Comments regarding Ferry-Morse Seed Company

I bought two packets of 2023 Ferry-Morse impatiens seed ("Tropical Fizz"), each labeled as containing 20 pelleted seeds.

However, one packet only contained 9 seeds, and the other just 6.

I've never seen such a short count in a seed packet (reputable seed companies will often send you a few extra seeds, never a little over a third of what you're supposed to be getting).

I've contacted Ferry-Morse regarding the short count and will update this review based on the outcome of my refund request.

I ordered milkweed plants for monarch caterpillars. My local store did not have any milkweed plants so I looked online. Being on a time crunch I make sure to look at the shipping times. Their website states that if a plant is ordered by Tuesday it should ship by Friday. I placed my order early Tuesday morning hoping to receive the plants by Thursday or Friday at the latest. I received a message on Wednesday that my plants were on their way and had shipped with a tracking link attached. Checking the tracking, it said my package had not arrived at the shipping facility. I continued to receive the same message so finally called on Friday. I was told that a label had been created but my package was still with Ferry Morse. I asked to cancel the order since I would not receive it in time. After checking I was told once a label is created it cannot be canceled. Working with USPS and Fedex regularly I know this is not true. She then told me that they don't go and pull packages and it would not ship out until the following week because they did not want the plants to sit over the weekend. This made no sense considering the plant was already packaged and just sitting waiting to go to the shipping facility. To make it "better" she offered me 10% off, which meant nothing considering I was going to receive a plant I would not be able to use and would probably be dead by the time it arrives. I still have not received my plants.

After getting no help over the phone I sent an email. The response I got was to refuse the delivery and let them know so they could send me another plant. Why would I want them to send me another plant I would have no use for? I still can't figure out why you would send customers emails saying their order has been shipped when it hasn't. It is clear they are lacking common sense and any inkling of understand of good customer service.

First, you don't get as many seeds as the competitors. Make sure you compare seed count and price.
Second, and probably most important is that I always have low germination rates with Ferry-Morse. The only reason I may still purchase their seed is as a last resort.
It's a shame that is all Lowe's sells lately. I'd rather drive the extra miles to Home Depot and purchase Burpee seeds.

Purchased many seed packets at Lowes because that is the majority of what they stock. Low germination rate and Low seed count overall. Called customer service about 2 packs that did not germinate. Particularly yellow and orange cosmos. They sent me a pink variety as a replacement and only 6 germinated and 4 made it to the transplant stage.Go with Bakers Creek or Johnnys seed or some other mail order company and pay the postage.

I am a Certified Master Gardener and a main grower for our plant sales, and a Life/Listed Member of Seed Savers Exchange, so I'm experienced with growing from seed. I bought these "California Giant" Zinnia seeds at big box, packaged by Ferry Morse. Most marketing literature for this variety says 4+ inch diameter flowers. These barely reached 2", and no pollinator visits yet. I guess no self-respecting pollinator would visit these poor excuses for a Zinnia. They're a mix of sickly single and cactus flowers. They just look pathetic: washed-put colors, twisted petals. All the other flowers in that organic, permaculture bed look fine.

This season, I bought the Brandywine packet of tomato. I opened the packet into a dixie cup so I could get the seeds planted. THREE SEEDS!!! That was it. I wrote the company and got no response.

I usually don't write reviews but my time and my money have been wasted on these poor quality seeds. Various types of seeds have had issues.
Asparagus and spinach did not germinate at all, tried various methods but no joy.
Pepper and cucumber, poor percentage germinated, those that did were small and regardless of the care are still about four inches tall. Two of the yellow crookneck squash germinated out of eight, one is small and produces poor quality small fruit, the other produces a green crookneck shaped, maybe a hybrid?
The radish did well, but in all my years of gardening that is one veggie that is pretty much a given.
A co-worker has had almost identical issues, as he relies heavily on home grown produce to feed his family, he is now very much behind the power curve.
I am hoping that Lowe's will take the unopened packs back although I should just burn them and save someone else the heartache.

Purchased Ferry-Morse Blackeyed Peas and Pink Eye Purple Hull peas yesterday, planted today. $1.78 per pkg with 80-90 seeds per package. Each seed cost roughly $.0225; even the little shriveled up ones and the split ones. I've been unimpressed with Ferry-Morse seeds before and am now convinced never to try them again. I'm a graduate of the local Master Gardener program and have been actively gardening in the Phoenix area since 1980. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

I bought several seed packets at Home Depot. I have been a seed germinator for over 30 years. First time I tried FM seeds: the first two, spinach and basil showed no or less than 1% germination. I was suspicious as to plastic packaging which doesn't breathe and leads to trapped moisture and mold---Never again! The other 12 packets are going back today.

Have bought three varieties of basil seed this year at Lowe's and had extremely poor germination. I am an experienced grower and know what I'm doing. I will never buy Ferry Morse seed again. I normally return seed I haven't used to a ZipLoc bag and store it in my refrigerator using it for several years and have had good germination year after year. I particularly like Renee's Garden Seeds. One unique packet has three different Asian eggplant varieties in it, coated with different colors so you know which variety is which.

Planted Purple Hull Pink Eye southern peas. Germination rate seemed reasonable, but there are at least two types of pods/peas.There was a nice crop of perfect purple hulled peas produced from pure white flowers, but also a second crop beginning just as the first completed with white and lavender flowers producing cream/white hulls containing much smaller peas. The plants producing the two types of peas appear to be otherwise identical in appearance. This does not appear to be a trait of the plant as I can't find any references to similar experiences using google..

The same sort of thing happend a couple years ago with some green beans that produced both Blue Lake and Kentucky Wonder type pods. I'll not buy this company's seed again.

I started Ferry-Morse bell pepper seeds in April 2018, that were packaged as California Wonder variety. The seeds germinated well and I put eighteen beautiful plants in my garden in late May. They began bearing fruit in late July. They aren't bearing the best large "bell" peppers as described on the packaging, rather they are bearing cayenne. Very disappointed.

Started (4) types seeds per instructions on the packet: Cabbage, Broccoli (2) , and Cauliflower.
All packs were marked for 2018.
Used jiffy peat pots with Ferry-Morse heating mat.

Germination was inconsistent and with about a 50% overall germination rate.
These results were disappointing and will need to start over.
A waste of time and money.

Bought a packet of Butterfly Weed, sowed in 3 1/2" pots with seed starter mix. Had about 50 % germination, but the problem was about half of the germinated plants were not Butterfly weed. As they matured I recognized them to be garden phlox. Only about 10" tall at the moment, but don't know what color they we be. Poor quality control at Ferry-Morse Seed Co. More like Very-Remorse Seed Co.

I bought a pack of Ferry Morse spaghetti squash seeds and planted four hills of three seeds (12 plants) 7 weeks ago. Today I removed 8 of the 12 plants because they were obviously cross pollinated. Three of the 12 look like they were cross pollinated with a zucchini, two look like they were cross pollinated with a butternut squash and the others produced round fruit--like a melon. I wrote the company and they said they would send more seeds... Why would I trust their seeds and wait seven weeks to see whatever monstrosity they produce? I even sent them photos of the strange fruit. This company obviously doesn't germination test the product they get from their suppliers. The company: plantationproducts.com sells seeds under various labels so beware you might not be reaping what you sow.

Purchased a pack of cucumber seeds, the Sow Easy. Planted them 3 times, in the garden directly and in peat pots. Kept the soil moist the first two times and kept the soil sopping wet the third time.

Not one single seed germinated. Dug them up, except for a slightly faded color, the seeds were essentially just like they were when I planted them.

I have been gardening myself for over 40 years and with my parents for another 10 at least. NEVER had this kind of problem.

Emailed Ferry Morse for assistance, totally ignored.

Will never buy Ferry Morse seeds again, total waste of time and money.

Not too long ago i bought a Ferry-Morse pH meter sold by FM at a price of $18.99. It was obviously made in China in association with Luster Leaf Products of Woodstock, IL. This was a biggest piece-of-shit I've ever bought in my gardening life! I'll never again buy anything from FM!

I bought a package of Thumbelina Zinnias for myself and one for my neighbor. I usually buy Burpee but they were out. I've been growing zinnias my whole life. The variety of colors is one of the things I love about them.

I got all shades of PINK. No yellows, oranges, violet, etc. PINK. same with my neighbor

I also bought Giant Cactus Zinnias for both of us. They are not Cactus, they are normal zinnias.

Won't buy this brand again.

I feel a duty to inform/warn others my daughter and I both purchased alleged "organic non-gmo ferry morse seeds" from wal-mart this spring-planted garden-discovered we'd been had by gmo plants. Nothing produced although plants grew tall and even budded as if they would. After exam of both gardens we saw the same genetic deformities in both our plants. Specifically, bell peppers and tomatoes. As soon as budded the ends fell off! We are not unfamiliar with gardening just accuse of buying on the cheap. NEVER again! Its allot of work for NOTHING!!

I bought 3 packets of Ferry Morse Thunbergia (Black Eyed Susan Vine) seeds at Home Depot for $1.35 each. I got only 2 seeds each in two packets and 3 seeds in one packet. What a rip off! I'll never buy Ferry Morse again.

I purchased about 10 dollars worth of various Ferry-Morse seeds. The only seeds to germinate were the butterfly weed and only four have survived. Purchased coneflowers, zinnias, butterfly weed, climbing black eyed susan and several more.

All the Burpee seeds I planted germinated and are well established. Never purchase another Ferry-Morse packet of seeds again. They had me doubting my own green thumb! Never had such a terrible experience with seeds before.

I should have looked at the comments here before buying their seed at Lowe's ... shame on you, Lowe's for even selling their worthless seeds. I bought 3 packets of seeds ... jalapeno and California wonder peppers and spinach. not one jalapeno seed has germinated and so far nothing from the spinach either. I planted lettuce (from another source) at the same time as the spinach and it's already up. After reading some of the comments here, I wonder if the California Wonder seeds that did germinate are in fact California Wonder. Never again.

I purchased Canterbury Bells Seeds from Lowes about month ago and i found that the flowers are not Canterbury Bells it is just a wiled flowers, I have the pictures after it grows up to prove it. It is a scam.

This is all I need to know.>>> OWNED BY MONSANTO OR SEMINIS OR SELL SMALL PERCENTAGES OF SEEDS FROM THEM.

This year I planted sunflowers from Ferry Morse and had zero germination rate. Also planted spinach seeds and got great germination except what came up was certainly not spinach,but an aggressive weed. I am an experienced gardener. I emailed the company just asking for them to make some kind of response, but they never responded. They've lost my business, but I don't think they care.

I have been gardening for years. I had never planted spinach or lettuce before so I had no idea what the seeds looked like. This was also the first time I planted seeds from this company. The plants that grew from the seeds from the Ferry Morse spinach and lettuce packets turned out to be nothing more than weeds. I don't like to eat weeds, complete waste of my time and money.

Ferry Morse is Pirate Company / resaling seeds that buy from anybody. I got 20 packs of "Texas Bluebonnet", but instead y got a WEED= Commelina diffusa [a very aggressive weed] invading my garden. I talked to them in the phone, about it. they said that they buy seeds from different people.. Blah.. blah. They will send me, the seeds I want. They never send me the seeds, that I paid for.
Ferry Morse are riping off people. And even if you talk to them, they do not fix the problem, because they are THIEFS
DO NOT BUY SEEDS FROM THESE CROOKS!!!!!!!!!!!.
FERRY?MORSE=WILL ROBE YOUR MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
I plan to talk to LOWE's, to advise them about it.

I couldn't find any other ones where I was shopping...so I bought some - and they were sprouting fine until today - so I was going replant I am trying to go organic and hopefullly will eventually be self-sustaining with solar panels and growing my own food.

We bought Giant, Violet Queen Zinna Seeds from Ferry-Morse Seed Co., then planted them, and carefully watered and nursed them!
What we got were poor, single, pinkish Zinna flowers! Real trash that should not be sold--talk about enforcing Truth-in-Advertising!
We were going to complain to the company, but after doing a google-search of the company, Everyone but us knew they sold junk seeds, which were not as pictured on their seed packs!
Do NOT buy seeds from Ferry-Morse! To see what we were sold, and what actually grew, please see the posted picture at: harryposter.com/FM01.jpg

Posted on May 11, 2010, updated May 11, 2010
I will never buy this brand of seed again, and do not recommend it to anyone. It is everywhere in stores, and I've planted dozens of packets over the years. The packets have pretty (but inaccurate) pictures, and Ferry-Morse probably stays in biz selling to inexperienced gardeners and ones who do not keep brand info. After reviewing my seed info, I finally figured out that they are the worst quality seed of any I have ever grown. Not just once, consistently, over the years, different species, ... Not just germination, but plant species quality--nearly weeds. If germination is good, the plants are of such poor quality that I end up destroying them. Or seeds are of a different variety than the pack said. I formerly thought this was my fault, but no, not when it happens every time (I plant at least 30 new-to-me species per year--and examined 3 years of records). I would not buy from them if I was a beginner, you'll only get discouraged. I would not buy their brand if I was experienced, resulting plants are very poor quality--some were so bad that I am now fighting them as weeds--got almost 100% germination on that lot...go figure. Buy any other brand, esp. in a store, they are all better...my records have proved this to me. Ferry-Morse needs to improve their quality, only their marketing and trusting buyers keep them afloat.

Bought squash and pumpkin seeds for our garden in the spring. Plants were healthy and growth rate very good. A good amount of flowers early on and continued throughout the year. But no veggies!! The only plant that is producing a single veggie is a gourd!!! -it was supposed to be a yellow squash!! The lot number for the squash is 2009 lot01 for season USA 12/09.

Thinking that it was my garden or some other issue, I started a second batch in July with different soil conditions. Still same problem. Loads of growth, flowers...no vegetable production. Something's wrong with this batch.

A neighbor friend of mine had the same probs with Ferry Morse products ( good growth, flowers and no veggies at all) At least I got a single gourd for my trouble.

We're both pretty disappointed and won't be using Ferry Morse again.

I still have seeds left over if anyone else wants to try. But I'm thinking something got botched. Next spring I'll be using anything but Ferry Morse.

With the rising cost of food, we decided to plant a garden. Great idea, but our mistake was using ferry morse seeds. We planted beans, peas, carrots, beets, cucumbers, and watermelon. We have hardly any plants. Very few seeds germinated. Waste of time for this year. You can bet next year we won't be using ferry morse products.

We purchased Ferry-Morse several kinds of vegetable seeds. Also, we purchased Burpee seeds. When we planted them in our garden, Burpee seeds did great while Ferry-Morse took 3 times the time to rejuvenate and did not grow. I mean all Ferry-Morse seeds. When I called and I was told to buy a chemical which costs $12.00 and use it. What a stupid advice. I hope Ferry-Morse go out of business.

I purchased a packet of seeds (Zinnia, Giant, Canary Bird) at Home Depot and for $1.79 plus tax got 8 seeds. No kidding. Is this a quality control issue or some extremely rare zinnia? The outside said 700 MG but what does that mean to me the average gardener.
No I can't take it back to the store for a refund, I've put them in starter pots already.
Not the end of the world but annoying.
I have emailed the company thru the Dave's Garden link. By the way when you go their company site their own email link isn't working.

"

Dear denisedelong,
At FERRY-MORSE SEED COMPANY, we strive to make all our products, people, and operations perfect for you - the home gardener. We only use seeds with germination rates higher than required by the USDA, and our quality-trained personnel fill packets with these seeds on high-speed machines built especially for our industry.
I do apologize that you received a packet that was obviously underfilled. Sometimes we do make mistakes among the tens of millions of seed packets we fill each spring; however, we've not been able to continue business now for 150-years by avoiding problems an error on our part creates for you or any other home gardener.
We always listen to any unpleasant experience that may occur (sorry, we're still not perfect even though we try); and, in any rare cases of underfilled packets, we always promptly send a replacement packet of the same variety directly to the customer's home.
Please email me with the exact variety you purchased, and with your mailing address so that I can have a fresh packet sent to you immediately. If it is too late for you to plant the seed this season, simply keep the packet in your home in a cool, dry place until next spring...the seed will still be just as viable 10-months from now.
Again, denisedelong, I apologize for this inconvenience for you; and, I sincerely hope the replacement packet will at least in some small way help to rectify this error on our part.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Please note that you can always reach us at 1-800-283-3400 and at ferry-morse.com should you ever need us again.
Mike Tate.
Mktg Mgr.
FERRY-MORSE SEED COMPANY.
601 Stephen Beale Drive.
Fulton KY 42041."