FAQ

Yes. Besides all 50 U.S. states and the U.S. territories, we ship to Canada and to most countries worldwide; if your country appears in the country list at checkout, we can ship there. We cannot ship to the European Union, Australia, New Zealand or Chile because of their seed import rules, and we do not ship to Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea or Syria. International shipping is a flat $8 USD to Canada and $12 USD to every other country, orders are limited to 10 items, and the customer is responsible for any customs duties or import fees. We do not provide phytosanitary certificates; the full details are in our shipping policy at Shipping Policy.

Standard shipping is free to all 50 states and U.S. territories by USPS, with no minimum order and no weight limit, but it is not tracked. In the contiguous U.S. you can instead choose UPS 2nd Day Air with priority handling for a flat $13.95 regardless of order size; it is tracked, moves your order to the front of the fulfillment queue, and usually arrives about 2 business days after it ships. Full details are in our shipping policy at Shipping Policy

Yes. Every order ships free within the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. territories, by USPS with no minimum purchase and no weight limit. Free shipping is not tracked and takes about 10 to 12 business days in the contiguous U.S. (we explain what to expect from USPS delivery times at Regarding Shipping Delays); a tracked UPS 2nd Day Air upgrade is $13.95 flat.

Yes, in the contiguous U.S.: UPS 2nd Day Air with priority handling is a flat $13.95 for any order size, includes tracking and expedited fulfillment, and typically arrives about 2 business days after shipping; the full rundown of options is on our Ordering Info page at Ordering Info. UPS cannot deliver to PO boxes (those ship USPS Priority instead), and the upgrade is not available to Alaska, Hawaii or U.S. territories, where free USPS is the only option.

Most orders leave our Seymour, Missouri warehouse within 1 to 2 business days, a little longer during the spring rush. Free USPS shipping then takes about 10 to 12 business days in the contiguous U.S., UPS 2nd Day Air arrives about 2 business days after shipping, and international orders can take 6 to 8 weeks. You can read our full shipping details at Ordering Info.

Yes. Free USPS shipping covers all 50 states and the U.S. territories, as set out in our shipping policy at Shipping Policy. The paid UPS 2nd Day Air option is only offered in the contiguous U.S., and transit to Alaska, Hawaii and the territories takes longer than the 10 to 12 business days quoted for the lower 48.

Email seeds@rareseeds.sbs, which is the fastest way to reach us, or call (417) 924-8917, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time; we are closed weekends and major holidays. You can also write to Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., 2278 Baker Creek Road, Mansfield, MO 65704, and all of these details are on our Contact Us page at Contact Us.

Yes, two. The Baker Creek seed store is at our home farm, 2278 Baker Creek Road, Mansfield, Missouri 65704 (Visit Mansfield Store), and the Petaluma Seed Bank is in Petaluma, California (Petaluma Seed Bank). Hours are seasonal, so please check the store pages on rareseeds.sbs before travelling a long way.

Every product carries a two-year satisfaction guarantee: for two years from the date of purchase you can request a replacement or a refund of the purchase price for any reason, and nothing needs to be sent back. Email seeds@rareseeds.sbs or use the request form linked from our Refund Policy page at Return Policy and we will take it from there.

All of our seeds are open-pollinated, non-hybrid, non-GMO, untreated and non-patented heirloom varieties (we explain what each of those terms means at Heirloom? Open Pollinated? Patented? A Glossary Of Terms), and Baker Creek has signed the Safe Seed Pledge, which you can read at Safe Seed Pledge. They are not certified organic: many of our 150-plus small growers follow organic practices, but we do not require formal certification. We test every corn variety for GMO purity; see Non-GMO for more on our non-GMO commitment.

Seed counts vary by variety. The minimum number of seeds per packet is shown on each product page directly under the item name, so open any variety in our online seed catalog at Online Seed Catalog to see its count before you order.

We cannot add, remove or exchange items or change the shipping method once an order is placed. If your shipping address needs correcting, email seeds@rareseeds.sbs right away (our contact details are at Contact Us) and we will update it if the order has not shipped. Any item that turns out to be out of stock is refunded.

Customs authorities apply personal-use limits to seed shipments, and we do not issue the phytosanitary certificates that larger shipments require, so international orders are capped at 10 items to avoid packages being seized in transit. You can read our full international shipping details at Ordering Info.

No. We do not issue phytosanitary certificates or import permits, so please check your country's seed import rules before ordering; a package refused by customs cannot be recovered. Our shipping policy at Shipping Policy explains where we ship and the international limits that apply. Freight forwarders generally will not forward seeds, so please do not ship to one.

Most can, but some varieties cannot ship to certain states or countries because of agricultural quarantine rules, and any restriction is shown on the product page before you add the item to your cart; our FAQ page at FAQ covers the general shipping rules. Garlic, live plants, tubers and bulbs, such as those at Garlic Bulbs, ship within the United States only.

Usually not. Free USPS shipping has no tracking at all, and many seed orders travel as USPS flats that receive few scans and sometimes no delivery scan, as we explain in our shipping policy at Shipping Policy, with more on delays at Regarding Shipping Delays. If tracking has not moved in a week or your order is overdue, email seeds@rareseeds.sbs or reach us through Contact Us and we will help.

Email seeds@rareseeds.sbs (or reach us through Contact Us) with your order number and what went wrong, and we will correct it right away with a free reship or a refund under our two-year satisfaction guarantee, which you can read at Return Policy. Nothing needs to be sent back.

Yes. Electronic gift certificates are sold at Electronic Gift Certificate, delivered by email, and redeemed by entering the full certificate code at checkout. Store credit is also visible in your rareseeds.sbs customer account at My Account.

We accept major credit and debit cards, Shop Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Baker Creek gift certificates (Electronic Gift Certificate) or store credit. If a card is declined, the usual cause is a billing address or ZIP code that does not exactly match what your bank has on file.

The most common cause is an address mismatch: the billing address and ZIP code must exactly match what your card issuer has on file, including the ZIP+4 if your bank uses it. Correct the billing address and try again, or email seeds@rareseeds.sbs for help; our contact details are at Contact Us.

Yes. Orders with $10 or more of seeds from our online seed catalog at Online Seed Catalog receive a free seed packet, added automatically to your cart, and additional free packets are unlocked at $35, $65, $100, $150, $200, $250, $300 and $350 in seeds.

Items marked pre-order, such as some bulbs (Fall Bulbs), tubers and live plants, ship when they become available in their planting season, and the product page gives the expected ship window. Seed packets are never pre-order; they ship right away with the rest of your order. For more on how orders ship, see Ordering Info.

Each tomato's product page in our Tomato Seeds collection at Tomato Seeds states whether it is determinate, indeterminate or semi-determinate. Nearly all of our tomato varieties are indeterminate; our Tomatoes 101 blog post at Tomatoes 101 explains the difference and lists the exceptions.

Sign in to your rareseeds.sbs customer account at My Account and use the In-stock alerts page to be emailed when a variety returns. Many varieties sell out during the season and come back when the next harvest of seed is ready.

Yes, for approved retailers and resellers. Wholesale accounts receive 50% off seed products on orders of $500 or more, applied automatically at checkout once the account is approved. To apply or ask about large-quantity orders, read about the program at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Wholesale Program and email seeds@rareseeds.sbs; there is no separate wholesale price list on the website.

We do not publish public discount codes. Our standing offers are free USPS shipping on every U.S. order (details at Shipping Policy) and free seed packets on orders of $10 or more in seeds (more packets at higher totals), both applied automatically. Approved wholesale accounts receive 50% off seeds on orders of $500 or more, also automatic; see Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Wholesale Program for how the wholesale program works.

Yes. In the contiguous U.S. choose UPS 2nd Day Air with priority handling at checkout: a flat $13.95 for any order size, tracked, with expedited fulfillment, usually arriving about 2 business days after it ships. It is not available to PO boxes, Alaska, Hawaii or U.S. territories; the full details are in our shipping policy at Shipping Policy.

Yes, for approved retailers and resellers through our Wholesale Program at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Wholesale Program. Wholesale accounts receive 50% off seed products on orders of $500 or more, applied automatically at checkout once the account is approved. To apply or ask about large-quantity orders, email seeds@rareseeds.sbs.

We do not publish public discount codes. Our standing offers are free USPS shipping on every U.S. order (details at Shipping Policy) and free seed packets on orders of $10 or more in seeds, both applied automatically at checkout. Approved wholesale accounts receive 50% off seeds on orders of $500 or more, also automatic; you can read about the program at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Wholesale Program.

Yes, to Canada ($8 USD flat) and to most other countries ($12 USD flat), with a 10-item limit per order and customs fees paid by the customer. We cannot ship to the European Union, Australia, New Zealand or Chile, and we do not ship to Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea or Syria. Full details are in our shipping policy at Shipping Policy.

Yes. Baker Creek publishes a free annual heirloom seed catalog, and you can request a copy from the catalog request page at Request a Catalog or by emailing seeds@rareseeds.sbs with your mailing address.

Yes. Our Mansfield, Missouri home farm has a retail seed store (Visit Mansfield Store) and hosts seasonal farm festivals; festival admission is $10 per person for ages 18 and over, free for kids under 18, with a ticket good for both days and free rustic camping included. Dates are at Festival Dates and details are on our festival FAQs page at Festival FAQs.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., online at rareseeds.sbs, is a family-owned company based in Mansfield, Missouri that for more than 25 years has sold only open-pollinated, non-GMO heirloom vegetable, flower and herb seeds, around 1,500 varieties, with a two-year satisfaction guarantee and free U.S. shipping. You can read our story at About Us, browse the full online seed catalog at Online Seed Catalog, or plan a visit to the retail seed store at our Mansfield, Missouri home farm at Visit Mansfield Store.

Our Gardening FAQ at Gardening FAQ answers the growing questions we hear most: what to plant each season, the easiest vegetables and flowers for beginners, how heirloom, open-pollinated and hybrid seeds differ, and where to find seed for particular kitchens and climates. Every product page also carries growing tips for that variety, and our Seed Stories blog at rareseeds.sbs/blogs/seed-stories goes deeper on individual crops and seasons.

Our accounts are passwordless, so there is nothing to forget: go to My Account, enter your email address, and we email you a one-time code to sign in. If you shopped with us before we moved to our new store platform, your order history and account details were carried over but passwords were not, so simply sign in with the same email address you used before. Once signed in you can review your orders, update your addresses and see any store credit on your account.

Yes, where it applies to your shipping address. The 2018 Supreme Court ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair changed the state sales tax obligations for companies that sell remotely through websites, so we calculate the correct sales tax for your address when you place an order. You can read more on our Sales Tax Information page at Sales Tax Information, or email seeds@rareseeds.sbs with any tax question.

No, online orders are shipped only; in the contiguous U.S. the two choices at checkout are free USPS shipping or UPS 2nd Day Air with priority handling for $13.95, and there is no store pickup option. You are very welcome to shop in person at our Mansfield, Missouri seed store or the Petaluma Seed Bank in California, both listed at rareseeds.sbs/pages/bakercreek-stores. Store hours are seasonal, so please check Visit Mansfield Store or Petaluma Seed Bank before travelling a distance.

It covers everything we sell. For two years from the date of purchase you may request a replacement or a refund of the original purchase price for any product, for any reason, and that includes our merchandise as well as our seeds. Nothing needs to be sent back; start a request from Return Policy or email seeds@rareseeds.sbs. The guarantee applies to the original purchaser and is not transferable.

We germination-test our seed to a standard above the federal requirement, and our blog post at How Does Baker Creek Test Seed Germination? explains how. Our variety descriptions also give germination guidance along with days to maturity and growth habit, though results always depend on climate, soil, weather and practice. If a packet does not perform, our two-year satisfaction guarantee lets you request a free replacement or a refund from Return Policy, with nothing to send back.

Yes, our Rare Seeds mobile program sends marketing texts from short code 73264, including sale promotions, event news, product launches, cart reminders, and back-in-stock, price-drop and low-inventory alerts. To join, you provide your mobile number and agree to the mobile terms; you must be 18 or older to enroll, message frequency varies, and your carrier's message and data rates may apply. To leave at any time, reply STOP to any message or text STOP to 73264, and text HELP to 73264 if you need assistance. The full mobile terms are at Terms of Service.

Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link at the bottom, and you will still receive the emails about orders you have placed. To end text messages, reply STOP to any message; to come off the printed catalog mailing list, email seeds@rareseeds.sbs and we will remove you. We keep a record of your opt-out so we do not contact you again, and our contact details are at Contact Us.

Email seeds@rareseeds.sbs with the subject line Privacy Request, or write to us at 2278 Baker Creek Road, Mansfield, MO 65704; we will verify you by confirming details of a recent order or your account email, acknowledge promptly and respond within 45 days, telling you if we need up to 45 more. To opt out of advertising sharing, use Data Sharing Opt-Out, turn Marketing off under Manage Cookies in our footer, or send a Global Privacy Control signal. If you used Facebook Login, follow the steps at Request Data Deletion, and our cookie details are at Cookie Policy.

Yes. You can submit a rating, a written review and photographs on a product page, and we publish reviews and respond to them. If you later want a review taken down, email seeds@rareseeds.sbs and we will remove it from our site promptly and ask our review provider to delete it, though their terms give them a continuing licence over review content, so we cannot guarantee erasure from their own systems. Our contact details are at Contact Us.

Both. Email seeds@rareseeds.sbs, which is the address to use for growing advice as well as order questions; our customer care team answers germination and growing questions Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time, and replies can take a little longer in spring. For self-serve help, our horticulturalist shares trusted gardening resources for every state at Our Experts Answer Questions, Share Resources, and our seed-starting tips are at Pro Tips for Successful Seed Starting.