Comments regarding Johnny's Selected Seeds

I was a container gardener until this year. I have been buying a modest variety of seeds from this company for about 3 years, all of which have produced excellently. My orders are always shipped fast. The Sarian strawberry seeds I bought this year actually started germinating in 2-3 days and the hanging planter is now packed, so I am thrilled. I am still using some seeds from 2004 and they are sprouting and happy.

I've always had positive experiences with Johnny's seeds. While
I increased my ordering from a company that immediately dropped
Monsanto variety, I believe that Johnny's is working hard to find
substitutes and will ease out Monsanto seeds as soon as they're
feasible.(Though I have no concrete knowledge of this except for
a brief interview/quote from Rob Johnston). Please don't lose faith
in this company. In fact, most other main seed houses also still
carry the monsanto seeds, (Nichols,territorial,etc....).

"

Hi there -

Johnny's carries a few varieties produced by Seminis Seed, which is now owned by Monsanto. I want to make this distinction because many seed companies had a relationship with Seminis before they were purchased. A part of Johnny's mission is to provide customers with quality, unique varieties. If customers demand varieties that only Seminis carries, we will provide those. However, as Johnny's finds varieties that are in all ways suitable to replace a Seminis variety, Johnny's replaces it with a variety from another vendor. We are slowly phasing out Seminis varieties, without harming customer demand for certain varieties.

If anyone has further questions about this, please feel free to call us toll-free at 1-877-564-6697 and we'd be happy to talk to you about it further.

Sincerely,
Johnny's Selected Seeds"

I ordered several packets of seeds and some seed starting items from Johnny's this spring. Unfortunately, I had some serious problems with the post office - I moved last year and notified the PO, but they changed my address temporarily instead of permanently like I had been told. To make a long story short, when Johnny's shipped my order it was redirected by the PO to the wrong address (I think). Anyhow, I corrected the problem with the PO as soon as I found out, Johnny's re-sent the order to the correct address as soon as they were informed of the problem, and I got everything soon after. I am pleased with the way Johnny's handled my shipping problem, but I did end up receiving the seeds too late for planting cool weather spring crops-I blame that on the PO, not Johnny's. All in all, Johnny's got my order to me in a reasonable amount of time despite the PO's mistake. I would order from Johnny's again.

I ordered Mexican Sunflower (Torch) and Black Dragon Coleus seed from Johnny's in Feb. Seed arrived promptly in the mail, but largely failed to germinate. I ended up with a half dozen Torch, given the size of these plants relative to my yard that is enough. Called customer service to complain on the poor germination of the coleus though. They promptly sent a new seed packet and this time the germination rate was fine.

I am disgusted my mikeinmaine's fingerwagging. You didn't have to deal with a stolen identity because of the oversight and disregard for security of this company. I did.

The fact that they didn't have antivirus on their computers, the fact that someone had access to all 12,000 credit card numbers, and the fact that they were unencrypted is just plain sloppy.

How do they respond? A snail mail letter a few weeks after it happened! How many people threw it away thinking it was junk mail? How many people don't realize that this company put their finances at risk?

As far as I am concerned, they deserve all of the bad press they can get.

"

Dear Dave's Garden Community,

Folks who were affected by the theft have every right to be upset. The stealing of credit card data was inexcusable. No doubt about that. Johnny's takes this theft extremely seriously and we are making necessary changes to prevent it from ever happening again. The increasing frequency of these crimes is disturbing and many, many companies are finding themselves in a similar and unfortunate position. Johnny's is deeply sorry the theft occurred.

Our response, we think, was very fast (within 8 days of discovery). Johnny's chose to notify customers immediately, which is not necessarily the practice in these situations. Many companies choose not to notify customers for months while there is an ongoing investigation. We felt, however, it was important to be honest up front. Drafting the letter, having it printed, and then mailed took 7 days.

We encourage our customers to call us and talk to us. 1-877-564-6697. It's toll-free. Call us. We would be happy to answer your questions.

I wanted to address some of the statements being made, however, and lend perspective to the situation. We also have a FAQ available upon request for those who would like more information.

Johnny's absolutely has security in its business and on the website. We absolute do have anti-virus scanners. On every machine, and we've had them constantly. Data on the website is indeed encrypted.

Here were the weaknesses:

1. We had a single anti-virus program running on all machines. The libraries are updated every time there is an update available. We did not, however, have 3 anti-virus programs running. It is a fact that a single anti-virus program is not enough to capture all the nasty things thieves can throw at a system. We now have 3 in place, and nothing is getting through.

2. There is encryption on the site. The thieves did not hack into the web databse. They did not brute force an entry. They logged on with a valid username and password into a secured portion of the website and downloaded a small portion of order files. It was as if they were one of Johnny's employees. How they gained access to this information, we do not know yet. The FBI is still conducting an investigation.

Credit card details are fully encrypted absolutely everywhere on the website and access to this information also now protected by requiring VPN restricted access as well as windows authentication, as well as admin interface user authentication - 3 tiers of secured access.

Johnny's fully accepts and understands customer disappointment, anger, and upset. We feel the same way about this. We are sorry this happened. Johnny's 34-year business has been built on a firm foundation of excellent product and customer service. Our rating here, even with recent negative postings, is outstanding. This is the first situation to produce a mar on Johnny's otherwise unblemished reputation and we are asking customers to take a breath and to try to empathize. It doesn't excuse the theft. Nothing can do that. We are asking for folks to be human and to allow us to make the changes necessary to resolve the issue and to provide us with, we think, a much deserved second chance.

Kind regards,
Johnny's Selected Seeds
service@johnnyseeds.com
1-877-564-6697

"

I am extremely annoyed at the negative dings people have showered on Johnny's because of a matter that wasn't their fault. Their commitment to customer service is clear and of long standing. There is usually not a problem with an order, but if there is, a short phone call is all it takes to straighten the matter out perfectly. The seeds are of the best quality, the planting instructions clear, the growing suggestions are perfect-- and if someone has trouble because of a microclime issue or questions because of some other factor, an intelligent person on the other end of the phone or email will provide good, solid clear guidelines. This is an utterly outstanding company, and people whining because someone else gained access to their credit card information through theft should be ashamed of themselves. I wonder how well they would cope with a problem of this magnitude! A glance at the actual feedback for Johnny's will reveal only the barest minimum of complaint over the years save for this one issue. Johnny's will keep my custom, and they remain the firm I will suggest first when friends ask for advice on where to obtain seeds and gardening equipment.
Mike Connelly
Brunswick, Maine

I ordered some seeds from them last winter. The shipment was fast and seeds are great, very good germination rate seems like 100%. They have very interesting and large selection and nice catalog. I think it is sad that their rating went down because of data stolen from their computers. I also got their letter about my credit card information being stolen, and had to cancel my credit card number. I wish they deleted my personal information after they received my payment. But I hope they've learned their lesson and will get better virus protection for their computers. I'll order again.

Their response to the credit card situation was poor at best. If I ever order from them in the future it will be through the mail and by check and that is only if I can't get the product anywhere else. And for some to get their notices 7 days or more later than the first is also uncalled for. I don't care if they would of had to pay overtime to call these people they should have. I hope they have learned their lesson but by their by their attutude I have my doubts. There is other vendors out there that really care about customers.

I also received the letter from Johnny's on March 5th. The instructions were to just monitor your card and report any thefts. I called my bank and they said, no way. They cancelled my card immediately and I'm happy to say, i have no thefts to report.

In this day and age, it's important that businesses keep to the highest security standards and Johnnie's probably learned a very hard lesson. If I have any complaint at all, besides their lack of security, is their suggested response to the theft. Perhaps if they had urged their customers to contact their card vendors for advice, some of these thefts could have been prevented.

Will I do business with them again? Probaby, but I will also ask them beforehand, what improvements they've made to their security. If they really do care about their customers, they should consider another customer mailing indicating what steps they've taken to prevent future attacks and I hope it includes monitoring to detect unauthorized accesses in a much more timely fashion.

I also got the letter from Johnny's letting me know that they allowed someone to steal my information with their negligence. The money in my account was spent on dirty things that I really felt uncomfortable having to explain what happened with my bank.

The fact that they waited for weeks and put the burden on me to fix the situation was ludicrous. They may say that they contacted my bank, but I can confirm that they absolutely did NOT.

The time frame that they reacted in was ridiculous. 2 weeks to react to only send me a letter? If my credit line was compromised, I would expect a personal call or at least an impersonal e-mail. My financial future could have been affected by my choice to order only 4 packs of seeds.

Johnny's doesn't care about their customers and this was totally illustrated by how they reacted to their customer's information being handed out like candy.

I was one of those customers whose credit card information was stolen and subsequently used. I noticed 2 match.com transactions, which I have never used, and immediately called my bank. Sure enough, I got the letter from Johnny's telling me my data had been stolen a few days later.

Their response to the breach was totally inadequate. I left several courteous messages on the voice mail of someone who I assume was the PR spin department, but never got a call back. I hope it costs them their business for how much they inconvenienced their customers.

I have zero trust in them and I have been telling everyone that I can about what utter disregard they have for their customers and the inability to keep their data safe.

I have always been very happy with Johnny's seed but this year we had decided to give up on our old seeder. I looked at all the "walk-behind" and alot of the smaller tractor models. After several phone calls to ask the same questions over and over, we decided to order the "European Push Seeder". It arrived promptly and within an hour my DH was in the kitchen! "I love this thing, What else can I plant today?" We are very happy with the product and with the customer service we received before I ordered it!

I ordered from Johnny's for the first time a few weeks ago and was very happy with my experience.

I had requested a catalog from their website and when it arrived, I couldn't believe the wealth of information on growing just about anything. Their selection was huge! I got several other seed catalogs in the mail from other companies and they all dimmed in comparision to Johnny's!

When I placed my order, the representative on the phone was friendly and helpful and told me that my order would ship the next day!

My order arrived in 3 days from the time I ordered! I was extremely impressed at this speed, especially during this busy spring season.

I look forward to buying again!

Many people are easily put off or irritated when they encounter difficulties with online ordering.
What those people don't realize is that the company that they are ordering from probably knows as little about ecommerce as the irritated customer. We order plants from gardeners, not geeks. They've hired someone to run the tech end of things for them, or pushed the job on an employee who is ill prepared. Nothing works 100% and if out of the thousands of orders that Johnny's gets a few run into problems, it's simply the law of averages. Whenever you bump into a problem with online ordering, pick up the phone, or better yet use snail mail. US Postal is a medium that the folks on the other end understand, and chances are the customer does also, and it's worked fine for decades. Just means you'll have to wait a little longer.
Anytime you use a credit card you're risking possible theft, it's one of the risks of instant gratification. If you want security send a moneyorder made out to the company and you're covered.

I have never left feedback for Johnny's before as I felt that they were in the top 30 and held their own without me.. Now, as someone who actually does belong here on Daves, subscribes and contributes to the threads, has formed relationships with gardeners here, and has a care and concern for truly wonderful plant and seed companies.. (ahhemm), I'm going to leave MY feedback for this truly wonderful seed company.

I am a customer of Johnny's Select Seeds and I appreciate the letter that was sent notifying me that their data was hacked and it included my personal information along with my credit card info. I can understand how some can see that as solely Johnny's fault.... However, after speaking with Michelle in Customer Service for over 20 minutes about the situation today, I sincerely feel that they DO care and are absolutely upset over it and are most disturbed by the ensuing negative feedback that has been left as a result of this online computer heist. Michelle was most forthcoming about what they are doing, how they believe it happened (an email bug) and who they are working with to rectify the situation (FBI) Just in the news... just plugging in your computer away from home or office and checking your financial accounts can now result in the account names and passwords being copied and liquidated immediately. To whom would you ascribe the blame? It is my understanding that the info was not hacked from the web site. It was obtained through an internal computer which was accessed from outside the office, which means someone had a password.

My credit card was fraudulently charged a total of $300 to match.com on Valentines Day and fortunately for me, the following day all charges were reversed. If anything, this has proven the strength of my marriage as my husband immediately knew something wasn't right and that I was not attempting to date when he saw the charges. I hope and pray that the thief has raised enough money to date without having to take it from Johnny's seed customers. It's a good thing to keep some humor and perspective here.

My husband and I have worked hard to take extreme measures to keep our credit clean and our score high. I have canceled that account, and had a new account sent out to me. I have put a 3 month fraud alert on my credit and have heard that it can be quite inconvenient to open credit in such situations, however, we already have all the cards and accounts we currently need. I will closely monitor my credit report, which should be done, regardless of such a situation occurring. While I'm not "happy" about the situation.. I certainly don't think Johnny's was directly negligent, a bad business owner or out to get me.. This was a demonstration of a modern day heist in action and Johnny's was as much a victim as their very valued customers.

As long as Johnny's continues to produce such incredible catalogs and sell quality seeds, which they always have, they can continue to count on me as a customer. Its unfortunate this happened to both of us. Johnny's I believe in you, what you do and what you sell. I believe in your company. I feel confident you will regain your position in the watchdog, your just my favorite underdog right now. God Bless. Susan

The very best seed possible - worth the extra price. You definitely get what you pay for at Johnny's. Their shipping is the fastest in the business. Their customer service is top notch.

After 10 years of purchasing seed from Johnny's however, I am no longer doing so because they continue to carry Seminis/Monsanto varieties. I miss Johnny's, but feel very strongly against Monsanto. This is a personal decision on my part and no reflection on Johnny's. To their credit, when I e-mailed a complaint they e-mailed me a list of the Seminis varieties that they carry so that I could avoid them. This was nice, but not enough for me. I have swithced my loyalties to companies that do not carry Seminis/Monsanto varieties.

I love Johnny's. Always have always will. Seeds and other supplies have always come fast, packaged well... And who can beat their selection?

And for this top topnotch quality, they do not charge top dollar, which they easily could... Their pricing is very reasonable. I know they do a lot of breeding and research out of this money too, and I do appreciate that--as I've dealt with companies that do NOTHING for the future of gardening and charge a heck of a lot more.

More than excellent products though, I appreciate how sincerely committed I feel this company is to wonderful business of growing edibles and beautifuls from the earth.

I will only do business with companies like Johnny's in the future..those I feel that love growing first and second, need to make a living, as do we all...

I work in web development and I have to say, things like this can happen even to companies that are paying attention to security. My credit card was not compromised but my dad's was, because I asked him to buy me a gift certificate this year. (oops, sorry dad!) He and I both called and we felt they dealt with the situation appropriately. It must have taken a few days to uncover the extent of the damage & that's why the letters didn't go out immediately.

I will continue to order from JohnnySeed.com. Going forward their security will probably be much better than a company that has never had a problem and never thought much about it. Just like if you're robbed, then you install the best alarm system you can find.

"

Darcy -

Thank you for your very kind words and empathy. Indeed, our security will become much greater than it was, and not only because we wish it to be that way for our customers, but because when this sort of thing happens, it is absolutely required. Johnny's takes this theft very, very seriously and we will continue to do everything we can to prevent it from happening again. This is not a one-shot update or fix. We will continue to pay attention to it going forward into the future.

Kindly,
Alisa"

I previously lived at 7,000 feet were it was very challenging to garden. Last fall we moved to a small farm at 4,000 feet with many spaces that need and can be filled. I made a good sized sampler order for varied seeds. Next I made an order for weed barrier and row covers. Everything has arrived at my rural location, complete and in record time. I haven't gardened since I was a kid and relying heavily on the thorough growing instructions on the seed packets and catalogue. I can't wait until my parents visit in July, and show off the results.

I've ordered from this company many times with positive results, but this week I tried to place an order on their website. I spent about an hour getting my order together. When I clicked submit, it didn't appear to go through. I emailed Johnny's and received no reply. I clicked highest priority asked for a read receipt and nothing has returned to me so I'm assuming they haven't even read my email. I waited two days and emailed again. I've still received no reply. I can't tell if my order was placed and now my shopping basket is empty. I'm very disapointed in their customer service, which is too bad as I always liked their products.

"

Hi there -

Two brand new web servers were put in place due to the recent theft incident. There have been known issues with the site and we do apologize if it wasn't working for you. We understand how frustrating it is, and we're working to resolve issues as quickly as we can on the new web servers. Email also has a bad way of getting caught up in SPAM filters, unfortunately. Email is not a guaranteed means of getting in touch with us due to how many can get flagged as SPAM. We respond to just about every email we do get, however.

If you haven't heard from us, and you know that we usually respond very quickly, then please do not assume we are ignorning you. Your email probably did not get through. Please CALL us, and we'll be happy to help you. Toll-free: 1-877-564-6697.

Sincerely,
Johnny's"

Unfortunately data theft happens - even to huge corporations. I think they handled the situation well. I will do business with them again because they have a good selection of products and focus on customer service.

Sorry to report, but I was one of those w/ compromised credit card information. These things happen; however, to send snail mail (and at the standard rate yet) when my phone number and e-mail address is available is unacceptable. Had their response been more prompt--even a general e-mail stating the situation, it would have allowed me to kill the card immediately.

I saw today that their site is now "hacker safe". That's nice to know. When I call them tomorrow (during normal business hours only--no hotline available), I intend to point out that my trust in their ability to protect my information is gone; I am sorry about their PR disaster, but their response was totally inadequate.

BTW, I also took the liberty to post the overall contents of their letter to me and the timeline involved on the e-bay garden groups/discussion boards I belong to, just to provide information to anyone considering using them as a supplier. Would you believe the post was near instantaneous. The net is so amazing and so fast. It gives you a good feeling inside to provide a public service.

I received the letter also.

The company's protestation puzzles me:

"Yes, sensitive information was compromised at Johnny's. However, it was NOT due to a web site hack. Please do not assume the details before you hear them."

The first line of the letter from Johnny's reads as follows:

"I am contacting you to advise you that on February 4, 2007 an unauthorized person, from outside Johnny's, broke into our website and stole data."

I'm sure Johnny's PR person can understand why those of us who received that letter assumed the website was compromised.

Be that as it may, I fully understand how data security can be difficult at best. I do, however, fault Johnny's for the theft. When they store our personal data, they assume responsibility for it.

I am far more irritated by their response to the issue. It isn't so much the fact it took two weeks to discover the theft, but almost another two weeks to provide notification is inexcusable. In these days of virtually instant communication, I would expect an email, or a phone call in advance of the snailmail letter. I would further expect some sort of urgency on the envelope bringing the mail. I imagine many of us receive numerous window envelopes from vendors every day. Some may not immediately open such mail.

I opened mine, and am glad I did. My first call was to my credit card company, where I cancelled the account. They had not yet heard from Johnny's on the issue.

My next call was to Johnny's, where a very polite gentleman assured me they had arranged for their credit card processor to notify the issuers. When I advised him that my bank had not been notified, he apologized further.

I will likely continue to do business with Johnny's. I look to them for seeds, not computer prowess. I fully expect my order of onion sets to be delivered, on time, next month.

I will probably not, however, use their website for purchases, and will be reticent to give them any credit card information, either on the web or on the phone. It looks like I'll have to write checks.

Wow. No one seems safe anymore. I received notification just a short while ago from TJ Maxx that my credit card information was stolen, and now a letter from Johnny's.

I do business with Johnny's every year. I'll keep doing business with them every year. No doubt there was room for improvement in overall security, but I don't think any company is totally secure, and if they tell you so, they're probably lying. In 16 years, I've never had a problem with Johnny's and I'm not about to go away because a single lousy meal was served. A company with as good a rating as they have here, and as well as they've treated me over the years deserves a second chance.

I understand the theft happened on the 4th and it was discovered on the 18th. That is not unusual. A lot of people who are stolen from don't find out for a month or more after they get a bank or credit card statement, and let me tell you, the bank never sends a letter to let you know your account was compromised. I think Johnny's responded fairly quickly, given that they no doubt had a lot of information to gather before sending it.

This theft is really incredible and I am angry and sad. Not angry with Johnny's, but with the people who commit these crimes and that credit card companies don't seem to be doing anything to change how they do business to help prevent this from happening.
Credit card fraud is so prevalent these days, you'd think they'd adopt a different technology. I think people should think about that.

Don't be too hasty to judge, lest ye be judged.

I don't hold Johnny's culpable here. I hold the system at large responsible. This is happening in too many places, to too many people, for any unfortunate company to bear the full burden. I have no doubt that security at Johnny's could be made better. And I bet you they're doing all they can to make it better going into the future.

Be aware of this company....I just received a letter indicating that someone broker into their website and sole personal data include credit card numbers. the worst part was this took place on february 4 and it took them until february 18 to discover this. i will never place an order with this unsecure website.

"

Dear Gardening Group -

Allow me to speak for the company before emotion gives sway to truth.

Yes, sensitive information was compromised at Johnny's. However, it was NOT due to a web site hack. Please do not assume the details before you hear them.

The website is as safe and secure as it always was. The breach occured through internal engineering and the placement of a keylogging trojan virus on some of Johnny's internal machines. We have no idea where the trojan came from. The theft wasn't noticed because the thieves logged into the web interface using a valid username and password. The FBI is still investigating this crime and we haven't all the details yet.

Johnny's is reacting with immediacy on this situation and it is a situation we take most seriously. We are as outraged, disappointed, and shell-shocked as those people we had to reach out to and notify.

You may recall that TJ Maxx recently had 40 million card records stolen. This kind of theft is as rampant as it is unfortunate. This crime happens the world over to even those most secure of companies. Finger-pointing, blame-games, and inaccurate assumption of details does no one any good. We are responding to this as quickly as we can and we are sparing no step to prevent it from happening again.

In the end, Johnny's will wind up being even more secure that it originally was, and it will make the company stronger. There is no company that is immune to this crime.

We ask that those folks who have questions talk to us and understand the facts before people blindly passing judgements.

Kindly,
Alisa Keimel
Marketing & PR Manager
Johnny's Selected Seeds
"

During the last thirty five years I have depended on Johnny's for seeds (vegetable, herb, flower), bulbs and gardening tools while gardening in various parts of the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Their choice of variety,quality, and service are excellent. They have quickly taken care of the few problems I have had. I am amazed at comments that their prices are too high since we are purchasing quality living seeds (as well as quality tools and gardening materials). Anyone can purchase cheaper seed, bulbs and tools. I consider each season a gift of time in which I want the best for my efforts. That means I carefully select my varieties and expect excellent viability. Who I purchase my seed from is not a casual decision. I have always been proud to recommend Johnny's.

I used to order from Johnny's seeds exclusively and always had excellent results, both ordering and growing. However, I too feel that their prices are steep compared with other seed supppliers as a brief price comparison will easily demonstate. Having said that, they offer some unique products and as reported here by myself and other reviewers, their seed has exceptionally high germination rates. jlw1112

"

JWL -

Thank you for your very thoughtful comment. I'd like to speak to the discussion of higher seed prices if I may.

Yes, Johnny's Selected Seeds prices are higher in some (not all) instances. There are good business reasons why this is so.

In business, you can differentiate from your competitors in a number of ways. Businesses can use the Wal-mart strategy (low-price), a differentiation strategy (based on uniqueness or exclusivity), or a premium strategy (based on very high levels of quality, service, and value-added elements). Most folks know what strategies Johnny's uses.

When you receive a packet of seeds from Johnny's, it is value packed with things that most people don't think about. Johnny's has extensive trial fields all over the US. We trial new, unique, and specialty varieties and those of our competitors. We look for very specific features of varieties that we know our customers want and expect. We like to offer the usual and hard-to-find varieties as well as the tried-and-true ones. Johnny's product management team applies a lot of expertise and research to deliver very high quality, dependable seed that you can count on for great performance and yield.

Johnny's has a state-of-the-art climate controlled storage facility where our seeds are kept at optimal temperatures and humidities. This ensures seed viability and performance. This much to do with seed quality and germination rates.

Johnny's is known for having fast, reliable shipping; at times the fastest in our industry. We are known for the efficiency and quality of our customer service.

Johnny's puts a lot of heart and soul into the business standards it practices and it is borne out in your customer comments time and again about our fast shipping, our excellent seed germination, terrific quality, superb customer service.

Premium service comes at a premium price. We feel good about the prices we charge and we know, resolutely, that you will be pleased with the quality and performance. We stand behind that with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

People should not be afraid or discouraged to pay a little more for a top quality product. You get what you pay for and customers are not shy about detailing their experiences. Our reputation speaks for itself. We are not perfect. We're human after all, but we do try very hard to deliver the absolute best to our customers. And that assurance is reflected in the value-added price people pay for Johnny's seeds.

Kindly,
Alisa Keimel
Marketing & PR Manager
Johnny's Selected Seeds"

I have used Johnny's for 7 years. I grow on about 6 acres and they are my main source for seeds. In my opinion they are unsurpassed for quality and customer service; representatives will offer varietal suggestions and culture tips. Their prices are competitive with other commercial seed suppliers; they are not the only ones with expensive cauliflower (it's worth it, too!). Johnny's has a nice mix of hybrids and open-pollinated varieties, and is expanding their organic options. While I like and plant open-pollinated varieties, I count on hybrids for uniformity and yield.
I have ordered both on-line and via phone. The only time I had problems ordering on-line I called them and they helped me immediately.
Thanks Johnny's for continued excellence!

Great selection of not-so-common seeds. Rapid shipping and good quality seeds. All were ordered from their website easily and a backorder was taken care of promptly by phone. This is a super company!

My only experience with them has been unproductive, and they don't seem to care. I spent an evening picking out vegetable seeds for this year's garden. I got half way through checking out. I hit "continue checkout," and nothing happened. I tried several times. I backed up and tried again. I got out of the site, went back in, totally reselected all the seeds I had originally selected, and tried again. Nothing. Their website doesn't work. I'm not able to order. I tried to e-mail them, using their links. But that just brought up an old version of CompuServe on my computer, which doesn't do me any good because my computer is not hooked up to a phone. I used high-speed cable access now. I came to Dave's Garden and e-mailed them from here, finally, successfully. That was over a week ago. They never bothered to respond. So -- I can't order through their website. I can't contact them through their website. When I do contact them, they don't bother to respond. Even if they fixed everything so I could order from them, I wouldn't, because of their casual attitude toward customer service.

"To all of Dave's Garden users -

Customer service, quality seed, reliable shipping, you name it - we care about it - deeply. I am not alone when I write that Johnny's takes poor experiences very seriously and it bothers us a great deal. All of us here at Johnny's are shoppers and none of us likes a bad experience. We appreciate when you reach out and we most certainly want to hear from you.

If you have a poor experience, please call us first. E-mail is not always reliable and even internal email gets cuaght up in SPAM filters. If you have had a negative experience, do not trust email to communicate it through. Pick up a phone and call us, toll-free: 1-877-564-6697. That translates into 1-877-JOHNNYS so its easy to remember no matter where you are.

If you do email us, and you do not get a response, do not assume it's because we don't care. Those statements are inflammatory and nothing could be further from the truth. Responding to customers is a very serious part of our mission and email does not get ignored.

If email gets caught up in SPAM or other filters, though, there isn't much we can do, unfortunately. If there is a serious issue you need to tell us about, then it is even more critical that we respond to you quickly. Email is not dependable. Do not email us with a problem. Call us. We want to talk to you. TOLL-FREE: 1-877-564-6697.

If you do insist on email, then here are some paths:
Web problems can be directed to [e-mail:jtroutman@johnnyseeds.com]
Customer service issues can go to [e-mail:service@johnnyseeds.com]
Use [e-mail:publicrelations@johnnyseeds.com] as a CC for back-up. I always take time to answer email.

We are here for you, for the good as well as the bad. Especially the bad. if you have a bad experience, we want to know about it so we can correct it.

Kindly,
Alisa"

Very responsive with timely shipping. My criteria are good seeds with good selections. Johnny's carrys some cultivars that are hard to obtain for a small grower else where.

Generally, Johnny's has high quality seeds which germinate well. However, I believe seed prices, in some cases, are no longer competitive. For example, Fiesta del Sol seed at Johnny's is double the price listed at another company and its shipping costs are less as well. A $3.95 charge on a purchase of less than $10 seems a bit steep. On the positive side, Johnny's catalog and website provide detailed information on growing plants which is not always available elsewhere. On balance, I am a former customer who is put off by their increasingly higher prices.

I too have had positive experiences with Johnny's, and their selection - both hybrids and open-pollenated - is excellent. I think KristenMarie's "negative" below is extremely unfair and should have been a "neutral" - Johnny's has to make money, and if that means including hybrids in their catalog, then they should do just that. To quote the guidelines on Watchdog "If your experience was negative, you should try to resolve the matter privately before posting your comments. Use good judgment when leaving feedback, and be certain it is constructive and factual; inflammatory language is strongly discouraged."

I have been buying from Johnny Seeds for over 20 years and I consider them one of the best souces of both hybrid and non hybrid seeds. I don't mind paying a lot for the Sweet Olive tomato seeds, you cannot beat it for taste and keeping qualities. Heirloom tomatoes are not the easiest to grow and usually don't bear as heavy. JS was only trying to be honest. The customer service is nice to deal with and I have never had bad seed. Some seeds are expensive either because they are hybrids, hard to obtain, or other reasons.
Hope to be a customer for many years to come

"

Thank you for your kind words. Indeed, the website can and does occassionally encounter a glitch. The important point is that when we are aware of a problem, we scramble to correct it as quickly as possible.

Kindly,
Alisa Keimel
Markting & PR Manager
Johnny's Selected Seeds"

Used to love Johnny's. Something has happened to them, I think ownership is changing hands ("employee owned" or something like that). Their catalogue this year isn't nearly as good, many good old varieties are gone, and the "150 new varieties!" boasted on the cover are nearly 100 percent hybrids. They also warn you against heirloom tomatoes because they are apparently all diseased and rot too fast. This catalogue is no longer interesting to me-- and they are increasingly overpriced. (250 cauliflower seeds for $20.80.... yeah right... I don't care if it is a yellow cauliflower.)

No longer a customer! What a shame!

"Dear Kristin -

I wanted to let you know here in this forum that your email was received on Sunday and your thoughts were promptly responded to as soon as I got into the office this morning.

We hear that you are disappointed in the choice of the 2007 catalog cover. The email you received from me this morning and that you will receive from our Director of Sales and Marketing will speak to this opinion.

Johnny's has always carried a number of hybrid varieties. To address your specific comment, we carry three types of kohlrabi seed and we have carried these same three varieties since at least 2001, when I started working for Johnny's. The number of hybrids we carry in this category has not changed, at least not in 5 years. I do know that Johnny's tries to balance the number of hybrid and open-pollinated varieties it carries in response to market demand. If customers demand hybrid varieties, we will provide them, otherwise, they go to another seed company who does carry them.

We certainly respect your preference for open-pollinated varieties and if you are looking for a specific variety that we do not carry, our customer service representatives are always ready and willing to help you find it. You can call us toll-free at any time. 1-877-564-6697.

Johnny's, as always, is deeply and personally committed to providing the best quality seed and customer service we can. In working as an employee-owner of this company, I can tell you the people who work here care deeply about our products, the service we deliver, and the success of our customers. Since Rob Johnston, Jr. established the company in 1973, this dedication to quality and service has not changed, nor will it in the future.

We stand ready to assist you should you decide to call.

Kind regards,
Alisa Keimel
Marketing & PR Manager
Johnny's Selected Seeds
"

I have place 4 individual orders within the last month. I received the orders fast. I even called the company once with a question about a product and was handled politely and courteously. I might add that the agent really knew the answers, too. One of the orders was seeds for next year. The information on each packet surpasses any I have ever ordered from anywhere. I am probably going to order from Johnny's solely in the future.

I'll just add a brief note to the overwhelming number of positive comments here. We've been ordering from them for about five years. Can't say enough good things about Johnny's for quality products and reliable, professional, courteous customer service. There are also many other good companies out there, but we keep coming back to Johnny's for at least part of our seed order every year.

I've been ordering seeds from Johnnys for 4 years now and tried their live plants this year. The live strawberry plants did not look very "pretty" when I got them but they are doing great now. I am very impressed by their Blueberry Plant Collection, it was pricey at close to $60 for 6 plants but the plants were 2 feet tall when I received them and they are now close to 3 feet tall. I can't wait 'til next year to see what they taste like! Don't worry, I have both a "sweet" and acidic section soil section in my gardens.

I ordered a lot of flower seeds from Jonny's. The germination rate was 99% I only had two zinnias that didn't sprout. I ordered many types of flowers and all were great! I like their variety and fast shipping.