Comments regarding Harris Seeds / Garden Trends

Posted on March 29, 2010, updated April 13, 2010
Harris Seeds has THE BEST customer service that I've ever experienced in a seed company. I put in an order for some seeds on March 6th. When I hadn't received the seeds by March 25th I wasn't too surprised, b/c it had taken other seed companies much longer than that to mail seeds to me. But, I gave them a call just to see when they thought they might be shipping them. Someone ANSWERED THE PHONE (a rarity these days), and the woman on the phone was extremely pleasant. It turned out that they had already shipped them back on March 10th (just 4 days after I placed the order!). But, I never got them. She said that she'd talk to her supervisor, but was pretty sure that they'd be shipping me more seeds. I received the new shipment on March 29th - just 4 days after my phone call!!! Wonderful, wonderful customer service!!! I couldn't be more happy with them.

I have placed small orders with Harris over the past few years. I am very impressed with the quality of service I have received and even more impressed with the quality of the seeds. Unlike some companies I have dealt with, Harris' seed has had excellent germination as well as sufficient quantities which more than compensates for their slightly higher prices. Good company; I'll be doing even more business with them in the future.

Harris's prices are a little high, but well worth it for the quality of product and service. They offer multiple pack sizes on most products, so you're not stuck ordering a lot of small packs to get enough for a larger planting. I've ordered a fairly wide variety from them and always been pleased with their speed, accuracy, and germination rate. Though I did not order from them this year, it is only because their pack sizes are generous, and I still have plenty left from last year!

Placed small order which I received promptly as well as a couple messages expressing their appreciation for my business. Had several questions over several weeks and placed another small order. Although I purchased less than $50 worth of products they have treated me as though I was one of their best customers with almost immediate responses to each email. The varieties within each product line are somewhat limited at this time but appear to be among the best for those products. Very, very satisfied at this time.

I ordered a large quantity of various seed types for the first time from this company. I planted the seeds late (end of June) not expecting much and I was very plesantly surprised that all the seeds I planted are now in full bloom including a fabulous grouping of Bells of Ireland. I will definitely order from them again.

For background, I have been gardening for several decades, but only decided to build a greenhouse and expand my pursuits three years ago. Since then, I have been actively spending a lot of money at various online nurseries/retailers and can say that these guys are horrible when it comes to quality and customer service.

There are two examples, but I will focus on one to demonstrate my point and warn others away from these guys.

1. Last Fall, I decided to get heavily into Daylily Hybridization. I was advised to use a starting tray that Harris and another retailer carry. I ordered several from both.

2. Harris sent me less plugs then promised and the trays were not only noticeably inferior to the other company's, but they actually caused more labor due to the said inferiority (it was damaged and cost me seedlings).

3. The inferior trays, I did not have a major problem with (heck, I did get 75% of them to work, so life goes on). But, I wanted them to make good on the missing plugs. So, I put an order in for the plugs with Harris and advised them that they had shorted me in the initial shipment and to make good when they sent my new order.

I received (and still have) a receipt, but never heard back from them. I never received the plugs that I ordered, nor did I receive the plugs that they shorted me.

I can honestly say that I have never gotten such poor service - not even from what I call the 'cheapo' online nurseries. I strongly urge anyone considering this company to look elsewhere.

I placed two orders this year and received my seeds very quickly with excellent germination rates. On my last order, I placed it on May 20 and received it today, the 22. That's what I call fast. I am particularly fond of being able to order seeds in large quantities for about half the price other seeds companies charge, plus they are in sealed foil packets with the date they were packaged and the germination rate. They have a huge selection in the professional grower area.

My only regret is that they have a limited selection of seeds in the home gardener section which are for smaller quantities of seeds in the packets. However, at their prices, you can order from the professional grower area and share or store your surplus seeds. All in all, this is a great and reliable seed company. Nice growers catalog too. I can honestly recommend them. This is the third year I've used Harris and it won't be the last.

I received my first order from Harris Seeds yesterday. I had ordered two columnar apple trees, one cherry tree, and twenty blackberry plants, with standard shipping.

I was quite surprised to find, instead of the 1-2 foot tree seedlings I expected, tree seedlings that were a good 4 feet in height(on trees whose max height is approximately 8 feet). Each had leaf buds ready to break and each trunk was "springy". The blackberries were each approximately one foot in length and also with leaf buds about to break

I was very pleased with not only my order, but with their customer service as well. A couple of necessary calls regarding billing questions, resulted in very pleasant and assistive customer service agents.

An excellent company with which to do business.

I cannot say enough good things about this company. For two years I have ordered supplies from Harris Seeds. My orders have arrived super fast and exactly as I ordered them. I do think they are a little pricey..but I don't have to worry a moment about delivery or quality. They are the tops and I'll continue to order from them as long as they keep up the good work.

I am so pleased with this company! This was the first time I ordered with them and I'm glad I did! After ordering I received an email thanking me for my order and the day my order arrived in the mail, I had a message on my answering machine (from a real person!) thanking me again for placing my first order with Harris Seeds. The seeds were shipped in a timely manner and have excellent planting instructions included on the packages. I will most certainly be a repeat customer. This company also has a great selection of seeds. My garden is growing larger by the year because I am selling at farmers markets and I will be placing larger orders with Harris Seeds now that I know they are a quality company who appreciates all of their customers no matter what size the order.

I haven't placed any "large" orders from Harris. Usually just a few pumpkins, gourds, or corn seeds I can't find anywhere else.
Everything always arrives early and I have no problems with germination.
Harris is definately a keeper for me. Prices are good and selection is great

wonderful products and HONEST. I overfigured my balance by 1.40, and recieved a check from Harris seeds. you can order from them with confidence!!!!!
A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have bought a light rack and a heat mat from this company at different times. It took a while for the light rack to come in but the heat mat took almost no time. The only problem that I have with this company is the price. I feel like they are a little expensive but I would definitely look at them first when looking for these types of products.

Great seeds ! Fast shipping (5 days after order) Seeds were packed in December and November. They have good varieties and good website. Will order again, and post updates on seed quality :)

I have ordered seeds from Harris for seven years. Despite our cold, wet springs in Maine I consistently have over 90% germination. For example, peas get planted around tax day and they do great. While others are replanting in May and June my garden is doing great. Their service is fast, prices resonable, and the service reps very nice. Until I get planted I will plant Harris seeds.

I ordered several packets of seed and fired off a check. Within a week, and accurate order was received.

I ordered seeds from Harris. They arrived quickly, and germination has been good.

I have traded with this company only once, ordering seeds from them last fall (2006), with satisfactory results.

However, my more recent experience with them has been anything but satisfactory. In late March of 2007, Harris Seeds sent me a large package of corn seeds ($18.00 worth) that I had not ordered (I live on a small suburban lot--a large quantity of corn seeds would be ludicrous for me). I contacted the company, was treated courteously and was sent a return label, returned the seeds, and believed the error to be corrected.

Then a few weeks later (end of April, probably), I received a refund check in the mail for $18.00. I emailed the company to let them know the check had been sent in error and I was destroying it--which I did. (In retrospect, I probably should have returned it with an explanatory letter, via registered mail.) I received no response to my email, but around June 8 I received a bill in the mail--for $18.00.

I don't know who ordered those corn seeds, nor whether that person ever received seeds, bill, explanation, or anything else. I only know that I did NOT order the seeds and will never place an order with this company again. I wish I had never placed an order with them in the first place; then they would not have had my name and address in their database to confuse with that of another customer.

When this problem first arose, I considered posting a negative rating on DavesGarden but decided I should first try to resolve the matter with Harris Seeds. Only after all of this failed am I exasperated enough to post this rating; I would not have done so if the matter HAD been resolved. Certainly, anyone can make a mistake; however, a reputable company should not make multiple mistakes on the same transaction, especially a transaction that was never sought by the customer in the first place!

I placed an order with this company after receiving their catalog in the mail. I ordered cherry tomatoes that cascade from a hanging basket, as well as sugar baby watermelon seeds.

The company sent my tomato seeds but said the watermelon seeds were on back order. I planted the tomato seeds, and absolutely nothing happened after two and a half weeks. I also got tired of waiting for my watermelon seeds to arrive so I went to my local home center and bought a packet of sugar baby watermelon seeds and a packet of cherry tomatoes. All came up fairly quickly and are growing nicely.

I received a call today 5/10 (a month later) from Harris seed to tell me the sugar baby watermelon seeds are still on back order. I told the CS rep to cancel the order, as I already bought the seeds elsewhere. All she said was "Okay. Thank you." No apology from the company.

I will not be ordering from them again.

This year I decided to test several companies and their vegetable seed to do my own comparisons with pricing, germination, quality, etc. When I received my four packets of seed from Harris, I was shocked to see that they were all treated seeds. If the catalog said that their seeds were treated, then this statement was very well hidden. I have not found anything on their website either. As an organic grower, it is important to me to know that I am not adding any chemicals to the garden. If I had known that these seeds were treated, I would not have ordered them.

Great service, quick shipping, great seeds. I'd use Harris Seeds again anytime.

I have used this company for years for seeds. I have the best results with their seeds for germination of all the seed companies I have tried. I alway try them first, and use other companies only for the seeds which they do not stock. They have always shipped promptly.

I have purchased seeds and supplies from Harris for years and have always been happy with my order and their prices.

Fast shipping, order was correct. Pleasant first time experience for me.

Very fast shipping, great customer service. No reason at all to complain

Harris is excellent for commercial growers. Good culture advice and marketing ideas. Prices very competetive and quality of seed is high. Friendly folks as well.

I ordered wave petunia seeds from them last year, among others. The petunias were true to type, and arrived in a small plastic container which kept the pelleted seeds whole (other companies have shipped crushed pellets in envelopes). Their prices are excellent, but on the home growers website the selection of individual cultivars are limited (I wish they would sell super elfin impatiens in smaller lots for example). The professional growers site (wholesale ?) has a lot more cultivars to choose from, but lots are bigger.

Ordered wave petunias from them this spring, and boy was I impressed. They were packed in plastic containers, 5 plugs per container, each sitting in its own plug cell. The plants were totally undamaged, healthy, moist, and a few were already blooming. I wish every company packed like this! Or, alternatively, wish Harris offered a lot more plants ... I would buy everything from them.

I also ordered their seed-starting light stand after researching similar products on the web. Haven't started seeds yet, of course, but I am already using it for plants I want to overwinter indoors. It's very sturdy, well-constructed. So far, all of their non-plant items (seed-starting kits, etc.) seem h igh quality. Not always the cheapest, but we all know how that goes.

It's a long way from New York, where the company is, to Missouri, where i live. But, Iwanted the Heirloom Tomato Plants! along with a few other plants.I was astonished when i opened the package , at the large heathy plants, much better than i had ever ordered before.But--dont order potato sets! Their planting time is lots later than ours, so i had to ask for a refund, which i was cheerfully given. I ordered 2 years in a row with the same results, just not potatoes the second year.

I placed an order for seeds and seed starting supplies which was delivered promptly. However, I started the pansies and was not impressed with the germination rate, so I checked the packages, and they are all packed for last year! They gave me 2003 seeds instead of 2004. When I pay full price for a seed package, I really expect fresh seeds. Otherwise, I'd go to the local home improvement store where I can get them for 50% off and not have to pay any shipping.
I'm marking this a neutral as I have complained to the company and am awaiting their response.

I ordered some wave petunias this year as a surprise for the wife. we recieved a partial order of almost dead plants ,mainly because they had very little root system. The second batch of 20 had been back ordered twice due to what they said was problems with germination. out of the 20 wave petunia plants we did get, 6 survived barely and it turned out they were not waves at all they were trailing petunia's. We bought our waves from wal-mart and they have gone crazy. yes harris did credit my payment for the second batch not received.

Ordered all my veggie seeds and some tomatoe plants. Tomatoe's arrived just after the last frost date (in a "5 pack plastic") plants could be labeled a little better, but all in all I'm happy. My radishes and the gourd mix have sprouted (even though it has been raining and cool for the last 2+ weeks), and the radish seeds were pelleted. I stated some of the flower seeds inside and got really good germination on the impatiens. I will order from them again.

I got the name of this company from my grandmother who has run and operated a commercial farm for over 50 years! I was happy to see I didn't need to order the huge bags of seeds I often dreaded as a kid.....the seeds were shipped promptly and the tomato plants arrived last week healthy...one was broken but I think that was the fault of the person who carried the box in ;)
I've started planting.....it's early here yet, and will write again when I see the progress.....

I ordered some seed and supplies earlier this year. One of the items was on backorder and I called about a week later to cancel it. Customer service was very nice a gave me an immediate credit. Any experience with a mail order company in which I receive my order in a reasonable time and it is half way correct,I figure that I am ahead of the game. If the people that work there are nice and polite when you have to deal with them then that is just icing on the cake.

My order took quite a while to arrive. The package came damaged, with a hole in it. It was a package simply made of weak paper, unlike other companies that ship their seeds in durable Jiffy envelopes. The seed packets are simple, but with good instructions. The seeds themselves were of good quality, although they were teated heavily, more so than other companies usually do. I ordered treated seeds by mistake. But, I expect they will sprout well and have no problems this way. I am willing to order from Harris again.

Harris Seed gives superior customer service! I recently placed an order for a seed starting light cart and asked for a shipping service that was above and beyond normal. I was very impatient and insistent, and still got what I asked for. They were always pleasant on the phone and I'm afraid I probably was not at times. I highly recommend this company! I have yet to receive my merchandise, but I feel certain I'm dealing with a professional company and that everything will be top notch. I hope to do business with them in the future.

Ordered three packs of 500 Purple Majesty Seeds for a co-op. Seed count of total packets did not meet total number of seeds needed (1,500). Placed another order for 500 seeds and received them in packs of 100 each since company was sold out of the 500 packages. Very nice to offer this as an alternative. Seed counts of each 100 package were still not on target. Wrote to company explaining my situation and frustration with seed counts not being accurate and costing myself additional money. Here was their reply:

"Thank you for your email regarding the Purple Majesty. I'm glad you wrote to us, because we went back and did a check on a few of the 100 seed packages, and found some of them to short of 100 seeds, similar to what you experienced. Just a quick note of explanation. Even though we sell in seed count, we actually use a weight equivalent. This is standard industry practice because to produce a high volume of packages by actually counting the seed would be very inefficient, and our scales are very precise. Anyway, we discovered the weight equivalent we were using was slightly off, and therefore a number of packages were short. As a rule, we generally overpack slightly to compensate for seed count fluctuations, but in this case, it wasn't enough.

Our intent is not to intentionally short them on seed and try to fool them. It's not a good business practice, and does us no good as a company. In most instances we package MORE seed than what we state in the catalog to compensate for weight fluctuations. This was truly an honest mistake, and we appreciate you bringing it to our attention so we can repackage the seed to the correct volumes.

In the meantime, we'd be happy to send you two free 100 seed packages to make up for the losses you experienced. Thanks again for bringing this situation to our attention, and if we can help you in any other way, please do not hesitate to contact us."

Decent selection, but prices a bit high. was a little slower on shipping than other companies I ordered from, but not terrible (ordered from Pinetree and Cook's on the same day as from Harris, got their orders within a week, Harris took two weeks). Also they called and left a message that there was a problem with my credit card, when I called back to the extension they left, the woman I spoke with was nice seemed a bit clueless. said she wasn't the one who called, didn't have my info available, but took my info and said would look into it. My order did come through so guess everything was OK

If you are an organic grower, note that it seems their seeds are treated unless specifically noted that they are untreated. Also if you are a seed-saver, be careful when ordering from their website. I placed my order out of their online site, when I got my seeds, I discovered that a couple of the varieties I ordered, specifically with the intent of being able to save seed, were F1 hybrids. I checked back on the website, thinking I may have just overlooked that, but it was not noted anywhere in the descriptions (even though another variety of the same species as one of them was indicated as such). I cross-checked with the print catalog, they did have it correctly labelled as an F1 in there. So if you care if what you get is hybrid, I recommend checking their print catalog.

Placed small order for seeds on Jan 17; received them on Jan 22. This has been my usual experience over a few years, and have not yet had cause for a complaint. I particularly appreciate their pelleted small seeds.