at a cost of $57.50 for 1 pound in the shell seeds under order number 40626. The cost of $51.00 not including shipping is very excessive for 1 pound of peanut seeds! I had ordered more than 1 pound and didn't expect them not be be shelled (SESE did not indicate shelled or unshelled). I returned the 1 pound of unshelled seeds to SESE on 8 FEB 2008 via insured mail. After not hearing anything from SESE or a credit to my credit card, I e-mailed SESE several times requesting update on my credit for returned seeds. I have not received a reply or credit on my credit card from SESE as of this date. I am a farmer and I order most of my various seeds on line. This is the first time I have had a problem like this and SESE will NOT be one of the companies I will order from again. I did order my peanut seeds (shelled) from another company at a cost of $7,45 a pound.

I actually received their catalog in the mail addressed to the former occupants of the house we moved into this summer.
And I am SOO glad I did!!
I just received my order and I am VERY impressed.
Even though they specialize the "mid-atlantic" states, I was able to find plenty of organic selections that should do well in my Great Lakes area. Their catalog/site is very clear in the requirement of the plants,and the quantity of seeds I received was quite good for the price...way more veggie seeds than I will have room for..(which gives a novice like me plenty of room for error.)
Very highly recommended here!
~Angel

This is an outstanding company. Check out their planting calendar. Excellent info about the species they sell. Good organic and non-gmo source.

Southern Exposure is wonderful. Their orders arrive very quickly and in excellent condition. Their catalogs are perfect for reading by the fire on a cold winter night! In two cases, I have had them include an "extra" package of seeds if something has a low germination rate.
A couple of years ago I called with a question about using "old" seeds and was told that they would probably be fine. Nobody tried to sell me "new seeds."

Very quick delivery of seeds, order was accurate and complete. I originally found them because I wanted to try their cotton, but ordered a few extra things too. I only wished they had included a catalog with my order, since I ordered via the internet and didn't get the full opportunity to browse what they have to offer (I love going thru catalogs but don't take the time to go thru every webpage). Most companies will include one if you order, but I guess this is not one of them. Small thing to complain about, but otherwise a good experience.

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I am sorry that you were disappointed to not receive our Catalog & Garden Guide with your order. Once a week we do a bulk mailing of catalogs for all new customers (and returning customers upon request). Yours will likely arrive in the mail next week."

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is a wonderful source for heirloom seeds and other open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds with an emphasis on vegetables, flowers, and herbs that grow well in the Mid-Atlantic region. We support seed saving and traditional seed breeding. Seed savers and breeders are to thank for our rich selection and we will do whatever we can to support our customers and associates to carry on this noble tradition.

We do extensive germination and purity testing of our garden seeds and nursery stock to ensure that we can always provide our customers with the highest quality possible. We want your plants to excel.

We carry many hard to find heirloom tomatoes, peppers, ginseng, potato onions, okra, naturally colored cotton, southern-style greens, and much more. We think that after you try them, you'll agree that our tomatoes taste better!

This year I bought several seed varieties from Southern Exposure, and last fall I bought multiplier onions from them.

They have many seeds and plant varieties, heirloom varieties, that I have been unable to find elsewhere.

Their seeds and the onion sets were well packaged.

The onions grew great. The multiplier onions were the same as my German Great-aunt grew in the midwest 50 years ago. It was like a renewed memory.

The tomatoes and peppers have done well. This is not the best climate for tomatoes and peppers, but the catalog is detailed and gives expected time to harvest, so I bought early ones. The tomatoes and peppers are fruitful and look like I expected.

The growing information is detailed and very helpful.

I hope to buy more from them for 2006.

Had only good experiences with SASE: good & honest service by phone or by email, quick shipping, good germination, great advice. Fine heirlooms are here, and almost everything else open-pollinated & organic (AND they're the only place you can get the gorgeous Tashkent French marigold, found outside a mosque in Uzbekistan). Their catalog/garden guide - no glossy photos here! -- contains tons of culture info, including a great table of planting dates for southern regions. Really great resource, and it's online, too.

I was very impressed with this company. They have a great selection and order confirmation and shipping was very fast!!

My experiences with this company have been 100% positive since 1987 when I got my first catalog. This was the company that got me hooked on heirlooms.

I still grow most of the varieties that I first ordered from SESE, even though half of my garden each year is mostly new varieties.

Seeds come quickly, are packed professionally, and germination is high. Occasionally I will receive a packet that says "low germination, extra seed included", but I've never had trouble with germination from this company.

Great customer service, great history of each heirloom. Very nice folks answering the phone.

Their website is a little slow (for me, anyway) but I always have great luck ordering from this company -- prompt replies, speedy shipping, generous amount of seed at reasonable prices, plus the added benefit of a wide range of interesting varieties. Definitely in the top 5 choices for my own supply and look forward to using them again in the coming years.

Never a problem with this company. Great people committed to preserving our genetic diversity.

Talking to them on the phone is like talking to your mama. They're warm, they care. They'll steer you off rocambole if you live in Zone 9, as I do, and they listen to your comments. Red Turkish Italian eggplant came out bitter because (1) I let it ripen fully and (2)the skin is bitter. Now I grow it as an ornamental. Next catalogue they incorporate the comments. They also have odd and interesting things like natural brown cotton and red currant tomatoes and tell the complete story behind Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter (tomato).

I received my order in a timely fashion and with extra seed to insure that the germination rate was high enough. Friendly, efficient service; quality seed.

I have ordered from this company for the last 3 years. I have enjoyed many of their unique varieties. The seed was always what I expected and had great germination. Last year I had ordered some popcorn seed that didn't come up. When I contacted the company about the sterile seed they made it up to me with another vegetable variety I was interested in for the fall. The price difference was small but the fall item was more. They told me not to worry about the small difference, that their customers satisfaction came first. I recieved my fall item right on time. I want everyone to know what good quality service they can expect even when things go wrong. These are folks you can count on and I will continue to be a loyal customer.

Neat company. Interesting catalog, with some varieties I haven't found anything else, and fast service (usually 1-2 weeks to get an order back). Prices on some of the more easily available varieties seem a bit high, but I happily pay whatever they ask for the more difficult to find stuff.

I ordered 'Star of David' okra last summer and the seeds arrived on time in the mail. I live in central NC and we happened to have a severe drought at that time. The okra did very well considering. It is now winter 2003 and I have placed another order for various vegetables, sunflowers and 2 colored varieties of cotton. I don't think I'll be disappointed!

I used a credit card and ordered about a dozen packets of seeds. Delivery was fast, and I appreciated the little percentage-count on the package fronts about how many I could expect to germinate. I planted the seeds Saturday and the radishes are already poking their little heads up. Entirely pleased with the turnaround, prices, and seeds so far.

What a wonderful company. My order came complete in short order (less than 7 days both ways via U.S. mail). So far, I've only planted out the onions and a few lettuces this year and all but one lettuce seed has rapidly germinated. The catalog is as informative as a high priced book. I have yet to find such a wide selection of great tasting heirloom tomatoes. This company will receive much of my business in the future.

I love Southern Exposure! They have a terrific selection of heirloom and OP seeds, the catalog descriptions are very complete, the seeds are top quality.... I always recommend them when people ask me where to get "old fashioned" veggie seeds.

Great folks, great catalogue, great selection, great service.

High seed germination rate and plant quality.
Excellent seed selection for the southern gardener, for our specific issues.
Good cultivation tips and interesting historical info.

Very happy with seed./germination quality. They also ship when they say they will. Great info and resource for Southern gardeners, with our particular garden problems.

For those of us NOT in the New England states these people are invaluable. The seeds have a very good germination rate. The catalog has very good descriptions of the plant and fruit. It also contains helpful planting and growing advice.

Dr. Jeff McCormack is the director, and he makes a creditable effort to grow out and stock heirloom and open pollinated flower and veggie varieties. If he doesn't grow it, he gets his seeds from specialists such as Dr. Carolyn Male. She grows out over 300 varieties of heirloom and OP tomatoes annually.