Before we get into the meat of today's posting, I want to let readers know that there is a technical problem glitch that is preventing this blog from being properly displayed by feed aggregators such as Bloglines, Google Reader, iBlog etc.
I hope to have this problem fixed in about a week. In the meantime, you can access the blog directly at http://www.PlanterTomato.com or by bookmaking the site in your web browser.
Catalog Review:
In part II of "Seed Catalogs: Weapons of Mass Distraction," I looked at the depth of varieties offered by the catalog companies and came to the conclusion that Baker Creek was the clear winner on that criteria.
I also mentioned that listing that many varieties might have a downside. And so it does...
In this segment of the review, I'll focus on how well the catalog companies provide product information. To do the evaluation, I looked at:
- The information content of individual product descriptions.
- General planting and care information.
- Product photos that help you select varieties.
- Overall organization of the page.
Product Descriptions
To make an apples to apples comparison (or should I say, a tomato to tomato comparison) I evaluated the product description printed by each catalog company for the Cherokee Purple tomato. I choose this tomato because it is one of the few that all 5 catalog companies sell.
The catalog descriptions are reprinted below, but I recommend that you first skip down to my evaluation (Best Product Description) and read this before reviewing the copy provided by each catalog company.
Seeds of Change
Cherokee Purple. Heirloom. 8-10 oz. (80-90 days) Tennessee heirloom of Cherokee Indian origin. Vigorous indeterminate plants produce large reddish green tomatoes with a purple cast. Less productive than some, but worth growing for superior flavor. Grows well in the South. 50 seeds $3.99
Territorial Seed
Cherokee Purple Organic (OP) 85 days. Similar to red-fruited Cherokee, but much darker. Vigorous indeterminate plants produce slightly flattened 13-14 ounce tomatoes with a purple cast. Shoulders remain green when ripe. Good, rich flavor, fairly stingy on yield. Also available as a plant. See plant order form. Sampler $3.15
**At the front of the tomato section, there is information that a sampler is 1/8 grams.
Johnny's Select
Cherokee Purple: 72 days. [Symbol for Organic] New last year! Unusual variety with full flavor. Medium-large, flattened globe fruits weigh 8-12 oz. Color is dusky pink with dark shoulders. Multilocular interior ranges from purple to brown to green. Relatively short vines. Indeterminate. Mini $2.95*
*The first tomato listed in the catalog shows a "mini" as having 20 seeds. This is not repeated on other tomato entries.
Burpee
Cherokee Purple Heirloom. 85 days. a colorful slicer with a smoky-sweet flavor, purplish skin, brick red flesh. Flattened globes, 5" x 3 1/2" Wt. 13 oz. Indeterminate. Packet (50 seeds) $3.95
Baker Creek
Cherokee Purple. 80 days. An old Cherokee Indian heirloom, pre-1890 variety; beautiful deep, dusky purple-pink color, superb sweet flavor, and very large sized fruit. Try this one for real old-time flavor. My favorite dark tomato and one of our best selling varieties. Pkt $2.25*
*At the front of the tomato section, a packet is specified as 25 seeds.
Best Product Description
In my opinion, Seeds of Change has the best product description. The specify the size of the fruit and the fact that it's indeterminate. They describe the flavor as being special but also note that the variety has a low yield. (honesty, how refreshing!)
They also mention that it might be of interest to growers in one particular region of the country. They tell you exactly how many seeds you get for the price and they throw in a little bit of historical information about the origins of the variety. The bottom line is a very clear description of the benefits and drawbacks of the variety as well and a clear description of the price.
Second place is shared by Johnny's Select and Territorial Seed.
Territorial Seed's description is very good, and they too are forthcoming about the low yield of the Cherokee Purple. They also let you know the variety is open pollinated if you didn't know that already.
My one criticism is that Territorial Seed's pricing information is not particularly transparent. How many seeds do you get for your hard-earned $3.15? The "Sampler" size is 1/8 gram but this is not printed with the actual product description. You need to hunt around to find that information at the front of the catalog's tomato section. And exactly how many seeds is 1/8 grams? I have no idea. Do you?
Johnny's provides excellent product information but doesn't mention anything about the low-yield. I think that this is important information and should be provided.
To their credit, Johnny's uses a system of icons to quickly communicate various attributes like "Organic," "Heat Tolerant," "Cold Tolerant," etc. This is a great idea and I wish the other seed companies would do the same (The key to these icons is printed at the bottom of each catalog page. See below photo)
Johnny's also prints tables in the catalog that compares varieties and supplement the product description. It would have been nice if they addressed yields in the table. If so, they would have won in this category.
Burpee provides solid product information, but just no mention of the low yield.
Finally, Baker Creek provides the least specific information. It's mostly "sell copy."
Illustrative PhotosI think its important that a photo accompany the description. We eat with our mouths, but we also eat with our eyes; tomatoes come in red, purple, yellow, orange, green, pink, white, stripped and black. They are round, pear-shaped, and oblong. A good photo helps one make a purchase decision.
Burpee, Territorial Seed, and Seeds of Change all provide photos for every variety listed in the catalog. Thanks guys!
Johnny's and Baker Creek provide photos for many, but not all, of their product offerings. I would guess the percentage to be about 60-70% for both catalogs.
Planting & Care Information
Let's get right to the chase. Best in class goes to Johnny's.
At the beginning of each vegetable section, Johnny's provides extensive "Growing Information" covering planting instructions, germination times, harvest and storage information and pests. This information is nice to have ready-at-hand and means the Johnny's catalog is more likely to be kept a resource when others are tossed into the trash bin (see below illustration with "Growing Information Side Bar)
Organization
On this criteria, all the catalogs are about the same, even though they present information differently. I personally prefer the way Territorial Seed presents photos directly adjacent to the product description.
In other catalogs, you need to hunt around the page to find the photo of the item you are reading about. If you shop by looking at the photos first, then you need to hunt around for the description. Having all the photos together has it's advantages, but in the end, I think this is really an issue of preference and not a clear "better or worse".
Conclusions
Below is a table that shows how I've scored the catalogs on a 1-10 scale, with 10 the highest rating.
For product information, the blue ribbon goes to Seeds of Change. But Territorial Seed is just a whisker behind on this criteria.
Baker Creek, which scored so well in the last post that evaluated varieties, was at the bottom of the list on product information -- the double edged sword of having so many things to sell.
Next posting, I will evaluate the Entertainment Value of the various catalogs. And in a final posting, I will declare an overall winner.
Stay tuned.
Links to catalog companies:
Baker Creek Burpee Johnny's Selected Seeds Seeds of Change Territorial Seed Co.
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