I've heard that TT is great, but not yet bought from them.
Early on, I found Heather's Tomato-and-Pepper Swap, and went utterly bug-nuts crazy collecting more tomato seeds than I will ever be able to grow.
>> Kitazawa is one of my favorites.
For most people, I SHOULD probably recommend them more than Tainong. But many things about Tainong give me a big, warm fuzzy feeling.
- They answered the phone in Mandarin and only change to English if necessary.
- They are wholesalers, selling seeds that savvy market growers like, but will sell a scoop for $2 to silly amateurs like me.
- I-Lung, who usually takes my order, especially if I send by email, is REALLY patient with my questions. When one variety is out, or even if it isn't, he'll suggest alternatives and varieties more suited to my climate. I'm super-impressed that he will take time to make recommendations or warn me, when his usual customer probably buys 1,000 times more than I do. And he remembers me from year to year!
- He TELLS me if a batch of seed is older or has not been re-tested recently, and then he always says "Well, I'll give you bigger scoop of that one".
- He knows that hobbyists often prefer non-treated seeds, and "warns" me when I buy the high-priced spread.
- The size of the scoop is different for every batch, but the scoop is BIG for $2 for the OP varieties , and as big as a $4 packet from a retail vendor, when they are pricey hybrid seeds.
- They really are patient and kind to hobbyists. Once I tried to find out what their next-size-larger packet would be. He was very gentle when he said "pounds".
And everything I've bought from them sprouted great. One batch had not been re-tested recently and was getting a LITTLE old by my standards, VERY old by their standards, I guess, so he warned me repeatedly and said he'd replace it with something else if its germination wasn't good. (I couldn't tell the germination rate was ANY different from very fresh seed, but I did sow that outside, a little thicker.)
And they have PAGES of Bok Choy varieties! Baby, big, many sizes in-between, Shanghai, Taiwan, white-stem, green-stem, plus NAPA, Michilhi, Yu Choy Sum, A choy, Asparagus Bean, eggplants, Gai Lan, Bitter Melon (苦瓜) and a partridge in a pear tree.
I was surprised that they didn't have Tatsoi, and finally asked him. I'm not positive that I understood the answer, but it sounded like "WE call that Takuchoy". It felt like trying to order Emu Bitter beer in the eastern half of Australia. Emu Bitter is what they drink in WESTERN Australia, mate! DUHH!
