best seed company

[petal]

So many seed catalogues! I usually buy my veg seed from marshalls but after being sent mouldy garlic and yellow brassicas(I got a refund!) I am considering looking at other sources. Who has the best germination rate?

[Bex]

Not sure on germination rate but I've found Mr Fothergills to be good value and I also love Real Seeds, if I'm looking for something I look at Real Seeds first

[sarraceniac]

I like Real Seeds too. If I'm looking for something unusual in flower seeds I usually look for thecharityseedshop on eBay, interesting stuff for a good cause, and if I want unusual veggies I look at toffipop on eBay.

[HeyWayne]

To be honest, not really knowing what I'm doing yet I just buy seeds from wherever I see them.

Most of mine have tended to come from Thomson & Morgan, but I can't tell you why - that's just how it is.

[ann-the-nan]

best seed company

It depends what I am buying. I use Marshalls for tatties, and have never been disappointed. I swing between T&M, Dobies, oe Gardening Direct, sometimes all of them, depending who has what I want. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

[SarzWix]

In a Gardening Which (I think) seed germination trial, T&M came out top. Some of the others had shocking results...
However, some of us had problems with terrible mouldy onions sets from T&M early this year. And my brassica plants & onion sets from Marshalls were perfect! So really, I think bad service can happen any time from any of the big suppliers.

Real Seeds are great, and you can save the seeds from anything of theirs to grow yourself the following year, so I think their catalogue is definitely worth a look.

[POTBOY]

i agree regarding Real Seeds, just got my first batch through ready for the new year, really helpful info and its a 'not for profit' company, as mentioned above you can keep the seeds from anything you grow and in fact they strongly encourage you to do it, so they get my vote!

[vegnut]

I'll go for all of the above, but i saw some interesting seed packets in my local garden centre the other day, and couldn't help buying a few packs.
Unwins have bought out a new range called Gro-sure. I picked up a pack of Parsnip Albion, and it say's guaranteed results. Bred for resistance to parsnip canker and other diseases, Guaranteed to give the best results for your garden. Gro-sure seeds have been selected for their germination, vigour, disease resistance and ease of sowing.
From Parsnips, this i gotta try for my self.
We all know how notorious Parsnips can be for germination.
Their other range of seeds look good too, the packaging has been re marketed. So a packet of French Beans and a pack of Mangetout later (couldn't resist).
We will see next year.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I've just placed my first order with Real Seeds (I wanted some of that Achoca (sp??)everyone's been going on about), I've also just ordered from the Italian Seed Company - good sized packs of unusual varieties. Kings Seeds are great (and the catalogue is simply sumptuous!) or Suttons, or Wilcos, or B&Q...whatever take my fancy really!

[Pies]

Well for basic seeds I'll be ordering from that lot at the top called "simply seeds" they are so much cheaper.OK they dont have a massive range, but for the basic stuff i see no reason to pay OTT

[oldie]

I've use Home - moreveg.co.uk, vegetable seed company, vegetable seed, herb seed, flower seed, carrot, as they as they sell smaller packets of many seeds. Germination has always been good.

[Seahorse]

Another vote for Real Seeds. Great products but also properly nice people who will answer any queries promptly and personally.

I've also had good service and results from More Veg and they're especially useful if you're gardening in a smaller space and don't need 3000 carrot seeds. On the other hand, if you have a big space, Seeds of Italy have hugely generous amounts in their packets, and great customer service too

[Alison]

I too love Real Seeds for some different stuff but they're not cheap and wouldn't use them for my full seed shop. Tend to buy a few bits every year and save my seeds for future use but I do love their ethics. My main seed shop the last couple of years has been with Kings Seeds who I find very good value and have had an excellent service from them. Don't like T&M very much as I don't find them too much of a big commercial type and they don't do a lot of the varieties I like, too many F1s and not enough open pollinated types although I understand that they're improving.

[StephenH]

One more vote for Real Seeds - they send you lots of seeds, and they and the heritage seed library are the place to go for the rare and unusual. There's also a one-man operation local to me called Seeds by Size, which is a dreadful pun - the bloke's surname is Size, I believe. never used him, but might in future. It'd cut my seed-miles right down - he's only about two miles away from me.

[Bren In Pots]

I've just looked at the More veg site and that sounds about the right packet size for someone like me who grows in containers.