| Rating | Author | Content |
| Positive | withad
Warren Center, PA
(5 reviews)
December 09, 2009 | I have ordered from Whatcom Seed several times before and have never had a problem. Can't really comment on germination rate because I really don't keep track of it but everything has had enough germination to satisfy me. Not having a phone number to call is something I would have liked to have seen on their site but I have never had to contact them and it has not been a problem. I am especially pleased that unlike a lot of other mail order companies they don't charge your credit card until the orders are filled and/or shipped. Would definetly order from them again. |
| Positive | grumpy4517
Tampa, FL
(1 review)
October 12, 2009 | in april 09, i ordered tobacco seeds from whatcom seed co. when seeds failed to germinate , blamed whatcom for sending bad seeds. after finding out the CORRECT way to plant the seeds they germinated 90% plus., and are thriving, my apologies to whatcom .seed co. |
| Negative | lena56red
Perth
Australia
(1 review)
July 25, 2009 | I have bought over US$150.00 order two monthes ago. I have not received it, I have sent a lot of e-mails and never had any reply. I have phoned but nobody answered.
Please don't buy anything from this company. This people just dishonest swindlers.
It is very dissapointed because I was waiting this seeds. |
| Neutral | plantgnome
Coram, NY
(26 reviews)
April 23, 2009 | ordered hyacinth bean and Dichondra argentea with shipping order came to almost $14.00 when I got the seeds I almost didn't see them in the envelope. I got like 20 dichondra seeds and barely any hyacinth beans. What a ripoff. The only reason I didn't give a negative was the directions for each type of seed was included. But nearly $5.00 a packet for barely any seed is ridiculous. and 5.95 for a 58 cent stamped envelope is also ridiculous. Now I just hope they germinate. |
| Neutral | redhare
Bangkok
Thailand
(1 review)
April 17, 2009 | Maybe I am expecting too much to get a response to an inquiry within a week -- or at all. I see more than a few gardeners never get answers from Whatcom.
But because this company doesn't even have any ASIAN zones listed (where most of the world lives) I thought I'd better run our prospective order by them for comment first. No point in buying more than US$100 in seeds that won't do well in Bangkok.
Perhaps some of the experienced gardeners here could tell me if trying to grow any of these on a northern wall facing south in Bangkok is wishful thinking and a waste of money.
http://princesspatty.info/images/north-wall-090313.jpg
With your help maybe I can source them from another supplier if Whatcom never responds. But the packaging as displayed by liberty158 is really nice. I'm kind of sorry to see all the negative feedback about this company because it seemed like a wonderful find.
Morning Glory is hard to keep under control on the wall -- aggressive, dominating and invasive in this environment.
http://princesspatty.info/images/43-morning-glories-090321.j...
We also grow Passion Flowers well on the wall but are hoping to expand our collection and also add:
Passiflora edulis | Passion Flower/Fruit
Passiflora flavicarpa | Yellow Passion Fruit
Passiflora coccinea | Red Passion Flower
Akebia quinata | Chocolate Vine
Wisteria sinensis | Chinese Wisteria
Tomato Purple Russian | Lycopersicon esculentum
Tomato Black Cherry | Lycopersicon esculentum
Tomato Black Krim | Lycopersicon esculentum
Tomato Black Prince | Lycopersicon esculentum
Wisteria sinensis Alba | White Wisteria
Bauhinia punctata | African Orchid Tree
Cobaea scandens | Cup & Saucer Vine
Clematis tangutica | Golden Clematis
Cobaea scandens alba | White Cathedral Bells
Humulus lupulus | Hops
Eccremocarpus scaber | Chilean Glory Vine
Gloriosa rothschildiana | Glory Lily
Ground Cherry | Physalis sp
Rhodochiton atrosanguineus | Purple Bell Vine
Clematis macropetala | Early Blue Clematis
Codonopsis clematidea | Bonnet Bellflower
Can anyone advise us? Thanks.
|
| Positive | liberty158
london
Canada
(1 review)
March 31, 2009 | ordered some seeds from Seedrack.com, there was some great care taken into the packaging. Really professional and all. very happy with my purchase. Haven't planted them yet. But seedrack.com is a real store. (know some can be edgy buying stuff online).
This is a Photo of my unwrapped purchase. :P
http://i39.tinypic.com/acctbp.jpg |
| Positive | ken_lees
Marathon
Canada
(1 review)
October 14, 2008 | 5 out of 6 types of peppers took on the first planting, still have had no success with the White Hot Habanero.
I currently have 2 Hot Tepins producing and picked my first ripe (red) one today. These are hot. They rate up there with Red Savina Habaneros |
| Positive | reyreyspeak
Cheltenham, MD
(1 review)
October 10, 2008 | i bought a small order of about 8 products (around $20) and recived them fast and in great condition.. i have grown some of them and they are perfect to have around |
| Positive | SierraTigerLily
Boca Raton, FL
(Zone 10b)
(7 reviews)
September 01, 2008 | I got an immediate email confirming my order and listing each item. I will update this post when I receive my seeds. I ordered (what I consider) a large order of 32 items including both common vegetables and exotic palm seeds.
On September 4th, 2008, SierraTigerLily added the following:
My order arrived quickly. It was complete and all seeds were perfect in appearance. Each seed type came with very exact sprouting instructions. I was quite anxious after having read reviews. I will germinate seeds and post again.
On October 12th, 2008, SierraTigerLily changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Sadly, my seedlings were destroyed by a storm. I was able to salvage the palm seeds and will continue to work with them. I can say that germination rate for my veggies was good. |
| Negative | shashp
Los Angeles, CA
(1 review)
August 10, 2008 | I have ordered and never got the item.
When i emailed, the answer was we have shipped it.
They could never provide a tracking number.
And never replied my emails again.
DO NOT PURCHASE AT SEEDRACK.COM
DO NOT PURCCHASE AT SEEDRACK !!! |
| Positive | ngiann
Aegina
Greece
(4 reviews)
July 29, 2008 | I bought many times from them. Always ship was very fast. Shipping cost is low, packaging is very unique and good & germination rates are very good.
You receive emails that report when your order was delivered & shipped.
I mostly bought palm seeds but many other seeds too. |
| Positive | dmdula
Morganton, NC
(5 reviews)
March 21, 2008 | I placed a small order with them on March 17. On 3-19, I emailed asking if they had an approx. ship date. I have had no response so far. Good news is they have not charged my account.I really hope they send my seeds because they have some that I've been looking for. will update this when I know something.
On March 24th, 2008, dmdula changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Recieved email from them on 3-22 saying order shipped on Fri. 3-21. I recieved the seeds today! They are packed very well and have clear, understandable planting instruc. Overall, I'd order from them again. I'm very happy at how quickly these seeds came. |
| Positive | Bodie59
Daly City, CA
(2 reviews)
February 13, 2008 | I have had great success with the protea seeds, the dracena draco, the lithops seeds and all of the other many seeds I have bought from this company over the years. I have never had any problems receiving the items ordered. I am pleased with the variety and the growing instructions.
Exotic seeds are not always for the novice; I think that often failure may be attributable to the wrong soil, the wrong temperature or root rot / seed rot from excessive / stagnant water.
This company is prompt and their seeds are great! Give them a try. |
| Positive | jessesopinion
Wilmington, NC
(1 review)
January 08, 2008 | I placed my order last year. It arrived on time and all well packaged. i could tell that lots of care went into the packaging. i also had leaflets with information on each seed variation i ordered. some of the plants did not germinate but i place the blame on myself. i feel it was beginners bad luck. i plan on getting new seeds this year and trying my hand again. the peppers i orders produced a huge output. i was giving them away by the baskets full. |
| Negative | quadradox
Helena, MT
(1 review)
September 17, 2007 | ordrer placed 9/5/07, 2 weeks ago. Invoice received. No product yet, no info on anticipated shipping date. No info that order is backordered. THE SITE DOES NOT HAVE A PHONE NUMBER FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE -- only email. I consider this a poor prognostic sign. I have emailed. I have called directory assistance and been given the same number as the Better Business Number shows as well as a back up number. In both cases the answering machine does not identify as a business nor sound in any way sound professional. It provides instructions to leave a message which has not returned so far today.
About a year ago I did have an order from them arrive. I do not remember the timeliness but it does not stand out as having been a problem.
However, the process this year does not correspond with how any reliable business, including a home business, should run. I have always had very strong doubts about any US based mail order business which does not bother to have a customer service phone line. Now I know why.
On September 20th, 2007, quadradox added the following:
I received no response after 4 more days. Either they are out of business or only occasionally "in" when it suits them. I cancelled my order. I expect to work with companies which can at least be counted on to communicate reliably when an order cannot be shipped yet and is pending or back ordered. (Though I still have no idea whether the inappropriate silence from Whatcom is due to the fact they just don't have the merchandise to ship or they are out partying somewhere instead of filling orders.)
|
| Positive | cereal_tiller
South Padre Island, TX
(Zone 10a)
(1 review)
May 06, 2007 | Great company. excellent customer service. Great packaging. Professional, prompt, courteous and extraordinary response. My large order had many back orders. Nothing shipped without my okay. Germination of the seeds was outstanding. Will do business with them again. Sometimes I wonder what people expecet as the negatives I read didn't even seem anything like what I experienced. I am a difficult and demanding customer; an attorney and I say the company is A+. Will do business with them again without any hesistation. |
| Neutral | cammu
Granby, QC
(Zone 4b)
(3 reviews)
January 05, 2007 | The service excellent and the delivery fast.
It was my first order in the US and it went great.
I order Lithops and Dionaea
The first one never germinated (probably beacause of me) but the second on, is doing pretty good. |
| Negative | saralu
Ogden, UT
(1 review)
November 10, 2006 | HORRIBLE -
I ordered some palm seeds which were completely crispy feeling and some were moldy. Of course, they never germinated. The only thing that did germinate was supposedly split-leaf philodendron or 'monstera deliciosa' which I ordered as such and was labeled as such but was in fact heartleaf philodendron, a VERY common plant of which I already have a few! I still even have the bag that was labeled 'monstera deliciosa' -- and like an idiot began to stake the heartleaf when it grew and was limp! |
| Positive | TxTurqoize
San Antonio, TX
(Zone 8b)
(1 review)
September 03, 2006 | Wow...I was surprised at how many negatives that I saw! I've had 3 experiences with Whatcom that I found to be completely satisfactory. My buddha belly and turtle back seeds arrived very promptly and in great condition. The packaging was ideal too.... |
| Positive | LATeach
Arvada, CO
(1 review)
August 13, 2006 | I have ordered 3 times from this company and have had great results. Originally, I ordered an assortment of exotic plants I found interesting and every variety had some seeds that germinated. I now have ordered an assortment of seeds from Asian and African species for my geography students. Because baobabs may take months to germinate I planted them three weeks ago - 4 of 5 are growing already... |
| Negative | dixie_angel
Trenton, TN
(23 reviews)
May 18, 2006 | ummmmm.....nothing has germinated.......and palm seeds old and moldy......but they are sending replacements for the palm seeds....so......Ill remain neutral until I see the state the NEXT seeds are in.....I truly hope things are better :0)
On May 22nd, 2006, dixie_angel changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following:
I just want to cry. I got my replacement seeds and, while not being moldy......they were...awful....as bad as the last batch.....I feel bad making this a negative but....nothing I ordered from them germinated......and with 9 kids between my husband and I we cannot afford to waste our money on items from compaies who obviously put more value on pretty plastic baggies and photo cards for their seeds than in the seeds themselves...or their customers PLEASE learn from my mistake.....think twice before giving away your money. :0( |
| Positive | droughtlover
Igo, CA
(3 reviews)
May 01, 2006 | Packaging was excellent, and instructions very informative. Fast shipping. Most (but not all) seeds are germinating fine; any problems have been my own fault. Some complaints about the low quantity of seeds shipped are out of place, IMO; their website clearly stated the number of seeds I would receive for each species. I'll order from them again. |
| Neutral | marrowman
shrewsbury
United Kingdom
(3 reviews)
April 13, 2006 | Seeds arrived quickly and so far all sown have high germination and establishment rate. On down side you only get a small number of seeds. |
| Positive | Erynne
Ontario
Canada
(Zone 5a)
(10 reviews)
February 20, 2006 | Placed an order back in December 2005 and before I knew it, it was in my mailbox....super quick shipping! I ordered three types of seeds, for what I felt were very reasonable prices and included were some great planting instructions.
So far, I've just sowed one type, brug.sanguinea, and all seeds have germinated. The other types ordered were Sarracenia purpurea and Eryngium planum.......I will report back only if they fail to germinate but I'm hoping that won't be the case. |
| Positive | wvtreehugger
Charleston, WV
(8 reviews)
January 28, 2006 | reasonable prices, fast shipping, nice packaging and instructions. Cant wait to get the seeds in the dirt!!! |
| Positive | DONBROWN
Halifax
Canada
(12 reviews)
January 05, 2006 | I have ordered many times from this company, and everything has been shipped in a prompt and professional manner, with great little instructions sheets included. They have a neat site, with lots of reasonably priced stuff and they have never disappointed me. I never hesitate to recommend this company. Thanks to Whatcom, I have some great stuf growing in my garden!
On October 24th, 2006, DONBROWN added the following:
Just placed another order with this company, and as always , have received personal attention and helpful emails, even though my orders are only small. I find that my germination results with their seeds have improved as my skills with germinating difficult seeds has improved. For those who have had disappointing germination results.......keep in mind that many of these plants have tough requirements and long germination periods, so any disappointing resluts may be a reflection of that, as opposed to the quality of the seed, which, in my case, has never appeared to be substandard.
This is a great little company which deserves a try! |
| Positive | ikigar
Maribor
Slovenia
(3 reviews)
January 04, 2006 | Recived seeds in 10 days (Europe). Nice packaging and instructions. Let them know not to write total costs on the package and not to include invoice when sent to Europe (becouse of tax).
Waiting to see germination results.
P.S.: My friend orderd seeds from them in february and germination results were OK, above 70%, some species less, but 50% was surely. |
| Negative | pardygwyn
Port Angeles, WA
(3 reviews)
December 30, 2005 | I bought some hot pepper seeds which arrived quickly. Most germinated, but many of the plants were cross-pollinated and nothing like advertised - carribean red peppers were small and yellow, chocolate peppers were orange, etc. |
| Negative | mollitor
San Lorenzo
Puerto Rico
(1 review)
December 13, 2005 | I am more fortunate than most. I got 1 PawPaw seed to germinate. None of the pepper seeds I purchased germinated. |
| Negative | 1alphatla
Alpharetta, GA
(2 reviews)
November 03, 2005 | I ordered 22 palm seeds so far. I got 1 germinated and growing but 21 rotten and moldy.
I believe only if you are looking for seeds that are easy to germinate, regardless of who is selling, this is the one. |
| Positive | mlm01
St. Louis, MO
(Zone 5b)
(16 reviews)
August 08, 2005 | I ordered from this company back in January. The delivery was quick, packaging was very very nice, I got everything I ordered no problems. I will use thime again. |
| Positive | amorning1
Islamorada, FL
(6 reviews)
August 06, 2005 | They are great! I trust them competely. |
| Positive | mountainmeadowseeds
Augusta, WV
(Zone 5b)
(5 reviews)
August 06, 2005 | Nice packaging - speedy delivery - good seed germination. I wanted to add that the growing instructions were appreciated. From personal experience on growing plants by seed it is mostly trial and error. If the seeds don't grow it doesn't necessarily mean the seeds are bad! Of course if they are crumbled or crushed then the seller should be contacted, but if the seeds don't grow and you planted all of them at once......your fault for not saving some to try another method. I know that many factors contribute to the germination of seeds. Not all seeds should be planted the same. Some need more watering than others and some need darkness to germinate. Bottom heat is useful and humidity domes work on some seeds. It's all trial and error..........saying a little prayer won't hurt either :)
Overall I rate my transaction as a good one. I'll buy again.
|
| Negative | voytek
Antioch, IL
(4 reviews)
July 10, 2005 | I've bought 3 times from this company. First time on ebay (2 years ago), second time last year - in both situation everything was OK. I placed my last order about 6 weeks ago. Seeds arrived decomposed in plastic bags. I sent emaisl with complain twice. No response. This is respect-less. I left them positive feedback on ebay, second time I sent them "Thank you" email. This time this is my negative feedback for this company. If you are going to place an order be very careful.
Voytek |
| Positive | mjkerkau
Gainesville, FL
(1 review)
June 27, 2005 | I have ordered with this company and so far my seeds are germinating just fine.
I wanted to add this little tidbit:
I've been trying to start my own milkweed seeds harvested from my own plants this year, and have one out of twenty success rate. Just goes to show, not all seed problems stem from freshness.
On June 28th, 2005, mjkerkau added the following:
Addendum:
Today I received my missing seeds from a previous order, only a week after emailing the company to tell them they never arrived. NO hassle!
|
| Positive | poundingsurf
Seattle, WA
(1 review)
June 17, 2005 | Look, I have ordered fro Whatcom Seeds and found them to be perfectly good. Most people here seem to be clueless of the requirements for seed germination. Want a hard one? Try growing Balsa. If you want to grow coffee, get your plants from Toptropicals.com in Florida or fruitlovers.com in Hawaii. Quit trying to grow coffee for yourself, it takes a lot of time and care and in The US it is nearly impossible. I grow and export Cacao plants from my Seattle greenhouse and I know the requirements of most tropicals. If you contact toptropicals.com tell Dave that Rob sent you from Seattle. If you contact Oscar at fruitlovers.com tell him I said hello as well. I have a variety of sources for rare plants if you need more info.
Rob |
| Negative | kropit
Bear, DE
(Zone 7a)
(1 review)
June 15, 2005 | I ordered seeds 3 weeks ago and did not get them. Sent email note to them 1 week ago - no response. Emailed again today - will give them 2 days and if no response will dispute the charge with credit card company. |
| Positive | broomhandle
Milwaukee, WI
(1 review)
May 09, 2005 | I am quite surprised with other peoples' experiences with Whatcom seeds. I have had very good luck with their seeds. I have ordered every single cycad species and a couple palms and others, sometimes repeatedly, and I have never had a species NOT germinate. For every palm and cycad I've ordered, I have never experienced germination below 60-70%, which is great for these prices.
I can really only speak for palms and cycads, but I hope people realize that these seeds often require very specific conditions and sometimes a great deal of time before they germinate, up to a year for some species. I say this not to belittle in any way the reviews of those who have been truly wronged, but only as a cautionary note that you must employ a scrupulous germination procedure before passing judgement on the supplier. |
| Negative | Daisy123
Pearl, MS
(Zone 8a)
(2 reviews)
April 26, 2005 | Oh dear, poor stupid me. Wish I had known about this site before I spent my precious money. Oh, yes The package was pretty neat and the picture on the package was pretty, too bad I didn't plant the cute little package with the nice foam and the pretty flower picture. My shock was when I opened it up and saw there were only 5 seeds (5) five lousy seeds. I spent $23.00 building a special bed for Edleweiss because they only grow under special conditions. I sent Seedrack a email and complained and told them they ought to be ashamed, never got a reply. After that, I ordered from a different ebay seller called Seedmart that says there are 100 seeds in their packages, but, now I see that the reports here are not all that good either because they are also HIRT's Greenhouse and there were conplaints about old seed. Will hope for the best and will let you know. |
| Negative | tofinosurfer
Vancouver
Canada
(2 reviews)
April 13, 2005 | I filled my shopping cart, but when I went to check out, the first page in that process, which contains personal information, is not an encrypted page (https). I emailed them and asked for an explanation, and none was given.
Screw them. Off I go to a more reputable company.
Cheers.
Glen
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