| Rating | Author | Content |
| Positive | hookjb
Columbia, MO
(5 reviews)
March 29, 2009 | Just received my order from Shumway: a jostaberry, 2 elderberries and a hops vine. The plants were packaged well and arrived in good shape. The bare root berry plants are all very healthy and if anything goes wrong it will be my fault. I would order from them again. |
| Positive | cerridwenn
Farmington, NM
(Zone 5a)
(4 reviews)
March 20, 2009 | ordered a combination of live plants, seeds and supplies this year. have not ordered from this company before. found the prices for the most part to be reasonable especially for live plants - some of the trees i want are beyond my budget but i am hoping that is because they are so large and healthy that they are worth it.
the peat pot deals are especially a bargain, and some of the vegetable processing equipment are things i have not been able to find anywhere else.
my live plants are shipping separately, i'm not sure when but will comment on their state when i get them. the seeds and supplies came very promptly. also enclosed were some "bonus" seeds which were appreciated. shipping costs were very reasonable, especially considering several other places i have ordered from. |
| Positive | lilygrandma
Ellijay, GA
(11 reviews)
March 17, 2009 | I have ordered from them for several years and been pleased. This year I ordered online and had the seeds in hand 8 days later. My kind of service. There was one packet on backorder--the one I count on them to have since the seeds are hard to find. Hope to see the seeds soon. Will let you know about germination. |
| Positive | gardenon
Okeana, OH
(2 reviews)
March 01, 2009 | So far so good. It's early in the season and I have not had the opportunity to plant many of the seeds I ordered yet. Our planting time is not until May. However, I started the petunia seeds inside and they germinated in 4 days. The columbine just started to germinate. The asparagus and onion startes are on backorder. They will probably not ship until planting time. I ordered from these folks last year and was very satisfied. I will post after I receive the backordered items. |
| Positive | Tink2U
Rockford, IL
(7 reviews)
February 22, 2009 | I actually got my seed orders in early this year (Feb) and Shumway did their part as well! Complete order, received in one week's time...I was a bit startled at how fast I got it. Have used their seeds before and they have always given me great results! I think their catalog is cool!! |
| Positive | garyman
(1 review)
February 12, 2009 | I ordered for the first time based on a catalog that I received in the mail. The seeds arrived in about two weeks with very good instructions and clear information on each packet. |
| Positive | mersiepoo
New Freeport, PA
(7 reviews)
February 10, 2009 | I have ordered seeds from them for the past several years and was always pleased with them.
I finally ordered some bush cherries from them (first live plants I ordered from them) last spring. Years ago I had gotten 3 bush cherries from another company and only 1 had survived (the other 2 got destroyed by our township. So, I needed a pollinator. I ordered 3 bush cherry plants and one patriot blueberry.
I got MONSTER cherry bushes! They were the largest ones I've ever gotten, they looked almost full grown and were the opposite of the tiny sticks I had purchased from another plant company in the past. They were very reasonably priced and even put out flowers that same year! I was extremely happy with them and would order again if I need more bush cherries. The patriot blueberry was also extremely nice, and it survived the drought we had last summer with minimal watering.
The lemongrass plant I got was very healthy as well! It's still putting out leaves in my house. It grew exponentially last summer!
I would definitely order from them again! |
| Positive | joy112854
Crestview, FL
(7 reviews)
February 03, 2009 | I decided to give this company a try as I received a coupon to use and was very delighted at the way they package their seeds, the instructions are very easy to read and understand and they were all in order. I have since then ordered pepper plants from them and I'm expecting that they will mail those at the proper time. Will I use them again? If my pepper plants show up like I think they will and in a timely manner, definately.
joy112854
On March 10th, 2009, joy112854 added the following:
I will defintely buy from RH Shumway again, and again, and again. I planted most of the seeds they sent, as this was the first time I'd tried this company, they don't scrimp on the amount of seeds they send you and they all germinated, didn't have any duds in the bunch. My plants are so beautiful too, so I would buy from this company again.
joy |
| Positive | pjpackrat
Accokeek, MD
(Zone 7a)
(2 reviews)
January 10, 2009 | Have ordered form this company many times over the years, ordered seeds on Dec. 29, 2008 they shipped the seeds, Dec. 31 and I had them by the 5th of Jan. everything is as ordered. |
| Negative | bigarden
Beecher, IL
(1 review)
September 16, 2008 | I have ordered from this company before a number of times with no problems. This year I ordered 12 seed packets. 2 of the varieties I received were "Not true to name." ( A polite way of saying they got the wrong seeds in the packets.) I might have been less upset if it was just one variety, but 2? In the same order? Specifically, I ordered Muskmelon and now have small white pumpkins growing. I ordered Celebrity tomatoes and have a heart shaped tomato growing. (Celebrity tomato is NOT heart shaped. ) Well , at least it was a tomato.
I wrote to the company and they issued a credit for the price of the two packets. Gee, what about the shipping cost? And the lost season? Gosh!
I have never had a problem like this from any other mail order seed seller.
I will only order from this company to use the credit and any other business will go elsewhere. |
| Positive | ket0276
Aurora, IN
(Zone 6a)
(4 reviews)
June 28, 2008 | I received a catalog in the mail this winter, and I was happy to see that they offer non GMO seeds, so I placed a pretty good sized order. I have been VERY impressed by the quality of the plants that I've gotten from these seeds. I will definitely be ordering from them again this winter. |
| Positive | elbua
(1 review)
April 25, 2008 | After reading the feedback about Shumway I was very uneasy about my recent order. My nieghbor had given me corn seed from Shumway last year. I really liked it and place a fairly good sized order with them. I recieved 95% of my order in under 10 days with only one item backordered. I e-mailed with a question, and was e-mailed back within a few hours with the answer. I'm very pleased so far with this company and would order from them again. |
| Positive | cabo777
Ida Grove, IA
(2 reviews)
June 06, 2007 | All seeds and all plants are not the same, My response to R.H. Shumways is POSITIVE. This Company will answer there telephone and e-mail and make good on there products. Early in the year (2007) I ordered Rasberry's and Blackberries all but 1 did great, they promptly repaced the one that did not come up but also sent two in the place of one. No argument at all. I later ordered strawberries and received them in a timely maner and in good shape. I highly recomend this Company. Thank you and good gardening to all. Bob & Carol |
| Negative | dodges7
Alna, ME
(Zone 5b)
(4 reviews)
May 12, 2007 | 8 pepper seedlings ordered for $ 11.45. Seedlings had only one set of leaves and were in completely dried out Jiffy 7 plugs loosely packed in a small box (apparently wedged in two plastic pots when moist). If the dryness hadn't killed them, the bouncing in shipping probably would have. I have never received such tiny seedlings from any mail or on-line nursery. Will never do business with them again. |
| Positive | Vashur
Wichita, KS
(Zone 6a)
(7 reviews)
April 06, 2007 | This was my first order from the company. I ordered onion plants and potato sets because the cost was much less than my usual source. They arrived today and they are really good looking product. I also received a generous bonus pack. I would have liked them a couple of weeks earlier but it is working out for the best anyhow because we now have unseasonably cold weather and they won't have to contend with it. I will certainly use this company for a larger order next year. |
| Positive | happyscientist
Fairmont, WV
(1 review)
March 16, 2007 | I had never ordered from this company before, so last month I placed a small test order of around $25. The complete order arrived in less than two weeks and included a few bonus packs of seeds. |
| Positive | dtinn
Falmouth, KY
(9 reviews)
February 11, 2007 | I have ordered from this company for years without any problem. They may not as flashy as some companies, but they deliver good quality seed at fair prices. I also like the fact that I can order bulk seed without spending an arm and a leg. |
| Positive | gafbuffalo
Orchard Park, NY
(Zone 5a)
(5 reviews)
January 21, 2007 | Good, fast service on seed delivery. This company has a very nice selection of vegetable seeds, generally better than their parent, Jung, at least for what I like to grow. I've never had a problem with germination rates, either. |
| Positive | drlith
Lanham, MD
(1 review)
May 26, 2006 | I ordered about 25 different varieties of seed, 20 asparagus crowns, and 8 different berry shrubs (2 blueberry, 2 lingonberry, 2 gooseberries, and 2 black currents). The seeds were shipped 2-3 weeks after I placed my order (by mail), except fava beans, which were on back order. It was down to the wire with them to get them in time for the narrow planting window, but they did make it here by the first week of March, and I got them in the ground a week later. The shrubs all arrived in one shipment in late March. We put them in the ground right away; one of the gooseberries did not sprout from the existing stems, but it did manage to send up new growth from the roots, and now all the berry bushes are looking happy. The aspargus crowns all eventually came up as well.
I received several bonus packets of "experimental" varieties, which was nice, although they should indicate what the sweetness genetics of the experimental sweet corn are, since certain hybrids shouldn't be planted with certain other hybrids.
All told, I will definitely use RH Shumway again--they have good prices on a lot of old standbys, |
| Positive | nepaug
New Hartford, CT
(1 review)
May 13, 2006 | I have ordered seeds from R.H. Shumway for years with no problems. Good seeds at a fair price. |
| Positive | holleegee
Lawson, MO
(1 review)
April 06, 2006 | This was the first time I ordered from R.H. Shumway. I am so happy with my order, it was shipped very fast and everything I ordered is very good quality. I ordered rhubarb and they have to be at least 6-8 inches long and about three inches around! I also ordered walking onions (multiplyer onions) it says 10 to a package but one package has 19 and the other has 16! My mint chocolate plant is also a nice size! I am very happy with my order! I will order from them again. |
| Positive | bean_freak
Kellyton, AL
(Zone 7b)
(1 review)
March 15, 2006 | i ordered from Shumway ,s and they were quite fast and i i got what i ask for
also i ask for a order form and they sent it right a way
Go Shumways
wayne M. |
| Positive | shockme_wv
Grafton, WV
(3 reviews)
February 02, 2006 | So far, Shumway's has been so-so. This is my 1st time ordering from them, and they took pretty long for being such a large outfit. I ordered from 3 companies at the same time, and Shumway's delivered last (and was also the largest company). One of them was even snail mailed in versus my Shumway's order that was placed via the internet, and it still arrived before Shumway. The order was incomplete, but the backordered packet did arrive about 2 weeks later. I took a leap of faith and ordered 2 blueberry plants which are to arrive in Spring, so I am keeping the fingers crossed on that one. The good thing about Shumway is their price, they have a lot of varities at a lower cost than other catalogs I received.
On May 15th, 2006, shockme_wv added the following:
Well, my 2 blueberry plants arrived and were in good shape and since being planted (in March) they're doing very well. My rosemary seed did not germinate well (3 came up out of 24 planted) but I don't know if this is because rosemary is difficult or if the seeds were bad). I would order from Shumway's again after my experience which overall was generally positive. |
| Positive | IslandJim
Keizer, OR
(Zone 8b)
(4 reviews)
March 17, 2005 | I placed an order for three Stevia [rebaudiana] plants from Shumway's on February 28, 2005; they arrived today, March 17, 2005. They were well packed. They arrived a bit dry, but perked up as soon as watered. I'm satisfied with what I got for what I paid. Tomorrow, if the rain stops, I will plant them out. |
| Positive | Dragonfly_eyes
Mobile, AL
(3 reviews)
February 22, 2005 | I have ordered from Shumway on a couple of different occasions and both times I've been quite pleased with both the speed and quality of the seeds I've bought. The prices were beyond fair according to what I've seen elsewhere on the internet, too. A big thumbs up to Shumways. |
| Positive | Maridian88
Paradise, TX
(2 reviews)
January 05, 2005 | I was shocked at reading all the negative experiences with this company. I ordered from them in 2004 & my order arrived promptly & completely. I am a market farmer & it was a fairly large order, though it was all seeds, no live plants or seed potatoes. I think when you deal with a company affiliated with the Randolph, WI address, you almost HAVE to get your order in extra-early, & I would NEVER order anything but seeds from them. Course most of the other companies at this address will not ship until March or April, but Shumways claims to be the exception to this rule. |
| Positive | sunnybritefarm
(3 reviews)
April 15, 2004 | I've never had a problem ordering from them. Have been using them for years. Guess I've been lucky. They have a few items I like , so I'll keep using them. |
| Negative | cemcoatl
Elgin, TX
(2 reviews)
March 20, 2004 | The length of time it takes between ordering from this company is too long . place your orders right now so you can get them next year. |
| Positive | texaswulf
Conroe, TX
(1 review)
January 23, 2004 | After reading all the negative remarks here I wasnt sure if i wanted to place an order with this company. However I decided to try my luck and I place a 50 plus dollar order with them. Two weeks later I had my order in hand and it was 100% complete, no back orders or out of stocks. I will use this company again in the future. All I can say is great company and great service!!!! |
| Positive | Farmerdill
Augusta, GA
(Zone 8a)
(17 reviews)
December 04, 2003 | I have purchased vegetable seed from the Shumway company since the 40's. The major positive has always been their good selection of traditional open pollinated varieties. In the 60's while it was still a Shumway company located in Rockford , Illinois quality and service began to slip. On occasion mis-labeled cultivars arrived. The company name was bought and moved to Graniteville SC and during the 90's I bought a lot of seed from them. Again the attraction of older cultivars that are difficult to find and the fact that I could go down to the warehouse and buy the seeds without the mailorder hassle.( It was only 11 miles from me) Only problem was that their major supplier (Seeds By Design) which is a major player in the production of heirloom seeds has spent too little time insuring the purity of their cultivars. Since the Jungs buyout and subsequent move to Wisconsin, I hope they get their act together, but I am not holding my breath.
On January 25th, 2004, Farmerdill changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Placed an order first week of January and was pleasantly surprised to receive complete AND correct order within a week. This was for seeds only. They use to drop ship plants and garden supplies so many problems could have been with contract shippers. At any rate the Jung people show signs of getting the company in order so I have go positive. Downside is that they seem to be phasing out many of the vegetable varieties that drew mw to them in the first place. |
| Positive | PJeff
(1 review)
August 02, 2003 | Whenever I use a new supplier, I tend to order small, which is what I did this year. Ordered seeds and three elephant ear bulbs. The elephant ears were only 3 for 12.00, much more reasonable than other sources and they are magnificent!!!
Yes, my order did come in three shipments, but to be honest, I received all in a timely fashion and with explanation.
I would rate my small experience as positive. |
| Positive | BobS
(1 review)
April 25, 2003 | I notice that most of the negative comments about this company are from past years. This year (2003), I ordered several items from R.H. Shumway, including seed potatoes and vegetable seeds. All except two backordered items arrived promptly and in good condition, and even those two still arrived in time for normal planting. I think these guys deserve a chance! |
| Neutral | LauraJ
Northville, MI
(9 reviews)
March 06, 2003 | Their old-fashioned, Farmer's Almanac-like catalogue is cute, but there are NO latin / botanical names for any products. The Spring 2003 catalogue cover says: "Delayed Shipments - Deep Regrets - Problems Addressed". Hmm. The company says that it moved to Randolph, Wisconsin and they apologized for problems with spring 2002 orders. "Some shipments were delayed or late... you had every right to be unhappy." But the company says its new home and new processing facility will result in better shipping.
That said, they carry some interesting things including a REAL "heirloom" -- blue dent corn from the Hopi Indians, which I read elsewhere is from seeds recovered on an archaeological dig!! so I might give them a try with a small order of that. |
| Negative | mareilly
(1 review)
March 03, 2003 | I placed my seed order in January. It's now March and I have received every other seed order I placed. Shumway seeds still haven't arrived. I just called their 800 number. Had to redial 5 times before I didn't get a busy signal. Spent 10 minutes on hold before giving up. I just sent them an email from their web site asking about order status. Will keep you posted - am very unhappy.
On March 7th, 2003, mareilly added the following:
After a week of attempting to contact Shumway by phone I finally got through. I was told the majority of items in my order were backordered, but that (what a coincidence!) my order was in the filling department and the other items would probably be sent out today. I told the rep to cancel my order (most of what I wanted was backordered).
After I hung up, I called my bank (should have done this first) and found out that my check was cashed on February 13th! I am so irritated with this company - I will *never* place another order with them. |
| Negative | Javabean
Houston, TX
(Zone 9a)
(3 reviews)
February 25, 2003 | After reading their "starting over story" in the new Shumway catalog, I thought I would give this garden supplier a chance. I placed a seed order with Shumway by mail in January. The check cleared on February 3. I have not received merchandise or an update regarding the location and expected delivery time of my merchandise. Based on the other reviews and my own experience, I will not order from Shumway's again. |
| Negative | chickenman
Somerset, PA
(19 reviews)
February 25, 2003 | This company is a joke. I ordered seeds last February (2002) and I did not recieve them until June. And this was after many phone calls wondering where my order was. Last summer I received an apology and a coupon. I ordered seeds last fall and did not have a problem. I figured they just had an off year and the problem was taken care of, well I was wrong. I ordered a 12' heating cable this year in January over the internet and still haven't received it. After I get this order taken care of, it will be the last one placed with this seed company. Having it take 4 weeks plus to receive an order placed on the internet is insane. Especially when other seed companies have your order in your mail box in less than two weeks. |
| Negative | hangsix
(8 reviews)
February 19, 2003 | PLEASE READ THIS AND NOTE THIS WARNING !
Last year this company had a fire , so I was aware that they
had some 'NEGATIVE ' issues ! However I was Sincerely ,,,
willing to give the another chance this year ,,, due to the
fire and what looked to me like a sincere apolize for poor
serivce last year . NO MORE >>>> I order seeds over 3 weeks
ago emailed them and got a email back that said they were 3 weeks behind . Within that email they also said they would
research the issue no responance ,,, I have a small presonal
greenhouse and I don't think I 'll get these seeds in time for
the season here in Buffalo NY . I AM SO ANGERY ,,, PLEASE
FELLOW GARDENS DO NOT PROVIDE ANY MORE BUSSINESS TO THIS
COMPANY THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US !
BE WARNED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On March 20th, 2003, hangsix added the following:
Please note on March the 19 I did receive most .....
of my order two items were left off . I was told due to the fact that there had to mail them at a later date I owned them
postage .. of .80 cents I have writen to them and told them to
cancel any other products . I WILL NEVER ORDER FROM THEM AGAIN
!!!!!! |
| Negative | enilniah
Rockford, OH
(7 reviews)
February 18, 2003 | i ordered from this company in January 2003 and still have not gotten my order as of February 18, or heard anything from the company. I will not order from this company again.
On February 19th, 2003, enilniah changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following:
called Shumway this morning to ask about order from middle of Jan. was told most of order is on back order and rest is in process of being processed. Will never order from this company again. |
| Negative | moosecop
(1 review)
July 30, 2002 | This company is a joke.And its moving to Wisconsin according to a representitive of Jungs.... Seems Shumways, Totally Tomatoes, Jungs, Vermont Bean and a bunch of others are all owned by a few stockholders who seem to have bought a bunch of companies and in turn are doing a half --- job at management. I ordered seeds in bulk quanities in Nov and Dec and some ( including lettuce) showed up in June. I called Jungs who is taking over this mess and I was assured it would not appear on my credit card and just to keep the seed... Guess what ...it showed up on the credit card I just got. The Fire was at Jungs in Randolff WI near my home and distroyed the Catalogue Storage Area and Bulb area... I was told it did not affect the seed divison so who knows whos telling the truth. I tryed to call Shumways toll free number from March thru May and never got thru on apparently the only line they ever had... I even tryed other numbers which were also always busy. I ended up buying seed from other sources in the mean time like lettuce to get in the ground early.... ANd to top it off one of the varieties I ordered was an heirloom called chicken lettuce. They sent me a Lettuce mix with Black simpson and some other things and said ..." We cant supply you with the variety you ordered so we hope you will like this".... How do they know what ill like.??... ANyways I told the sales person at Jungs I would not order from Shumways or Jungs again ... Even if they are now only going to be 30 miles from my house. |
| Negative | philr
(1 review)
July 01, 2002 | Anyone who has good luck with this company must have caught them on an off day. Generally they are as bad as the worst reviews written for them. I had many problems with orders being promised by specific dates and not arriving. As I have a short growing season, seeds need to be planted indoors. Shumway sends everything as if it will be planted outdoors, based on some incorrect assumptions they have on what is a good planting time for my area. They had an herb mill advertised for a good price. However, it was CLEARLY pictured as all metal, but when it arrived it was some cheap Chinese made junk. Mostly plastic and wholly not as pictured. In many states that is considered fraud and should be reported to your state's Attorney General. I too, had problems connecting with their customer service and they should have an 800 #. Line was always busy, no answering machine. When I emailed them, they came up with the 'computer down' excuse again. They don't give a darn about customer's, just our money. I was so frustrated with them, I wanted them to refund everything, and take everything back, and to pay for the return postage, as it was their screwup. I never heard from them again, and I assume that is a part of their corporate policy! |
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