It depends what the seeds are. Do you have to wait until after frost or is it lettuce and early stuff.

I would not cancel there could be a hold up or mix up getting your money back. It is warm now but we have had big snow storms in late March. Three weeks will be here before you know it. It took forever for my Sandhill Preservation Center order.

moonlight74,

I think it depends on how frustrated you are and how much time you think you'd gain or lose by the effort and time finding your seeds elsewhere.

What exactly were/are you looking for?
Can you list the varieties?

I think you're probably right. I may as well wait. Next year I'll just order earlier or go through someone else. I ordered some from Gurney's the same day and got them last week.

Here's what I ordered...

HOMEMADE PICKLES CUCUMBER
CHEDDAR CAULIFLOWER
DILL WEED
PROVIDER BEAN
NANTES CARROT
SUGAR SNAX CARROT
CASCADIA SNAP PEA
BUTTERCRUNCH LETTUCE
VEGETABLE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

and then a couple of flower seed packs.

Kel

moonlight74,

Well, if you have time, I think you'd be able to find almost everything on your list (including the cheddar cauliflower) locally. To save time and gas, I'd call a few places to ask if they have then in stock. Nothing stands out as being unusual and I know I've seen nearly everything except maybe the cascadia snap pea. But there are other snap pea varieties you can look for including ÂSugar AnnÂ, 'Sugar Pop', and 'Sugar Daddy'. You're still fine in terms of time and average planting dates. I've posted a link to the Missouri Vegetable Planting Guide for you below. This area is considered northern Missouri because we're on a plateau.

Places to call:
Orscheln's
Lowe's
Westlake Hardware
Kmart
Home Depot
Kmart
Carson's Nursery
Garden Adventures Nursery, Nixa

Here is a link that might be useful: Missouri Vegetable Planting Guide

I forgot to say that what you should do is add your experience from Pinetree and anyone else good or bad to The Garden Watchdog. It's a directory of over 5,305 gardening vendors to protect and serve consumers by providing information, reviews, and ratings on gardening companies.

I also strongly encourage you to branch out from hybrid seeds into heirloom seeds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pinetree Garden Seeds Reviews at Garden Watchdog

I also think you ordered a little late for online and especially for things that needed to be planted early. I always felt that if I waited until Valentine's Day it would be iffy. January is really much better. This is their busiest time of the year and they probably are doing it with reduced staffing because of the economy.

I know it is irritating. They backordered some onion seed for me and they will be planted out later than I like.

Park did the same to my sister.

I'd be frustrated too.
You could go ahead and buy the ones locally that need to be planted right now. I haven't grown a lot of veggies so I can't say for certain which ones need to be started right away but I think lettuce would be one. Maybe you could save the Pinetree lettuce seeds for fall sowing or even next spring, however, I don't think lettuce seed stores for a long time like some seeds do.
I was at Lowe's Monday and noticed that they have Buttercrunch lettuce starts but I didn't look for a price. I was just thinking they sure look big compared to my itty bitty seedlings. lol

Violet - Can you remember where you saw Cheddar Cauliflower? That's one that I thought about ordering but never did.

If anyone watched KY3's piece on Baker Creek--it explains it all. They said Jere was using 75 (or was it 95?) people this year to fill packets, and lady in shipping said they are soo behind, because of all the orders that are flooding in. They are completely out of a lot of things.
Some of the forums warned people this was going to happen, I ordered from Baker Creek on January 21, Totally Tomatoes and Jungs on Jan 22, orders cameJan.31 for B/C and Feb 2 on most others.

moonlight74,

If you look at the Garden Watchdog ratings of Pinetree, you'll see you are not alone.

christie_sw_mo,

I think I might have seen it in the past offered in the Martha Stewart Line at Kmart. I might be getting the location mixed up but I do remember being pleasantly surprised to see it offered somewhere.

You guys are awesome!

I am familiar with gardenwatchdog and plan on submitting my review. I'm just waiting till I actually receive the seeds before I do that.

Next year I will order earlier. This is my first year and I guess I didn't realize I'd run into this problem.

I read the Missouri Extension site and basically tried to go with what they recommended.

Now my question is....why are heirloom better than hybrid?? I'm very new at this (gardened as a kid, but didn't pay attention to types of seeds).

I may check a few places around and maybe save my pinetree order for next year. They will be okay sitting a year right?

Kel

I've had this problem before, not with Pinetree, but other nurseries/seed dealers way up North. Their ground doesn't thaw out until late April or even May, and they don't realize that we can plant year round.

In a previous life, when I was a landscaper, we made a huge perennial order to a nursery up north in February and they never sent the plants. When we finally got someone to answer the phone, they said they would ship in May. This is no good for someone wanting to establish plants before Summer sets in. This was back in the day when local garden centers and big boxes didn't carry any perennials, and we were stuck. The plants finally arrived, and they were awful. Needless to say, a pretty colorful catalog and a Dutch sounding nursery name does not equate to choice healthy plants delivered at "optimum planting time".

With seeds it's not as critical as with plants, but I try to order/shop as close to my climate as possible. Seed dealers in the South often will point out varieties which grow better in our hot summers/ non-existant springs than those up north. I had really good luck with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange out of Virginia. They describe varieties which do well in heat and humidity.

Christie I have purchased lettuce plants before; you have to watch them because they are bigger plants on top and the root system is on the surface. Lettuce from seed has well established roots and if you forget to water them they are tougher. Maybe in your pots where you can watch them they would be fine. Kel you may want to make a statement about the slow service, but I'll bet you get the seeds before you would get your money back. I foresee slow response and maybe a mess up.

Christie, I would save my money on the simple things that do well here by seed, lettuce being one. I bet your home planted and raised ones will do just as well once they take off.

Paul that's a new one to me. I will be checking them out shortly.

I agree about northern vs. southern suppliers and I look for the heat and humidity thing too! What does well in Conn. or Oregon may not survive our summers.

Order early and get what you order soon.I went to Baker Creek last year and they were out of the seed I wanted and that was after driving a long ways and paying admission.Hybrids are bred to resist diseases or to be bigger or better.Some of the old varieties taste better or do not hold well or ship good so the big farmers stopped growing them.I have had better luck with hybrid VFFW tomatoes and think they taste good.I have worked on my soil for years and years so it is good.Other people think the heirlooms taste better.We used to order certain varieties of sweet corn that were good.I have always been happy with pinetree seeds but always order early because I like to start some of my flowers real early to get me thru the winter doldrums.I would go buy some lettuce seed and plant it and the other seed will not be too late.Posy_Pet

I'll get back to you with the difference, requires more time than I have at the moment...

:)