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General => The Shed => Topic started by: ACE on October 21, 2017, 13:07:29
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Went out for the onion sets and broad beans today. Mole Valley garden stuff cleared for Halloween, posh garden centre dressed out for xmas. An old sign the hedge saying 'plants for sale' loose onions, beans by the pint and some interesting seed garlic. So red onions got, white onions got, shallots got, aquadulce got and 3 big garlic got. Too much of everything as usual and change from a fiver. Why don't they leave Halloween to the pound shop and at least wait until the end of nov. for xmas.
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Our garden centre is more like a shopping Mall: Mountain warehouse, The Works, Fashion shop, Pet store, Tropical Fish. Specialty foods, Xmas. Halloween, Café. And there may be a few plants and bulbs on offer!!
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I think I know the one you mean Digeroo :BangHead: :BangHead: I don't know why some of them still call themselves garden centres - there's far more overpriced chinese tat and scented candles than anything to do with real gardening!
If you're ever passing by or through Wantage ... there's still a real one called Charlton Park Garden Centre ... they sell a huge range of seeds including peas and beans by the pint and they have hundreds of varieties of potatoes ... good range of tools and accessories and have very little of the gift shop sh*** found in most places. Very refreshing to visit.
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Same here. I went out to http://www.polhill.co.uk which is massive but not really a garden center - it does sell plants, seeds and other garden related stuff but you can also buy a fireplace, have a meal, get a mobility scooter, buy a nice jumper, get a leg of lamb and is just about to turn over half of the place to tinselly christmas crap. I couldn't actually find any onion sets or garlic so I went back to our wonderful local shop.
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Oh yes, I forgot the scented candles!! And plastic xmas trees, and breakfast with Father Xmas. It does have some seeds and onion sets. Onions and garlic but both expensive.
Wantage is not that far. I can park up in Faringdon and take the bus and save on petrol. What I really like are loose onion sets, I do not want all the same variety.
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Unfortunately the "garden centre" has become a 'sheeple shearing ' centre ,abusing planning law by resting on the back of exemptions made to plant growers and requiring the goods for sale to have been grown on site. However , they seem popular with those incapable of growing their own.
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If you're ever passing by or through Wantage ... there's still a real one called Charlton Park Garden Centre ... they sell a huge range of seeds including peas and beans by the pint and they have hundreds of varieties of potatoes ... good range of tools and accessories and have very little of the gift shop sh*** found in most places. Very refreshing to visit.
Ah yes, we buy our spuds there every year - it's nice to be able to buy them in penny packets, and try out a bunch of varieties. Don't get talking to the boss man about spuds, though - you may find yourself leaving with him at closing time!
Probably the only reason we don't go there more is we are just down the road from Bunkers Hill which really is an old fashioned plant nursery - it does sell other stuff, containers, flowers, bird seed etc, but 90% of its business is plants. I can't imagine it turning into a Christmas emporium somehow.
Adrian
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Bunkers Hill is a brilliant place ... it's where I get a lot of plants and also they stock the Sylvagrow peat free compost which works just as well as any peat-based one. I'm almost a year without using any peat and it feels good.
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Ooh, I may have to try that - I gave up on peat free a few years ago after the batch that appeared to have been made from recycled Leylandii. Thank you for the pointer!
Adrian
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Good luck ... Sylvagrow has been a game changer for me!