I thought I would give this business another chance thinking they just needed more time to get it together. I ordered six plants and they were all terrible. Home Depot has better plants. read more

I ordered 12 plants $85 with shipping. Plants arrived very healthy seem fine. Ok now the bad news, out of 12 plants only 4 are correct! all the others were swapped out for duplicates of the same! i did call them and they said they would make it right and they shipped out 6 plants that i had to go back an spend an hour picking out 6 new plants i may of wanted. but it turns 8 plants were wrong not 6! this order is a disaster and a video is on youtube. John Tetor read more

we purchased several chili plants and tomato plants. The tomatoes were damaged and spindly. Company sent tiny replacements which arrived damaged plus apparently have a tomato virus. Used to love this company but they changed owners. Will not buy from them again. read more

Every year, when the grass starts to show itself again and the sun actually warms the air, I begin dreaming of planting a fantastic garden full of fruits and vegetables and huge, fragrant flowers. Dream is the operative word here, since my gardening is haphazard at best. So one rainy Saturday, my favorite chili plant evangelist and I drove out to this magical nursery where in small, fragrant greenhouses, the plants were waiting. They have an astounding variety of chilies and peppers, ranging from the sweet cubanele, which you can stuff and roast, to the bhut jolokia "ghost peppers" in a variety of colors. And every size, shape and color in between. I got myself some anchos, jalapenos and a variant of habaneros to attempt to plant, cultivate and ultimately eat. I also ended up getting some gorgeous heirloom tomato plants (can't wait for the colors to explode on the vine), and the most in-your-face-almost-aphrodisiac-basil I've ever smelled. It is the small leaf variety, named simply enough - Boxwood Basil, but holy sh*t it was potent. We both kept sniffing the plants like junkies on crack. Icing on the cake for this visit - the super helpful, friendly and patient owners, who chatted with me and answered all my questions about tomato rot and soil variety. They also had some of the most wonderful border collies hanging out with them, who were more than happy to be petted and adored by us. This is a perfect day trip for those who need a break from the daily grind and want to brighten up their window sill, fire escape or (in my case) backyard with some really wonderful plants. Not to mention, it's really inexpensive AND you can pre-order your plants online and even have them shipped to you. But I think heading out there is the way to go, if not, how else will you get to play with collies and sniff basil? As good as it gets! read more

Cross Country Nurseries - some of the heirloom tomato plants I bought. - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Rosemont, New Jersey

See all

This nursery specializes in tomato and chile plants. If you're looking for a general, all-purpose location, then this isn't what you want. However, if what you want is the largest variety of tomato and chile plants you've ever imagined, then this is exactly the place you want. I highly recommend that you check out their expansive website before you go. They've very good information on each variety that includes size of the fruits and even taste, and a little research in advance will help you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by all of the choices.. It's also a good idea to order your plants in advance if you're planning on picking up some rarities. They've got all the usual varieties, but the rarer varieties disappear fast. Order on line, and they'll have your order set aside for you to pick up. They've also got an excellent selection of different basil plants and tomatillos too, and don't forget to get their liquid plant food with your order. read more

My dad ordered some plants for our farm. We were told they were delayed a week for shipping. Three weeks later... no plants, no phone answer, no email response. They sure were quick to block me on Facebook after I messaged them about how this delay was going to negatively impact my farm business though. I was a loyal customer of their business for five years. Recommended them to several people. Things sure changed after the original owner retired. Update: The very unprofessional person who answers the emails is now harassing me with insults. I have had to block emails from them. read more

My $80 order of various chili pepper plants arrived completely infested with aphids. Total negligence! While some plants were in OK shape others had completely dropped their leaves. I contacted them about the issue and asked for replacements. They refused and suggested that I buy diatomaceous earth to treat the plants. So, I shelled out another $20 and treated the plants which eventually got rid of the aphids. However; 2 plants have since died and 4 more are barely holding on with 1 or 2 leaves. None look anywhere near as good as the plants that I bought from my local nursery. Never again......they treat their customers with no respect. Do yourself a favor and buy plants elsewhere. Even a big-box store will treat you 10 times better and will stand behind the products they sell. read more

I received a damaged order. I made the mistake of trying to revive them before I contacted them. It was the kind thing to do. I did not receive kindness in return. Instead Excuses excuses excuses. Typical of these crap companies to make shit policies that protect them from doing any actual customer service. read more

Cross Country Nurseries - This is how they will "help" you - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Rosemont, New Jersey

Have been ordering here for years. But this is my last time. The order is 2 weeks late. I've emailed several times, with zero response. I've called only to get recording after recording. Apparently, they don't want you to actually speak to anyone. Then I check my order and find that all the tomatoes are not being sent (something about a failed crop) and about 5 of my pepper varieties aren't being sent either. Zero contact form them. I can't even get a response to cancel what's left of the order. NEVER ORDER FROM HERE! read more

Buyer beware. No offer to refund money on 1/2 the plants that were non salvageable. Only offered replacement plants but mysteriously they were sold out. No communication on how to proceed when that happened. Clearly don't respect the customer. the old owners were always responsive and never had bad review. read more

For all you Chile heads out there let me tell you this......On a recent trip to Ocean City MD I stopped at Peppers (if you dont know it is probably the east coast's largest distributor of sauces rubs and spices). As I walked in there was a display with a dozen different varities of pepper plants. They were absolutely healthy and gorgeous. I inquired about purchasing these. To my surprise I was told by the owner that they were not for sale but he would tell me where to purchase them. You guessed it Cross Country Nurseries in NJ. I smiled and said thank you with the knowledge that my order would arrive this week. I have purchase plants from many sources but none come close to Cross Country. The way they package and ship is second to none. Last years plants produced so much fruit I actually was giving them away (something I have never been able to do). If you want chile plants, tomatoes, or whatever check them out. My advice is you do it very early in the season as they sell out due to demand. You can pick your delivery date (week) depending on your climate zone. This is the ONLY place I purchase my plants from now. read more

I read some negative reviews of them online, but thought maybe those were just one off issues and I decided to give them a chance. It was a mistake. A couple of my plants arrived with minor damage and one was in such bad shape I couldn't revive it. Also, all of my plants were really leggy. Even after I topped them there is no way that any of them would have bushed out properly, especially the fataliis. I figured that contacting them about one damaged plant wasn't worth it based on the responses I've seen them give, so I just let it go. I guess it was an expensive lesson. read more

I had a very disappointing experience with this vendor. It's a long story, I'll keep it short. In May I received 12 of the hotter, more unique pepper plants from them, including the ghost pepper. I had pulled together a number of recipes for salsa, jelly, BBQ sauce, and more, figuring I would get 80-120 peppers per plant at minimum, and would be overwhelmed with them after 60-90 days. I am not new to this, but it's the first time I bought exotic peppers that were not from a local nursery. Four months after planting, by late September, the peppers were all dwarf. They'd grown from 4" plants to spindly 10" plants at best. Not one of them turned into a 24-36" bush. None had produced more than 5 fruits, and none of the fruits came any sooner than late August. I had email exchanges with the vendor twice during the growing season, from June to July, telling her that the plants seemed stunted. She assured me that if I followed her instructions the plants would "grow grow grow" and I would be overwhelmed with fruit. Umm ... no! The grower was not able to figure out what was wrong. I had to figure it out for her, in late September after the growing season was over! Basically her standard instructions were to put 5 inches (yes, 5 inches!!) of mulch on the plants. That was the problem. What I learned, after asking her specifically, was that the mulch I used (shredded redwood, very common in CA) saps nutrients from the soil. Then I asked "does that mean the fertilizer doesn't percolate down to the soil" to which she replied, "oh, you're supposed to lift up the mulch and apply the fertilizer below the soil level." [face palm] I had taken her instructions literally. Nowhere had it said, in the very detailed enclosed instructions, "some mulches are destructive" and "apply the granular fertilizer below the soil line." Maybe others would know better, but I did exactly what she said. So, by following her ridiculous idea to add 5" of mulch, I had starved the plants. I had applied food of course, but the mulch might as well have been an impervious layer of plastic. Had I grown them the way I had always grown peppers, this would not have happened. I wasted an entire summer and pissed down the drain hundreds of dollars, all because the grower had not been explicit about the limits of her instructions and her inability to communicate basic and essential facts. Here's another critique -- I have a sense that her real business goal is not to sell $4 plants but to sell fish guts fertilizer at $35 a gallon. She pushes it pretty hard. As for feedback on more basic details: shipments take 2-3 weeks after your order. There are no rush shipments. I guess it's because they only harvest once or twice a month to fulfill orders. The plants arrived as promised in good condition, looking very healthy. But that is the only positive part of my experience. I really don't know if I will order from them next year. It really hurt to have wasted 30 minutes a day, and all that money, lovingly caring for these plants but being so disappointed. read more

I have purchased their superhot peppers the last 7 years and have been nothing but pleased with their service and product. This year, however, there was a minor discrepancy in my order that was not apparent until the pepper pods started appearing. Disappointing, but no huge deal. When I contacted Chileplants.com this week via email and politely pointed out the error, their curt responses have been nothing but unprofessional. Although they refunded me the cost of the plant, there was no apology and I was told in writing "This will end our business relationship" (i.e. I could not order plants from them in the future). Really? Over a $4.50 plant? I have been courteous in all my email exchanges and am appalled that a company would treat a loyal customer in such a manner. read more

cross country nurseries is a nursery dedicated to hot pepper plants and heirloom tomatoes. if you have room on your rooftop for a couple of plants or live in the outer boroughs and are lucky enough to have a garden, this place is worth renting a car and making a day trip to central jersey for. if all that sounds a bit much to you, they also deliver. i've been going here for about four years. if you've been to other nurseries and lament the fact that most, at their best, only have around 5 different hot pepper plants to choose from, how about over 500? yes. habaneros you never heard of, and peppers that you didn't know existed, this is a special place. a couple of years ago they started offering heirloom (and non-heirloom) tomatoes. now the count is up to around 130! when i was first getting started i had a lot of questions. the owner was nice enough to take the time out from her day to answer them all, and helped me understand the importance of going organic when it comes to feeding my plants and controlling pests. cross country nurseries and gilberties herb farm in connecticut are the only nurseries that i'll take the time out to make a trip to. if you're into hot peppers, this is the place to visit. read more

Great selection but only downfall is the nasty unprofessional female that works there

I live in Brooklyn, and it's a little hard trying to find certain plants for me out here, so I usually make plant purchases online every spring. I was surprised to find chileplants.com and even more surprised when I discovered they were in NJ (which, admittedly, is too far for me as I don't have a car, but shipping was extremely fast as a result of how close they are in proximity to me). All the plants shipped to me were extremely healthy, no signs of deficiency/malnutrition, and packed well. The plants here were the ones that flourished the best with the least amount of work out of all the plants I put in my garden in the spring. Thanks Chile Plants / Cross Country Nurseries! I will continue to purchase my peppers and tomatoes from you. read more

I have been buying my chile plants here for years...I think this is my 5th or 6th year (maybe longer). I am AMAZED every year just how gorgeous these plants are. They are packaged perfectly and they arrive healthy. I live in SoCal and they travel a long distance to get here, but you would never know it when you open the box. I got my 12 large plants yesterday in 93 degree heat and STILL they were perfect, peppy and the soil was still damp! I plant these each year in my earthbox's and OMG do they thrive. My mutiple (or shall I say constant) harvest of peppers is HUGE. We actually consume all of them (stuffed peppers, sauteed, salads, salsas. eaten freash, gazpacho, soup, etc.....) When people see my peppers they are astounded by the plant beauty, production and quality of both plant and peppers. Cross Country Nurseries does an outstanding job and the amount of variety is so large, you will have difficulty deciding. I have never been to a nursery with so many sweet and hot pepper options. read more

Safe seed pledge, NON GMO NJ garden center. My dear Hungarian dad was trying to find authentic Hungarian non gmo pepper plants and luckily I found www.chileplants.com. I have had the hardest time trying to locate a non gmo nursery in NJ until now. They had over 9 different Hungarian peppers. I've never seen anything like it. I bought 30, some for us and some for our Hungarian friends. Usually I grow my own seeds with the aerogrow garden but this year the peppers didn't do well so I'm thankful I found chile plants and look forward to shopping there every year. I even bought their organic fish emulsion fertilizer for the plants. So excited and looking forward to a great NJ garden year. They ship nationwide too which is awesome. Happy Gardening! read more

I have been buying from these people since '06. I've never been disappointed. Their selection offers more varieties than you could ask for. They always have the latest "hottest chili in the world" which is what I'm always after. The plants come neatly packaged and in excellent health. There is a minimum order of 12 but who cares? The plants are awesome and you won't be disappointed. I can't think of anything negative to say about them. I guess I could mention that their "grow how" instructions don't recommend Miracle Gro when I've had nothing but amazing plants and harvests using it. I will buy my plants from nobody else. Hope this helps. read more

I just called to inquire about ordering some peppers and spoke with a combative woman who spoke down to me every chance she got. From correcting me on the name of the company to the name of the pepper which I had right the first time to stating the peppers were out of season and when i told her that the site show's fresh she says yes until you check out and it will give you your order date when they are in season (you have to create an account to check out) to which I replied you might want to change that so it is more informative and she stated that we have been doing this for years and no one has complained. Then I asked out of curiosity if the peppers could be frozen and sold year round and she said how do you suppose we ship them frozen, when I said dry ice she said no one would want to buy that and I said i would. I cut the conversation off there. While her tone can not adequately be displayed through a reviews text just imagine her demeanor to be an older lady who clearly did not want to be talking on the phone or give any concern to customer service or common phone etiquette. A better way to describe her would be like speaking to an ill tempered prison guard that thought she was better then you. Not my idea of a company with whom I would like to do business with. read more

I have just returned from my very first trip to this delightful place. I have lived in NJ for 38 years, have a huge garden and no ever mentioned this place until yesterday. It is about seven miles from my house. Well, the owner is wonderful and they have over 130 varieties of tomato plants. It is really a chili pepper place but he has added the tomatoes. The owner is very knowledgable and helpful. It is just a fun trip out in the country to get there. The hardest part was deciding what to buy from the greenhouse full of tomatoes. They ship plants all over the US and Canada. We are so lucky to have this place near us. read more

I buy tomatoes plants from them. Great variety and the plants never fail to thrive. Been buying for myself and others for years. Very satisfied read more

Like a desert oasis located in the heart of Western New Jersey farm country, Cross Country Nursery, or "CCN" to the chilihead community, is a nursery dedicated to providing an astounding number of chili pepper plant varities, including fearsome superhots such as the Carolina Reaper and Trinidad 7 Pot Doughlah. Being a chilihead myself, I've been here a handful of times and have picked up many different plants, including rare varieties such as Datils, Chocolate Scotch Bonnets, and 7 Pot Brain Strains. CCN also offers mild pepper varieties, as well as many different types of basil, tomatoes, and eggplant. All of my CCN plants grew satisfactorily, producing beautiful green foliage and scorching hot pods that grew true to type. Prices are good, but be warned: the nursery is only seasonal, meaning it is exclusively open for business between March and May. If you're a pepper lover, or a gardening enthusiast looking for varieties beyond what you can pick up in Lowes or Home Depot, stop by CCN. read more