Tomato Growers Supply Co.

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

... Carolyn, who notes that in the tomato seed business the only two others she's known longer than Linda are Glenn Drowns of Sandhill Preservation and Jeff MCCormack, who use to own SESE but sold it and now owns Garden Medicinals. All three should be models for others in the seed business as I see it. ...

I agree.

Originally Posted by clkeiper

Hermatian, just for your information...those Giant Szegedi's are not giant. ...

The TGS description matches my experience:
http://www.tomatogrowers.com/GIANT-S...ductinfo/9039/

[ReginaAnn]

TGS seeds have SUPER germination rates. Love them.

[Tomato Beth]

I had great success with their seeds this year, too.

[pecker88]

Ordered from TGS about a month ago for my winter grow.
Germinated 4 seeds of each variety below in paper towels atop my DVR box.
Only 1 of 20 seeds did not germinate. Awesome customer service also.

Toms:
Totem
Red Robin
New Big Dwarf

Peppers:
Habaneo
Purple Jalapeno

I ordered from them very recently. The one thing that really stood out after I ordered was how prompt they were. They got it shipped out very fast. It arrived fast. I felt kind of like I ordered it and there it was. Unfortunately, I purposefully didn't browse through their peppers (because I have lots of peppers, and I'm not sure how long the seeds will keep), and I missed that they have Roumanian Rainbow, which I actually would have wanted to get.

Seems like a nice store to me. The website format and varieties offered are cool.

[wildcat62]

I had good luck with them last year.

[ginger2778]

I order from them almost every year. This year, I am sending Linda Sapp some seeds to trial. I spoke to her on the phone day before yesterday, she is very nice.

[Worth1]

Horrible company.
Always tempting me with more pepper and tomato seeds by way of catalog and emails.
The service is too good to be true people answer the phone and emails, something is up.
Story has it they may be aliens.
Worth

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

I order from them almost every year. This year, I am sending Linda Sapp some seeds to trial. I spoke to her on the phone day before yesterday, she is very nice.

Yes, she is very nice and I've known her since about 1989.She used to trial everything re tomatoes at where she and her now late husband lived, but when they moved she had to subcontract out and she's used several places for that including Adam Gleckler but now she's having Aaron Whaley,son of Kent,to do the seed production she needs at his huge place in WI.

I feel a bit guilty since for the past two years I haven't sent anything,and now it's too late for this year.

She and her help do all the germination tests before they send out any seed, and if you look in the catalog, or online you can see that many commercial farmers get their seeds from her,just b/c of the amounts they sell.

And I laugh a bit b/c each year she sends me two catalogs since she knows that I don't buy seeds,they appear and before I send any we talk over what she might need, I do that as well, as to more of this,nope,don't need any of that, etc.

The last time I tried to buy seeds from Linda was when pictures were being taken for my book in the summer of 1998 and in 1997 I did the growouts to be sure all were OK,they weren't, b/c when I tried to find my Dr.Carolyn seeds I couldn't, called her, and she sent two packs and wouldn't take a dime b/c I'd sent so many ones to trial before that.

Two problems she'shad are folks sending seeds that are contaminated,usually it's Fusarium,and there have been times when a variety wasn't what it should be and when reported,she has new stock made and then sends the new stuf to each person who originally had requested the seed,for free.

I am far from the only person who sent her seeds for trial,more so in the in earlier decades until about 4 years ago,and there are some here at Tville who have also sent seeds for trial. as well.

Carolyn

[endresult0710]

I've been ordering from TGS for years. Beautiful catalog and very user friendly website. I've never had a problem with germination either.

[carcharoth12]

This place is awesome I ordered seeds on April 2nd and received them on the 10th and I live in Canada.Last year when I ordered it was just as fast, also this year I got 2 bonus packs of seeds with my order.As for germination rates I always get close to 100 percent with any seeds no matter where I get them from because I dont over think it.I plant them in dirt and give them water and light just like in nature and they do fine.

[KCinNC]

This may have already been discussed, but I believe that TGS has changed ownership recently.
Has anyone had experience with the new management?

[Gardenboy]

Yes Linda Sapp has retired and sold the business. I've had no problem with the new management at all. It's locally based in Florida/Ft. Myers area.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Gardenboy

Yes Linda Sapp has retired and sold the business. I've had no problem with the new management at all. It's locally based in Florida/Ft. Myers area.

And Linda interviewed several individuals to take over from her,the word was out that she was selling so interested folks called her.. All the staff she had are and will be there to help in the transition,and it's a husband and wife from CA that have bought the business.Last I talked with Linda she was going in every day to also help with the transition.

Linda gave me her personal home addy and I hope to find time to get back to her soon,since we've been very good friends since 2 years after she opened TGS and I have sent many varieties to her for trial and if she and her husband Vince,now deceased,liked them,they sent them out for commercial seed production,that's the heirloom ones,the F1's are available from the companies that bred them. Although recently she's had Kent Whealey's son Aaron, who left SSE quite a few years ago and now does seed production for Mark McCaslin, Fred Hempel and his artisan ones and I think maybe Brad Gates as well, and Linda has also been getting OP seed production done with Aaron.

So if I call TGS for any reason it's usually Cheryl who answers the phone and we talk for a few minutes about what's going on in her life before she transfers me to Linda, but will say sometimes,it looks like Linda is stll on the phone can I have her call you back and I say sure.

TGS has always been a great place to get seeds and not just tomato seed, and not just my opinion.

Carolyn

[carolyn137]

Did anyone else get the new 2019 catalog from TGS with a nice welcome from the new husband wife owners and I ask b/c I did today.

I would assume that the online TGS has also been updated.

Lots of new varieties,I haven't had time to look at all of it especially that Brandywine situation.

When talking on the phone while waiting for the new owners to move East I asked her if she thought I could send some new varieties to them. She said no doubt but they hadn't gotten to that stage yet.

I have Linda's private contact info to reach her at home so I'll do that when I can,which is not now.

I'd like to know if they have purchased a new home yet and if so did it come with much land and that since Linda used to trial new varieties at home for a long time, but sold that home but still lives nearby.

I'm also wondering if they will continue to send new seeds to Aaron Whaley in WI as Linda did since she was very pleased with that situation.

As far as the paper catalog goes she used to fly out to where it was being printed to make sure the colored pictures turned out to be what they should be.

The length of my to do list gets longer and longer regarding some nasty stuff here in the Town near me; the TD bank closing,the Family Heath Center was supposed to close, but there's a new rumor about that. Finding someone new to do a Rite Aid run after I call them in for meds, especially insulin pens. I have a list and will call Howard tonight to see if he can do it,since I'm down to just 2 insulin pens and if the Salem Health Center closes,well,that is also a problem since if I need renewals, etc,they would fax up to Salem to get someone to sign off on permission.

And as a well known Amish saying goes....the faster I go, the "behinder" I get.

Carolyn