This post is my review of Indiana Berry & Plant Co (the online store is located at indianaberry.com). I have ordered regularly from this company for probably 5+ years, and I’ve purchased a large variety of small fruits, including canes, bushes, and even asparagus crowns. Based on quality and pricing, Indiana Berry is by far one of my absolute favorite online nursery companies. This post outlines why.
How Extensive is Indiana Berry’s Plant Selection?
I love the Indiana Berry selection. They have all the “usual suspects” when it comes to soft fruit gardening; strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and the like. They offer one-off, single-plant sales as well as pre-selected package deals that mix and match berry plants from different categories (example: different colors of raspberries combined into a single package).
On top of these regulars, Indiana Berry also carries a fascinating collection of less-common soft fruits. Lingonberries? They carry multiple varieties, not just a single token plant. Bush cherries? Forget the Nanking; again, you have multiple choices to read through and select from. Elderberries? Aronia? Even figs? Yes, yes, and yes… and then there’s still more!
In addition to their fruit selection, Indiana Berry also carries some other basics like asparagus and rhubarb. I’ve never purchased the rhubarb because my property is already drowning in it, but I’ve been very happy with the asparagus roots I’ve purchased in previous years.
How Does Indiana Berry Score in Plant Quality, Honesty & Reliability?
In terms of quality, honesty and reliability, Indiana Berry is spot-on, every single time. Shipment is always timed well for my gardening zone, and the plants that arrive are always in nice shape.
Each package includes a handle little magazine with a growing guide packed with great visual aids and information. I learned more from that growing guide than I did from multiple gardening books. These people know what they’re doing, and they know how to share that information in an easy-read format!
The plants themselves are always in fantastic shape. I’ve rarely had an Indiana Berry plant fail to thrive, and let’s face it: those that have were probably mostly user error.
I have included two example pictures of the bare-root purchases I’ve made from Indiana Berry. (I have photos dating back multiple years; these just give examples. If anyone wants an example of a specific plant, let me know and I can search through archives to see what I have and how old the photo is.)
Overall, I rate Indiana Berry’s quality and plant descriptions very highly.
How is Indiana Berry’s Customer Service?
Honestly? I’ve no idea. I’ve never had to contact the customer service at Indiana Berry… which in itself is obviously a good thing.
Yes, I did have a couple of plants die once upon a time. However, I never reached out to the company to request a refund because I knew darn well why those plants died, and it was my own fault. (Am I a lazy gardener? Sometimes. Maybe.)
If I ever have to reach out to Indiana Berry customer service in the future, I’ll update this post. In the meantime, I got nothin’, folks.
How Does Indiana Berry’s Pricing Compare with Other Nurseries?
In recent years, Indiana Berry has consistently been the most inexpensive source of my top five nurseries when it comes to soft fruit plants.
You should be aware that this company doesn’t run a plethora of revolving sales like some of the other online nurseries do. I don’t watch them like a hawk, so NO guarantees here, but typically the only sales I’ve noticed from Indiana Berry are early-bird sales… and when I say early, I mean EARLY. Once the catalog hits your mailbox, you better be right on that ordering slip or you may miss the boat.
However, missing the boat honestly isn’t that big a deal. Their prices are so good WITHOUT a sale that they often beat out the competition anyway.
This company really shines, though, in its combo-packs of nursery-selected fruit plans. Buying in bulk usually tips the scales from “affordable” to “how can I turn this down???” I have several of these packs on my list every spring. I can’t buy them all, but I try to knock them off the list as I can.
In terms of pricing, Indiana Berry is usually my automatic first look based on their proven affordability.
Other Notes on Purchasing from Indiana Berry:
This company was a relatively recent find in my gardening journey, but it didn’t take long to become a favorite. Every plant is beautiful, the selection is awesome, and the price is hard to beat.
I can’t recommend Indiana Berry enough. End of story.
This post was originally published in 2023. The post may have been since updated. Any plant photos are referencing dates from the ORIGINAL publish of this article in 2023.