Topic: Seeds are so expensive

[Common_Clay]

There's a few varieties of toms I'd like to have a go with next year, one being 'Santa F1'. Fothergills sell them for £3.45 for just 10 seeds. Does anyone know of any cheap seed sites that have a larger range? I've already had a look at alan romans but they don't sell it. Thanks  :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Plants of Distinction have them a little cheaper, £2.95 for ten seeds. Problem is, of course, being an F1, it won't come true if you save seed.

[Larkshall]

I was looking at some seed packets recently with a view to getting some Shirley Tomatoes, but the price was £3.99 for 8 (yes eight ) seeds. I bought six plants last season, perhaps that's the best option. Other than that I suggest you leave F1's alone and grow something like Alicante which are very reasonable in price (you may even be able to sell spare plants), or share the seed with someone else.

[Melbourne12]

Santa ARE jolly expensive.  Of the seed suppliers that we use, try the excellent Simpsons (highly recommended by many A4A members  :) ) at £1.50 for 6 seeds

http://www.simpsonsseeds.co.uk/prod_details.asp?id=332&cat=48&sub=37

Seeds By Size also sell them, at £2 for 5, or £7 for 25

http://www.seeds-by-size.co.uk/tomato-red-fruited-varieties.html

and I also looked up Nickys Nursery, who often have interesting seeds.  They don't do Santa, but recommend a substitute called Rosada F1, at £2.75 for 10 seeds

Seeds of Italy, from whom we bought most of our tommie seeds last year, don't seem to do a miniature plum tomato at all, though.

[saddad]

If you think F1 toms are expensive just look at Cucs! The whole F1 business is a con... and terminator tech is just insane. Go for open pollinated and save your own, like humans have done for Millenia!
 ::)

[Robert_Brenchley]

If you get a POD catalogue you may well find a traditional variety to suit you; they have loads. Then forget the F1's, buy seed at a more reasonable price, and save your own for next year. I ordered from them recently, and had my seeds very quickly. http://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/

[wahaj]

yea seeds can be really expensive....but they do open so many doors for you. garden centres won't be able to sell every colour of every plant. and if you're paying that much for a packet of seeds.....10 plants would cost you so so much more. and you'll deifnately get more than £3s worth of tomatoes off it.

[Garden Gnome]

Santa is VERY tasty, but so are so many other tomatoes, including open-pollinated (= cheaper, AND you can save seed for free) varieties.

It seems Santa is hard to obtain: ' 'Juliet' (a grape tomato developed as a substitute for the rare Santa F1) ' from good ol' google, is one quote.

With the crashing dollar, and a superabundance of seeds Out There, it seems, tomato seeds are well under £1.00 per packet (20/30+ seeds) from US sites. www.seedfest.co.uk is one example, now based on West Coast of USA, and shipping at 88p per order, any size. Just google a bit, and although Santa is consistently expensive, there are some other wonderful seeds out there, and not too expensive.

[Melbourne12]

If you get a POD catalogue you may well find a traditional variety to suit you; they have loads. Then forget the F1's, buy seed at a more reasonable price, and save your own for next year. I ordered from them recently, and had my seeds very quickly. http://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/

I like the Plants of Distinction selection.  But if you want a baby plum tomato, even they offer only F1s - Mini Charm, Santa, or Summer Sweet.

[Robert_Brenchley]

It sounds as though baby plums might be a modern idea.

[Melbourne12]

It sounds as though baby plums might be a modern idea.

I suspect you're right.  We tend to stay with the old favourites like Gardener's Delight for mini-toms, but of course they're cherries rather than plums.

[muddy boots]

If you want to save seed and save a little money, as has been said before, try www.realseeds.co.uk  :D

[tlc]

Wow, that american site (www.seedfest.co.uk)  is offering 50 packets of vegetable seeds for under £14!

[Garden Gnome]

Realseeds is lovely! Well, the stuff I plant from them is! Plants of Distinction is convenient, quick and not too dear, either.

I rang - at 1 p/minute - a company in Oregon this week that I found on the web, but couldn't find any ref. to international shipping and its costs. It had some odd cuke (Poona Kheera cucumbers, that store perfectly for months) and tom stuff, at very good prices, and after the girl picked herself up off the floor at an English Gnome saying things like, 'Jolly good,' whipped out the order form and took my tiny order. Got an email tonight that it's been shipped, hooray!

Yes, it's well worth having a good sniff around.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Be careful of seedfest. http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,26/topic,25836.0

[Garden Gnome]

Gosh, thanks for that!

[Froglegs]

Just had a look realseeds website well worth a browing i for one will be sending off for some "proper" veg seed :)

[cleo]

Santa is one of the very few F1 toms I grow. And yes the price of F1 cus is ridiculous.

If you can get a few friends/fellow plot holders together try `Moles Seeds`-they are basically for the trade (ie large packets)but the cost saving is amazing.

[Common_Clay]

Thank you so, so much to everyone for this. I'm going to have a look through all the recommendations, but think you might be right, Robert_Brenchley, with baby plums being modern. Looks as though if I want them, it's F1's, but will hopefully pay for itself.  :)

[valmarg]

I agree with you cleo about Moles Seeds.  They are basically wholesalers, but open to the amateur as well.  For next year they have imposed a 'minimum order' tariff of £5.00.  I have been dealing with them for about five years, and they are by far the most efficient of the seed companies I have dealings.

The catalogue is fantastic, and they send you a year-planner with it.  If you order from them you get an invitation to the Moles Open Days at the end of July, beginning of August (as marked on the year planner).  It is an invitation to visit their trials fields free, and refreshments are provided.  All you have to let them know is which day you intend to attend, and how many people will be in your party.  It's an offer I would love to accept, but we live a bit too far away.

The downside is that you have to add VAT at the current rate to flower seeds, but as A4A is an allotment based site, I assume the majority are more interested in fruit and veg than flowers.

A visit to www.molesseeds.co.uk is well worth the effort.