Tomato Growers Supply
 

[per yesterdays e-mail message]

[LEFT][COLOR=#202020][FONT=Helvetica]Dear Gardening Friends,[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#202020][FONT=Helvetica]I want to share some exciting news with you. I am retiring at the end of 2017, and Tomato Growers will have new owners stepping up to take the company forward. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be your seed provider for the past 32 years. I am very grateful for your loyalty and trust and the great pleasure that doing this job has given me. I have especially enjoyed getting to know so many of you over the years and forming friendships through our love of gardening.
[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#202020][FONT=Helvetica]The incoming owners are a husband-and-wife team, with more than 30 years of experience in the vegetable seed business. I have personally known them for about 25 years and can tell you that the company will be in good and capable hands. Not only do they have tremendous knowledge about seeds, they are also honest, generous, and compassionate people.
[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#202020][FONT=Helvetica]Because of the transition, there will be no 2018 printed catalog mailed to you. Instead there will be an online catalog added to our website. Look for this and some new varieties to appear early in January.
[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#202020][FONT=Helvetica]In the meantime, we are open and filling orders every day going forward. 2017 prices are in effect, and will remain for the coming year. Have a look below at some of the varieties that are our exclusives and “customer top-rated.” Each one promises great performance and wonderful flavor.[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT]

Wow. Wonder who the new owners are?

I received the same message. Fortunately it sounds like she found
a good team to carry on such good service.

No, message here and I wonder why since Linda and I have known each other since 1989 and I've sent her new varieties I like almost every year.

Ah well,I have her personal em addy so perhaps I'll congratulate her that way.

I know it was getting rough for her the last few years since we spoke on the phone several times about that.

Glad to hear,though, that TGS will go forward. How many of you know that Linda flew to where the pictures were being printed, for both the website and the catalog since she wanted to be sure that the colors were correct.

Carolyn

[QUOTE=carolyn137;675397]No, message here and I wonder why since Linda and I have known each other since 1989 and I've sent her new varieties I like almost every year.

Ah well,I have her personal em addy so perhaps I'll congratulate her that way.

I know it was getting rough for her the last few years since we spoke on the phone several times about that.

Glad to hear,though, that TGS will go forward. How many of you know that Linda flew to where the pictures were being printed, for both the website and the catalog since she wanted to be sure that the colors were correct.

Carolyn[/QUOTE]

She took a lot of care for a lot of years. She deserves to retire and enjoy life. I also got that email.

[QUOTE=ginger2778;675399]She took a lot of care for a lot of years. She deserves to retire and enjoy life. I also got that email.[/QUOTE]

Yes,she does deserve to retire.I thought her one son might take over,who has been helping her,but I guess not.

Maybe I should look in my junk mail file to see if it landed there,that has happened in the past.

Carolyn

I got the email too.:)

Worth

Of all the places I've bought tomato/pepper seed at... TGS was the best! Great germination, true to description, one heck of a selection! Going to miss the catalog this year, online is the way of the future... I guess. Good Luck to the new owners, I'll be ordering seeds soon!

I'm pretty sure that only those who placed an online order with TGS in the last year or two and were tagged as active in their customer database are the ones who got the group email, as I did too. I will miss the print catalog, it was a really nice reference to have around. Guess I'll have to make sure I don't toss out last years if I still have it. :bummer:

The catalog will continue just not this year from how I took it.
Or at least want to take it.

Worth.

I didn't need the catalog this year, but was still disappointed when I got the email. Glad she found some good buyers for the company.

It occurred to me last night that I wouldn't be getting the e-mail and here's why.

I never bought seeds from Linda, ever, so I wouldn't be in her computer, but for years I sent her seeds for new varieties that might work out well for her.

Did I ever get seeds from her,yes I did. The year before my heirloom tomato book photography was supposed to be done I couldn't find my seeds for the variety Dr.Carolyn,not named by me,but named for me by Steve Draper. And I did need them ASAP.

So I asked her if she could send me two packs,you know,an heir and a spare, and I said I'd pay up later,she came back and said you don't owe me any money at all for all the seeds you've sent me.

So that's that.

And I did find her personal e-mail so will congratulate her that way and also ask her if she thought it would be a good idea for me to continue to send seeds and if she could tell the new owners that each year she would send me several copies of the catalog.

But I just realized she isn't retiring until the end of December so maybe this week coming up I'll call her directly in Fort Myers,not her home,but the TGS complex where I'm sure she will be.

Carolyn

Maybe she will show up on your doorstep with 7 cats.:))
Worth

[QUOTE=Worth1;675567]Maybe she will show up on your doorstep with 7 cats.:))
Worth[/QUOTE]

I didn't know she had cats and just how did you find out that?

Maybe you meant catalogs?

Nope she's used to warm weather,so are you and wouldn't ever come this far North at this time of year.Actually another winter storm to start later today going on through Xmas tomorrow.

Ok with me since I'm not going anywhere.:)

Carolyn

Whenever I think of TGS and the Sapps, I always think of the superstar cherry tomato they developed -- Black Cherry.

That one tomato is a heckuva legacy.

Yeah, I got the email - Linda is leaving a great legacy, and it will be interesting to see how the company moves on post-Sapp era. In the 1980s there was Southern Exposure, Seeds Blum, the Tomato Seed Company (from Metuchen NJ - they had loads of varieties, one of the best companies that featured heirlooms early on) - and Tomato Growers Supply. TGSC established themselves at a critical time for the growing availability of superb tomato varieties...

[QUOTE=Fred Hempel;675583]Whenever I think of TGS and the Sapps, I always think of the superstar cherry tomato they developed -- Black Cherry.

That one tomato is a heckuva legacy.[/QUOTE]

Fred,it was her now departed husband Vince,a lawyer, who bred that and when it was first listed for sale many bought the seeds I did as well, now that I remember.

I asked Linda what the parents were, making some suggestions, but no,she wasn't talking.

They did the first seed production themselves and those who got seeds had a terrible time getting them to germinate.It turned out that they had included immature seeds,but hadn't realized it.

But once you got a plants up and saved seeds and regrew it,all was well.

I think she apologized for that and offered a new pack of seeds for no charge for anyonewho requested it.

That would certainly be like Linda to do that and she's had to do it several times when something didn't turn out to be what It should be.

With the hybrids, no problem, but with the OP tomatoes she had to contract out and I could list the places she sent starter seeds for that, but won't do that.

But last I knew she was working with Aaron Whaley in Wisconsin son of Kent Whealy, and was more than pleased that he and his workers were producing great seeds.

Fred,I think you are still working with Aaron for seed production as well,you were last time I went to his website/

Carolyn

Yes. Aaron does a great job, and is a great person to do business with.

Black Cherry has always been the healthiest and most reliable plant in my garden.

Great company...I'll be placing another order soon.

As I posted earlier,I did what I decided to do and called TGS today to reach Linda.

The person who first answered knew me and said long time no talk to and how are you doing, and said I know you aren't calling for seeds,you are calling for Linda,so hold on and I'll see if I can transfer you and she did.

And we had a great talk, we really did, she explained where the new owners were from and actually via some grapevine she had said she wanted to sell,interviewed several and chose these two.No I didn't ask for their names or where they were from,but she did indicate at least where they were from.

She said she didn't know where things for her would go next, but also said she would be back in the office to help the new folks when needed. And when asked who it was who first answered the phone she told me her name. And she said she would always know where she was if needed and said that yes,the staff will remain the same.There's more, but I got her laughing when I said two things. First that I guess she wouldn't be knitting hats for newborns and what a memory when I told her that I never bought seeds from her but had sent her many since she first started back in 1989.

And I asked her if she remembered the seeds I did ask her for, just once, and with no hesitation at all she said those two packs of Dr.Carolyn seeds that you needed ASAP since the summer before photography was to be done I had planted many varieties that I thought might work for the book but couldn't find the Dr.Carolyn seeds..

And I casually mentioned that her southern drawl was much better than when she first started. She had my contact info and I asked her for hers since when I sent my Lawson cards out for Xmas hers were reported back as not deliverable.

I also said I was more than willing to keep sending new varieties for trial, then she sends them to Aaron in WI for seed production,and has been more than pleased with what she gets back and Fred Hempel said the same thing.

All for now,

Carolyn, where it's biting cold and will be for the next 6 days.