The scoop on 'Pinetree Garden Seeds'

Company Profile   Pinetree Garden Seeds Mailing Address: P.O. Box 300 New Gloucester, Maine 04260 (United States) Phone: (207) 926-3400 Fax: 1-888-527-3337 Catalog Order Page: Hyperlink Paper Catalog Cost: Free » E-Mail them » Visit their website Recent reviews: Past month Past 6 Months Past 12 Months Positive 6 14 35 Neutral 0 1 5 Negative 0 0 30 This company offers a variety of gardening supplies and seeds.

Feedback History and Summary   307 positives 34 neutrals 70 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Positive hlebear Yukon, OK (8 reviews) February 9, 2010 Posted on May 19, 2006, updated February 9, 2010 I've ordered from this company for several years now and I recently received an order last month. Shipping was quicker than expected less than 2 weeks. I also ordered a hops rhizome and I was very pleased with the condition. It has now leafed out and has sent out several runners. I really enjoy the variety of seeds they offer and the prices are excellent, far cheaper than any other seed company I have used. If you have a smaller garden, this is a great place to order from. I've noticed a few comments about slow shipping. I've always ordered online and have not had a problem. They do offer an expedited order processing which I have used before and I got the order quickly. It is less than 5 dollars and with the low shipping and product costs I found it reasonable. On February 9th, 2010, hlebear added the following: I recently placed an order January 30, 2010. I ordered a mixture of seeds, books, and gardening items. I received my order Feb. 8. I am very happy with my purchase. They have great deals on new gardening books and have some of the best prices on labels, row cover, and red tomato plastic film that I have seen. Good seed prices also especially if you have a smaller garden. Positive TheFluffyOne Aurora, IL (3 reviews) February 3, 2010 Posted on March 23, 2009, updated February 2, 2010 The website is buggy as all heck. During the ordering process, I would order items, browse for a while, comeback and find out my cart was now empty. This was very, very frustrating. After finally completing my order I discovered that there really was not way to contact anyone at the firm as the phone was always busy. After waiting 20 days without receiving a shipping notification I faxed in a cancel order as the phone was busy, e-mails were not responded to. I assume they are simply going through growing pains in a busy season. However I have certain expectations. One is that I know if my order will be filled, and two that I know when my items will be shipped and an anticipated ship date. We all know certain plants need to be started indoors in certain climates, in particular Tomatoes, Peppers, and Alpine strawberries from seed. When you cannot get a confirmation that the order will be filled nor a shipping date you have to make a cut date to go to the local store and buy your seeds. I'll try PineTree again next year and order very, very early. Once again I suspect the problem is simply a growth related issue. But currently, I would certainly not use them for an order after February if timeliness is important. On February 3rd, 2010, TheFluffyOne changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Okay as stated last year, I gave PineTree another try. Placed my order on 01/23 and the seeds arrived on 02/01. Disappointed there were no "shipped" notifications or a way to tell if the order was fulfilled but I can't complain with the end result : great service. I have obviously not tried out the seeds or even inspected the packaging much, all I can say so far is the seed packets are unusual. Very strange looking. Positive warrennj Great Meadows, NJ (6 reviews) February 2, 2010 Have been placing orders with Pinetree for several years now and overall very happy with them. Germination can be a bit low sometimes but still very reasonable based on the prices paid. I place my orders early in the season (usually in January) and typically receive them within 2 weeks. This year in fact I got my order in just 6 days. Positive cloverlymd Silver Spring, MD (2 reviews) January 27, 2010 The problems of last year seems to be resolved; I got my order this week in a little over a week. Positive newtie Hattiesburg, MS (Zone 8a) (1 review) January 24, 2010 Last year they had a problem getting orders filled on time. This year 2010 I think they have corrected that. I will know in a few weeks. Have ordered for several years but last year skipped because they warned on their website about delay in processing orders. Their seeds have always been very high quality with high germination and true to type. They are among the lowest priced suppliers of high quality seeds and have some difficult to find varieties. Two items I regularly order that are hard to find are Tyfon which is an outstanding catch crop for leaf eating beatles and also excellent cooked greens. And RampicanteTrombocino zucchini. The latter is outstanding in the deep south with no disease or bug problems. Will produce 30 foot long vines here and both edible blossoms and myriad squash. Planting tyfon next to cabbage family plants will keep the beatles of the cabbages. They much prefer Tyfon. Pinetree's seeds, in my experience, are just as high quality as Stokes or Johny's at far lower cost. They have both modern hybrids and many hard-to-find heirloom varieties. Positive NathanMCarlson Coatesville, PA (4 reviews) January 19, 2010 Please remember that the rating system here is not very granular, and people will often leave comments without taking the time to breathe and think things through. I had a negative experience with Pinetree in Spring 2009, the second year I ordered from them, when I gather they were a little overwhelmed. I didn't receive seeds (esp. potatoes) when I expected them, though they arrived in time for later Spring planting (round about last frost in my area). The people there were VERY helpful and apologetic, and I think I ended up with a lot of freebies. This is NOT one of those "gardening direct" type ripoff sites. This is a smaller to medium size seed place staffed by REAL people. So if you have a problem contact them (email worked fine for me) and I'm sure they will be responsive and helpful. I had excellent results with their seeds- very high germination rates compared to others I've tried (especially the "big store" brands). Inexpensive does not necessarily mean poor quality. Germination can be affected by numerous factors- not controlling temperature, humidity, light, water, wind, etc- again controlling these factors resulted in excellent germination rates for me. I am a repeat buyer and haven't had any other problems- get your order in early! I highly recommend this company. Positive MarkP Missoula, MT (Zone 4a) (12 reviews) January 5, 2010 First seed order from them and received it in about a week. Positive annlemieux Gig Harbor, WA (1 review) January 1, 2010 Plan ahead! Pinetree sends out their catalogs early. Who could forcast 2009 would see such an increase in gardening? They're a small shop with excellent customer service. Their simplicity (catalog, packets, e-mails, etc.) keeps prices down. Their info is accurate, they adapt their offerings to what works, and are responsive to any errors. My only regret is that I didn't "find" them until I moved from New England to WA. Many folks stop by my rural yard/garden just to look and talk, and Pinetree is my first recommendation. Get all the fancy catalogs to see pictures and read the hype, then compare to Pinetree. Order early, save a lot, and be able to order more stuff, Pinetree or elsewhere. Positive PGH_Garden_Girl Pittsburgh, PA (3 reviews) December 30, 2009 I just received my first seed order from Pinetree, and I will definitely be a repeat customer. Reasonable prices and quantities of seeds were my main reasons for ordering here. I received my seeds within 2 weeks of placing my order. The order was entirely correct (about 30 different packs) - nothing missing, nothing substituted, no mistakes. Seeds look healthy and the packets are clearly labeled with the essential details. I cant wait to start them for my garden this spring! Neutral flowers4birds Chilton, WI (5 reviews) December 24, 2009 I have ordered from Pinetree Garden Seeds for many years and have always been pleased by their prices, hardy varieties for my northern garden, ability to buy small amounts of seeds for my small garden, and their timely delivery. Last year however, they were very slow. I ordered some seeds that need to be planted inside in mid-winter to be ready for transplant in early spring. The order did not come when I needed it. After a couple of months had passed, I wrote to them and to their credit, my order arrived immediately, but it was already too late to plant some of the seeds, and they did not do well in the garden, as we have a short growing season. I will order from them again, because after years of good service, they deserve another chance. I ordered very early last year, and that didn't expedite my order as I had hoped. I hope they will do better this year. Positive JolaViola Bristow, VA (3 reviews) December 10, 2009 Very pleased with the company's customer service. I received my order in 5 days, except for one backordered packet that arrived a week later. Their selection of heirloom vegetables is great and the prices can't be beat. Positive cannabinatea Mantua, OH (8 reviews) December 5, 2009 12/5/09....I have ordered from this company in the past with no problems....Received my order very quickly after placing the order....I did write on the order blank that I would post a rating on this website about my seed order....not sure if that is important to a staff member who is sending me the seed order....Regardless, seeds received very quickly....One disappointment was the amount of Harliquin Marigold seeds....only got 50 seeds for the 2 packets I ordered....marigold seeds are so plentiful when they grow; not sure why they can"t give more seeds that item....maryanne, zone 5, Ohio Positive rlmyersjr Denver, CO (1 review) December 2, 2009 I placed a very large order (over 200 varieties of seeds), books, etc., and am very pleased to have received everything I ordered, save spring planting materials and few back ordered items, in just over a week! Pleasant, responsive, and patient customer service for this first time gardener. Great prices on both seeds and their wide selection of books. A treasure! Positive nhplanter Washington, NH (Zone 5b) (4 reviews) November 21, 2009 I am surprised by all of the negative comments here because I have ordered from Pinetree for many years and have been very satisfied. Yes, it's true, you don't get a lot of seeds, but the packets are priced accordingly. Positive jcpyburn Snyder, TX (2 reviews) August 26, 2009 I have read some of the negative reviews after I ordered and received my order from Pinetree. They were recommended on another gardening website and the price was right for me and they had the seeds I was looking for. It looks like the company had a bad spot for a while but if my order is any indication maybe things are looking up! I received my order in a timely fashion(about 1 week), everything was right and I am very satisfied. I planted some of my seeds today and if I have germination problems with the seed I will come back and post again. I hope they have fixed the problems and can be a good company to order from in the future for me and everyone cause their prices are good as well as the packet size, and selection. Positive packetpete Feeding Hills, MA (6 reviews) July 21, 2009 I like the way they package - I have a hobby of collecting seed packets and these are very top quality - my seeds were also top notch! Fine people from a fine State! Positive odeymail Ormond Beach, FL (9 reviews) July 3, 2009 A couple weeks ago I placed two orders with Pinetree Seeds and was very happy with the extremely quick shipping (USPS Priority Mail) and good packing of both orders. I ordered 4 books and 2 plastic canning funnels. The books were very high quality and so were the funnels. The prices were great too! The cost of the shipping was very reasonable! These were my first orders from PInetree Seeds and I was quite pleased with the experience. Thanks Pinetree Seeds!! Positive icanfindroom Anchorage, AK (1 review) June 26, 2009 It sounds like Pinetree may be going through some growing pains this year, or other issues perhaps? I have used them for years because they have great prices on seeds and a good selection. Plus they have gardening books for cheap cheap cheap! I did order a catalog from them this year because I moved and I did have to ask twice and it took a month or so to get here. Very different from my past experiences. I will still order from them, I haven't had any problems with their seeds not starting for me yet. But who knows whats up. I would encourage you to give them a try. Just maybe order early and only a few items to see if they've pulled it back together. Here's hoping they do! There aren't many places you can spread your money out as well as Pinetree. Good if your a plant nut and can't make up your mind. Negative BarbaraEmerson Manchester, MA (1 review) June 21, 2009 This is the second time that I have ordered from Pinetree. Both times I have shared with friends because we like to grow a large variety of vegetables and the low cost and small numbers of seeds in each package work well for that. The first time was a couple of years ago and both of us had germination problems. This year we tried again based on the prices and good selection. Again, germination problems. When I wrote and explained the problem, they offered replacements and said they had done germination tests. I decided to do my own test on two varieties of carrots...cosmic purple and Half long Danvers that were sent the second time. Only 40% of the cosmic purple and 60% of the Danvers germinated. I don't think this is satisfactory. The seeds may be low in cost but I don't have time to deal with crop failures. Also less experienced gardeners will think the problem is theirs...companies owe it to their customers (and the seed industry in general) to supply good quality seed. Negative emmasmom Zionsville, PA (1 review) May 21, 2009 Although I have been a loyal customer for years, I am very unhappy with my order this year. I ordered on March 23rd seeds and potatoes and plastic. I paid the $4.95 extra and received the seeds/plastic timely; altho when I recently unrolled the plastic to cover the beds, it was well short of the 200' I ordered. After not receiving my potatoes (spring shipment) I inquired via email on April 28th and was told my order would ship within 2 weeks (with no mention that they were sold out of anything). I finally received it on May 21, with a note on the packing slip saying that the 10 lbs of burbanks were sold out and my credit card would be credited, although no credit card receipt was attached showing that had actually been done. They were happy to charge my credit card for the entire order back on March 23rd! Didn't they know at that time they were already sold out of the product? The remaining potatoes that I did receive are in very bad shape, soggy, shriveled, with sprouts about 8 inches long, like they have been growing inside the bags for way too long. So I don't expect good results with them. I am considering returning them. But where am I supposed to find seed potatoes locally at this point in the season? When I unrolled the black plastic, which I ordered 200 feet, I realized that I only received 160 feet. They are supposed to send me the balance, but once again, I paid in full for this back on March 23rd, and I need it now, not after complaining about being shorted and then have to wait for some more to show up. They are all full of excuses this year about being overwhelmed and understaffed. Hey, in this economy, I think there are plenty of qualified people more than willing to work. It is the management that is the problem. They have lost yet another long time customer. Negative chippymiles Vienna, VA (1 review) May 5, 2009 I decided to try this supplier for the first time this year. Just a small percentage of seeds sprouted. I had to scramble to purchase additional seeds elsewhere to keep with sprouting schedule. Shipping time was way too long. I am trying someone else next year. Negative siradave Augusta, ME (1 review) May 2, 2009 I have ordered off and on from Pinetree for a number of years. Their strength has been small amounts of seeds for the home gardener at a lower price. This year the amount of seeds in their packets were a joke. Many were not enough to overcome the mortality of starting seeds at home in less than ideal conditions. Several varieties were not enough to start so I had to go out and buy more at a store. They bill when they receive the order so I was billed in Jan. and had to threaten to cancel my root stock order if they did not ship it. They promised in April but claim they said April through May! I was also over charged! Never again. I learned my lesson. Try Fedco also in Maine. A Co-op and a bit nicer. Neutral tlong West Orange, NJ (1 review) April 29, 2009 Placed two orders, late in the season and despite the warning message on their homepage (and before seeing the issues here) Order 1: 03/23/09 Order 2: 04/03/09 Have not received either. My rating is neutral because I've been a customer of Pinetree Garden Seeds since high school (18 years ago!). I haven't ordered in a few years, and this is the first time I've had such a negative experience. I'm hoping to receive my seeds soon. They should make an effort to respond to their customer's concerns, either posting here or updating messaging on their site daily. I understand that creating an online order status system is time-consuming and possibly expensive. Even if they manually updated the homepage message to show status, maybe saying: 'We've filled xx of yy orders this season' or 'Shipping Delays: zzz backorders' it would give me a sense that they are making progress and understand the daily inconvenience their backlog is causing. Negative NtheWoods Stafford Springs, CT (4 reviews) April 29, 2009 This is my first and last ordering experience with Pinetree. I ordered the seeds on February 28 and did not receive them until April 7. It took them 5 weeks instead of the 2-3 weeks stated in their catalog. I called them to check on my order and the telephone was not answered. Positive icebear Lisbon, ME (3 reviews) April 27, 2009 Order did take longer to arrive this year, but all came in accurately as usual. Sorry to see they got so overwhelmed this year. They are normally a very good company. Negative scarleeta Yazoo City, MS (Zone 8a) (1 review) April 23, 2009 This was my first year ordering from this company and will be my last. I placed an order on February 2nd. I ordered both seeds and plants. I received my seeds approximately Mid-March. On March 27th, I e-mailed the company requesting the status of my plants as I am in Zone 7b-8. (It's already spring here!). I had tried calling, but could never get anyone. On March 30th, I received a reply that the perennials that I ordered were in the garden under the snow and would be shipped as weather permits. Most of the plants I ordered were spring-blooming and will not do much for my landscape this year. Anyway, it's now April 23rd and I still haven't received my plants. Positive lisaaj Columbus, OH (3 reviews) April 21, 2009 I ordered from Pine Tree around January 1st, because I had read reviews saying they took longer to mail orders out than other companies. It was a couple of weeks before I got my order, while most of my other companies shipped seeds within a week. However, I got their seeds in plenty of time for planting, and their prices are so LOW and the seeds have germinated incredibly well, so it's definitely worth it. Just order your seeds around January 1st! Negative beherenow6 Allenwood, PA (3 reviews) April 20, 2009 Pinetree Seeds used to be my favorite company to order seeds from - great prices, small packets, great selection.  I recommended them to all my gardening friends.  This year, I ordered on 2/14, which I thought would give a little extra time, "just in case".  After calling (with constant busy signals, but finally getting through one day) and emails, I learned how busy they were, and I finally received my seeds on 3/14 (weeks after the other orders arrived).  I was very unhappy with the slow shipping.  But, I tried to be forgiving - so many factors are increasing the popularity of home gardening, so I accepted that they were overwhelmed and planted them immediately.  I don't have complaints with the germination rates, and the seedlings are doing pretty well. I just got my potatoes, though a little later than I would have liked.  Much to my dismay, they substituted the Green Mountain potatoes I ordered (for baking and storage) with Irish Cobbler potatoes (best if used fresh).  They did not contact me, though I would have been reasonable and accepted another potato variety - one I could store to feed my family.  To make matters worse, all of the potatoes I received look like grocery store potatoes with NO sprouts, and I need to get them in the garden right away.  Luckily, I received sprouting potatoes last week from another company, but they won't be enough to feed the family for the season.  Hopefully, the ones they did send will sprout in a hurry so that I can plant them by the end of the month. Needless to say, I'm extremely disappointed with Pinetree this year.  After seeing all of the negative reviews, I will be surprised if they can last as a company, and I really wish it wasn't so.  I wish that they would respond to these posts.  If I do order again, it will be only seeds, and I will order as soon as I receive the catalog.  I won't make the mistake of ordering anything that I need, except maybe just a few items for direct garden planting, and the ones I buy "just to try".  I can't help but hope that the company will dramatically change for the better.  But, I can't say I'm optimistic. Negative gabeh Wooster, OH (1 review) April 19, 2009 I ordered Green Mountain potatoes from Pinetree back in February. When I received my other seeds that had accompanied the order several weeks later, I noticed on the invoice that it only mentioned that part of the order (the potatoes) would be shipped later. Just what I expected. I assumed it meant that I would be getting the potatoes I ordered. But no. A few days ago I received a package of Irish Cobbler potatoes with a note that it is a similar to the Green Mountain variety. Maybe in appearance and taste. But Irish Cobbler is an early potato best eaten fresh. Green Mountain is a late potato that keeps well in storage for several months--which is what I was looking for. I never agreed to or was even informed of this substitution. I don't think I will ever order from Pinetree again. Positive girlbug2 Westminster, CA (9 reviews) April 17, 2009 Pinetree is unique among seed companies for their low prices and smaller quantity seed packets. For a home gardener like me, that's just perfect! Less expense, less wasted seeds (for example, I only need to grow a few tomato plants at a time to keep my family supplied for the summer) This company has a good selection of both heirloom and hybrid varieties. They're not on the cutting edge of all the trendy varieties that some other companies offer; for that reason, I shop from Pinetree for "tried and true" heirloom peppers, tomatoes, squash and beans. The germination rate has always been satisfactory, about 75%. I discovered Pinetree seeds four years ago. At that time I thought the customer service was very speedy. It's sad to read that is apparently not the experience so many other reviewers have had this season. This season I ordered my seeds a few weeks later than usual and I also experienced a longer delay in receiving my order. A careful examination of the ordering information notes showed me that January orders are supposed to ship in about a week, and Feb-May orders are 2-3 weeks. Well there you have it, plan accordingly. I recommend Pinetree seeds for the customer who is happy to order popular, time-proven seed varieties (meaning, at least a couple years "on the market" after the other catalogs have introduced them) and especially for those people who tend to plan ahead and don't need their order "yesterday", LOL. Positive mawine Onalaska, WI (1 review) April 14, 2009 I placed a large order in February and it came 4 weeks later. I called after two weeks (hitting redial repeatedly) and spoke with the owner or manager. She said their business doubled last year and tripled this year, that she had hired an extra 25 people but still could not keep up with orders. She was very polite and sorry about the delay. My order was complete and the seed germination rate is fine. A note with my order stated that they have put in additional phone lines and computers along with the additional staff. I have read that because of the recession, many people are turning to growing their food to save money, and companies are running short of seeds/plants. I plan to order from them again next year, but will do it in January. Negative Magic10 Bloomsburg, PA (1 review) April 13, 2009 I can't believe it; the bastards hung up on me!!! Without even talking to me! I called several times, getting a busy signal every time. When I finally got through, whoever answered the phone picked it up, then immediately hung up. I ordered on February 20, still no seeds on April 13. this will be my last order with them. Negative cruisemachine Brattleboro, VT (1 review) April 8, 2009 Over 40 days to get my seeds is ridiculous. The customer service has been rude. They quickly billed my credit card but still haven't sent the merchandise after 40 days. Business is business and they have lost mine and everyone I bump into. I am contacting my credit card company to get a refund....horrible Neutral greenhouse_gal (Zone 7a) (3 reviews) April 8, 2009 I have been ordering from Pinetree for many years, too. I like the fact that their seed packets don't hold as much and therefore they don't charge as much. I often have a lot of seeds left over from other companies and there's no point in spending more money if I don't need that quantity. I placed my order on the internet on February 5th. I had the same problem as an earlier poster - I had made up a list and accidentally clicked out of the cart page, and when I went back my virtual cart was empty. As a result, when I tried to recreate my order I realized afterwards that I had forgotten to include some things I needed. That was very frustrating. My order came quickly; the previous year I hadn't ordered that early so my seeds came almost too late to plant, and I learned my lesson! However, I have always had occasional problems with Pinetree seeds not germinating, and this time I have planted my Marconi Red Peppers twice in my flats and only have one sprout to show for it. So all in all I'm not sure whether I'll order from them again. You can't beat their prices, though, so maybe it's worth it. Positive JudyF Waukegan, IL (6 reviews) April 7, 2009 I have ordered from Pinetree for years. Granted, I always order early, with the objective of receiving all my seeds by Christmas, but Pinetree has always come through for me. I had only 2 backorders this year, one of which was for a house plant. The other I received last week, in plenty of time for planting here in IL. I truly hope their apparent current problems will be solved soon, but in the meantime I intend to remain a loyal customer. Negative gardenfork Norwood, MO (1 review) April 6, 2009 I have placed my order 0n Feb26 and as of today April 6th I have not received my order.I have tried several times to contact them and got a busy signal. I finally got someone today but as soon as I mentioned my order number she hung up on me. I have been a customer of theirs for over 25 years and I don't understand what's going on. You can rest assured that I will never do business with them again. What a pity! Positive kd2000 toronto Canada (1 review) April 4, 2009 I placed an order with Pinetree yesterday morning, paid for expedited processing and just received a call (24 hours after my order was placed) from a lady call Anne to verify my postal code and advise me my order will be shipped Monday! I will post again when I receive my seeds, but I am very pleased with the company thus far. Negative moonlight74 Republic, MO (1 review) April 3, 2009 NEVER NEVER NEVER AGAIN!!! I will not order from this company again. I am a first year gardener and heard such wonderful things about them. I placed my order on Feb 27th and I still have not received it. I got an email from them saying it would take about 4 weeks total...we are now on week 5 and I have nothing from them. NOTHING!!! I have emailed them again since you cannot get through on their phone line at all. I am sooooo angry right now! Negative jstover33 Lock Haven, PA (1 review) April 2, 2009 This used to be favorite seed house, but no more. I placed an order March 17 (yeah, a busy time), but based on their email to me will be "about 2 more weeks" which would be "about April 17". That is too late my intended schedule. Yep, you can't beat their prices, but the delays are unacceptable IMHO. I called Johnny's which said that orders go out the next day. I trimmed my order to some special varieties, bit the bullet and paid the high price at Johnny's (their stuff IS good, but you pay). I will buy the rest of my common seed needs at Wally World or Lowe's. I would still buy from Pinetree in the future, but order in December or January. They need to maybe charge a bit more and hire more help as they are driving customers away. Ironically, the Pinetree catalog might be the first one I get in late fall. Maybe they are trying to tell us something? :) Negative TheFountainLady Beaverton, MI (13 reviews) April 2, 2009 Like many of the people here - I am so frustrated at the terrible service from Pinetree this year. I have been a customer for many years, but after the poor service this year, I'll never order from them again! When I placed my order there was a notice on their homepage about orders taking two weeks to process. It's been more than double that and I still do not have any seeds. Now the site said it will take a month to process .... In this day and age there is NO EXCUSE for ANY company to just sit on orders for over a month before they even process the orders, and pull the stock and ship it to you. If they are SO busy and business is that good, they could well hire more employees to process and pull orders, lord knows there are people looking for employment .... even at minimum wage.

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