| Rating | Author | Content |
| Positive | Moonglow
Sunset Zone 17, CA
(19 reviews)
July 29, 2009 | The plants I have ordered from Territorial Seed Company are among the healthiest I have growing in my garden this season. The plants arrived in excellent condition.
Customer Service is superb as well. Lori responded right away (a couple of hours) on an email query, and when she could not help me further, she relayed my question to Mr. Josh Kirschenbaum who is also equally fast in responding.
Thank you TSC. I will be a returning customer.
|
| Neutral | rvnsbrk
Leesburg, VA
(Zone 7a)
(5 reviews)
July 23, 2009 | The seeds from Territorial are far superior to any other. They are more expensive than Burpee, but they offer a different selection and so far everything I have grown is very vigorous. That said, their shipping costs are EXORBITANT!! Shipping for a small bubble envelope is $7.50. According to my Stamps.com account it should cost 1.20 for the postage. I can allow something for the supplies and the time, but I can't get to $7.50. I have even mentioned it politely to them, and gotten no response. In the last few months I have placed several orders for specialty lettuces and now winter harvest items. For about 15 packs of seeds I have spent $23.00 in shipping!! I must be out of my mind. |
| Negative | dmmason
Fairburn, GA
(1 review)
July 12, 2009 | I saw a most unusual plant on their website and ordered it - an Escargot Begonia. The price was perfect (although shipping a little high) but had never seen it in a store before, so ordered it. Well, the shipment was sent right out, but what I got instead was a Fuschia plant. My delivery was on a Saturday and I had to wait until Monday to call them. To my delight I was told that I could keep the Fuschia plant and they would immediately ship out my Escargo Begonia. As you can imagine I was extremely delighted and thought I will definitely order from them again. I immediately did as they told me and re-potted the Fuschia and sat back and waited on the Escargo Begonia. It came within the week and all was well. NOT. It hasn't been 3 months and it appears that BOTH plants are dying. I am very dissappointed. I have never seen plants that have died this fast and both from the same company. Even with watering, the leaves have dried up on both plants like they have been in the hot, hot sun all day, which hasn't been the case. I bought another begonia at the same time from a local company and it is thriving. Needless to say, I am quite dissappointed in my order from Territorial. |
| Positive | LeahJoy
Hawthorne, NJ
(1 review)
July 11, 2009 | I placed a large seed order with the company in Spring 09. I have had success with every seed type I ordered (and I ordered a lot) with the exception of their little loup cantelopes. These grew for a short time and then shriveled and died. I'm most pleased with the peach envoy impatiens. They have an unusual color and are larger than what I see in the nurseries around my town. Overall, I've found the seed yields to be high and the resulting plants to be large and healthy. I'm still waiting to taste the vegetables, but the plants are growing nice and healthy right now and I'm sure they'll be delicious when ready to pick. I have ordered from Burpee in the past and the quality from Territorial is by far superior. I will be ordering again from Territorial next spring. |
| Positive | lilygrandma
Ellijay, GA
(11 reviews)
June 23, 2009 | Another order to Territorial filled completely and quickly with no backorders (this late in the season!) and arrival here from the W.Coast in 4 days (including the weekend) from placing the order!
Also, called and talked to a customer rep who was terrific!
I cannot recommend this company enough! Wish they had a Southern counterpart! |
| Neutral | magnolialover
Southern, WI
(Zone 5a)
(14 reviews)
June 19, 2009 | Months ago in the winter I placed an order for two echinacea. They offered a shipment time selection which I selected mid-May. It was late May and I hadn't heard from them. I phoned in to the number located on the web site and was given another number to call because evidentally the order number on the web site did not deal with existing orders.
I did reach someone on the number I was given and was told it would be a week or so before they would be shipped. My order arrived mid June with only one of the plants. The plant that was shipped has to be the smallest plant I have ever recieved by mail. It barely had roots. The second plant said it was discontinued on the invoice.
It would have been nice if they would have let me know in some way, that the second plant would not be shipped. To pay $9.95 to ship one tiny plant would not have been worth my trouble.
Unfortunately I will not likely be ordering from this company again. First experiences are worth their weight in gold and one miniscule plant and one missing plant with a large shipping fee do not weigh in much. They came in highly recommended by the Watchdog as a top rated company when I placed my order. I just did not find them to be worthy of that spot, having ordered from several of the Watchdog favorites in the past and being 100% satisfied with those companies....not this one.
On June 24th, 2009, magnolialover added the following:
After typing up this review, I was contacted by the company in regards to this order. They said that would credit the shipping charges and apologized for the lack of communication regarding the order. It's nice to know that companies value what is typed here and actually read the comments.
Keep on typing up your feedback on mail order companies everybody ^_^ It matters. |
| Positive | loveblossoms
CA
United States
(Zone 8b)
(13 reviews)
May 15, 2009 | This was the first time I purchased from Territorial Seed Co. I just received my order today and my little hellebore seedling plant arrived safely and in excellent healthy condition. Super bargain, great communication and exceptional packing. I only regret I did not buy more to save on shipping. I definitely look forward to purchasing from Territorial again in the future. |
| Positive | NancyMcD
Grand Marais, MI
(2 reviews)
May 12, 2009 | Territorial Seed is a real favorite with me. I love their seed and equipment selection, and am favorably impressed with their service. I had a genuine problem with one of the products they sell, and they immediately gave me credit for it. Any mail order company can, without meaning to, sell a product that is inferior - the acid test is how they deal with an unhappy customer. The woman who had to listen to me whine was courteous and patient. I'm very pleased and relieved, and wholeheartedly recommend this company to other gardeners. |
| Positive | Spriggin
Selma, OR
(12 reviews)
May 11, 2009 | My infant bay laurel arrived when promised, was securely packed and is now making itself at home. It looks to be very vigorous and I have great expectations that it will live up to its promise. |
| Positive | anitar49
Ridgeley, WV
(7 reviews)
May 01, 2009 | My seed order arrived quickly and I had good germination. I'm glad to see more organic items are being added to the catalog, but I agree with a previous poster that I'd like to see more OP and fewer hybrid choices. It's disappointing to see a plant I'd like to try and then realize it's a hybrid. That being said, I ordered their Sun Gold Tomatoes (hybrid). I tried a few last summer that someone else had grown, and they were the best I've eaten. |
| Positive | therussells1998
Everett, WA
(1 review)
April 22, 2009 | I found seeds that I was not able to find anywhere else on the Web, in our local greenhouses, garden shops or home development centers. I ordered my seeds on Friday the order went out on Monday, and I received them Wednesday. Very Prompt for the order, and really really prompt on the reply to the email I send to them.
I met someone at our local home development center who wanted to know if I found the seeds I was looking for, have given them the companies web site, so they can order the seeds too!
Will I order from these folks again? You bet!
Will I put their name out there? You bet!
Too bad they couldn't fix the weather here in the Everett area :)
so I could put the seed out!
Happy Gardening which ever form it takes!
Beth |
| Positive | auntkel
New Lothrop, MI
(4 reviews)
April 19, 2009 | My recent order was completely correct and arrived in a very short time. I would definitely order from this company again. |
| Positive | writernan
Vonore, TN
(2 reviews)
April 15, 2009 | Ordered my seeds online on Tuesday; seeds arrived on Saturday. Seeds germinated quickly and plants look stronger than the ones I ordered from another company. Am very impressed with customer service attitude and quality of product! Did not think their shipping/handling costs were out of line in the least. |
| Positive | gardener_galore
Pleasant Hill, OR
(2 reviews)
April 01, 2009 | Quality seeds and excellent customer service. Every time I go to the store or have ordered online I have been nothing but pleased. Good germination rates, awesome catalog descriptions to help, and the store staff have always been very friendly. |
| Positive | pattybotanic
Lansdale, PA
(7 reviews)
March 23, 2009 | I ordered on the 13th or 14th, received a confirmation on the 15th and received my order on the 20th. I did note that shipping seemed a bit high, though not outrageous. The last time I ordered vegetable seed it was from Parks and I no longer do business with them for all the reason listed elsewhere on this site. Territorial's service, shipping time and the generous amount of seed in each packet will make me a repeat customer. Also, their web site is well organized and easy to navigate. |
| Positive | greatorganics
Doerun, GA
(3 reviews)
March 20, 2009 | This was a first time purchase for me, and I am pleased. The customer service rep answered my questions to my satisfaction, the order was shipped quickly and received as scheduled. The items were well packaged, and the shipping charges were reasonable and in keeping with shipping charges assessed by other companies, if not slightly less, and the box was a large one. |
| Positive | toomanypotatoes
Perry, MI
(17 reviews)
March 15, 2009 | I ordered my cold weather greens from territorial late summer, 2008. The tundra blend performed very well, and my early spring crop is germinating as we speak in the cold frame. Arctic King is also doing well. The flat shipping charge is generally to my advantage as I batch larger orders togethor. |
| Positive | Rosa_Alba
Olympia, WA
(2 reviews)
February 28, 2009 | I made my order online on Feb. 24th. According to the invoice, it was filled on the 25th and I received my order on the 27th. Everything present and accounted for and all seed packets (and one small jar of pelleted seed) stating, "Packed for 2009". I'm very happy with their promptness and I really, really appreciate not having to wait for my seeds with the planting season coming up. Our garden area is small and I appreciated the "sampler" sized seed packs. They'd be nice if I just wanted to try a small amount of something without planting a ton of it. Thanks, Territorial! Well done! |
| Positive | mvogel6898
Eden Prairie, MN
(Zone 4a)
(1 review)
February 24, 2009 | I ordered my tomato, pepper, bean and flower order on Thursday, Feb. 19 and received the full order on Monday, Feb. 23. Fast and accurate. |
| Positive | farmerwhaley
Millbrook, NY
(1 review)
February 24, 2009 | I have used this company for many years and been satisfied but this year they are disappointing me on a regular basis. First I ordered seeds. They delivered 5 of the packs twice and I had to pay to return them for the refund on my cc. They said it was my fault because I had made several orders and then asked to combine them (on a Sunday). It was too difficult for them for some reason. They are very nice voices on the other end of the line but they don’t like to admit they have made a mistake, a little patronizing, but that is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt. Then I ordered peat pots and a heating mat. My local stores didn’t have them in yet and I really needed them. It was a shipping rate that was %50 of the cost and I just figured I had no choice. I have learned my lesson. THREE WEEKS later and I have still not received the peat pots. I learned they were BO only when I called today to ask about them. I bought some in my local store one week ago. So I paid $18 in shipping - what a waste. I still have plants to be delivered and I am very concerned about that now. I will keep you informed.
On March 3rd, 2009, farmerwhaley changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
Since writing my comment I was contacted by a representative of Territorial Seed Company and we had a long conversation. He was extremely understanding and helpful and corrected all of my concerns. Therefore I would like to change my rating. Territorial Seed company is concerned enough about their clients to have Josh working with them - and that’s a good thing. |
| Positive | HawaiiAL
Kailua Kona, HI
(Zone 11)
(1 review)
February 19, 2009 | one of best catalogs i've seen. great, shipping is high to me from most suppliers as i'm in hawaii.most people are offering,usps mailing ether flat rate or priority flat rate. |
| Negative | heirloompumpkin
San Francisco, CA
(4 reviews)
February 07, 2009 | Shipping is very expensive for just seeds! I won't be buying from them unless the shipping cost comes down. |
| Positive | miss_sassy
Milwaukee, WI
(2 reviews)
February 06, 2009 | I ordered 18 packets of seeds on February 4 and received them on February 6 which I think is outstanding. I ordered from another company on the 3rd and I don't think they have even shipped them yet!
None of the seeds were out of stock. The seed packets are lovely and appear to have a lot of information. Their catalogs are full of great, detailed information and their website is easy to order from. The cost of seeds are a bit on the pricey side but I decided to order from them based on reviews on this site.
I, too, think their shipping rates are high. I was charged $7.50 when actual shipping was under $3.00. I understand a handling charge but in my case, over $4.50 for a padded envelope and the time spent shipping is overblown. I have a small mail order business and would never dream of that handing charge. A sliding scale would be great with perhaps an incentive for free shipping after a certain price limit.
I ordered garlic last fall from them and will find out in June how that fares. I may consider ordering or buying it elsewhere next fall if their shipping prices don't come down a bit.
I will update this review after planting! |
| Positive | carlaheisten
Augusta, ME
(2 reviews)
February 05, 2009 | I had a tough time getting my carrots thinned last year and I was pleased to see pelleted seed in the Mokum carrots from this company. I was NOT pleased to see the high shipping fee for a few seeds, but decided to try them anyhow. The order arrived very promptly even though Maine is a bit of a distance. I was dissapointed to see the carrot seeds were NOT pelleted and that somehow I must have misunderstood the web site information. I emailed the company and was very pleased with their very PROFESSIONAL speedy personal response. They promptly sent me a container of the pelleted seed at no further charge and overall I am happy with them so far. I would like to see a smaller shipping fee offered for small orders since the actual cost was far less than the fee charged. That alone may prevent me from ordering from them in the future. However I am awfully glad to now have carrot seeds that I won't have to thin quite so much this summer! |
| Positive | gracefamily
Lexington, KY
(1 review)
February 04, 2009 | Received alfalfa seed shortly after ordering and fall garlic several weeks later in the fall with no added shipping costs (surprise! yay!) Alfalfa seeds did great, garlic sprouted and seems to be doing fine. Instructions on packets are very good too. |
| Neutral | withakwsd
Mount Vernon, WA
(1 review)
February 03, 2009 | I am a third generation Territorial Seed planter, and this year, I just couldn't do it. It seems like every year there are more and more hybrid seeds and fewer and fewer open pollinated seeds available from Territorial. I will admit, selling seeds that aren't necessarily "savable" is a good business decision for a company interested in selling seeds year after year. Now, refer back to my first sentence, my grandmother, mother, and I all plant open pollinated seeds, and year after year, order seeds from the company. Some ask why I bother with OPs if I'm just going to order from somewhere else; I save seeds, yes, but there are so many wonderful OP varieties of vegetables out there, how can I pick a favorite, not try the new ones, and risk dietary boredom?!
Please, Territorial Seed Co., sell more OP seed, and less hybrid seed!
I must confess, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Territorial's descriptions, culture, and growing information... that sort of information is definitely needed for those of us on the west side of the Cascades.
I'll still take a gander at next year's (and this winter's) catalogue(s), but until there are more OPs and less F1s, all I'll be doing is looking.
Oh, and perhaps a sliding scale for that flat-rate shipping (I'm thinking for folks whose seed order is, say, less than the shipping price)... or a list of local stores that are carrying your seed - if I do decide to by an OP from y'all this year, I certainly won't pay ten bucks for one packet of seed - I'll head to the food co-op - they have a large display of your seeds.
Thanks! |
| Negative | d687
Guthrie, OK
(1 review)
January 27, 2009 | I was a long time customer of this company. However I will not pay $7.95 shipping to order a few packets of seeds. Come on, Territorial Seed, become user friendly again rather than making money on shipping costs. I know for a fact that you are losing good customers and they are vocal about why they are ordering elsewhere.
Company representative comment on January 27, 2009:
On Jan 27, 2009 2:27 PM, Territorial Seed Company responded with:Each year we spend quite a bit of time evaluating different ways to implement the charges for shipping, handling, and insurance. For the vast majority of our customers, the flat fee system that we use is the most advantageous for them. You can purchase one packet of seed or 1001 packets of seed and the shipping, handling and insurance fee will be the same. Furthermore, Territorial offers a wide range of gardening products, which ship at several different times throughout the season. For example, a customer could order seeds, potatoes, blueberry plants and garlic; each of which is sent out separately but are all included in the standard flat fee. You can see in this example how the flat fee of $7.50 would be a bargain.
When it comes to processing orders, there are many steps involved that add up to more than just the cost of postage or UPS fees. For us, it takes about the same amount of time and money to handle a small order as it does a large order. Our staff takes pride in shipping out orders very quickly, accurately, and with care. Your satisfaction with our products and your success in the garden are of utmost importance to us. We sincerely appreciate your business.
Tom Johns
President, Territorial Seed Company
|
| Positive | nygardener2
New Hyde Park, NY
(12 reviews)
January 15, 2009 | Quick seed delivery(7 days after order) most items were in stock. The seeds are for 2009 season. Each packet has detailed information on care. Customer care is great at making changes to any order. Very happy :) will report in on produce taste! |
| Negative | briergarden
Lynnwood, WA
(1 review)
January 15, 2009 | Have not tried seeds from this company.
They have such big shipping cost that i prefer to stay away from trying their seeds. $7.50 to have to ship some seeds, come on, people. |
| Positive | whitie
Baker City, OR
(Zone 5b)
(6 reviews)
January 14, 2009 | I have ordered from Territorial for the past few years and have never had a problem with customer service or their products. I like to have 'all my ducks on the same page' when the gardening season kicks off in the spring; so I ordered earlier than usual this year. I placed my first order on 12/27/08 and had it in my possesion within 2 weeks. I thought this was pretty good considering the delays from holiday and the weather we had in this part of the country. I work for the post office and am aware of all the road closures between here and there. We have had a lot of them in the past few weeks. I placed my second order(stuff I had overlooked) this past sunday and they were delivered to my door today(wednesday). It's a pleasure doing business with a company of this caliber. |
| Positive | WisGeorge
Wisconsin Rapids, WI
(1 review)
November 10, 2008 | I just had to take some time and write you folks to tell you
> how thrilled I was with two specific hybrid tomatoes. One was Super
> Marzano and the other was Oregon Star. I can a lot of salsa and just
> "hunky" tomatoes for chili and the like. Not only were these tomatoes
> very sweet and flavorful, but they were of a size and number that I
> had to go out and buy four more cases of quart jars! Yikes! |
| Positive | larrisb
Mission Viejo, CA
(Zone 10a)
(1 review)
September 30, 2008 | First time buyer from Territorial Seed-
Your seeds have been the most viable and vigorous by far-
I'm getting very, very close to a 100% germination rate and
the plants just accelerate from there to production!!
My current sowing of fall lettuce is up and running!!
For EVERY seed sown there is a plant!!! Incredible!
Very Pleased!!!
|
| Positive | Insano
Vancouver, WA
(1 review)
September 25, 2008 | I have been buying seed from Territorial at about 20 years. I am an organic gardener. The company provides speedy delivery, great diversity of varietals. I have seen the company and catalog grow over the years...a testament to the quality of their service and products. Their seed is tested and I have had great germination of their seed. I tried new varieties in my garden and greenhouse this year. One was "Flashy Trouts Back Lettuce and the other "Red Noodle" Dow Gauk...both were phenomenal! I grow Purple sprouting Broccoli and Trombocini Rampicante Squash as well, favorites of mine. |
| Positive | Thornns
Genoa, NY
(3 reviews)
September 22, 2008 | I've ordered from Territorial Seeds for several years - and I've always been positively impressed. I was delighted to see them highly rated this year - and ordered yet again. My order arrived with lightening speed! Bravo! Thank you. |
| Positive | p1mkw
Danville, IN
(Zone 5b)
(6 reviews)
September 01, 2008 | I recently placed a very small order just to get some lettuce to try for this fall. The order was sent out immediately and arrived last Friday. I dampened a couple of coffee filters and sprinkled a few seeds of each variety on the filters. When I checked on them yesterday (3 days later) to make sure they weren't drying out ... they had already sprouted. The one variety had 100% germination and the other, while a little less, was still excellent. I will be ordering more seeds from Territorial in the spring. |
| Positive | desertskat
John Day, OR
(1 review)
July 28, 2008 | i have been a customer for 5 years or so, and i have never been disappointed. i like the fact you can buy the seeds by the ounce, instead of just by the gram or package like so many other companies. this gives territorial an edge over the competition when it comes to saving money.
they are good quality seeds and have a shelf life of at least what they say on the package. the germination rate is usally better than advertised. the only problem i had with the seeds is when i did something wrong. the tomatoes i started from seed are doing better than the plants i bought from a local nursery.
whenever i have a gardening question, they are eager to help and always give good advice. |
| Positive | JAFMArtin
Ann Arbor, MI
(3 reviews)
June 13, 2008 | I have separate bill to/ship to addresses - and my order was shipped to the bill to address. I would give them a neutral for that - but most of the seeds I ordered are germinating well.
I ordered several different types of sunflowers. I was disappointed that the packaging was all the same - with just a generic sunflower print on the front. I have one in particular (Floristan) that doesn't seem to be germinating, but I'll keep an eye on it and contact the company if it doesn't work out. |
| Positive | brownclint
Brownsville, TN
(3 reviews)
June 07, 2008 | I ordered 2 Tiki Torch coneflowers. They bloomed within a few weeks of planting. Their quality and service is amazing! Highly recommended. |
| Positive | Azure_sky
Rockville, MD
(3 reviews)
June 04, 2008 | I'm a newly addicted gardener, now with 1/3-acre of a backyard to garden. Well, that's enough land for a home gardener to play with, and I'm very excited this season carving out of my expansive lawn a vegetable garden and later, new beds and borders. Anyway, I bit the gardening bug back when I lived for a couple of years in Seattle, WA. I brought that new-found "love" all the way here to the mid-Atlantic. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, that's how I know about Territorial Seed. I'm truly glad Territorial has gotten ALL POSITIVE ratings. It very well deserves that sterling reputation! |
| Positive | ArmyOfFive4God
(2 reviews)
May 24, 2008 | Here is a copy of a review I posted today on another site:
"I've ordered now from Territorial, so I figured I should add my review as well:
1- Name of company? Territorial seed
2- Catalogue, online or in-store purchase? Online
3- Rating of company (based on combined- customer service, accuracy in your order, quickness of your order, communication, your happiness with the order & germination of the seeds)-
*= NEVER AGAIN!
**= poor
***= OK
****= Good
>>>*****= LOVE them & will definitely order from again<<<
4- WHY you gave the rating you did & any additional info!
I ordered a blueberry bush & a Meyer Lemon in April. I rec'd the BB bush fairly quickly. It looks good, has been transplanted and is growing well. The only thing was the lemon bush- it was on B/O- no biggie, but it was a LOT smaller than I had anticipated. I figured it would be about the size of the BB (in a 4" pot), but it was literally a bare root STEM. I can't really blame them for that as I didn't ask when I didn't see the description on the webpage. The lemon was also very healthy, and seems to be doing well after transplant. So I feel comfy giving them a 5* on this first order.
I've also just placed my 2nd order with them. I've spoken to a CS rep over the phone- she returned my call very quickly, given the 3 hour time difference & on a Saturday. She was able to fix MY mistake. I will update as soon as I rec'v that order as well." |
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