Sheffield's Seed Company?

Has anyone from the U.S. ever successfully ordered international seeds (coming from India, Germany etc.) from Sheffield's Seed Company in New York State?

Hi Mateo,
I was hoping you would get a few good responses because I would like to see the answers as well. You see, I really like trying to grow unusual, interesting things, do it a lot,  and I noticed one this summer that I really, really want to grow.  It is a blue sausage bush, how unique! A friend in a different chat room just mentioned it in an offhand manner and I was immediately intrigued so I researched it. Totally cool! I want one! And it might do well in my hardiness zone and the only place I could find the seeds was at Scheffields Seed Company.

So... I researched Scheffield Seeds. I went to the 'Dave's Garden” website as I always do and looked at their 'Garden Watchdogs” page and looked at the reviews. The company's been around for decades (that's a good sign) and in the past has gotten many good reviews but the most recent reviews weren't so great. One reviewer complained about the size of the 'Chinese chestnuts' he received and the price of shipping. Well, I don't know anything about Chinese chestnuts or what it costs to ship them to Poland. So, there's that.

But the most recent review, which was very negative, was just back in May. The customer was seriously pissed because he insisted that he had followed all the instructions for the 'western redbud tree seeds'  that he had purchased  “to a T” and not one of his seeds germinated! I thought his complaint seemed kind of off so I went back to the Scheffield's website for more info. Turned out that the website gave simple instructions for germination. First, pour boiling water over the seeds and leave in water for 24 hours. (If the seeds did not appear to 'imbibe the water a second instruction was given). Then to cold stratify the seeds for 90 days. Then plant in the fall and they should germinate in the following spring. Since the disgruntled customer made his complaint on Dave's Garden website just 7 weeks after receiving his seeds it is obvious that he did not follow the instructions! So much for that!

Anyway, I decided to take a chance and bought 2 different kinds of seeds in August which included the blue sausage bush. I thought the price was reasonable, shipping was a little bit high but also reasonable. I received my seeds just 6 days later. They were well packaged and looked good. And I DID follow the instructions.... and after soaking them in water for 24 hours (which was boiling at first) I promptly popped them into the coldest part of my fridge (26 degrees) and will let them chill until early spring. Then I will plant them.

So I don't have a very good answer for you but I hope this helps.
Happy gardening.

I hear that all imports into the u.s. get blasted with radiation to kill bugs/seeds to prevent invasives so I never order international seeds. Maybe seed shipments are tagged a certain way so they don't get sterilized in customs but it might just be up to the state where the seeds initially arrive. That's why planting seeds from fruit imports don't germinate at least.

Hi T,
I imagine in some circumstances that you might be correct and some kinds of things are irradiated. I think that might be the case in many situations. But, back in August I also ordered some seeds from a different company. Neem tree seeds. I don't know if Neem trees can handle my hardiness zone. All the websites I've looked at say they can easily handle my heat but they just say that they will lose their leaves when the temp goes below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. But that suggests that they will just be deciduous here but not die because we only go below freezing a couple of days each winter so I wanted to give it a try.  I can always put them in 25 gallon pots and bring them into the greenhouse in the winter, if my back holds out!

Now the company that I ordered the seeds from stated clearly on their website that the seeds were only viable for 30 days after ripening on the tree and falling and that they were being sent to the U.S. from Senegal, South Africa. So I contacted the company and was told they expected a fresh shipment in 15 days so I placed my order. I was later sent a note that told me that upon arrival that customs learned that the seeds had been sprayed (before being shipped) with "chlorpyrifos" which is a pretty nasty pesticide and they wanted to know if I would still accept the seeds. I agreed to accept them and I received the seeds 4 days later.

Out of 12 seeds that I received, 5 germinated and are now about 4 inches tall and doing well. I am caring for them like newborn babes! They came to me from half way around the planet!!  If I can use their leaves and seeds to help me tackle my bug problems I will be so damned HAPPY! Just trying something new!

Happy gardening everyone.

My experience with Sheffields has been spotty. I've ordered dozens of different seed types although I didn't take notice of origin.

Less than 50% of the seeds germinate even though I follow instructions for each type. And the 50% isn't for each batch. It seems to be all or nothing (or one germinating), so I assume that the source is the problem. I now look for alternatives to Sheffields if possible because of the high risk of the whole batch not germinating.

Usually people blame themselves for seeds not germinating, so I test this with things like peach, apple, etc. from seed I've collected. They ALL germinate. So this could be due to freshness (likely), handling, and me not treating the seeds with anything (also likely).

Hi, I work at Sheffield's Seed and think I can address some of these issues:
Firstly, seeds do  no undergo any radiation in transport from other countries. We have strick laws in the US
about importing seed, especially tree seed. All species require an authenticity certificate from the country
they export, and are checked by USDA on arrival in the US before they are shipped on to us in NY.

Following the growing instructions: Germinating some seeds is not easy, that is why specialists
usually are involved when you look at buying from a landscaper or nursery. On the order page you
will see everything you need to know about the origin of the seed.  Will it grow in your zone, how long
does scarification or stratification required, some are very comlicated and some take a long time
and effort for germination. If  you followed the instructions and still don't get germination please contact us
, we will grow the seed ourselves or contact other customers who purchased that seed lot to see what their
experience is. We would definitley refund anyone who is not happy after all the pages are turned.

We deal with many countries and many government agencies in offering our seed, and most have
really great success. We do source some seed for customers and offer some rare species which many
customers come to us for year after year. I hope this helped and feel free to reach out because we do
have a seed specialist who is on hand daily to help with any issues. If you are new to seed germination
be patient with yourself there is a learning curve. Regards,
Sheila

Welcome to Permies!

Thank you for your insight.

Thank you for your information, Sheila!

One issue that I've encountered with seed from your company is whether they are true to type. I contacted your customer service email with ploidy test results showing that the mulberry seeds you sell from Hungary as Morus nigra produce diploid seedlings (therefore they are absolutely not nigra and almost certainly misidentified black-fruited M. alba). The seed lot was never removed or moved to the correct species. I am in the process of starting the seeds from your India seed lot, but the small size of the seed look more like alba as well. I will be doing a ploidy test once the seedlings are large enough.

Just FYI, nigra has a ploidy of 22, eleven times larger than alba, so a relatively cheap test can quickly confirm whether any alleged nigra is actually that species.