The scoop on 'The Cook's Garden'

I have ordered from Cook's garden for three years and have always had a good experience. If there has ever been a problem with an order it was taken care of promptly and politely. They have a nice variety of seeds - especially lettuces and some unusual varieties of common vegetables. Their plants are well packaged and healthy on arrival. Even the catalog is beautiful! As someone who is relatively new to gardening, it would be nice if the seed packets gave a little more planting information, but that's a small criticism compared to the wonderful job they do overall.

I have bought seeds from the cook's garden for years. excellent results.
this is the first year for buying plants. I purchased "pistou" basil....three plants......they arrived today, beautifully packed.
very vigorous plants.
THANK YOU!!!!!
I will be ordering again from you!!!!
I ordered per snail mail, so I can't say anything about the order comfirmation on the "net.

I ordered quite a lot of vegetable and flower seeds from Cook's two years ago, at the same time I ordered seeds from two other companies. In nearly every case, the Cook's seeds were more expensive yet showed noticeably lower viability than the others, and completely failed to come up in some cases (parsnip, kale, stocks). I have been growing plants from seed for years and have never had such sprouting failures. In at least one case the Cook's seeds were mislabeled - Empress of India nasturtium, supposedly a premium red -orange variety, came up a common yellow nasturtium. And when I called the company to ask about some radish varieties that were incorrectly described in their catalogue, the person I talked to didn't have a clue, and couldn't find anyone who knew anything about their own products. My first big order from Cook's has been my last.

Hello,
We are sorry to hear about your poor performance with The Cook's Garden seeds. We provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our products. I have sent you an email. If you provide me with your name, we will promptly refund your money.
Cheers.
Paul

I've been shopping from Cooks Garden off and on (as my seedsaving skills ebb and flow) for, I think, 20 years now and have always been very pleased with their service and product. I decided that their prices are not really higher than anyone else's, since their germination rate is so much better. More bang for the buck!

But I just received the new catalog (glossy, with four color photographs instead of Mary Azarian's lovely woodcuts), with a terse introductory letter from George Ball (of Burpee Seeds), and I have to admit that I'm disappointed and concerned.

I can understand them thinking that the photos are more informative, but these photos aren't very attractive and the catalog looks as if it were put together hastily.

Are there problems over there? They seem in disarray, and I would have appreciated an explanation of the new format.

It's not the end of the world, and if I can't find anything I like better, I'll probably continue to order from them until I feel that the quality of the product has gone down. But I miss the creative, small business, artisanal atmosphere of the old Cook's Garden. And I'm concerned that the lack of attention being paid to the catalog indicates a lack of commitment by Burpee to the company -- i.e. I don't want to see the Cook's Garden go the way of Shepherd's Seeds. (Bought out by a bigger organization, homogenized, and then ultimately folded.)

I wish the Ogden's well. I know they've moved on to bigger, more important things, and I'm happy for their success. But I'm sorry to say that there's now a void in my garden season that I hope some other company steps right up to fill -- and soon!

No order confirmation, as others have mentioned, but my large order of seeds arrived fairly quickly and I have had fantastic germination rates, and am thrilled to have found varieties that I can't find at my local garden center.

The shallot bulbs and rhurarb look very healthy. I did receive good shipping/tracking information. So far, so good.

On February 26, I placed on line order. Received a order number. Thought order was in place. Went back to page later and saw that additional information was required after I scrolled down to the bottom of the page. Tried to enter it but the session had timed out by then and I lost the order info.

Asked darling husband if the order confirmation had arrived in his email. It had not.

Reentered order. Got another order confirmation number. Entered the information at the bottom of the window. Still did not get an order confirmation.

(As of today, 3/12/2007, no confirmation for either order has been received.)

Wrote email complaining about lack of order confirmation and the difficult to use website. Asked for a confirmation that only one order had been submitted. Still have not had a reply to that email.

On February 27, called customer service (which is only open 9:00 until 6:00 EST) to check on order(s). The customer service representative said both orders had been submitted. I asked why there hadn't been any order confirmation sent, and she said that sometimes it didn't get sent.

She did state that she would try to get the second order pulled if it had not gone out, but if it had, I could refuse it.

Both orders have been charged to my credit card. An order arrived on Friday, March 9. The other one hasn't arrived so I can't refuse it, nor has it been credited to the credit card.

I will try to take time away from my job to call during their abbreviated customer service hours tomorrow and will update this account based on that conversation.

This catalog may have the same name and a similar look, but the heart and soul of the original are no longer here.

Hello Marie,
I work for Cook's Garden and would like to apologize for your poor experience with us. Can you please provide me with your Name and zip code and we will correct your situation immediately. Please send your information to [e-mail:PHofer@Burpee.com]
Cheers.
Paul

I placed a small order of vegetable and flower seeds and got my order in less than a week. Some of my seeds were crushed during the mailing process (the company ships small orders in a plain brown envelope) and I wrote to customer service about it. They very promptly offered to send a replacement. I'm impressed and will gladly shop there again.

I probably won't order from Cook's Garden again. The website was great and easy to order from, but I did not receive an email confirmation of my order. When I checked on it under "my account," it was stated that my order had shipped, but did not provide a tracking number. When I called customer service, they were very, very nice, and said it had been sent by US Mail. I know the mail can take awhile, but it did take some time to receive my seeds. When they did arrive, the seedpackets (especially for the tomatoes I ordered) did not have helpful info on the plant - no "plant after last frost," or suggestions on spacing, etc. No pictures, either, and they didn't send a print catalog with my order. Although I really liked their selection, and their customer service was very nice when I called, because of the issues I had with confirmation/shipping/seed packets, I probably won't use them next year.

I love the catalog, it's so much fun to flip through.

I placed a small order of 4 packets of seeds and they arrived safely today. I am pleased with the quick delivery! The only thing that irritated me a bit was that I received no order confirmation. And when I went to the web site to look at the "My Account" section, it said that I had not placed any orders! I contacted customer service yesterday and received a prompt response telling me that the seeds had shipped and would arrive soon. All in all a good experience. Hopefully the seeds will do well!

Ordered seedling trays amd humidity covers - they have the best-sized ones I've found (the 18-cell ones) and they usually sell out of them early in the year. Shipped with tracking number, received right on time. Another great experience with Cook's Garden!

Although they are apparently affiliated with the spectacularly mediocre Park Seed, Cook's Garden has consistently performed well in every respect. They have some of the best selections, not only in vegetable seeds but in perennial seeds as well. Their prices are not low, but their customer service is top-notch and they ship in record time, with a trackable shipment system.

I have ordered from Cook's Garden for years, and I cannot say enough good things about them.

I received the seeds much sooner than I had expected. One item was incorrect. I called customer service. To my surprise, someone picked up right away. They were extremely courteous and apologetic. They let me keep the incorrect item and immediately shipped the correct item to me and no additional cost. It came in less than a week. Their customer service is exceptional. I will definitely be doing business with them again.

I absolutely love Shep's approach. Natural, sound and very instructive. I also love their concentration on greens. The only suggestion I'd make is to get easier to open seed envelopes that reseal.

Fun catalog. Prompt service. All seeds have grown.

I have ordered from them several times and always found the service to be quick. Their seeds are high quality as well, and the selection is good especially if you are looking for unusual varieties that are organically grown.

I have always had wonderful service from this company. There are a couple of things that they sell that I have a hard time finding anywhere else; and they have a great selection of lettuces and other veggies. The catalogue is attractive and the service consistent for many years now. They could beef up on the flowers a bit; but then they are the Cook's Garden, aren't they?

Interesting catalog, ordered once and would agian. They are
fair people with good prices, service and stock.

They are specialists in what they offer. Interesting I think
for what they offer.

I personally rate them an 8+ overall.

One of the better seed companies with whom I've dealt. Good quality and service. A bit pricey, but good seeds and service.

I ordered from them once; most seeds were OK, one packet arrived empty. Took them a long time to correct the mistake. I think they are expensive and I was not thrilled by the speed - or lack of - they deliver either.
I did not know that they are 'related; to Park Seeds. It was starnge though that I sent my order to Vermont(?) and got the seeds from SC

I agree with a previous comment: too much hipe

i really like their seed mixes. the rainbow beet collection, or hot pepper mix, or eggplant mix or cabbage mix. they have lots of different ones so you don't have to eat the same thing all the time.

Excellent variety - excellent rate of return. They are a little pricey, but worth it. The catalog is very informative also.

Good selection of seeds. No problem with germinating seeds.

I think that Cook's Garden has been acquired by Wayside Gardens. The reason I suspect this is that last April (2001) I called Wayside to find out where my order from them was, and when the representative called up my order, she began to recite my Cook's Garden order. This was probably a big mistake on her part, and I was flabbergasted. I still order from Cook's but have stopped ordering from Wayside because of serious problems with them.

I've been a longtime customer of Cook's Garden and have always had wonderful service.

Also related to Park Seed and Wayside Gardens. Nicely done catalog, nice selection of lettuce, beans, etc.

The Cook's Garden catalog is the catalog I order from first every year and the only catalog I read cover-to-cover. The quality of their seed is exceptional; I have ordered from them for many years (maybe 10 years?) and always get close to 100% germination (that is not so with the other seed companies I use). It is important to me to trust that the seed I plant will thrive. Their descriptions are helpful to me. If they can harvest something in December in Vermont I know I can count on that plant to produce all winter for me here in the NW. Top ratings for The Cook's Garden from this 25 year gardener!!

A good selection of lettuce varieties. Very expensive prices on almost everything. Also a bit self-serving with all the hype

I placed a very large seed and supply order with Cooks last year and received everything in great shape within 2 weeks! Their customer service is very knowledgeable and helped me out as a first time strawberry and potato grower! I've been comparing prices and really the seed prices are comparable if not cheaper especially for the varieties that are hard to come by! I highly recommend them!

The Cook's Garden tends to overprice its seeds. Other companies offer more seeds per packet and offer better value, but Cook's has an amazing lettuce selection with lots of nonstandard choices. Their descriptions are pretty handy because they're listed by season. And, while their descriptions are a bit hyperbolic their cultivars really do taste great.

Very good selection, and the seeds came up great in my garden! They are kind of expensive, but to me, worth it.

I have ordered from Cook's for two or three years. The catalog is lovely, the packaging esthetically pleasing and the selection is very good. However, in spite of all that, I feel that Cook's Seeds are overpriced, and I will probably not order very much from them in the future.

All seeds, very informative black and white catalog. Top pick - Tangy mix mesclun (Japanese mustards, arugula, cress, chicories all in one package. Krausa parsley is also nice.

The web page is partially under construction, "but with a full seed list."