Substitutions at Fedco


Substitutions at Seeds

Unless you decline substitutions on your order form, we will substitute for items that we cannot supply:

  • We will substitute a variety of the same kind and similar season.
  • If we have to substitute a more expensive variety, we won’t charge you more.
  • If we run out of organic seed we will substitute high-quality conventional seed for the same variety unless you specify otherwise on your order form.
  • Seeds backorders may be minimized because of increased ordering, staff capacity and supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic and climate change. We may use out-of-stocks to assure quick turnaround of orders. Choosing ‘yes’ to substitutions will help speed your order to you.

Substitutions at Potatoes, Onions, and Exotics

It is our goal to send you the potatoes that you ordered. This may seem like a simple goal to reach, but inventory of live plant material is an inexact science and we may run out of a variety that was “in stock” when you ordered it by the time we pack your order for a number of reasons, such as:

  • the only lots available for that variety failed winter virus testing
  • a grower had a short crop or graded their crop heavily at packing time and was unable to fill as much of our order as they expected
  • a variety suffered spoilage in the warehouse and we had to repack the bags and dispose of part of our inventory
  • we made a mistake on an order that was placed earlier than yours and had to send more or different potatoes to that customer than we expected
  • you (or someone else ordering around the same time) placed a large order for a variety when we had little inventory remaining

When push comes to shove, most people would rather get potatoes than a refund, so we offer a substitution program for those willing to be flexible if necessary.

  • If you do not accept substitutes, you will receive a refund for any out-of-stock varieties at the time that we complete your order.
  • If you ordered conventional potatoes but we only have organic stock available for that variety, we may substitute organic stock of the same variety but we will not charge you more.
  • If you accept conventional stock in place of organic, we will substitute conventional stock of the same variety if that is available and refund the price difference.
  • If you accept variety substitutions, we will substitute a similar variety if we have one available. Our criteria for similarity are (in order of priority): skin color, flesh color, maturity, texture, storage capacity, and disease resistance profile. It is unlikely that all these characteristics will match those of your original selection.
  • Even if you accept substitutions, we may not have a reasonable substitute available (either because the variety is quite unusual or because we have no inventory left of reasonable substitutes). In this case, you will receive a refund as above.
  • We allot varieties in limited supply to orders in the sequence in which we received them. Even if you choose to accept substitutions, we will always send you the variety you ordered if it is available. Refusing substitutions will not increase your chances of receiving the variety you ordered originally.

We ship over 6000 potato orders in a period of four weeks with an office crew of four people and a warehouse crew of eight. We CANNOT and WILL NOT contact individual customers about out-of-stock varieties in advance, nor can we offer any guarantee that we will process custom substitution requests. Please do not ask us to do so.


Substitutions at Trees

When dealing with live plants, we can never be certain that we can fill your entire order. If something becomes unavailable, our default mode is to substitute a similar variety because most people prefer a similar tree or plant to a refund. On the order form, if you indicate you don’t want any substitutions, we’ll send a refund. You’ll have the option to donate some of your refund to the Maine Heritage Orchard.

If you order apples, please indicate whether you will accept the same varieties on similar rootstocks.


Substitutions at Bulbs

With live plant material, there are inevitably unforeseen shortages. We find that most people prefer getting bulbs to getting a refund. There are two checkboxes on the order form: one to accept or decline a variety substitute, and one to accept Eco-grown garlic in lieu of certified organic. When you indicate “Yes” to substitutions, if a variety becomes unavailable, we will follow this protocol, subject to availability:

  • Substitute a flower of similar color, form and season.
  • Substitute a garlic of similar class and form.
  • Send Eco-grown garlic of the same or similar type.

For all substitutions, we will refund any price difference.


Substitutions at OGS

Organic Gardeners Supply does not offer substitutions. In the unlikely event that an item in your order is sold out, that item will be marked as backordered on your order, the in-stock items will be fulfilled right away, and we will fulfill the backorder as soon as possible. If you prefer a refund instead of a backorder, please contact us to cancel the backorder.