The Real Seed Catalogue - Thumbs Up or Down?

[alex-adam]

Credit where credit due:

Just had some excellent service from Real Seed..........................................and this is why I'll continue to use them for the bulk of my seed purchase

As you say Chris an excellent company. Please see my post of 24th January with 'thank you' comments from Ben.

a-a

[rpt]

I've asked for catalogues from several seed companies - the Real Seed catalogue came very quickly but I am still waiting for some of the others.

I haven't got the catalogue with me at the moment, but isn't the £8 minimum order charge only for online orders? You can fill in the form in the catalogue and post a cheque. They only accept credit cards online so perhaps the minimum is to help cover their costs with these.

Correction: I've looked at my paper catalogue and the minimum does apply to paper orders too.

[mrbadexample]

Missed this thread when it started but another thumbs up from me. The £8 minimum order is frustrating when you realise you've missed one thing off your order but otherwise easy enough to reach.

How can you not like a company who tell you to save your own seed instead of buying from them, and have a 100% money back guarantee - even if you just don't like the produce when it's grown? I bet they don't have to refund very often.

[taff]

I got some bicolour corn from then three years ago, there was so much in the packet I'm still using it now

[ladylottie]

I agree too that they are brilliant, like others have said already there are always loads of seeds in the packets.

[Seahorse]

This may have been mentioned already but Real Seeds now have a facebook page. As it's quite new they haven't made loads of posts but as you would expect, it's all useful, friendly, interesting stuff.

They're on there as The Real Seed Collection. There's a The Real Seed Company too but they, er, specialise in one particular plant!

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Resurrecting an old thread - sorry. I'm about to place an order and was wondering if anyone has tried the Aztec Broccoli? Tempted, seriously tempted.

[zazen999]

It's basically Fat Hen. Sorry Real Seeds. Maybe more tasty as I've never had Fat Hen but it's Fat Hen.

I'll just pop some into your All In Circle envelope. Don't buy any.

I did grow it last year and it's still sat in the flood at my lottie.

[veggiechicken]

I wish seed sellers would use the Latin Names for plants. There's a trend towards giving a gimmicky name to something quite ordinary to make it sound desirable - and I'm not knocking Real Seeds here, most of the seed retailers do it. Please give us both Latin and common names and let us decide.

[zazen999]

Yes - absolutely! I spend ages trying to work out what family things belong to!

[veggiechicken]

I like the Chiltern Seeds catalogue - indexed primarily by Latin name with its meaning, and a description of the plant (often humourous) and no photos. I've learnt so much about plant families from their catalogues. Its about time for the 2013 one to arrive too

[Thelma Sanders]

It's entertaining, and informative, but I do really like to see what the plant looks like before I buy seed - shame

[veggiechicken]

Imagine the size of the catalogue if there were photos of everything! There are photos of some of the plants on their website with more going on all the time - and there's always Goggle

[marchogaeth]

Aztec Broccoli?

It's basically Fat Hen. Sorry Real Seeds. Maybe more tasty as I've never had Fat Hen but it's Fat Hen.

I'll just pop some into your All In Circle envelope. Don't buy any.

I did grow it last year and it's still sat in the flood at my lottie.

Fat Hen is OK steamed but I remember it as that very metallic taste you can get with some spinach. It is tough as old boots - plant wise. In an end of the worls senario we'd probably be glad of it!

I like the Chiltern Seeds catalogue - indexed primarily by Latin name with its meaning, and a description of the plant (often humourous) and no photos. I've learnt so much about plant families from their catalogues. Its about time for the 2013 one to arrive too

Yes Latin names can be very useful especially when dealing with chillies.

It's entertaining, and informative, but I do really like to see what the plant looks like before I buy seed - shame

The web site is really useful. I think not having pictures is all part of the philosophy really - not wasting resources: everything is capable of setting useable seed and all the information is there to help you do it: trying different varieties that can work outside in the UK: mainly stocking food plant seed. I use their website as you often see seeds there that don't make the catalogue. The growing information is really good.

I know it's nice to spend a wet afternoon looking at catalogues and planning, don't get me wrong but what I grew last year didn't look like catalogue pictures anyway! It tasted all right though and saved us lots in the shops while we ate better.)

[The Real Seed Catalogue]

That's a good point. The Aztec Broccoli is chenopodium berlandieri - really not the same thing as Fat Hen, honest! We do normally try to print latin names for anything unusual, but there wasn't room for this on the packet, and you're right it has got left off the website description when we updated it for the new season. I'll add that back in. thanks! Ben, Real Seeds