Comments regarding Johnny's Selected Seeds

This is my other of two favorite companies....Baker Creek and Johnnys are the best!! Love the products!

I've been growing Johnny's seeds for nearly 30 years now but this year I put in a HUGE order because we are growing in a greenhouse for the first time and also expanding our outdoor efforts. We are going to flirt with growing commercially. Experiment and see what we discover without any expectation of actually creating income.

I fell in love with Johnny's all over again.

For the northern gardener, especially, they simply can't be beat. The product selection is awesome and the varieties are tested. It's not about pretty pictures (though there are those, too), it's about seeds and tools that WORK. A newbie to gardening could get nearly all information needed here from the detailed seed instructions included in the catalog. (The best in the business in what it provides for actual growing information.) The seasoned grower will appreciate the details, too.

Johnny's places high value on TASTE alongside other virtues. All of the seeds are labeled with easy-to-read symbols in their catalog. Greenhouse growing, cold-hardy, ease of growing, etc.

Customer service is fabulous. Everyone is knowledgeable and friendly. There is good email communication about orders shipped in multiple shipments. Your card is not charged until the particular item SHIPS. (In fact, in my experience, not until you've actually RECEIVED it.)

If I could only grow ONE thing (say it ain't so!) it would be ACE peppers. Can't recommend them enough. They set fruit even under stress and turn red-ripe early. Johnny's is one of the few places that offer these seeds. Germination of my Ace seeds this year was 100%.... and my other Johnny's seeds' germination was much higher than with seeds from another source I might try.

They sell tools unavailable anywhere else. Often they are designed by Eliot Coleman...the cerebral, no-nonsense commercial gardener who releases his self-designed tools through Johnny's. Some of them can be pricey but Coleman is the first to encourage your own ingenuity. He forever changed the way I garden when I discovered him 25 years ago. This year's expansion for us is taking some of Coleman's more recent discoveries to heart. Johnny's carries the complete line of Coleman's books.

Buying from Johnny's is a win-win purchase you can feel good about: family-owned, first rate seeds, products and practices and innovation without gimmicks.

Love 'em.

Excellent company. Their online catalog was easy to navigate and I got everything I ordered within 5 days counting the weekend.

I put my order in online and noticed they were our of a specific type of soybean I wanted. Called the customer service number and got someone who admitted there was a crop failure at the grower. He gave me the name of the seed they were recommending as a replacement. I asked him if he would recommend it and he told me he's grown both and the replacement was not as flavorful as the one they were out of. I appreciate the honesty. BTW - my seeds arrived five days after ordering.

Great selection and Shipped FAST, well-packaged! A 5-star rating in my book!

I often order seeds from Johnny's, and I've always been pleased with the service and with the seed quality & germination. This year I ordered a large tool: a wheel hoe with attachments. My order was packed well and shipped quickly. I am 100% satisfied with Johnny's Selected Seeds.

Ordered both cover crops and vegetable seeds. Very fast shipping. Great selection. Very good catalog with growing tips, seed sizes and other interesting data.

Prompt shipping, great customer service. Part of my recent order was out-of-date, so I e-mailed Customer Service. I received a gracious reply the same day that a replacement was shipping immediately. The replacement arrived within days and with no hassles.

Seeds were delivered very quickly and website was easy to order from. Shipping on the high side. Enjoy the catalog. Was a little leary to order from d/t past feedback but experienced no problems thank goodness.

I ordered from Johnny's this year because they carried a few romaine lettuce varieties recommended by the local ag extension office. I was happy to find that they were also the seed company that had a few odd cucumber varieties in stock as well as a yellow wax bean that might actually survive the local summers.

Some of the items I ordered were on back order. All of them were plainly marked as such with expected ship dates on the web site. Johnny's immediately shipped everything that was in stock and shipped the back ordered items well before their expected ship date.

Jeffrey McClellan was very helpful in helping me track down close alternatives to a few Seminis varieties so that I have more options for purchasing.

Excellent customer service, excellent shipping times.

A great company with superior customer service. I have had great success with prior purchases except the corn (my fault) which is shameful because I do live in Indiana.
Just wanted to let anyone know who may be reviewing this company prior to a purchase that the few negative comments on here are not representative of the total Johnny's experience. And one of the best things? The employees own the company!
I placed my order for this spring's garden this morning and have full confidence that I am going to have a bountiful garden as in the past!

I recently ordered some hot peppers seeds and I'm very happy with the service and quality of seeds. Their website has extensive information on several topics as well.

This is the second year I have ordered from Johnny's. I was looking forward to this year's catalog in December and waited patiently until February. I called to ask when the catalogs would be mailed. Turns out they were mailed in December. Johnny's mailed me a new catalog first class and it arrived promptly.

About three weeks ago I put my order into the "wish list " function which worked well. Since then I had internet connection problems with my provider (no internet x 2 weeks). Yesterday, I went back to Johnny's site and tried to move the order to the shopping cart. It would not work. I called and received very polite customer service, who when the problem could not be fixed stated they would pursue it further. I got a call back a few minutes later, but still could not get it to work. The same representative cheerfully, and patiently took my lengthy order over the phone. Some items will ship later as it is still winter here.

That was yesterday morning. When I got home today the package from Johnny's was in my mail box. (I do live in Maine). Have had good luck ordering from Johnny's before and expect that to continue. Great customer service!

I ordered several packages of flower and vegetable seed. A couple things are scheduled to be delivered later (I knew that when I filled out my order); the rest of the order was shipped promptly and arrived in just a few days.

I was especially glad to find a company shipping shallot sets for spring planting, as most companies won't ship until fall. Thanks, Johnny's - I'm happy to join your list of happy customers!

Very smooth process; from ordering online, to good communication by email, to a prompt and accurate delivery. I will order again as I am very pleased.

I just placed my second order with Johnny's and recieved all my seeds in four days.

But, more important to me, I wanted to share the excellent customer service I recieved from them last season. I am a relatively new gardener, so it took me a little while to figure out that the pickling cucumber seeds I had ordered were actually yellow squash. When I emailed them, I recieved a prompt response asking for my address and order number so they could send me some cucumber seeds of a different variety (as they were out of the ones I had originally ordered). I recieved the replacement seed in only three days. Unfortunately, it was a bit late in the season for me to plant them last summer, so I plan on using them this season.

I work in retail and good customer service is huge to me. I appreciate Johnny's having gone out of their way to get my replacement seed so quickly. They are now one of my primary websites for veggie seed!

Thanks again Johnny's, the gentleman I dealt with in your CS department really made my day!

I ordered several seeds from this company last week. They had a sale on many of their seeds, prompting my order. I received my order within 3 days which was excellent. All varieties I listed were present and I received no substitutions so I am pleased so far. Hopefully, I will have no problems with germination rates.

Have had nothing but positive experiences with Johnny's. Catalog is very informative, seeds are of high quality, germination has been excellent, and delivery has never been a problem.

Ordered several varieties this past week, order arrived in about 7 days via mail and all seed packs were correct as ordered. Have ordered in past years with good germination.

We're very happy with the shungiku (edible chrysanthemum) seeds bought in August from Johnny's. Initially we had problem with our check card and Jeff in customer service department was extremely patient and courteous. The seeds were sent promptly as soon as our card was re-activated. We planted them 3 weeks ago, and now we're having hundreds of baby shungiku plants about 1 to 2 inches tall. We will return to Johnny's for other seeds, for sure.

Oh the quality is superb! Beautiful paper packets - environmentally friendly and recyclable with nicely nested seeds contained within - Very Very High germination - Please visit if you can - a wonderful place in the great State of Maine -

I order from johnny's every year. Their seeds have incredible germination rates, and the heirlooms come true to their label, something I've had problems with from other mail-order seed companies.
They have a lot of organic seed for sale as well, and more organic varieties are coming online every year.
Excellent company with excellent value!!

My order was shipped quickly. Very good selection of some hard to find items in their catalog with growing information. I'd considered trying endive for a few years and their catalog was the only one I found with endive seeds.

I love Johnny's for the great variety, high quality, and perfect delivery. They are a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. Plus, they have items you just can't find anywhere else, like my favorite Caselode peas. One of the best!

I placed 2 recent orders with Johnny's, both orders were completely correct and arrived in a very short time. I was hesitant to order at first when I read the warnings posted here about Johnny's getting seed from Monsanto, but after looking at the Johnny's web site I feel assured that they are committed to ethical and environmentally responsible practices.

I love Johnny's vegetable seeds! They outperformed my nursery transplants last year by far. This year I ordered more varieties and can't wait to watch them grow. They always ship quickly, and when I ordered a variety that went into backorder and then later weren't able to fulfill it, I was sent a refund check right away. Customer service has been great.
This year I ordered flower seeds (impatiens and phlox- and some others I haven't sown yet) and so far have had TERRIBLE luck getting them to germinate, but I'm assuming that it could be me, or the species in general. Im not sure, but my rating stands. I'll definitely order again :)

I've been ordering seed from Johnny's since their first years in business. I don't order every year because my garden is small and I often have seed left over. In fact, when I check for germination in old seed I find I have more Johnny's packets at the end than any others. Their seed prep facilities must be first rate.

I was sorry to read about the problems some people had with Johnny's' website purchases in the past couple of years. I have had mixed results ordering online from several otherwise good seed companies (not necessarily Johnny's), so I now routinely order from all of them by phone.

I called in this year's order last Friday and it arrived in the mail today (Monday). Maine to Oregon in 3 days -- that's fast. I also had a very pleasant ordering experience with the person on the phone line, which I find to be the norm with Johnny's and most other seed companies I do business with.

After reading past comments by other folks here, I can sympathize with some of their feelings of suspicion and mistrust. As the owner of a small business, myself, I can only say that everyone is human, everyone makes mistakes. My dealings with this company have always left me with the feeling that they are honest, high-minded people who are working hard to make the green world better, for both plants and gardeners. Johnny's has always focused on offering seeds for home gardeners who want quality, taste and environmentally friendly products. When they started, there weren't many seed companies interested in this. I am thrilled that they are still around to see the new interest in locally grown food, green products, etc.

I also consider their catalog to be the most complete and informative gardening book out there, bar none. And I have never had a negative experience that I can recall, in 30+ years of buying from them. That's a pretty amazing record, I think.

One more thing that, for me, is germane to my ordering experience, is the ongoing shift Johnny's is making from sole proprietorship to employee-owned. As a co-owner of small business (not garden-related) interested in making a similar change, I have a special feeling for other business owners who are moving this way. I believe it is the wave of the future, an antidote to the soulless corporate culture that has stripped the life from so many industries and hapless workers. Having struggled to make this happen in our own small company, I know the commitment it takes to make this happen, and I salute Rob Johnston for instituting this. It means he sees his employees as family and that's the kind of company I want to support with my own dollars.

Johnny's is an excellent seed source. I have ordered from them for years, and have never had a cause for complaint. They are the 'gold standard' for seed companies, in my opinion.

The times I've queried them about a product or seed, they have responded promptly and helpfully. Orders are promptly filled and shipped.

My only "complaint" is that they are so far from my gardening zone- I wish they had even more items suitable for the hot, humid, disease ridden, ant infested, weedy Southern garden I'm tending ;)

I recently ordered seeds from Johnnys Selected Seeds. The seeds arrived promptly, all were packaged in the United States. Now to see if Maine seeds will grow in the high desert of Wyoming, cold nights, hot days, limited water,

Wow. Johnn'y's sends your order out immediately. If something is not in stock, they send out what they have in stock, then send rest of your order as soon as they get it. So far, I have gotten the seeds that were out of stock much sooner then they originally said.

Great customer service.

I ordered my seeds online on Friday March 6. Less than 24 hours later, I received an e-mail notice that my order had been shipped. The seeds were in my mailbox on Monday. Great service! I usually order a few packets of seeds from each of several different catalogs (trying to support as many good companies as possible). Next time, I'll place the bulk of my order with Johnny's.

Shortly before Christmas, I ordered a Cedar Compost bin from this Company. I had searched the web for this particular item and found that even with the shipping charges, Johnny's was $50 cheaper than competitors. I expected to receive it some time in the end of December. It arrived in 3 days!!! It was very well packed and all parts were there and it was as easy to assemble as they claimed. The quality is quite good and the ease of opening it is very helpful.

When I tried to order it through the website, I experienced difficulties. I called the Company late at night and left a message telling them that I needed help placing an order. They called back on the next business day and took my order.

After such a pleasant experience I decided to order a nifty compost aerating tool called "The Compost Crank". I ordered it with no trouble through the website. The website showed that the item would be available in early January. Very promptly, I received an email confirming the order and estimating shipping in the first week of January.

The tool arrived in Mid January. It was well packed and all parts and instructions were included. I can't praise this tool enough. It is well made, easy to use and makes quick and easy work out of a tough job.

Based on my experiences, I will be ordering more tools from this company as they carry hard to find, unusual items. They speak with experience of using the tools and I have faith in their product recommendations.

Excellent germination rates last year (much better than Park Seed's). Recommended.

They were one of the very few seed companies that made super-picky gardener Steve Solomon's list for the Northeast in his book "Gardening when it Counts" so I figured I would at least get good quality seed that germinates well and comes true as labelled. I ordered a packet of Copra Onion seeds, Lemon Cucumber seeds, Sugar Snap Pea seeds and 25lbs of Yukon Gold seed potatoes, which wont ship until April. I got everything about a week and a half after my mail order left my mailbox- VERY timely!
I would HIGHLY recommend them for seed potatoes, you wont find a better price or anything even comparable anywhere. I purchased 25lbs for $16.75 plus $14.00 shipping for a toal of $30.75 for 25 lbs of seed potatoes. From Ronnigers it would cost $60.66 all total for the same thing, $41.95 for only 20lbs from Wood Prarie Farm, and $62.50 from the Seed Savers Exchange.
As long as my crop turns out well, I will be purchasing my seed potatoes from them forevermore, thats almost the same price per pound they charge at the grocery store for Yukon Gold eating potatoes! And from what I hear and read, I wont even have to deal with poor quality as a result of getting such a good deal! Gotta love it!!

I was looking for a source for Belgian Endive (Chicory) seeds as well as some other, more normal, veggies for a cool-weather garden. The Endive will be an experiment, but the Mache should work, even during our rainy season--assuming we get one later on...

After reading the reviews of Johnny's here at Garden Watchdog, I tried their website for myself last Friday afternoon (the 18th). I tried to order four packets of seeds, but my "shopping cart" only had two items in it, so I decided to order by phone.

I called and spoke to a nice guy who let me know that all the seeds were in stock, and that they would be sent out on Monday (the 21st).

I'd like everyone to know that the seeds arrived here yesterday--only two days after their stated shipping date!--and that there was additional growing information about the Endive in with the seeds.

One additional item will be shipped in October, but the Johnny's order assistant and I were both clear about that on the phone.

As always, I will watch my charge-card statement carefully, but in this case I believe the proverb "Once burned, twice shy" will rule. If I find out differently, I'll let everyone here know, but so far, so good!

"

Hi there -

I wanted to take a moment and thank you, very much, for your business and for the second chance. We appreciate the opportunity to regain your trust. We wish you a great growing season!

Sincerely,
Alisa

Alisa Keimel
Marketing & PR Manager, Johnny's"

This season was my first experience of ordering from Johnny's. My order arrived promptly and in good condition. I accidentedly ordered some treated Star Ship squash seeds which I didn't want. I emailed Cathe at Johnny's and she promptly sent out an untreated packet... free of charge. Cathe's customer service is excellent and it's nice to know there are companies left that try to make us gardeners happy. I will definitely order from Johnny's again.

Karen

I placed an order with Johnny's last year in 2/07, and had no problems with them at all.

I like their "mini" packs since I don't typically use all the seed in a normal packet. I ordered a wide selection of veggies and the germination rate on all of them was fantastic, which also helped when you want to save money.

I didn't have any shipping problems (it arrived quickly), or mixups with the order either. I will definatly buy from them in the future.

Johnny's is a great company, i have been ordering seeds from them for many years. I have been too busy the last couple (2)seasons to have the time to start seeds and get them planted out, so i can't wait to recieve this years order. One thing i think is so great is that some of the seeds i still have from YEARS (as many as 4) ago still germinated impressively when i tested them.
I have called them before with general planting and care questions and was always treated very well and given excellent information.
Their catalog is among the most highly anticipated, i always look forward to finding it in my mailbox.

i had some four year old broccoli seed from johnny's on hand and thought, oh, what the heck, and threw them all in a container. i do believe 100% came up. they're outdoors now, and i snip off a small salad every few days. no need to wait for heading up, the leaves make a good salad.

i want to remark on the people who have had an unhappy experience ordering online. don't do it, with this or any company. there is invariably an 800 number to call, it's safe, and you can ask any questions you have at the time.