How much do you spend?

[Curlykale]

Sorry to ask such a vulgar question, but I have just drawn up my list of what I want to order from Marshalls and the Real Seed Co, and (not counting the fruit, asparagus and rhubarb) so far my order comes to £103!

And that is my whittled down list! (I'm a marketeer's dream).

This is my first year of having an allotment and I know that I'm probably being totally unrealistic but I want to try a couple of different varieties of some of the veggies and will probably only plant a few seeds from each packet - I'm hoping that the rest of the seeds will last for the next year or three. I am finding it impossible to cross anything else off my list!

Just wondering how much you "old hands" spend on seeds etc each year.

Please, someone, talk me out of spending all that dosh!

[zazen999]

WHOA THERE CURLY

That's alotta seeds!!!

Why don't you buy less, split those packets and swap with some people on here?

I wanna see a list before you press 'buy'......

[Jillyreeves]

WOW - why so much ??

I am not an old hand, as only been growing since last year, but do not anticipate spend more than 30 or 40 quid max, and this includes fruit bushes and seed potatoes.

I dont know where you are but you seriously need to check out Wilkinson, Aldi, Netto and Lidl if they are in your area and get the basics at a cheaper price. :-)

[RedThorn]

not an old hand, only 3rd season but wow that's a lot of dosh! guessing that's about 50-80 seed packets. Try ebay or look for sites that sell in smaller quantities allowing you to try more varieties for less money

[valmarg]

Sorry curly, but join the club.

Seed catalogues are just soo tempting at this time of year, and of course we all get a bit carried away and spend too much.

The thing is, if you've pared down your order, you could/should 'go for it', as you are bound to get some good crops back to recoup some of your expenditure.

You want to try a couple of varieties of some things, which gives you a base line for next year. What worked you grow again, and what didn't you don't.

Gardening is an inexact science, but it's fun and we all get a lot of enjoyment out of trying to grow things, but the real bonus is in the eating.

Happy growing, whatever you eventually decide to buy, but the big bonus is happy eating.

valmarg

[Pies]

stop,imho pick what type of vegies you want to grow then see if you have space, its amazing how much space is required by some plants.Then choose varieties that are reliable.Nothing worse than complete failure

£100+ of seeds is a hell of a lot

[braders]

WOW - why so much ??

I am not an old hand, as only been growing since last year, but do not anticipate spend more than 30 or 40 quid max, and this includes fruit bushes and seed potatoes.

I dont know where you are but you seriously need to check out Wilkinson, Aldi, Netto and Lidl if they are in your area and get the basics at a cheaper price. :-)

Agree with Jilly...seems way too much to me too..!

[Seahorse]

Ignore the naysayers! Seriously, only £103... to provide you with exercise, psychological fulfilment, fresh food and fun with trying new recipes? What a bargain!

[braders]

Sorry to ask such a vulgar question, but I have just drawn up my list of what I want to order from Marshalls and the Real Seed Co, and (not counting the fruit, asparagus and rhubarb) so far my order comes to £103!

And that is my whittled down list! (I'm a marketeer's dream).

This is my first year of having an allotment and I know that I'm probably being totally unrealistic but I want to try a couple of different varieties of some of the veggies and will probably only plant a few seeds from each packet - I'm hoping that the rest of the seeds will last for the next year or three. I am finding it impossible to cross anything else off my list!

Just wondering how much you "old hands" spend on seeds etc each year.

Please, someone, talk me out of spending all that dosh!

Can you list what you intend to buy and prices..?..Im sure we can help you decide what and what not to buy...

[Rhona]

It's loads, but if you can afford it (that's key, innit?), go for it, especially if you have a planting plan for the next few years with them (check life of seeds obv).

You'll get loads of pleasure from it, you can indulge your enthusiasm, and you'll probably NEVER spend that amount again on seeds.

[Norm]

I got my seed order delivered from Kings last month and thought I'd gone over the top spending £23 and that lot should last me 2/3 years (it won't, but I can dream!). It depends on what you've ordered. If it's just veg seed, you should have enough for about 20 acres. If you want 'sundries' as well, your £103 could be good value. The bottom line is, it's your money. If you can afford it and you want it, go for it!

[FionaH]

Thats a hell of a lot of money!!!!

I would suggest you just buy some seeds of what you like and see how well they do in your soil/climate etc. Adjust accordingly for next year based on how things do. You would need a flaming big allotment to plant 103 quids worth of seeds.

ps just gonna get MrH to see this, he will never moan about my seed collection again

[enrich100]

I could easily spend spend spend if money were no option, sadly my income won't allow it.

My OH calls the seed catalogues "Plant Porn" as there is a pile In the bathroom, and I alway looking in them drooling and wanting more and more,

If you buy out of season and look for the deals you can save a fortune, when Wyvale do the 50p seed sell I'm in heaven, I probably had near £100 worth of seeds for just over £20 (it may have been a little bit more but OH is right next to me a I told her I would not exceed my £20 limit last year)

Wilkinson end of season garden sale mean't more seeds at a fraction of the price (My OH now won't let me go on my own to a Wilkinsons now)

as others have said maybe try and swap,

I don't have a allotment so space is a bit more limited so I always trial crops to see if I like them. that's where swaps can be great, If I only have a couple of plants and they don't work out it's not a major problem, If I Like them I can buy a full packet during the sales for next season

If you want to buy them do it cos whatever we say at the end of the day that little seed devil is on your shoulder and he will nag and nag and nag until you do, to be honest the seed angel will probably give in too

[coreopsis]

Ask yourself first "what do I need" and "what am I going to eat"
As somebody suggested,look at the spacing between rows/plants-it may turn out you don't need so many packets-if there's 500 cabbage seeds in one,you can always try to swap it here for something else.
How many varieties of one veg are you going to grow?If I could make a suggestion-don't go for more than 2 varieties of particular veg unless you're a big fan of it.It's always a hit and a miss case in the garden.You don't have to try all varieties at once.
Seed catalogues are tempting but the result might be not exactly what you see on nice photoshopped picture of perfect veg.
Soil conditions-it might affect your growing as well.
Are you going to get hybrids(F1 seeds,sometimes pricey) or open-pollinated ones?
Have a look at the other suppliers-not only online but Wilkos,Netto,Lidl,Morrisons seeds-they are good and the price is smaller than at seed merchants.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Step awaaaaay from the Credit Card!!

Right -

1 only buy one variety of each sort of seed & not two (you can swap half your packet that you buy for another of the same on a seed swap here)
2 buy from real seeds (online) or budget shp (lidl, wilko etc) to cut your costs from - say £2 per pack to 50 pee per pack.

I'm guessing that I have cut your costs by about 4/5ths.