Not wanting to hijack another thread topic... my question here is about seed prices.
I usually pay around £1 per pack of seeds from my lottie shop. Crops from these usually come good and I will continue to buy the majority of my seeds from here. Just curious, as 3 for 2 offer prices still don't compete and some people are getting 6 packs for as little as £1.
Obviously you don't get all seed varieties at knockdown prices. But are cheaper seeds as effective and do you get the choice of variety? Do you get the same quantity of seed? Some places can be deceptive - offer cheaper seeds of the same variety, yet do this by giving smaller quantities.
Could this be why some crops may not grow as good as expected? Hhmmmm..... I wonder ::) Opinions please.
Some of my better seeds have been cheap seeds - Wilkinsons, Lidls, Netto Country Value (identical postcode to Mr Fothergills and Johnsons btw)and some failures. But also had successes and failures from standard priced and more expensive seed. I think it is purely the look of the draw.
I've never had a problem with the cheaper seeds - there's been no noticible difference in germination rates between cheap, expensive or - cheapest of all - home-saved (if anything, I think they have the edge).
What does annoy me though, are the well-known companies getting in on the growing trend for more exotic or tropical plants, and selling them at inflated prices. Few seeds, many pounds, nil germination. I bought some, in my youthful (ahem!) ignorance, but a little research on the web showed that many of the plant seeds in this range had to be sown more or less absolutely fresh to have any chance of success - not that this was indicated anywhere on the packaging of course - so the packets displayed in garden centres for months at a time were absolutely useless. As far as I'm concerned, it's obtaining money by deception. >:(
i use www.moreveg.net they do small packs of seed usually about 20 seeds per pack, which is ideal if you start brassicas off in the green house in modules,i have tried lidl seeds which have cropped well but are usually a variety that I have never heard of and are probably a european type
We do not have an allotment shop but a gang of us put together our own lists and organise a group purchase from Kings Seeds. We get 50% off with the bulk purchase and they split the delivery into each individual's lots. You get excellent service as well.
As with lots of things these days I think it depends upon how the product is sourced.
I think there are very few sources of seeds* nowadays and these 'sources' pack their seed in the livery of the retailer e.g T&M, Marshalls, Suttons etc.
The main variation is likely to be quantity, packaging (foil /paper) and profit margins etc
* This will not apply to the small private seed merchants.
I know this happens in the food industry i.e. the well known brands come off the same assembly line as stores own brands.
What happens is with a tweak of a button the recipe changes to the specification of the brand.
So you can look at the cans of beans passing on the conveyor belt and find; one minute they are Heinz beans then the next minute they as Tescos.
I have witnessed such an event personally in my case it was yogurts i.e. one minute they were St Michaels the next, they were St Ives so I queried this and that is how I found out about the recipe change.
So if it happens in one industry I can't see why It won't happen in an other.
So in my opinion I don't think there is any problem (in most cases) with 'cheap seeds'
Now one for you all to ponder on;
If I am correct what happens with ; wait for it......................organic seed and inorganic seed ?
Are they all in the one pile and at the tweak of a switch they are standard seed one minute then organic the next ??? ::) ;D
You're probably right, Tee Gee.
Does it matter whether the seed is organic, it's how you grow them that matters.
As I see it, the only advantage of labelling it "organic" is to the seller.
Amazin.
"home-saved (if anything, I think they have the edge)."
My father always maintained that the own saved seed were acclimatised to the local soil.
Flower seeds from Aldi are very good,as in geraniums at least 12 if not more seeds 100% germination if I can recall 29 pence.
Have Aldi got seeds in then? or are you recalling from last year.Going down there later anyhow, i`ll have a look.
Aldi ,last year.
The veg seed were also very good, calabrese germinated in 3 days ,same price.