Gary Ibsen's Tomato Fest

[mtbigfish]

Well I did have what I thought was an untrue seed.
In my order I had Alicante which I find is usually listed as RL - mine came up all PL so I disgarded and let Gary know last night in an email.
I also had a pack of Hezhou that was short on seeds. He usually sends 35-40+ and at $2 on sale is great and at $2.95 reg is not bad for 40 seeds.

Anyway this morning received email and Gary told me their Alicante has always been PL however he sent me new packs of both and within a few hours.

This is the kind of sevice that is beyond what I expect

Gary has spent too much time on the TomatoFest show for the last 17 years and paid $$ out of his own pocket to keep it going, but as others have said he threw in the towel and is spending has time on his seed/tomato business now.

I still highly recommend Gary for service coutesy and pricing is ok for sale $2 for 35-40+seeds and med priced seeds $2.95 for 35-40+ seeds.

So I still have not received seeds that were not true yet.

Dennis

[heirloomdaddy]

I ordered from Tomatofest this year for all of my varieties. I have had excellent germination, even in cold temps, vigorous plants, excellent communication via email, and large amounts of seed per pack. I agree that it's not cheap, but he has such an immense selection and it is convenient to not purchase from a dozen places. He also threw in a bonus pack. I'll order from him again assuming that a bunch of off-types don't pop up.

[DanishGardener]

I bought seeds from them last year. I had excellent germination and all came true to variety. They also sent me 3 (or was it 4?) bonus packs.

This year, allmost all the seeds still have a germination % close to 100%.

And even though they are expensive compared to other US seed companies, they are still cheap by danish standards. Tomato seeds usually costs between 3.7 - 5.4 $ here in Denmark.

[mtbigfish]

I received my replacement seeds today - one which was really Tomatofest count shortage - the other my fault for tossing - he even threw in Thieneman's Australian Heart - I am a happy camper
Dennis

[whistler]

I purchased several times from TF this season (before I learned on Tomatoville that there were other, less expensive seed sources). Here's my assessment of TF:

- They are expensive...
+ Each time, I was sent a different free packet of seeds. Other companies have sent the same free seed variety in multiple orders.
- Each time, it took about 2 weeks to get the seeds.
- I couldn't find an email address or phone # to contact them when I wanted to combine 2 shipments, and they didn't follow my comments on the second shipment to do so, but everything arrived in time for seed starting since I ordered in January.
+ Germination so far looks fine.
+/- Seed counts in packets looked about right, but were not overpacked like some of the other seed vendors I used this season.
+ Their website is nice with photos for everything and a summary box with size, color, and days / season.
- The packets are all the same - the only specific info about the variety is the name sticker on the front of the packet.
- The packets are "recloseable" with stickum on the lip. It doesn't reclose very well, so I ended up taping it anyway, and you can get seeds stuck on the stickum when you are trying to get them out of the packet.

Overall, I will probably order from them again, but only for hard to find varieties or for their sale ($2) packets, and I will make sure to order early.

[Dixcreek]

Tomato Fest has some really high prices, much higher than I can afford, Victory Seed is a good source, they don't have as big of a variety of seeds but they are true to the cause of seed saving, Baker creek is also a good source they are flashy and a bit high on some items but I have found their seed to be as advertised. There are many good sources out there you just have to do your research and roll the dice every once in a while. I am a grower, seller, and seed saver of heirloom and open pollinated varieties of veggies, I have dealt with many companies and found that like in all aspects of life there are good as well as bad. just a suggestion look into the seedsavers exchange web site and their membership sources, I have found these to be very accurate over the years.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Dixcreek

Tomato Fest has some really high prices, much higher than I can afford, Victory Seed is a good source, they don't have as big of a variety of seeds but they are true to the cause of seed saving, Baker creek is also a good source they are flashy and a bit high on some items but I have found their seed to be as advertised. There are many good sources out there you just have to do your research and roll the dice every once in a while. I am a grower, seller, and seed saver of heirloom and open pollinated varieties of veggies, I have dealt with many companies and found that like in all aspects of life there are good as well as bad. just a suggestion look into the seedsavers exchange web site and their membership sources, I have found these to be very accurate over the years.

Dixie, welcome, and have you had a chance to look at the seed sources in the sticky at the top of this Forum?

Aside from the ones you mention I'll stongly add Sandhill Preservation. mariseeds, and now Glecker's newly revived as well as several others.

Since I grow only heirloom varieties, for the most part, I save my own seeds and get new varieties from a variety of sources other than commercial seed sources. And I make a free seed offer here each year, or have to date, with no trades wanted. And of course list in the SSE YEarbook, so I'm quite dedicated to presrvation of OP varieties, and not just tomatoes.

But I've been posting online about tomatoes since 1989 so have a lot of feedback on what I think are among the best. For several years I did a wrong varieties thread at another message site which was very interesting indeed.

I'm not sure what you mean by your last sentence where you say to look at the SSE site " and their membership sources". Are you saying look into a membership or are you referring to the SSE Public catalog/website?

I've been a member of SSE for over 20 years and a Lifetime member as well, and I've made many wonderful friends in that way, aside from a common interest in heirloom tomatoes.

[bigbubbacain]

My results with TomatoFest have always been mixed. Varieties that were promised to be vigorous were not. The ones that were promised to be flavorful, were not. There's nothing on this site that I can't find elsewhere, and if I haven't heard of it, I'll ask those of you here. AND....if none of you have heard of it, I leave it alone.

On a side note, I've been totally elated with the seeds that I've found elsewhere-- especially the ones that I've traded for, or even got for free! It's humbling to have an amazing tomato come from seed that someone was willing to give me without even requesting so much as a self addressed stamped envelope from me.

[Dixcreek]

Actually I was referring to both, Really want to get others into the work that SSE does and hope that folks will take a look and hopefully join the noble cause. I have admired your work for a number of years and enjoyed the article in the SSe spring book. I use some of your recommedations and suggestions in my small business. I currently sell over 100 varieties of tomato plants as well as 50 plus pepper types (95% of tomatoes are heirlooms and open pollinates. once again thanks for you comments and your work. best wishes and good health to you

I think Gary Ibsen has treated me well. After reading this post, I'm feeling a little insecure.

I ordered Cuostralee (thank you Dr. Male), Cherokee Purple, and Black Krim from him a couple of weeks ago. Before ordering, I sent him an email inquiring if any would require back ordering since it is so late in the season. I received a personal email response from Gary within a few hours telling me all three were in stock. I ordered them and received them in a very timely manner. After dealing with some other vendors who I thought were way over priced, I found Gary's prices to be reasonable. He also promised 30 seed per pack. I didn't count every seed in six packs, but it sure looked like at least 30 seeds per pack. He also included a couple of bonus packs of seed I didn't order but look very interesting. I did look at the seed in each pack and the seed in each pack looked different from the seed in the other packs. The seed in each pack did look the same as the other seed in the same packs. I don't expect any mislabeled seed, but I may be wrong.

Before I ordered the Cuostralee seed from Gary, I had ordered some from another "reputable" vendor. Most of their seed count was stated in grams. I wanted to make sure I got enough so I ordered three packs of Cuostralee. I think I had a total count of about 30 seed from three packs. 10 seed per pack. Of the 30 seed received, only four germinated while other varieties germinated at the same time at almost 100%. I decided to not try the Cuostralee again because the variety obviously had a low germination rate. Another gardener told me his Cuostralee germinated at almost 100%. I then ordered the seed from Gary. Since I have already planted the four Cuostralee that did germinate, I will not be germinating any of the seed from Gary until spring of next year. I will be germinating and planting the Cherokee Purple and Black Krim within a month and will soon know if Gary's seed is any good. I expect everything to be fine.

Ted

[333.okh]

Great! I ordered Black from Tula, Hawaiian Currant, Azoychka, Caspian Pink, and Iildi from Gary. They are all growing, so we will have to see what I actually have!

[heirloomdaddy]

Granted I have yet to see if all my plants are true to type, I think it's a little silly that Gary gets a bad rap. Of 32 plants and 20 varieties, communication was great, delivery was speedy, extra seeds were thrown-in, germination was great, and leaf types are true. We'll see about the fruit soon.

I understand frustration with plants not being true, and agree that he isn't the cheapest in town. That being said, I think he does the best job around with regards to selection, description, and quality of his site. Plus, he has TONS of seeds at $2 per pack. Assuming that everything is kosher, I'll gladly use him again.

[Granite26]

I appreciate the TomatoFest website, service and seed. I have had good luck with what I purchased.
Ok last year one pack sent was wrong...stuff happens...I ordered a bunch of varieties.
Quantity of seed in packs is great.

[DanishGardener]

I may have to reevaluate my view on Tomatofest, I can see already that two of the varieties i ordered from them are wrong - Amana Orange and Amish Red.
Amana Orange are setting paste/plum type fruits, and Amish Red is setting globe shaped fruits...

I only ordered like 10 or 12 varieties from them, so this is already pretty bad!

[remy]

Originally Posted by DanishGardener

And even though they are expensive compared to other US seed companies, they are still cheap by danish standards. Tomato seeds usually costs between 3.7 - 5.4 $ here in Denmark.

Is it the same in Sweden?
Remy