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GreenThumbGal_07 · March 30, 2007

I've ordered from Underwood Gardens a few times in the last couple of years.

The one thing that stands out for me is that (at least with the tomato seeds I've ordered from them) a packet will contain a seed for at least one "surprise" plant that isn't at all like the plant I originally ordered.

Examples:
2005: Depp's Pink Firefly (pink beefsteak tomato, plant with potato leaves) seed packet contained seed for a plant which grew out as a (very productive and attractive) red-orange beefsteak tomato with regular leaves.[1]
2005: Andes (long pointed red paste tomato, plant with regular leaves, yellow flowers) seed packet contained seed for a plant with wispy gray-green leaves, orange-gold flowers, and orange, irregular oxheart-shaped fruit.[2]
2006: Rosalie's Early Orange/Sweet Horizon (heart-shaped orange tomato, leaf type and flower color not stated in catalog) seed packet contained seed for a plant which grew out as regular leaf but not "wispy" (from the other seedlings I've grown out so far I can see REO/SH has the wispy/shaggy leaves typical of many oxheart tomato varieties).

So, what this tells me is that this particular company might not have very careful seed packing practices. One might even be pleasantly surprised. However, it seems that the first thing one should do is see if the "surprise" plant matches the description of another variety in the catalog.

Also, I don't like their Web site design; it's too hard to navigate. They should look at the Burpee.com Web site for a better (and easier-to-use) example.

GTG
_____
[1] "Not Depp's Pink Firefly." If you want some seeds, please let me know.
[2] "Wispy Critter." I've grown out both Rosalie's Early Orange/Sweet Horizon and Wispy Critter (2005 and 2006 saved seeds) this year to compare the plants side by side. Was it a mere seed packing mistake, or do I have a unique plant?

March 30, 2007	#12
GreenThumbGal_07 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern California Posts: 300	I've ordered from Underwood Gardens a few times in the last couple of years. The one thing that stands out for me is that (at least with the tomato seeds I've ordered from them) a packet will contain a seed for at least one "surprise" plant that isn't at all like the plant I originally ordered. Examples: 2005: Depp's Pink Firefly (pink beefsteak tomato, plant with potato leaves) seed packet contained seed for a plant which grew out as a (very productive and attractive) red-orange beefsteak tomato with regular leaves.[1] 2005: Andes (long pointed red paste tomato, plant with regular leaves, yellow flowers) seed packet contained seed for a plant with wispy gray-green leaves, orange-gold flowers, and orange, irregular oxheart-shaped fruit.[2] 2006: Rosalie's Early Orange/Sweet Horizon (heart-shaped orange tomato, leaf type and flower color not stated in catalog) seed packet contained seed for a plant which grew out as regular leaf but not "wispy" (from the other seedlings I've grown out so far I can see REO/SH has the wispy/shaggy leaves typical of many oxheart tomato varieties). So, what this tells me is that this particular company might not have very careful seed packing practices. One might even be pleasantly surprised. However, it seems that the first thing one should do is see if the "surprise" plant matches the description of another variety in the catalog. Also, I don't like their Web site design; it's too hard to navigate. They should look at the Burpee.com Web site for a better (and easier-to-use) example. GTG _____ [1] "Not Depp's Pink Firefly." If you want some seeds, please let me know. [2] "Wispy Critter." I've grown out both Rosalie's Early Orange/Sweet Horizon and Wispy Critter (2005 and 2006 saved seeds) this year to compare the plants side by side. Was it a mere seed packing mistake, or do I have a unique plant?