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Shortly after the beginning of the year, your mail box begins filling up with seed mail order catalogs. What a welcome diversion to the gray and cold environment you have been enduring for months. The catalogs are filled with beautiful, colorful and lush looking vegetables and flowers. You start dreaming and planning for summer color and perhaps start making a list of seeds you want to purchase.

Many of these mail order seed catalogs will have bold writing "order soon to guarantee spring flowers" or some similar marketing strategy. Some will offer discounts or coupons if you purchase early or spend so many dollars. Before you jump to fill in the order form, stop and do some research first.

Tips for purchasing seeds from mail order companies:

1. Make sure the catalog or flier has contact information. This includes a toll free telephone number, a clear address of their location, not just a P.O. Box, and an email address.

2. Check on-line by researching the company's name to see if there are a lot of complaints from customers. If there is a pattern of complaints, such as slow delivery or inferior seeds, do not order from this company. Check with family, friends, co-workers and neighbors to see if they have ordered from this particular company.

3. Check to see if they have a customer service department number, a return policy, a guarantee policy, and a policy about substitution. Make notes of these policies and phone numbers.

4. If they have an email address or toll free number, call or email and ask a few questions such as: How are your seeds packaged for shipment? How is each package labeled in my order? or you can ask for clarification of the shipping, guarantee policy or the policy concerning substitution. Besides getting the answers to these questions, you are also checking to find out about their response habits. Does it take 3 emails to finally get a response? Do you get a quick reply? Are you left hanging on the phone listening to background music for 10 minutes? Does the customer service representative speak in a language you cannot understand? If any of these issues are a concern with a simple question, just think what you will experience when your order arrives and you have a problem.

5. Check on shipping policies. Do they ship UPS, Fed Ex or non priority postal rate delivery. Do they offer free shipping with a minimum order? You do not want to pay more for shipping and handling than the seeds themselves.

6. Placing your order is best via the telephone. Many

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