Comments regarding Tomato Girl (Tomato Baby Company)

Posted on June 2, 2010, updated June 2, 2010
After reading all the great reviews, I decided to order for my 1st time. Not sure why my experience was so different. Plants arrived when stated but bare root, wrapped in paper towels, wilted with dead leaves. Emailed owner who said they would be fine and gave me more instructions. At this point, they were easy to contact. I was skeptical but willing to try. I have never planted tomatoes that looked like this, I have always bought them at nurseries and the comparison was remarkable. Tomato BabyPlants were long like 2 ft sticks, skinny, with maybe only a few green leaves on top. After hours planting and digging (had to be careful, they were thin as pencils) and giving them 4 days in the ground--they still look wilted, with dead branches and yellow spotted leaves. I just pray I didn't introduce disease into my garden. Emailed owner several times and included pics,asked for a refund, no reply yet. Waiting to get a reply back. I honestly wonder what these other people who reviewed got shipped to them and why mine was so different. I was really looking forward to some great tomatoes this year, guess not. :(

"On Jun 2, 2010 10:19 AM, Tomato Girl (Tomato Baby Company) responded with:

I refunded your money fully on 6-1-10, the day BEFORE you posted this because the plants were not what you expected. You asked for "large plants" on your order form and that is what we shipped. This morning I have an email from Dave's Garden that you gave me negative feedback.

I only did not respond to you during the Sunday and Monday of Memorial weekend. Per our website, email responses can take up to 24 hours typically, but we were closed on Memorial Day. I responded mid-day on Tuesday, but didn't finish the long, in depth planting email and good faith refund until the evening for the busy, short ship week. I responded to at least 10-15 emails from your various questions gardening techniques to include my plants over the past two weeks. As you stated you were a new customer who had a poor year last year, we also sampled 5 plants with your order of 13 for disease resistance qualities and known cultivars loved by our current customers in hopes of being part of your garden experience this year and thus forward.

I wrote a long, in depth, email explaining that I wanted you to have a refund because you don't know my plants and didn't know what to expect. When we send "large" (versus "small" ordered) plants, they are tall, pencil thickness, and ready to be transplanted below the soil line for large roots. Tomato plants will put out extensive root systems all along buried stem. Within 3 weeks, the above ground plant stem will be thicker than your thumb. You tried to plant them in good faith. You asked a lot of questions to ensure your great garden this year. Per your pictures after you planted them, you didn't plant the stems in the ground to make them into your new root system grown for YOUR garden as we discussed. Even then, I sent the refund to show you good faith, and asked you to try what I am pledging to you. I believe you are a good person, who is trying, but either not understanding or worrying, or not believing me. With the refund, I felt you had nothing to lose and would try to plant correctly as tomato plants should be partially buried unless you purchase the "small" plants and plant at root line. As I told you regarding other planting questions such as mulch/ cultivars /climate etc, it is best to experiment some and see what works best for you. Now, with a refund in full faith, and plants to boot, I hoped you would have some faith in me and my plants for a spot in your garden, planting larger plants appropriately.

alainia
TomatoGirl
"