buying seeds

[madmarchhare]

Having had my allotment for all of 11 weeks (and already absolutely in love with it and all things allotment-related) , Im already thinking about what Ill grow next year - and also where Ill get the seeds from. Would love to know where others buy ther seeds from - which are best? which are cheapest? (though I guess we wont all agree...)

[Hans Mum]

i buy mine anywhere i see them hence i have far too many and then i see them half price at this time of year and buy some more....... you'll soon become addicted

[mattfee15]

t&m sell good quality reliable seeds, there my first choice if i need anything,

matt.

[quark1]

My supplier of choice is Thompson & Morgan.

Register for a catalogue with them and others which take you fancy and spend the darkest winter days planning for your growing projects next year. Perhaps with the help of GYO mags.

For some of my more ambitious plans I have Jungle Seeds - maybe pie in sky - but very educational and beautiful to look through and I will be trying one or 2 next year.

'Simply' Vegetables (and flowers) also have a very nicley presented brochure.

Real Seeds are also worth a look - particularly if you're looking for types which are not licensed for sale thru normal channels - this company operate as a seed 'club' to avoid having to spend many thousands registering the seed variety. Their website also has many useful tips on how to harvest and store home-saved seed.

These are but a few of my personal favourites. Other Grapes may decry some of my choices for all sorts of reasons - perhaps they'd had a bad customer serive experience or the like?

Around May and then again in June T&M have their half-price seed sale - sometimes its veg only sometimes both flowers and veg. Well worth looking out for as you get your most expensive pack FREE - even at sale time. Clever organising of your order to smaller orders around £10 will give you the opportunity to stock up on 'free' expamples of more exotic items. If you don't have a post-free promotional code - you have to weigh up if you think a £7.99 pack is worth £1.99 (cost of postage).

They also do specials of seed spuds etc.

Get registered for newsletters at as many websites of interest as possible - that way you'll get early tip-offs as to when sales/offers occur. Cheekily I even cancelled an undisaptched order with T&M just as their sale came on board - yes I'm a tight wad and happily admit to it!

If you're new to growing one tip I would give you - even though I don't have an allotment - is to not set your sights to high. Get plenty of easy stuff which will give you heart to grow more ambitious stuff in the years ahead.

Also keep your eye trained on the seed swap. Many of us here just want to spread our home-saved or excess without any swapsy's - but the convention is that if you request you should offer something in return!

Oh...and welcome to the Vine.

[Snadger]

I think allotmenteers should support there local societies! Our allotments don't have a shop but the ones further up the road do. I get Kings seeds at half price and cheap seed potatoes and paraffin for my heater.......and they get there bit as well!

[snuffer]

Got to agree with mattfee15, Thompson and morgan, reliable seeds and reliable service. I always send for catalogues from several companies and really enjoy looking through them. However, I always buy from T & M they've never let me down.

Oh and don't forget the freebies on the front of GYO, it is through using these that I have planted crops that I might not have ordinarily bothered with. The only problem with that being that those seeds then become esential for next season.

[HeyWayne]

I'm a seed merchant slut and will go to wherever I get a decent price! T&M, Marshalls, Fothergills, Dobies/Dobbies, N.E.Juanelse.

Usually buy whatever fancies my tickle at the time - I'm not a great one for planning.

[Hazel at the Hill]

There is often a t&m 'p&p only' offer in the gardening mags - pay £1.99 for 4 or 5 of their seed packets.

[Flummery]

I have to say that since I joined the forum I have had many wonderful seeds in swaps from members here. I also save a lot of my own seeds from suitable subjects, peas, beans, toms etc.

[lynda66]

i got most of my seeds half price from poundstretchers, and some others from wilkinsons, lots of other stuff from swapping seeds on here, unusual seeds i tend to get off ebay, as they seem to be pretty cheap on there in comparison to tropical seed sites.

and i've also grown some melon plants from seeds saved from a melon i bought, i'm also saving tomatoes, kiwis, raspberries, strawberries, squash, and other seeds from fruit i've bought, just to see what happens really, and if i get fruits, all the better

[madmarchhare]

thanks all...

wow, I cant believe it - I post a query, head down to my allotment, come back and theres loads of responses already. Thanks everyone - I ll certainly get signed up with T&M and maybe some others too.

[madmarchhare]

..and another quick question...

is there any problem then in buying seeds now for next year? Ive heard that parsnip seeds are meant to be really fresh, but what about anything else? Having had a quick look at T&M now, Im tempted by the offers - but of course dont want to risk things not coming up next year just coz Ive been a cheapskate...

[Kristen]

"is there any problem then in buying seeds now for next year?"

No, the seed packet will have a "best before" date. Generally for seed packed for last Winter/this year that will be 2010. Don't store it in a hot place, or bright sunlight, but that apart you should be fine to use this-season's seed next-year.

I bought all my seed for next year in Wyevale this week - 50% off sale is in progress.

I have to disagree with the T&M folk, but maybe its just me. I get dreadful germination with their seeds. I have 4 or 5 pots still waiting to germinate from this spring. J.I. Seed compost, shallow pots, vermiculite cover, put in plastic bag to keep moist, reasonable but not direct light available, I'm pretty sure I know what is required and it seems to work fine for other brands 90% of the time. I mean, even my T&M Cherry Tomatoes have had 0% germination - how hard are they to germinate? and Strelitzia regina which they describe as "easy to grow" - this isn't a one off, I buy their seed reluctantly based on previous experience, and all too often have trouble. Lots of stories here too about buying late-season discounts and having problems with the orders, out of stock, etc. Why are they even selling products that are out of stock?

[kernowyon]

the majority of my seeds are from wyvale (mainly t&m or suttons) when they sell them off in late aug/sept for 50p a packet, they are always nearing expiry and i don't have too many failures to speak of. for the more unusual you just can't beat the 'vine and the generosity of our fellow grapes

[seasprout]

Have a peep through this lot....

Johnsons Seeds (Seed Shop Home)
Mr Fothergills (Mr. Fothergill's) Good range
Dobies (Dobies: garden seeds,*mail order plants, bedding plants, plug plants,*seed potatoes, seeds) v similar to Suttons
Unwins (Unwins - Buy Seeds & Plants Online. A wide range of Vegetable Seeds, Flower Seeds, Raised Bed Gardening Kits, Vegetable Plants)
Nicky's Seeds (Seeds Game Garden Sundries and Giant Games)
Simpsons's Seeds (Simpson's Seeds)
Chiltern Seeds (Chiltern Seeds rare flower heirloom veg and herbs - Chiltern Seeds secure online shop) Huge range but doesn't state numbers of seed per packet
Marshalls Seeds (Marshalls Seeds are one of the UKs leading suppliers of Vegetable Seeds, Vegetable Plants, Seed Potatoes, Onion Sets, Fruit Plants and Trees.)
DT Browns Seeds (D.T. Brown's)
Alan Romans (Alan Romans) v good prices, not a big selection though
Seeds of Italy (Seeds of Italy) Seems to be liked by many Grapeviner's, good prices and lots of seed for your money!
Garden Seeds (Garden Seeds UK: Flower seeds, vegetable seeds, herb seeds, organic seeds, online seed catalogue), nice selection at keen prices
King's Seeds (www.kingsseeds.com)
Seed-By-Size (SEEDS-BY-SIZE INDEX 2007/2008)



List originally compiled by jondanie last year.
So credit goes to them.