DT Brown Seeds-Poor Results

[craggle58]

I ordered most of my seeds from DT Brown this year after a recommendation from a friend. I have found them pretty disappointing. Sweet Peas(Horizon mixed) hardly germinated, carrots (Nandor) poorly germinated, French beans about 40% germination and generally fewer seeds in pack (especially brassicas) as I'm used to. Peas (Exzellenz) also were poor though this was partly pea weevil. I have used Franchi: Seeds of Italy for last two years and think I will return to them next year. Anyone else had poor results with DT Brown? 

[craggle58]

[RenishawPhil]

I am not happy with germination overall this year at all

[strawberry1]

me too. I have sown triomphant caulie and only one came up. I am going to complain. I bought tomatoes from them this year and was supposed to be 20 seeds in a pack but there were only 16. I get much better results from some very good sellers on ebay

[craggle58]

If I have to buy retail from shop I always find Thompson and Morgan pretty reliable though a bit pricey. Can you recommend any particular sellers on Ebay?

[George the Pigman]

I  am always suspicious of seed distributors that don't put a packaging date or use by date on the pack or seed packet inside. You then never know how old the seed is before you get it!
I have used the online service for Nicky's Seeds and found the germination rates good so far. http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/

[galina]

I  am always suspicious of seed distributors that don't put a packaging date or use by date on the pack or seed packet inside. You then never know how old the seed is before you get it!
I have used the online service for Nicky's Seeds and found the germination rates good so far. http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/

Amateur seed savers put the date when the seeds were saved, rather than any packaging date or use by date.  I find packaging dates useless, because seed can be stored unpackaged for years.  Use by, whilst often a conservative estimate, can be very misleading.  A packet that came from a stand in the garden centre where the sun was blazing on it all day and it got slightly damp next to plants, will not reach its use by date.

All the seed companies have to do it prove that germination was adequate at time of packaging.  But a lot could have happened between that point and when the seed gets sown.

I like Franchi too, Nicky's is good, no problems with the Organic Catalogue or Thomas Etty and Real Seeds are excellent. 

[steve1967]

I had always ordered from DT Brown but have found a number of items had very poor germination this year. Carrots being the worst. I have just ordered more from Moles Seeds. They supply professional growers so I am hoping the quality will be better. There prices are good on most items and you can buy large or small amounts.

Be interesting if anyone else here has used them before.

[craggle58]

My carrots (Nandor) from DT Brown have also been terrible. Less than 50% germination. At least I don't have to bother thinning.

[juju]

I cannot grow any other carrots but Autum and Eskimo. These two give me 100% success. I always mix the seeds with equal parts of sand and compost and plant them in half inch furrows. I will be planting another lot for the Winter at the end of this month.

[chriscross1966]

My germination has been pretty good this year, but the caveat there is that although it's nearly all seed form the 50p sale at (ex) Wyevales, I do get to start everything in propagators adn pot on in a massive greenhouse....

[squeezyjohn]

It is ABSOLUTELY crazy for a seed merchant to allow non-viable seeds to go to market ... we talk to each other these days and can discuss this sort of thing - surely they know that at DT Brown ... It's commercial suicide to allow bad practice to affect a company's reputation without compensating people ... I d**n well hope they have spies reading here.  Too many of us have been on this thread confirming the bad germination rates for it to be a coincidence now.

[grannyjanny]

I was chatting to someone at the lotty the other day. He too was complaining about poor germination. I asked if they were from DTBrowns & yes they were.

[GREGME]

I know it doesnt make up for lost time but do provide them with feedback on the germination rates- whenever I have in the past a variety of sellers have always responded and usually replaced - it helps if you provide batch and date info if possible.
They could well be using wrong assumptions for storage and seed life.

and yes my carrots not from d@t brown were also bad this year