vendor LIVE PLANT VENDOR RECOMMENDATIONS

MikeUSMC

MikeUSMC

Been out of the loop for a while and I haven’t kept up with the “vendor drama” in a long time, lol. Not sure who’s a scumbag and who’s reputable anymore. I know that some of the old vendors who had crappy reputations are under new ownership and are trying turn that around, and others, that used to have great reputations, have gone downhill.

For years, I’d ordered seedlings from Cross Country Nurseries (chileplants.com) without issues. A few years ago, they’d announced that they were closing the doors but had decided to stay open for another season (or so). My experience is that their operation has drastically gone downhill over the past few years, so I’m looking for a new vendor for seedlings. 1 or 2 plants out of 30-36 not turning out to be what you’d ordered, I can let slide. Probably an honest mistake. My last order with them was closer to 15/30 being wrong. I have no desire to go through that again.

Looking for suggestions for a reputable vendor, or who to avoid.

Thanks in advance 🍻

Edit: I know this isn’t a “Food Biz” related post but, all of the questions asking where the old “Vendor Vault” section is look like they’re supposed to be posted here. Sorry if this post is in the wrong spot!
 
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MikeUSMC said:
Edit: I know this isn’t a “Food Biz” related post but, all of the questions asking where the old “Vendor Vault” section is look like they’re supposed to be posted here. Sorry if this post is in the wrong spot!
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I don't want to know what you're doing with your peppers if you are not eating them! 😅
 
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@MikeUSMC Hey Mike, I always recommend Susan Welsand, aka The Chile Woman. She's based in Indiana. Now I have not ordered from her personally, but I hear nothing but good things about her and her plants. I think @midwestchilehead and @The_NorthEast_ChileMan know her personally. Maybe you can get their thoughts as well. She's been at it for 30 years now.

The Chile Woman website
 
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Last year, I was happy with the condition of the live plants I got from Refining Fire Chiles. The fellow has a reputation for being kind of an abrasive asshole, and I experienced a little of that myself when I asked for more info about a variety… but at the same time, you won’t find many speak against the seeds or the plants.

I do give my business to kinder folks when possible, but I don’t hesitate to use RFC when that’s how it goes.
 
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I know both Susan and Jim, and the summaries are both correct. Susan is a nice lady from Indiana, and Jim is a gruff man now living in Georgia. Both have excellent plants. Susan's are packaged wonderfully and will arrive in good shape, but it will take a while to get them out of the box. I have only ordered small, bare-root seedlings from Jim, and they generally arrive ok too. He sells bare-root plants as Facebook specials and ships them out in a SFRB. He also sells larger plants at his nursery, but I'm not sure if he ships those. His site may have more info.

Downriver said:
@MikeUSMC Hey Mike, I always recommend Susan Welsand, aka The Chile Woman. She's based in Indiana. Now I have not ordered from her personally, but I hear nothing but good things about her and her plants. I think @midwestchilehead and @The_NorthEast_ChileMan know her personally. Maybe you can get their thoughts as well. She's been at it for 30 years now.

The Chile Woman website
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thoroughburro said:
Last year, I was happy with the condition of the live plants I got from Refining Fire Chiles. The fellow has a reputation for being kind of an abrasive asshole, and I experienced a little of that myself when I asked for more info about a variety… but at the same time, you won’t find many speak against the seeds or the plants.

I do give my business to kinder folks when possible, but I don’t hesitate to use RFC when that’s how it goes.
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Yes, what I had from RFC last year were healthy seedlings, between 6-12”, packed carefully in a box with proper nursery packaging; dirt contained, stems braced, etc. I was impressed with the quality. Should have taken a photo!

I say seedlings, but the plants were near maturity and flowered shortly after transplant.
 
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