Find Planting Adventure at The Cook's Garden
Written: Apr 26 '03 (Updated Jun 07 '06)
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| Full Review |
Throughout the summer, Cook’s Garden offers tours and special events. My aunt introduced me to The Cook’s Garden about five years ago when I visited Burlington, Vermont. It was a perfect summer day, and we were able to tour the gardens as well as prowl the store. The Cook's Garden personnel were very friendly and helpful. Being an avid gardener, I had to explore everything. That’s when I discovered the lettuce variety Merlot. It’s a red leaf lettuce that not only tastes delicious, adds a wonderful burgundy color to a salad, but also grows well and is slow to bolt. Since I live in Massachusetts, I’m pleased that The Cook’s Garden has an online store.
Enter The Cook’s Garden
The website address for The Cook’s Garden is http://www.cooksgarden.com
A note of welcome greets the visitor. Here is a quote from the website’s welcome page:
”When it comes to vegetables, nobody puts more effort into finding the best tasting, most authentic cultivars for your garden than we do. We search the world for national and regional specialities and offer more international heirlooms than any other seed company. And here you will also find a selection of the world's top cut flowers for the table.”
Beneath the welcome note are several photos of featured products. One of today’s selections includes Poppy Single Danish Flag (item # 890), an unusually beautiful flower that is red with a white center cross. This definitely makes a garden statement.
The left side of the screen offers site navigation links, including Web Specials, New Items, and Top Ten Bestsellers as well as a list of seed categories and items for sale (see detailed list below). The right side of the screen includes a link to Gardening Tips and a list of the Top Ten Items.
At the top of the website are three buttons to click: My Account, New Users, Order Status. Beneath these buttons is a horizontal bar with these choices: Home, Order A Catalog, Web Specials, View Cart.
At the bottom of the screen are links that include: Catalog Quick Order, Customer Bill-of-Rights, Shipping Policies, Our Privacy Statement, Contact Us. There is also a toll-free telephone number.
There is also a search feature so that you don’t have to browse through the site. This is especially helpful if you are only interested in certain products. It’s also faster than navigating the various web pages.
Captain Cook -- We’re Navigating the Site
The Cook’s Garden website is neatly divided into areas of interest. Each item has photographs, a description, and pricing. The website also lists when the item is available for shipping, the type of item that will ship (seeds, bulbs, etc.), uses for the item as well as any additional features. At the top of each category page it shows how many varieties were found, how many are sold out, and how many are available for purchase. There is a choice of viewing either the Sold Out items (I guess so you’ll know what’s popular!), or you can view the In Stock Items. Each area lists the Top Ten sellers in that category.
For example, here is information from the vegetable seeds portion of the website: Carrot Kuroda (botanical name: Daucus carota Kuroda) Description: Grow this one for a main crop! Great for juicing as well as winter storage. A conical orange main crop carrot known for its enormous yields and its tender, sweet roots. An excellent juicing carrot that also stores well for winter use. For storage crops, sow mid summer, thin to 2-4" apart for harvest just before hard frost in fall. Mulch in place or store in wet sand or sawdust in a cellar or pit just above freezing. Pricing: 1 pkt seeds $1.75 each, 10 pkt seeds $1.57 each, 25 pkt seeds $1.49 each.
Vegetable Seed
Cook’s Garden says, “We search the world for national and regional specialities such as our unparalleled selection of Italian chicories and our fifty plus lettuces, as well as myriad other salad plants.”
There is an A-Z listing or choose to search the vegetable categories: Artichokes, Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cardoon, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Chard, Chicory, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Fennel, Gourds, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Melons, Mesclun Greens, Onions, Peas, Peppers, Pumpkins, Radishes, Shallot Seed, Spinach, Squash, Tomatoes, Tomatillos.
Flower Seed
Cook’s Garden says, “Whether you want to grow flowers to decorate the table using our extensive selection of Pollen Free sunflowers ... cover a fence or trellis with vigorous, colorful annual vines, or just add a touch of fragrance to a potpourri or the back deck, you'll find what you need here.”
The flowers are listed in A-Z format. Some flower varieties include: Blue Cloud Larkspur, Poppy Hens and Chickens, Cosmos Seashell, Sunflower Velvet Queen, Hawk’s Beard Alba, Zinnia Big Red, Balloon Vine Love in a Puff.
Herb Seed
Cook’s Garden says, “We taste test the range of herbs available to make sure that our varieties are the most flavorful and vigorous that you can buy. And where ever possible, we offer certified organic Herb Seed.”
There is the A-Z listing as well as choosing these categories: Annual Herbs, Basil, Perennial. Some of the varieties include: Genovese Sweet Basil, Cinnamon Basil, Cilantro, Garlic Chives, Greek Oregano, Lemon Balm, Thyme de Provence.
Garden Supplies
Cook’s Garden says, “Here in our gardening supply section you'll find the tools and materials that we use in our own half acre, certified organic Burlington, Vermont trial and display gardens.”
As well as the A-Z listing, there are links to: Baskets, Pest Control, Seed Saving, Seed Starting, Trellising. Some of the item choices are: Burt’s Bees Hand Salve, Twine, Fiskars Flower Scissors, Rain Gauge, Organic Fertilizer, Protective Row Covers.
Kitchen Supplies
Cook’s Garden says, “You can be sure that every item in our listing has been thoroughly tested in use, and is the same that we use here at The Cook's Garden.”
The items are listed in an A-Z format. Some of the selection includes: Herb Tins, Glass Bottles, Kitchen Salad Sprouter, Kitchen Salad Spinner, Canning Labels, Canning Jars & Kits, the Quick Pickle Kit.
Books & Publications
Cook’s Garden says, “... for record keeping (see our exclusive, Five Year Garden Journal), design, manuals for starting, growing, or saving seed, or cookbooks from some of the world's most innovative chefs ... personally reviewed and selected books ...”
The books are listed in A-Z order. This section also offers black and white and hand-painted woodcuts from Mary Azarian, an award-winning illustrator.
Plants & Bulbs
Cook’s Garden says, “We offer some select seedlings, root cuttings, crowns and tubers for those vegetables and fruits that are best propagated that way.”
They offer an A-Z listing for both Plants and Bulbs. Note: They do not ship plants or plant parts to Canada. Some of the varieties include: Onion Stockton Red, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Heirloom Brandywine Tomato, Rhubarb Crimson Cherry, Strawberry Tribute, Asiatic Lily, Fragrant Gladiolus Acidanthera.
Certified Organic
Cook’s Garden says, “We pledge not to knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.”
Cook’s Garden offers over 120 items of certified organic seeds. They belong to the Safe Seed Initiative. Cook’s Garden pledges not to knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.
Seed Collections
Cook’s Garden says, “Each [seed collection] comes as individual packets inserted in a larger collection packet and accompanied with a variety list and planting guide.”
The seeds are listed in A-Z offerings. Some choices include: White Flower Collection, Year Round Lettuce Collection, Sunflower Collection, Rainbow Tomato Collection.
Seed Mixtures
Cook’s Garden says, “See what you like, and then next year order the individual items that did the best for you. Why have too much of one thing, and not enough of another, when you can have it all.”
The seed mixtures are listed in A-Z format. The seeds are placed into one envelope and not segregated. Cook’s Garden recommends you keep their print catalog handy to identify the varieties that grow the best for you. Some of Cook’s seed mixtures include: Beet Rainbow Mix, Eggplant Mix, Spring Lettuce Mix, Summer Squash Mix, Sweet Pepper Mix, Sunflower Hybrid Mix, Wildflower Beneficial Insect Mix, Wildflower Hummingbird Mix, Wildflower Fragrance Mix.
Free Catalog & Newsletter
Cook’s Garden offers a free color catalog to addresses in the United States and Canada. The Spring/Summer 2003 catalog is 107 pages and includes recipes and garden tips. Just click on the Free Catalog link and fill in the form with your name and mailing address. Then click the Submit button. They will also send you a discount coupon code for $5.00 off your first internet order of $75.00 or more.
Also available is free sign-up for the Cook’s Garden e-mail newsletter. Click on the Free E-Newsletter link and fill in your name and e-mail address. The newsletter includes gardening tips, information about new plants and special offers.
Gift Certificates
Unsure what to buy the gardener in your life and want them to enjoy an unusual variety of plant? Cook’s offers gift certificates in amounts of: $25.00, $30.00, $35.00, $40.00, $50.00, $60.00, $75.00, $100.00, $150.00. Just select the amount you wish to give as a gift certificate and click the Submit button. A screen opens asking if you would like to send a message with the gift certificate -- type in your message. Then type in the address where you would like the gift certificate sent (if you wish, have it send to your address).
Quick Catalog Order
If you know what you want to order from the print catalog (without wanting to spend time browsing online), click the Quick Catalog Order button at the bottom of the web page. The screen prompts you for the Catalog Number and then asks you to input the item numbers. The items are added to your cart. Just click Checkout to finish your purchase.
Ordering Online
It is easy to order from Cook’s Garden. If you request their catalog, you can order via telephone or mail. Ordering online is easy, too. Simply add items to your cart. It is easy to add and remove items from the cart, and when finished, click on the Checkout button. Enter your discount code for savings (if you have one). If you are ordering online from a printed catalog, enter the catalog number. Continue and fill in your name and shipping address information. You can ship to a different address; also, you can tell them it is a gift order (if applicable). Select the shipping method; either Standard or Express. Next enter your payment method. Then review your order and submit it.
Shipping Charges
Standard Shipping is via UPS Ground. Express Shipping is via the U.S. Post Office Priority Mail or via UPS Second Day Air. For shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, APO, FPO, and the Virgin Islands, an additional $10.00 surcharge is added to the order.
Standard Shipping Fees:
.01 to $19.99 -- $2.95
$20.00 to $29.99 -- $3.95
$30.00 to $39.99 -- $4.95
$40.00 to $49.99 -- $5.95
$50.00 to $59.99 -- $6.95
$60.00 and Up – $7.95
Payment, Guarantee & Customer Service
Cook’s Garden Center accepts these credit cards: Discover, Mastercard, Visa, and American Express. To order online, you must use a credit card. If ordering from a print catalog, you can pay via check or money order as well as the above credit cards. If your check is returned, they bill for the amount of the check plus bank charges and a $5.00 accounting fee. They do not ship via COD, nor do they accept cash.
Cook’s Garden guarantees all products ordered from their catalog for one full year from date of delivery. Notify them within a year, and Cook’s Garden will do their best to replace the items. If an item is not available, they will send a credit voucher good toward a future order. I have never had a problem with Cook’s products and have never had to test their guarantee.
Customer Service is easy to reach via Cook’s toll-free telephone number. They also offer a mailing address if you prefer to write a letter. At their website is a Customer Service form to fill out, and they will respond to via e-mail. I used the form once and the next day received a
detailed e-mail answering my question.
Seeds for Charity
Each year The Cook’s Garden donates seeds to worthy causes (schools, community gardens, etc.). Cook’s Garden accepts written requests for seed donations to schools and fund raising activities.
Summary
I enjoy browsing through Cook’s Garden, seeing what is new and interesting. The site is easy to navigate, and the search feature is a great time-saver. I’ve been ordering seed from The Cook’s Garden for years and have never been disappointed. They are straight forward with prices and shipping costs, and items arrive well packaged and in a timely fashion. If you are looking for a bit of plant adventure for your garden, try something from The Cook’s Garden.
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Update: February 8, 2004
Once again, Cook’s garden came through. The order was easy to place online and arrived within seven business days. The seeds were packaged in a stiff cardboard envelope and arrived via First Class U.S. mail. Here is what I ordered:
Matina Tomato (1 seed packet @ $1.75)
Merlot Lettuce (1 seed packet @ $1.95)
Orient Express Cucumber (1 seed packet @ $1.95)
Mustard Mizuna (1 seed packet @ $1.95)
Update: June 8, 2006
This is what I purchased this year:
Matina Tomato (1 seed packet @ $2.25)
Partenon Zucchini (1 seed packet @ $2.25)
French Breakfast Radish (free with order)
We love the perfect shape and blemish-free look of the Matina tomatoes. I receive a lot of compliments on these tomatoes when I give them to people. The Partenon zucchini needs no pollination. I started the seeds indoors and the plants are now in the garden bearing their first small squash. The free radish seed had great germination. I plant my radish seed near the cucumbers since radishes help deter cucumber beetles. And it works! I don't have nearly the pest problem that I used to on the cucumber plants. This year Cook's did not offer the Merlot lettuce seed, which was disappointing.
Please read my other reviews:
Burpee (online store)
Park’s Seed (online store)
Johnny’s Selected Seeds (online store)
Dutch Gardens (online store)
Rubbermaid Big Max Shed
Rubbermaid Tool Tower
Step 2 Grass Hopper Wheeled Garden Stool / Cart
The Garden Claw
Craftsman Long-Handled Weed Digger
Fiskars Power-Lever Bypass Lopper
Upside-Down Tomato Garden
Black & Decker Cordless Battery Mulching Lawnmower
Copyright 2003 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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