Payment, Costs, Shipping & Guarantee Information
Plant Costs
Our organically grown seedling prices are $4.95 and up. Prices are noted on the 'available varieties' page next to their names. Some of our plants are grown from extremely rare or very expensive seeds, or are challenging to grow from seed, and are higher priced.
Our customers pay for their plants at the time they are ordered in order to reserve their shipping windows. Without pre-payment, substitutions will be made with similar varieties if your first choices are sold out. Shipping windows are first-come, first-served and must be reserved by payment in advance.
There is no minimum order unless you are paying by credit card. We will ship you as few as one or two plants if it makes you happy, payable with PayPal, check or money order.
For Visa, Discover and MasterCard orders, minimum is 4 plants.
How To Order
Where's the Shopping Cart?
At this time we do not yet have an online shopping cart due to variable plant size, thus variable shipping weights and shipping costs. We expect to have it installed by December.
Substitute Plants
IMPORTANT NOTE: In some instances we will need to substitute a similar plant variety if your first choice is not available. If you don't specify alternate choices Laurel will personally substitute a very similar wonderful variety which will do well in your area. If you do not wish us to substitute, please make this clear when you place your order.
NOTE: During high-volume shipping periods--April, May and June--we will not have time to locate you and confer with you about substitutes.
Make a list of the plants and garden products in which you are interested, then call send an email listing them, along with any questions you have. During October through mid-March, we will respond within 72 hours with your cost and payment options.
IMPORTANT: In April and May emails will take up to 4 days to answer; phone calls are much faster.
We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, PayPal, check or money order.
Minimum credit card order is 4 plants. Minimum check or money order is one plant.
If paying with Visa or MasterCard, please be ready to include the CV2 security code number from the back of your card. It is comprised of the last 3 separate digits on the back of your card in the signature strip.
The CV2, or
card verification code, is 3 digits printed on
Visa and MasterCard cards in the white signature panel on the back of the card. It is the
last 3 digits AFTER the credit card number. (Sometimes only the last 4 digits of
your credit card number will be printed before the CV2 code instead of the
entire credit card number.)
To Order By Credit Card
We accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover and PayPal.
To pay by credit card, email this information:
Your name, address, telephone number, email address, credit card number, exp date, and CV2 code to tomatoplants@pacbell.net, or if you prefer, call in your information to Laurel or AJ, 310 534-8611.
Telephone hours are Mon - Fri, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Hours are Pacific Time (PDT).
We are:
3 hours behind East Coast (EDT)
2 hours behind Midwest (CDT)
1 hour behind Mountain (MDT)
Not sure? Check here: www.time.gov/
Telephone: 310 534-8611
IMPORTANT: If you are ordering or inquiring by email, please, oh please, include your name, zip code, and most important, your telephone number. Without this information, we cannot take your order.
Server conflicts, spam catchers and firewalls occasionally block email access, making it difficult or impossible to respond to your email. If you have not heard from us within 4 business days, it may mean we could not reach you by email, so please call us to check. 310 534 8611
To Pay by Check or Money Order
Please make check or money order payable to:
Heirloom Tomato Plants
Mailing address:
Heirloom Tomato Plants
1725 257th St
Lomita CA 90717
Telephone, 310 534-8611
To Pay With PayPal
Click on this PayPal Verified seal.
Shipping Charges and Packaging Technique
We will advise you of your actual shipping cost when you place your order, but here is some basic information:
Plants are shipped US Postal Service Priority Mail (USPS) and will arrive Monday through Saturday.
Delivery time is 1-3 days. Deliveries coast to coast take 2-3 days. Please give us a delivery address where someone can receive your plants Monday through Saturday.
We do not ship UPS.
Shipping to P.O. Boxes is fine; be sure your post office knows you are expecting a package so they notify you if it arrives early. It is solely the customer's responsibility to know your post office hours and delivery schedule.
We cannot and will not be responsible for Post Office Box pick-ups. You will get an email the moment your plants leave our nursery and you will be responsible for retrieving them at your Post Office. If our records show the plants were delivered at your post office we will not send replacements if you cannot find them at your Post Office.
Our No-Shift© custom packaging costs are approximately $1.10 per plant which is in addition to plant cost.
(Please see below for packaging and handling cost details.)
We do not conceal shipping costs in the price of your plants as many companies do because our customers are smart and deserve to know the actual costs, so all shipping fees are actual Post Office charges and separate packaging costs reflecting our cost of boxes and other packaging materials which ensure safe arrival of your plants.
Actual shipping cost may run anywhere from $5 to $10 higher or lower than our estimate according to actual package weight and dimensions on shipping day. You will be advised of the change and billed or credited accordingly.
Due to elaborate, very time consuming and expensive processing measures, we do not ship live plants to Canada.
Plants are from 4" to 20" tall and ship in large heavyweight corrugated cartons-- these cartons cost us from $1.00 to $2.75 apiece. Plants weigh 1 to 1½ pounds each; some are heavier. Each plant is carefully enclosed in its own individual custom designed No-Shift© packaging container designed to get it to you safely. These containers are heavy, very sturdy and add weight to your package. A carton of 12 plants will weigh about 16 lbs.
Depending on the size of your plants and your distance from Los Angeles, the cost will vary. Shipping costs range from $14.00 to $38.00 for, let's say 12 plants, in a 16" x 16"x 16"carton. Fewer plants, lesser charge. Longer distance and larger package, higher shipping cost.
So, depending on the plant price, to the east coast, the total including plants, packaging, handling and shipping will be about $9.00 per plant for an order of 10 to 12 plants. To the mid states, about $8.00 and the west coast, about $7.25.
Rush Orders
Rush orders are available by telephone only. For an additional $50.00 plus shipper's express fees, we will arrange to have your order shipped immediately. Order must be received by telephone before 11:00 a.m. California Time for Same-Day Shipping.
Need it right away in April or May? Our customers begin ordering in October for their spring plants and by March 20th many of our shipping slots are filled up for April and May, first come, first served. To get your order bumped up we must schedule overtime hours for our packaging personnel. The fee is $35.00 per order of 1 to 12 plants and $50.00 for 12 to 24 plants. More than 24 plants, please call for information.
Delivery Schedule
Delivery on an exact date cannot be and will not be guaranteed without rush order fees. It is virtually impossible to guarantee unless you pay for Overnight or Next Day shipping and put a rush on it.
IMPORTANT: We must have a delivery address where someone can receive your plants from Monday through Saturday. If you cannot receive your plants on a Saturday please let us know.
We schedule your shipping for the 14 day window of your choice. Please order early to reserve your shipping time. Plants will be shipped during that time frame to arrive 1 to 3 days later depending on distance. Shipping windows for April and May fill up quickly.
Shipping to P.O. Boxes is available, please be sure your post office knows you are expecting a package so they notify you if it arrives early, it is solely the customer's responsibility to know your post office hours and delivery schedule. We will not be responsible for Post Office Box pick-up problems.
How To Know When Your Plants Are On the Way
We notify you automatically by email when they have left the nursery and are on their way to your door.
Need Your Package Left at Your Door?
If you would like your package left at your door, just let us know when you order. We will note on your package: DEAR CARRIER, PLEASE LEAVE ON PORCH or a similar message of your choice. No extra charge.
Picking Up Your Plants
Plants must be pre-ordered by telephone and are available for pick-up by appointment on Friday and Saturday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at our main nursery in Southern California near Los Angeles, ¼ block from the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Western Avenue in Harbor City, (home of Reggie, the Alligator of the Lake).
Your order must be placed by phone and will be ready for pick-up when you arrive. We do not have a 'shopping' type nursery so drop-in shopping is not available. A small service charge will apply.
Please call to make your appointment, 310 534-8611. Phone hours are Monday - Friday 9 to 3. Please ask for Laurel.
Packaging and Handling Costs
Our custom-designed No-Shift© containers ensure the safe arrival of your plants.
Our packaging is extremely careful, elaborate, strong and crush-proof to protect your plants.
Each plant comes in its own 4" deep pot, carefully wrapped and padded for maximum safety and airflow, enclosed in its own very sturdy individual No-Shift© container to keep it from shifting or moving in any way during its journey from Los Angeles to your door. These custom designed containers are carefully arranged and protected in a heavyweight carton, surrounded by cushioning material, picked up and shipped immediately by priority mail to assure your plants arrive in perfect condition within 1 to 3 days.
The US Post Office is mandated to move one package or less per second. All packages get tossed around. Even if the outside carton is tumbled or dropped many times during its journey, a common occurrence, your plants will not move at all in our custom designed No-Shift© packaging.
For outlying areas, you can expect a possible 4 day delivery time. Please notify your rural carrier that a perishable shipment is expected.
Packaging for this specialized technique is costly, $1.10 per plant for each individual custom cut plant container. This is in addition to shipping costs detailed above.
Our Guarantee, Please Read!
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: You must confirm your mailing address!
Shortly after you place your order you will get a copy by email of your receipt with your address and all pertinent information along with a cover letter asking you to be sure your address is accurate.
It is solely your responsibility to carefully read the email we send. We will explain this when you place your order by telephone by saying we are emailing a copy of your order, to please be sure all information is accurate, if not please call right away to let us know.
If you have not carefully read the email cover letter of your order and have not noticed an error in your address and informed us, we cannot be responsible for incorrect name or delivery address. If the plants are returned to us because of an incorrect address, it is your responsibility to pay for the order again if you wish it reshipped.
If you have not received a copy of your order within 2 days of ordering, please us call right away. This means we may not have your correct email address. 310 534 8611.
Your plants are packaged with great care, and leave our nursery in perfect condition. Since they are living things, occasionally, but rarely, a stem can be damaged during shipping. If it is determined that our packaging was responsible for the damage, we will replace your plant immediately at no cost, or refund the plant and packaging price or give you full credit on your next order when you return the plants, whichever makes you happy. If our packaging was responsible for the damage, we will also pay shipping for replacement plants.
You must let us know by phone or email within 48 hours of receiving a damaged plant. Time is of the essence. We may ask that you send photographs of, or return the damaged plant and its packaging.
Because we grow organically and do not use harsh insecticides, occasionally there may be a few insects on your plants. No organic nursery can guarantee bug-free plants. We rinse each plant before shipping and give it a spray of neem or other natural and organic spray to control bugs but nothing can control all insects on live plants; it's just Nature. Insects are easily controlled with neem oil or another good organic insecticide or just by a sharp spray of water. Check your plants when they arrive and if necessary, spray for insects before planting out. Another easy and very effective way to control insects is to simply hold the plant --in its pot-- upside down, keep your hand over the soil, dunk the foliage in clear water and swish it around for 5 seconds or rinse off the foliage in running water. This natural method will eliminate the majority of critters.
We must have a delivery address where someone can receive your plants Monday through Saturday.
If you have called to note an error in your shipping address and we make a mistake and mis-address your package, your entire order will be re-shipped immediately at no cost to you whatsoever. If the address you supply is incorrect or you have moved or in any other way changed your shipping address and not informed us within 5 days before your shipping window begins or during your 10 day shipping window, we will not be held responsible for mis-delivery and will not send replacements.
Your plants and cartons leave here in perfect condition. If the outside carton is damaged by the carrier leading to damage inside (this has happened once that we know of), or if the carrier delays delivery for more than 5 days for any reason aside from natural disaster or an act of war, and your plants do not survive, please notify us within 48 hours and take and send photographs of the damage or return the plants to us. We will happily send free replacement plants. Shipping and packaging will be paid by the customer.
If you receive a damaged plant and decide to plant it anyway, please let us know within 24 hours of delivery that you have decided to do this, and send us photographs of the plants. We ask that you give the plant 14 days to recover; we will advise you about the best way to help them thrive.
If our packaging was responsible for the damage or records indicate the carrier did not deliver within 5 days and your plant does not recover within 14 days we will send you a free replacement with no hassle whatsoever.
If shipment tracking records indicate your package was delivered within 5 days, but for any reason was misplaced by anyone or not opened promptly, we cannot replace the plants.
Our plants normally reach you within 1-3 days of shipping. However, with our unique and exclusive packaging method, plants will normally survive in good condition for at least 5 days in case of unavoidable delay due to weather problems or accidental carrier delay.
Under no circumstance whatsoever will we be liable for any cost outside of the actual plant cost, shipping and handling.
Privacy Policy
We never share any of your personal information with anyone, ever.
Substitute Varieties
If you do not specify 'no substitutions' or list some alternate choices when you order, and you receive a substitute plant you don't want, we cannot replace it.
If you do specify 'no substitutions' and receive a plant you do not want; we will credit your account or let you choose a plant from available varieties at no cost. In certain cases you will be asked to return the plant) in order to receive a replacement.
NOTE: During extremely high-volume shipping periods--April, May and June--we simply do not have time and will not be able to try and locate you to confer about substitutes at shipping time.
Pre-Payment Policy
All plants and shipping must be paid for when you place your order to have them reserved in your name and tended by our nursery specialists.
Of course you may also choose not to pay in advance. In that case we will not be able to reserve your plants or guarantee availability of the exact varieties you want or your desired shipping window. If you decide not to pre-pay and your choices are no longer available at shipping time, we will do our best to ship similar varieties. Your desired shipping window, however, may be delayed for 10 days to 4 weeks.
Order Cancellation/Refund Policy
Our plant varieties are in great demand; many are quite rare and some are of very limited availability. Your plants are selected from only the finest stock, taken out of inventory and placed in our 'sold' nursery in your name when you place your order. They are tended daily and expertly by a nursery specialist who is assigned responsibility for your plants on the day you order and looks after them personally in anticipation of your shipping week.
Cancellations will be acknowledged and accepted gracefully; we understand that circumstances can change unexpectedly. However, because of perishability, inventory accuracy, and the time we take to select and care for your plants, cancellation of live plant orders must be placed within 7 business days or less of the date they are ordered in order to receive a refund, less $1.50 charge per plant restocking fees and bank fees.
With 7 business days notice as outlined above, all plant costs and shipping/packaging fees will be refunded except for a $1.50 processing/restocking fee per plant, and any bank fees we incurred in regard to processing your order. Cancellation must be by letter, email or telephone. You will receive a telephone call or E-mail from us acknowledging your cancellation.
For cancellations made more than 7 days from the day you place your order, restocking fee is $2.50 per plant plus all packaging costs and all bank processing fees.
Due to perishability and inventory accuracy, orders cancelled during your 10 day shipping window or refused at point of delivery cannot and will not be refunded for any reason.
We do not accept returns for any reason.
Please allow at least 30 business days for any refund to be processed.
If for any reason we have a crop failure and cannot ship some of your plants during the current season, we offer full credit for your plants the following season plus a bonus of an additional 20% of the number of plants you ordered. For example: If we cannot send 10 of your plants this season, we will send them next season along with 2 more free plants for you, or for a friend if you do not have enough garden space. If you would prefer a refund instead of the free plants, please allow 30 days from the date you notify us for your refund to be processed.
Aside from the shipping cost, custom-ordered plant and packaging costs are non-refundable for any reason.
IMPORTANT: Because of the many variables in individual soil conditions, climates, biological conditions, weather and plant care methods; if your seedlings are healthy when they arrive or when you pick them up, we cannot and will not for any reason be held responsible for their condition after they are in your care and we will not offer free replacements unless the plant arrives damaged or was damaged when you selected it.
If a plant arrives damaged, we must be notified within 48 hours of delivery time per post office records in order to send a free replacement. In some instances we will require photographs or return of the plant.
If the carrier has delayed your shipment more than 2 days from maximum acceptable delivery date of 5 days from shipment date, for any reason except natural disaster or act of war, and your plants do not survive, we will send replacement plants if we have them. If plants are not available we will give you credit for next season. The shipping and handling costs will be the responsibility of the customer.
We are always available for unlimited telephone or email consultations during business hours and after hours for urgent care. 310 534 8611 Mon - Fri, 9 am to 5 pm, Pacific Time. A fee will apply for extended after hours consultation.
Please refer to the detailed planting tips and information included with your order, and feel free to call or email if you have any questions about planting or cultivation.
Our ultimate goal is that you are happy and successful with your plants and have a bountiful harvest. We are more than happy to help you as much you need. For extended consultations, fees may apply. Ask for Laurel. 310 534-8611
**Note: It is the sole responsibility of the customer to be sure the agriculture regulations of your state allow you to receive live plants from California. If you have a concern, contact your state's Department of Agriculture; phone numbers are available online. At this time, October '07, we are unaware of restrictions on vegetable plants to any states.
Under no circumstance whatsoever will we be responsible for any cost outside of the actual plant cost, shipping and handling.