I love how you are now offering everyone FREE Naga pepper seeds...after you sent me the crushed seeds/dead seeds, that I PAID for. And yet you refuse to replace my crushed ones. I PAY for mine..and I get a envelope of crushed seeds and NONE of your seeds have yet to sprout to this day. 3 weeks now. BUT you will give away how many hundreds now? How about replacing mine that I PAID for? I see you joined the forum after I told you what people were saving about your crappy mailing practices. All the complaints. The crushed seeds and dead seeds. So now you are trying to boost your sales by giving away your Naga pepper seeds. But you won't replace mine, that I PAID good money for. What a JIP! Thanks, Stan.

floridabear,

If you've had a business deal that didn't finalize to your satisfaction you should contact the vendor directly about it and pursue it through the PROPER channels. A public forum is no place to file a grievance.

Alan

floridabear,

You know I offered to replace your seeds free, you pay S&H. If you don't want to pay the S&H come by and pick them up otherwise stop complaining.

Got my seeds today :) and to answer your questions:

1. Did you get the package quicker than excepted, about as fast as you excepted or slower than you excepted.

Much Quicker than I expected.

2. What condition did they arrive in; good shape, crushed, etc. and your zip code.

Came in Great shape to my zip code of 06615

3. How well did they germinate.

Haven't had a chance to do that as of yet, but will let you know after I get the chance to plant them.

Thanks

My seeds came Saturday--quicker than I expected. They arrived in great shape, Zip Code 35126. I'll let you know about the germination rate.

Thanks,
Alan

My seeds came on Monday. Quicker than expected. They did arrive in great shape, Zip is 32526.
Will let you know on germination rate.

Thanks,

John

Mine came yesterday,I got them today.

They arived in the time I expected.Faster than a couple seed companies I've delt with,about the same as the ones I deal with regularly.

Zip is 91343

Not a crushed seed in the pack.Also 14 seeds were in the pack.Whooo Hooo! :)

I'll let you know germination rate when they pop up.
I put a half in a wet paper towel in a zip lock.
1/4 went into a peat pellet,the rest went into seed starter mix.All are in a warm place.

Thanks for the offer.
Hope you like the ornamentals.

Just want to say thanks to all who sent me seeds also. Planted about 15 types today. Much appreciated.

smokemaster,
I always add extra seeds to every pack in case some do not germinate.

Enjoy the heat,
Uncle Steve

Nobody mentioned the number of seeds they recieved so I thaught I would.
I have ordered seeds from you before and have some plants growing from them now.

Thanks for the seed offer.

hi uncle steve, i recieved your seeds on saturday the 19'th after mailing my SASE to you on the 11'th, so that is just barely over a week. my zip code is 98261.
in case you remember, you acually sent me two packs of seed. the first was my sase letter and had a homemade bubble pack with blue tape for sides, these seeds came great and there was one/possibly 2 seeds crushed of what looked to be 15 or 16 in the packet......the other packet you sent was in your own letter with no protective bubble wrap, and out of these seeds there were maybe 6 seeds still intact, but two of those are defiantely doubtful they will germinate....so all in all---bubble wrap package did way better.
now to get them in p[aper towels and onto the hot water heater and anxiously await their little sprouts.
thank you so much for the seeds and i will let you know in a few weeks how the germination went.

hope you're having better gardening spring than those of us in western washington where we typically have a mild climate. all april, with the exception of last saturday (75 + degrees) has been cool and cloudy and even my radishes have not grown any in the last two weeks and are but 1 1/2 inch tall---thats just not right. this morning i awoke to three inches of SNOW on the ground. in my 20 years of living in western washington, i never remember it snowing any in april and maybe once in early march. my friend who is visiting from texas is thanking us saying we let it snow JUST for him. to heck with him, i want my seeds to germinate and get started, we have a short growing season here....ok, thats all...once again, thanks for the seeds and am hoping to blow some peoples heads off in august or september, that is if this GLOBAL COOLING will cease
peace to all--bob

T Bob,

I have done some investigating at the Post Office to find out how to keep seeds from getting crush or zapped with radiation. What I have been told is that if you pay .58 instead of .41 even though the letter/package is less than one oz. it will be sent to a different sorting machine that will not crush the seeds. You are only to send evenly flat packages/envelopes first class. If there is a bump or thicker end it should be sent with the higher postage even if it has bubble wrap. They want to protect the sorting machines from damage. There is a thickness gauge (card stock with a slot cut in it) they try and fit first class .41 packages and letters through. If it does not fit you have to pay extra anyway, even if it is less than one oz.

As for zapping them with radiation to kill anthrax, etc., they swore they do not do that. But last year, for the first time, I had three people complain that not one of their seeds germinated. One had ordered 12 different types. At the same time many others reported 95-100% germination of the same seed from the same inventory. And I was confident that they knew how to start seeds. I also grew my crop from the same seed without any problem. So I felt they must of been zapped by the Post Office as I heard a few reports of that happening from other suppliers. I guess I have to wait and see if it happens again. Perhaps I will never find out what really happened.

The weather is a little different this spring. Not to wet, yet, as it often is, delaying planting. Temps have been 80-85 one day drop to 30 next night. I'm about 50 miles south of Washington, D.C. zone 7. Our last frost date is May 15th. I sometimes plant earlier than that if the forecast looks good. Harvest starts in August and ends with first heavy frost or a freeze. Could be late September or late December. Last year I was still picking in January, a first. Plants were still alive but very slow producing. I got two extra pickings but fruit was much smaller.

Enjoy the heat,
Uncle Steve

I received the 10 naga jokolia seeds in excellent condition. Have planted them and waiting patiently. Thank you very much for your help. Gloria

I received my seeds in great condition last thursday and immediately put them in pete pellets in a cardboard box under a light (for heat). The first germination I noticed was last night. Anything less than a week is fast to me. Thank you very much and I will keep you posted when I burn my face off.

Marty Slanoc

The seeds in the wet towels sprouted 100%.
So 1/2 of 14 seeds sprouted in 7 days.
Nothing going on yet for the other half in peat pellets and starting mix yet.
I expect that since they have to get much bigger to pop through the soil/peat they might come up in a couple more days.

Hello Steve,

You lived up to your end of this deal, now hereÂs mine :^)

1. Did you get the package quicker than excepted, about as fast as you excepted or slower than you excepted.

SASE sent Tuesday AM, received back Friday AM (72 hours) - Even though we live in the same State, thatÂs impressive turnaround!

2. What condition did they arrive in; good shape, crushed, etc. and your zip code.

Definite signs of USPS abuse, but seeds seemed intact. Zip code is 22664. There were 11 seeds in the coin envelope.

3. How well did they germinate.

All seeds planted in seed-starting tray using ProMix on heat mat at approx 88ÂF. The first two seed sprouts occurred on Day 9, followed by two more on Day 10 and five more on Day 11.

It is now Day 15 and a total of 9 out of 11 seeds have germinated. ThatÂs about 82% so far but I still havenÂt given up on the other two yet! IÂll let you know if theyÂre late bloomers.

Thanks again Steve for your generous offer. Should you get the urge to do some additional field testing/surveying of any more of your seeds, please keep me (us) in mind!

Steve,

I got my seeds...thank you so much!

Roundtrip took about 5 business days...faster than expected. Zip code 44039
About 16 seeds arrived and 2 were shattered and 1 cracked. The other ones look fine. I have some in soil and the others in a wet towel. I'll let you know how they do.
Thanks again!
John

I mailed my SASE from my suburban home mailbox, zip code 49508 on Monday, April 21. The seeds arrived in the same box on Monday, April 28. I thought that was very good mail (and company) service. Only had to walk to the end of the driveway to do it all.

The envelope looked fine when it arrived at zip code 49508. The 15 or so seeds looked like they took a few hits. There were some broken and cracked ones. Some looked fine, others looked like they might still germinate. A couple were in small bits. I'm guessing 5-10 will sprout.

I set them up to grow today. More on germination in awhile.

Low of 27F predicted here tonight. Guess it is still grow inside time for awhile.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but why take a chance shipping seeds w/o bubble protection? It's obviously a gamble. Since some SASBE takers have reported damage, is it truly worth it when you run a commercial business? It sounds like the great majority make it fine, but it only takes a few unhappy customers to hurt a reputation, right?

By the way, what you are doing is very generous and I don't mean in any way to downplay that. I'm just bringing up a valid concern that I would have if I was purchasing seeds.

Chris

I'm intrested in your seeds.

Dean

Uncle Steve,

I'm sending you a SASE if it's not to late. It will be postmarked by today (04/30/08).

cmpman,

You bring up a valid point. That is partly why I made the offer. I'm wondering what is more important to customers. Is it low shipping and handling cost or bullet proof packaging at a much higher price. Most orders are for 2-3 packs. So it seams to me that to make it worth while, low shipping is the main factor. Otherwise the S&H would cost more than the seeds. Considering the low number of damaged packages is it prudent to send out orders in heavy duty packing at a higher cost?

Uncle Steve

Hi Steve,
sent out a sase yesterday, if you have more seed.
I am trying the .58 postage as was suggested, and a plastic baggie. If I get the seed(hope i wasn't too late). I will tell of the condition of the seeds.
john

Recieved the naga seeds today May 5. Your postmark was May 2. Good timing I think from Va to Tx. The seeds came without any damage. I sent the 2 stamp postage as suggested to possibly avoid the postal machine.
Thanks for being so kind.

Steve,

I got the seeds today May 7. I belive they were postmarked on the 5th. To answer your second qustion. There are no seeds which appear to be crushed. I'll keep you informed on germination.

Thanks again,
Dean

Received seed today. quick delivery. about 11-12 seeds, none crushed. used the .58 postage.
will advise on germination.
thanks,
john

Hi Steve. My father has been looking for these seeds for quite sometime now. Just did see you post. If you have any left, I would love to get him some started. Please let me know. Thank you. Sonya

Finally got my seeds started today.

The seeds I started on April 29 have germinated. I was pleasantly surprised since my seeds looked like they were a bit beat up when I received them. Ten grew and look great. An eleventh came up looking weird and I don't expect it will survive. They are growing slowly. I'm hoping my season is long enough to ripen pods. I'll put a few in pots so I can bring them inside in the fall if necessary. Thanks!

You may well know the following, but I have talked with many who do not, so.....here it is. Regular envelopes with an added foam sheet (like many electronics are packed with) or an added thin bubble wrap sheet around the seeds for protection can be mailed for the "large envelope" rate. The amount of foam sheeting used in one envelope would be of minimal cost but would protect alot. The "large envelope" can be betweeen 1/4 and 3/4 inches thick. Some postal employees aren't aware of the thickness provision and think you must send it as a parcel, but that is not correct. Ask them to review the large envelope designation. The cost with the recent increase is $.83 for the first ounce and $.17 for each additional ounce....not sure of the max weight that can be sent. The envelope should be of even thickness so when sending multiple seed packs I spread them out and tape them down on a piece of paper.

I would expect purchased seeds to be sent in a safe manner and would be disappointed if they arrived damaged. The hassle of replacing them and the delay in getting wanted seeds would bother me even if the seller covered all costs of replacement including shipping and handling. I'd rather pay a bit more upfront and have everything go smoothly. The large envelope rate might keep the "bit more" reasonable and still protect the shipment......Just my opinion....

I planted 3 seeds on May 9, 2008. They all 3 sprouted by May 20, 2008.

I got a 100% germantion on my seeds. Now it's time to watch them grow.

Dean

Thanks for the seeds.
They arrived fast.
All were in good shape.
I planted half of them and had 100% germination.
My zip code is 48030.
Thanks Steve.

I missed this thread but have been saving my info.

04/06/08 Envelope sent to VA from CA
Twelve days to get across the country and back, WOW!

04/18/08 Received Naga Jolokia Seeds
25 seeds in the package
23 in great shape
01 cracked seed
01 shattered seed (3 parts)

I planted 12 in a mini hothouse.

05/07/08 To date 10 have germinated and are doing fine.

06/23/08 All plants are at least 6 inches in height. Some are very big and bushy others are scrawny. 4 plants already have flowers beginning to form.

I will keep my info updated and thank you very very much.

All of my seedlings are now 3-4" tall.

Thanks again,
Dean

Mine are starting to flower now. Well at least one is.