FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Shipping and Tracking

Question: Can I get tracking on my order?

Answer: Yes, when we create the shipping label for your order you will receive an automatic email with tracking information so you can track your package after it ships.

Question: Will you notify me when my order ships?

Answer: Yes, when we create the shipping label for your order you will receive an automatic email that lets you know your order is complete and what day it will be shipping, along with the tracking information.

Question: How often do you ship?

Answer: We typically ship 2-3 days a week in order to get packages on their way to their destination quickly.

Question: Do you provide insurance for packages?

Answer: No, we do not provide insurance on packages unless specially requested, which will add to the shipping cost. We do not take any responsibility for any losses for uninsured parcels foreign and domestic.

Question: What is your return policy?

Answer: Due to the perishable nature of seeds, we do not accept returns.

Question: What is your guarantee policy?

Answer: We guarantee that our seed is true to species; however, keep in mind, that some natural variation and/or hybridization can occur in plants in the wild.

International Shipping

Question: Do you ship internationally?

Answer: We only ship within the United States and Canada.

Question: Why don’t you ship outside the United States and Canada?

Answer: We don’t ship outside the United States and Canada in order to prevent the spread of invasive species to other parts of the world. Since we carry many species that are not available from other sources and are not currently grown commercially, the invasiveness potential is unknown. Some native species from the Klamath-Siskiyou region of northwest California and southwest Oregon could become invasive in other parts of the world, and we want to prevent that from happening. Preventing the spread of invasive species is important to us and is part of our strong ecological and ethical standards.

Seed Packets

Question: How should I store the seed packets I purchase if I don’t sow the seeds right away?

Answer: It is best to store the seed packets in a cool, dark and dry environment.

Question: How much seed is in a packet of seed from Klamath-Siskiyou Native Seeds?

Answer: We are a small seed company and we don’t have a seed counting machine, so we are unable to provide seed counts for our seed packets at this time; however, we are working on getting the counts of seeds per packet and we will provide that information when we complete it. Currently we package our seed packets in increments of a teaspoon. The quantity of seed in each seed packet depends on the species and seed size. The product description page for each species lists the quantity of seed packaged in each packet for that species after the product description.

Out-of-Stock Species

Question: Why are some species out of stock?

Answer: The majority of our seeds come straight from nature; therefore, we are at the whims of nature’s ebbs and flows, drought years, and other natural cycles that affect plant phenology and seed production. We have permits to sustainably collect native seeds on Forest Service and BLM lands, and we collect native seeds on private lands around the region as well, including on our own 24 acres in the Siskiyou Mountains, where we have wild-tended seed increase plots for many species.

Sustainably collecting seeds of far-flung species, especially species that are uncommon with disjunct populations, can be difficult. It is hard to get the timing right to get to the plant population at just the right time to collect seed. Sometimes we have to hike far into remote areas or drive long, bumpy backroads to get to plant populations we can collect seed from, and sometimes the timing isn’t right and we miss our opportunity to get seed that year, hoping we get it right the next year. We keep detailed records of when we collect seed over the years to help us get it right, but each year can be different and we are at the whims of nature; therefore, some species may be out of stock until we can find viable seed in the future.

Wild collecting seed is not as reliable as farming seed in the agricultural setting, but farming/agriculture is one of the biggest threats to wild native plant populations, and we prefer to sustainably wild collect seed, or produce seed on our own land through wild tending techniques that enhance biodiversity and protect native plant communities, even if that means some species may remain out of stock for a while until we can find seed.

Additionally, we sometimes are out of stock simply because we need to finish cleaning or packaging seeds.

Waiting/Notification List

Question: Can I be notified when an out-of-stock species is back in stock?

Answer: Yes, email us and let us know what out-of-stock species you are interested in and we can put you on our waiting/notification list for that species. We will send you an email when that species is back in stock.

Sustainable Seed Collection

Question: Do you use sustainable and ethical seed collection practices?

Answer: Yes, native plant conservation is our goal. We work hard to collect seed from different populations each year, and only collect a small (10% or less) amount of seed from each plant population in order to ensure the long-term viability of native plant populations. Over the years we have been committed to working with native plant societies and different conservation and environmental advocacy groups to support the protection of imperiled native plants and plant communities, and we also work on habitat restoration projects that increase and enhance native plant populations.

Seed Germination and Plant Propagation

Question: How do I grow the plants I just bought seed for?

Answer: You can review our Seed Germination and Propagation Reference Guide for more detailed information on how to grow native plants from seed.

Question: Do you provide seed germination instructions with my order?

Answer: Yes, each packet has a sticker on the back of the packet with the basic requirements for seed germination.

Question: What does cold-moist stratification mean in your seed germination instructions?

Answer: Many of the species we offer have seeds that need cold-moist stratification. This can simply be achieved by sowing the seeds outside in fall to winter, depending on the length of cold-moist stratification needed, and letting natural outside winter weather conditions naturally provide the conditions needed to break seed dormancy. This is dependent on living in an area with a cold, moist winter. For detailed information on cold-moist stratification and to learn how to stratify if you don’t live in a cold, moist winter area, refer to Wikipedia’s explanation here, or read more about it in our Seed Germination and Propagation Reference Guide.