Seed Garlic

[VirginVegGrower]

After yet another disappointing package of seed garlic from T and M I've made my mind up never to buy this from them again. Carcassonne got substituted for Lautrec, which I grew last year and was disappointing. Solent Wight is mushy/rotten. Messidrome shows signs of rot/disease. Germidour is so tiny. Christo shows rot on one bulb. All thrown in a tin Jiffy bag, despite extortionate postage and packing.
Where do you buy your seed from that's consistently good?

[veggiechicken]

It must be the day for garlic to arrive, VVG. Mine looks OK actually - sorry about yours http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ano_68366.html

[Kaiya]

I balk at spending £5 on p&p especially as I am only likely to buy maybe three packets of various bulbs or sets at a go - tiny allotment, so can't make the most of bulk buying. So I buy locally, although obviously it limits me on choice. I did get non-seed Solent Wight and Elephant garlic from the Garlic Farm (i.e. sold for eating; the seed garlic was more expensive and I'm a cheapskate) when I visited this summer, and I bought Thermidrome (probably Unwins?) from my local Wyevale garden centre last year, and this year I'm using saved bulbs from that crop. I'm lucky really that I seem to like and be successful with the varieties that are sold in local GCs.

Sorry - that doesn't help at all! I wish some of the smaller companies like Real Seeds etc. sold sets as I'd be more inclined to pay high p&p prices for them.

[VirginVegGrower]

I balk at spending £5 on p&p especially as I am only likely to buy maybe three packets of various bulbs or sets at a go - tiny allotment, so can't make the most of bulk buying. So I buy locally, although obviously it limits me on choice. I did get non-seed Solent Wight and Elephant garlic from the Garlic Farm (i.e. sold for eating; the seed garlic was more expensive and I'm a cheapskate) when I visited this summer, and I bought Thermidrome (probably Unwins?) from my local Wyevale garden centre last year, and this year I'm using saved bulbs from that crop. I'm lucky really that I seem to like and be successful with the varieties that are sold in local GCs.

Sorry - that doesn't help at all! I wish some of the smaller companies like Real Seeds etc. sold sets as I'd be more inclined to pay high p&p prices for them.

You and me both - come on Real Seeds!
I bought Provence loose from the Garden Organic shop in Ryton and that was great quality - shame they are not stocking more varieties.
It's Unwins that I saw in Wyevale - nice looking bulbs, which you have to sort through, but the quality is at least there. Last year I bought from T and M, getting mushy onion sets and some poor garlic bulbs. I must have thrown 50% away. They doubled them up as they were so dreadful, but even so, should they be sending them out like that? It seems to me that they are consistently poor and that's it for me now as far as they are concerned.

[veggiechicken]

I added my garlic to an order for "Free" plants for which you had to pay P&P -otherwise I would have bought at a GC too. I've just bought Jermor (Taylors) - 8 shallots for £2.99 at a GC. Its unclear how many T&M will send you for £5.59

[VirginVegGrower]

Just had a response back from T and M with the usual we are sorry blurb, but at least they have refunded the full value back to the card. Thank you for this T and M, but next time advise your packers to look at what they are sending out and suggest for £5 you at least use a box or cardboard around the bulbs.
ow I am off to the garden centre for Taylors or Unwins before it all goes.

[veggiechicken]

Mine came in a jiffy bag that looked as if it had been reused a dozen times. I'm sure you'll find some decent garlic at the GC - I do like to pick my own

[VirginVegGrower]

Mine came in a jiffy bag that looked as if it had been reused a dozen times. I'm sure you'll find some decent garlic at the GC - I do like to pick my own

So was mine, but then that could be Royal Mail - the bags are cheap. I wouldn't mind if the p and p reflected this, but it doesn't.
I wish GCs would have it loose like GO does.

[vikkib]

Last year I bought mine from a random person on fleabay and every single clove came up and did fine.

This year I was persuaded to try the Garlic Farm and I have to say it all looked great but I did have to buy 4 bulbs of each type and it's damn pricey!

I've also planted a bulb of two types of garlic that I saved from earlier this year so I'm going to see how that does. If it does well I'm going to try saving a bit more this year and cut down the cost that way.

I did get non-seed Solent Wight and Elephant garlic from the Garlic Farm (i.e. sold for eating; the seed garlic was more expensive and I'm a cheapskate) when I visited this summer.

Will be interesting to see how that does, Kaiya! That's quite a bit cheaper than the seed garlic.

[roitelet]

Despite it being a bad year for Garlic and Shallots, and I have had difficulty in finding any, I bought some from Point Vert and it is the best I have ever bought. In the past I have bought it by mail order and it has not been good. In future If I can't see it before I buy I won't buy. Every clove of Garlic big and fat and good sized shallots. Shallots in the ground and Garlic going in today!

[VirginVegGrower]

Despite it being a bad year for Garlic and Shallots, and I have had difficulty in finding any, I bought some from Point Vert and it is the best I have ever bought. In the past I have bought it by mail order and it has not been good. In future If I can't see it before I buy I won't buy. Every clove of Garlic big and fat and good sized shallots. Shallots in the ground and Garlic going in today!

Not just the UK then Roitelet. I am half tempted to buy eating garlic from a French website I have found and see what comes of that.

[lottie dolly]

a few weeks ago i got one of those garlic plats,£3 from asda,it was supprising just how many i got,all it says on the pkt was,spanish red,but it's a creamy white,got 1 pkt cristo from rowena,plus pick your own onions from another garden centre,all planted within a few days of each other,the first up,and doing realy well,is the spanish red,all planted direct into the ground,plus gicen that garlic is planted deeper than onions,i am impressed,in all,a good end to a misserable year trying to grow ,

[Jelliebabe]

I got a garlic collection from Marshalls last yesr (about 10 varieties) and this was really good - despite the weather!

[hawthorns]

my germidour ordered thru garden4less (taylors) was of poor quality so i moaned and they sent me some more out which doesnt look much better

[hawthorns]

Not just the UK then Roitelet. I am half tempted to buy eating garlic from a French website I have found and see what comes of that.

i tried that last yr but they just rotted