Buying Seeds

[Greenhead Gardener]

Hello, im new here so please excuse any mistakes i make in posting this!
I was over the moon having ordered my seeds through a catalogue for about £1-£2 a packet. Then my mate laughed as he told me he had got all his seeds for 19p at a supermarket which rhymes with betto! Would buying seeds there be just as good?
Cheers and sorry to ramble on!

[lynda66]

it depends what you are after, if you want unusual varieties you won't get them in netto, but if you're happy with whatever sort they have in, then theres no reason why not, i just bought 2 types of peas at lidl's and every one i planted germinated, i could have spent £2 but i spent 29p instead, so yup good buy ... wilkinsons also have a good variety in of more unusual stuff that won't break the bank either

ps welcome to the vine

[Hans Mum]

lidl, netto, wilko, poundstretcher, etc all the seeds ive had from there have been fine, as lynda says if you want something a bit different you may have to pay a bit more, but lidl/netto seeds are sometimes a bit different as they're german/danish owned.

[Alice]

Welcome to the Vine GG. Yes, it is worth shopping around for seeds, but next year you'll be older and wiser.

[Greenhead Gardener]

Cheers for replies and welcomes!

Thanx for your quick replies and I will learn from my expensive mistakes next year!

[Iamhanuman]

there are so many interesting places to get seeds from and you'll be tempted all over the place.
you'll find the ones you love to rifle through just to get an idea of what you want to grow, you'll find others that have you salivating, you'll find the workhorse places too.

The Dobies catalogue is great for pics and info, and i bought a few from there, but this place is fab
also just got a list from a place local to me Wallis Seeds very basic catalogue but what a range
if you have good local garden centres you can often pick up very unusual packets, but as everyone has said, there are bargains to be had by shopping around
Good Luck and keep us posted on what you're growing!!

[jackie j]

I get the catalouges and go through them making a list of what I would like then I see if I can get them locally. Most of the time I get what I want if not I choose an alternative. The other day I paid 30p for a packet of red sunflower seeds, waiting to see if they germinate, no loss if they dont.

[Victoria26]

Hi Greenhead and welcome to the vine.

When I first came on here I noticed the seed swap. Its great. I would buy a packet of seeds and take what I need - who needs 600 parsnips? Then I'd advertise the rest for swaps. So for the price of a stamp you can really bulk out your seed collection.

Try it - we're all really nice!

[piskieinboots]

Welcome GHG - I have lots of seeds, PM me what you want and your address, if I have 'em spare I'll fling 'em your way.

*note to self, get organised and put ya seeds on SS gal

[Jillyreeves]

I am new to vegetable growing too and still trying to get my head around everything.

Last week I purchased a few seeds from Moreveg, as recommended by Iamhunuman above Home - Moreveg U.K. vegetable seed company, herb seed, flowe seed, calabrese seed, carrot seed, tomato seed, herb seed

Great if you only want a small quantity of seed at reasonable prices and delivery was very quick too, can the next day.

[Flummery]

Hello and welcome. It's horses for courses when buying seeds. General everyday stuff, well, the cheaper the better! But if you are looking for specialist things - F1 hybrids for example, you really will pay more - I'm thinking of cucumbers at about £1 per seed! (I don't buy these by the way, but people do!)
When you get more experienced you will find out which seeds are easy to save and begin the slippery slope of seed saving and swapping which goes on here. Free seeds are even better eh?

[TEB]

- F1 hybrids for example, you really will pay more - I'm thinking of cucumbers at about £1 per seed! (I don't buy these by the way, but people do!)

Guilty your honour F1 Cucino 4 seeds for £3.99 T&M worth it I think though (in this instance)

[faerieprincess]

Guilty your honour F1 Cucino 4 seeds for £3.99 T&M worth it I think though (in this instance)

I'll have to plead guilty too! I bought some Duchy Originals Picolino F1 for $3.49 and didn't realise there were only 4 seeds in there! They're supposed to germinate within 7 days and I was a bit miffed when only 1 of them did, but I waited and the other 3 came up yesterday, 2 weeks after they were supposed to!

[TEB]

I'll have to plead guilty too! I bought some Duchy Originals Picolino F1 for $3.49 and didn't realise there were only 4 seeds in there! They're supposed to germinate within 7 days and I was a bit miffed when only 1 of them did, but I waited and the other 3 came up yesterday, 2 weeks after they were supposed to!

Must admit I didnt realise there were only 4 seeds in the pack when I bought the first lot last year as I gave 2 away, only realsed when i came to resow this year.

[geoff]

Most budget shops will sell a basic range well under a pound a packet; Aldi, Poundstretcher, Boyes, and so on. As also will DIY shops like Focus

What you're paying for from a mail order seed merchant is a wider range of varieties and the fact that they have to stock a large and varied selection whether they sell them or not

So shop around and try a few different sources, it's all part of the fun!