Hi everyone,
Just wondering how much folks spend on seeds roughly, I am just putting an order in at our allotment shop, we get seeds roughly half price, but I am getting carried away and I currently I am at £80!!!! Not sure if this is excessive as most things I won't use a full packet, but I am hoping maybe to swap some with my neighbours. Some seeds are for the allotment and some for my garden so maybe it isn't so bad :(
I don't know which seed company you site uses but have a look at premier seeds to compare prices & quantities. Sorry I don't do links but it's an ebay site.
There are a few of us on here who wouldn't dare put it it in black & white how much we actually spend on seed ;) ;D but we do like to spread them around ;).
As vices go, seed buying is fairly innocuous. That's my view and I'm sticking to it.
Mmmmmmm I wasn't comfortable typing the figure in, especially as I know I have a few other places I will buy from too, and impulses buy on top!
They buy from mr Fothergills, but I will go over and find Premier, I am a hardened eBayer!
To be honest it is not that bad if you divide by 52 and also think of the money you save in the supermarket...... I am telling myself!
Probably a similar amount to you in my first year. Only about £20 in year two, and have recently just put another order in at my allotment shed for next years seed for another £35, though I keep marking more & more & more pages in all the seed catalogues that've been dropping through my letterbox over the past few months, so probably a fair bit more bythe time spring comes around.
If I chose to, I could just spend £1 or so on fresh parsnip seeds as I've got enough of everything else put by to last me several years, but choosing & buying new varieties of seeds is a little bit addictive in the quieter winter months!
I think when you start out there is more expense than once you are up and running.
I decided to budget for the allotment properly this year and I am setting aside £20 a month for all the plot expenses. I also pay £20 a year for my plot which comes out of my annual budget of £240 at the end of March.. Since the beginning of July I have spent £48.45 out of an £80 budget so still have £31.55 left before November's £20 gets added in.
I still have to get seed potatoes and spring planting onion sets (although I have seed so I might use that instead) and I need spring onion and spinach seed but apart from that I have everything I think I'm going to need for the 2012 season.
I'll probably end up making some impulse purchases during the year or may need to top up some more seeds but I think I might manage on £20 a month!!!
I already have a large dungheap, 5 daleks full of compost and bfb. I don't have sulphate of potash left or any lime so they may need to be replenished.
If you have space to keep seeds in your fridge (second fridge purchase now also required??!!) they last a surprisingly long time, 5+ years in some cases. All except parsnips. So your money is an investment!!
You do need to spend more at first to build up stocks, and also you have to keep trying new varieties to find out your personal favourites.
I don't add it up, and I don't buy all at once like you, saves the pain!
:o :o :o.....There are a few of us on here who wouldn't dare put it it in black & white how much we actually spend on seed ... :-X Not a lot..(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-ashamed005.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
My excuse is that I hardly spend anything on plants..garden centre trips I do only couple of times a year and I only buy gardening (or any) magazines once or twice or year.
So I have to spend my pocket money for something... ;)
My carefull guess is that I spend anything between £1-£100 a year for seeds.. ;D..and that is as much I let out.. 8)
I spend more than I should, especially the last ocuple of years.... this year I've been a bit better though, mostly because with my "start-everything-in-modules" habit I've got a lot of most seeds from the last couple of years still left... things I need pretty much yearly are the things hwere you don't get many in a packet... some tomatoes, sweetcorn, broad beans, wrinkled peas, F1 shallots etc... then I try and get them from the 50p sale at Wyevale... only thing I have to buy fresh is parsnip and this year I hope to experiment with year old seed vs new as I have the space and the propagators....
chrisc
Goodlife, your secret is safe with me ;) ;D ;D ;D.
Quote from: GrannieAnnie on October 26, 2011, 22:38:41
As vices go, seed buying is fairly innocuous. That's my view and I'm sticking to it.
I'm not saying... :-X :-[
Last Year I spent £38.00 on seeds and £15.00 on seed spuds
£10.00 on Onion sets and shallots
I tend to buy bargain seeds now (50p wyevale sale) and I also buy a lot of Lidl seeds. Last year I bought a lot of Franchi seeds for 50p which always contain a lot of seeds so I have a lot I can use next year. The only cheap seeds that I wouldn't recommend are the B&Q bargain seeds in the orange and white packet. I seem to get poor germination and lots of white beetroot in with the bolthardy seeds.
Honestly I really don't know how much I spend on seeds but this is my fourth year of having an allotment and I am spending a lot less on them.
Duke
I spend too much. I am a hopeless seedoholic. Then I think of how little I have been spending on vegetables and fruits. The trouble with spending £80 all at once that will not leave much money for the next bargain.
I don't keep accounts, but it's not that much, given the amount of seed swapping I do. That's been my main source for a couple of years, along with £25 worth of free seed I had last year. The biggest things are seed spuds and onion sets.
That being said, it does fluctuate quite a bit, and I expect to spend more than usual this year.
Hm..I forgot about the spuds.. ::) well..that don't add much to the total..I don't grow that many. Onions I grow from seeds and shallots and garlic I save from my own. And now that my apple tree shopping is calmed down I don't have that cost anymore neither.. ;D
This year I've gone bonkers with seed shopping..BUT..next year will be calmer one.. :-X..Honestly..I'm NOT buying yet another storage box for seeds anymore... ::)
Other day I rummage in my boxes and I did found ONE seed that I'm short of.. ::)..so I've got one more packet to buy..unless some courgettes will turn up from swaps.. ;) ;D Perharps I should save my own next year..
(Fingers crossed behind back....) Well, I also don't keep a tally but I'm sure it can't add up to much over the year......... :-X :-X :-X :-X :-X :-X :-X :-X
In my defence, ;) I do save all of my own tomato seeds for the next year, buy most of my new seeds in the 50p Wyvale sale, and also participate in some of the seeds swaps via this site which is a great way of trying some new varieties. I did not spend much on potatoes last year but that was only because I didn't go to the Ryton potato day as I would normally have, and ended up buying all my seed potatoes from Wilco's (whatever was left!)...perversely I had my best crops ever from them, so I will do the same this year!
I think I have had to spend more on buying autumn planted alliums this year as I lost all my own selected Marco garlic that I would normally save in the spring drought, and Jermor shallots always do well for me so I think that it a justified expense... ;D
Then there are the few regular 'must buys' each year, which for me are: Cavili courgettes, Swift sweetcorn, Sunbright runner beans,(although I am saving a few of my own this year as I haven't found it easy to source new seed) Safari french beans (always eat the lost so they never get saved!) plus replacements for any I use up completely from previous years. I'm not counting all the new stuff I might have to try from the 'Veggy Porn' catalogues, I'm saving them for later...... ;D
I don't spend much - I have spent money in the last 3 years on fruit trees and equipment, because I had to start again after moving plots.
Most of the cost is shallots, onion sets and seed spuds. That alone would come to about £25 a year. I have to order them online and pay delivery as local shops have stopped stocking them. I'm hoping to save some seed spuds this year though.
I don't spend much on seeds - some things are hard for to save seed from and so I'll carry on buying in for a while. But the easy ones, I'm saving more and more of, as I find varieties I like and stick to them. Which is what Morris said - it's a good point.
I'm still in the finding stuff I like (and how much of it to grow!) phase so spend probably quite a lot on seeds. i think so far I've spent about £80 on seeds for next year and still have to get seed spuds and shallots.
But I don't consider this excessive as it's my hobby and exercise and relaxation as well as food :)
But I don't consider this excessive as it's my hobby and exercise and relaxation as well as food
Spot on!..my thoughts put on one line. ;) ;D.
I'm experimenting with keeping my own this year so, hopefully not much :)
I seem to spend a lot on this seed called postage and packaging.
I shouldn't save seed if it is from an F1 veg' I've just got my £20:00 voucher's worth of seeds through the post. Cheers, Tony.
I tend to use the T&M £5 vouchers that always seem to turn up in Spring along with their half-price sale, apart from that I get the rest from the garden centre to save on P&P. All in all I think about £20 a year.
Well...the rule ' not to save from F1 seeds' is not always right.
I've saved manytimes..just to see what comes out..and usually I end up with perfectly good veg..it might not be quite exact like the 'parents'..but who cares. For example..I saved seeds from one tomato variety other year...and couple of generations after..the resulting fruit is actually better tasting than the original boring woolly thing that looks like tomato..now I'm hoping to stabilize the 'new' variety.. ;D
Quote from: goodlife on October 27, 2011, 10:16:57
But I don't consider this excessive as it's my hobby and exercise and relaxation as well as food
Spot on!..my thoughts put on one line. ;) ;D.
Yes, I agree too. If you factor in savings on buying veg, as well as regarding what you do as a hobby, (my OH has weekly figure-skating lessons) I am sure you could spend more and feel justified if you want to!!
Also, like Goodlife, I never buy any gardening magazines ever (or other magazines). They are so expensive. I use the internet like a magazine instead.
Getting into seed is also great if you grow your flowering plants as well. I used to spend about £50 twice a year stocking my containers and on half-hardies/winter bedding for the borders. Now, I grow almost all the temporary stuff from seed, which is far cheaper, and you get a more interesting range. I raised a lot of my perennials and grasses in the borders from seed as well. Going back to veg, onions from seed are satisfying and much cheaper than sets.
Another economy, if you grow/raise a lot in containers, is re-using the compost. You just re-vitalise it with more fertilizer, and I usually add some sieved home-made compost.
So all in all, what I am saying in a rambling way, is that spending money on seed is necessary and justifiable, especially at first - and you can off-set it with other economies.
I agree with all above have said (even the ones which contradicted another post ;) )
My only message to Ruth Rocket if you are a new gardener is not to go tooooooo mad! :D It's tempting -but sometimes best (esp. if you have taken over an unkempt allotment) to concentrate on growing less varieties.
If you end up with loads of seedlings to tend and water it can be hard work to keep on top of it all, esp. if you are still trying to get to grips with the weeding (and who isn't :( )
So take it slowly and do what you are doing well and you get a lot more enjoyment and productivity in the long run.
(Sorry if sound like a kiljoy) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sad031.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
Quote from: GrannieAnnie on October 26, 2011, 22:38:41
As vices go, seed buying is fairly innocuous. That's my view and I'm sticking to it.
So true!
I spent lots in my 1st 2 years, trying different things out, now becasue of the seed swaps and saving, the amount is drastically reduced. Mind you I'm sure I'll be treating myself to some new bits and bobs this winter :D
Off thread :-[ but how did the seed swop go?
Excellent advice Pumpkinlover!
I should also perhaps add that my £20 a month includes absolutely everything - not just seeds: fertilisers, water butts, paint for the shed and fences, etc etc.
Just added up the cost of the homegrown fruit and veg we'd get through in a month if it came from Tesco - I stopped when I got to £24!! So a bit of a saving there then!
Quote from: goodlife on October 27, 2011, 10:16:57
But I don't consider this excessive as it's my hobby and exercise and relaxation as well as food
Spot on!..my thoughts put on one line. ;) ;D.
Plus it is a form of continuing education and is better for the environment and improves the soil;
also gives us something to talk about with other gardeners and a way to bore those who aren't.
I'm just making a "robust" soup for dinner. The only things not from my plot are chorizo, water, salt and pepper. The onions, garlic, potatoes, kale and veg stock are all from the allotment. For me that makes it all worthwhile. Priceless actually!
Personally, I dont spend a lot on seeds. Without getting the recepits out i'd say about £20 has kept my 300 sq mtr allotment in veg for the full year (and more..) ;D
For instance, a packet of seeds costing a whopping 29 PENCE has provided me, friends and family with beetroot all year. Kale seeds 29p. radish seeds 29p. Seed potatoes a whole ONE POUND. Tommies, chillies, sweet peppers all less than a quid. In fact, i think the most expensive seeds i've bought this year were the F1 sweetcorn seeds, and i dont remember those breaking the bank.!! :)
What are people paying postage and packaging for? Arent we s'posed to be a frugal lot who beg steal and borrow everything?.... ???
Yes sirreeee. I'll be back down to my local ACHOOO...kinsons this coming spring....£20 in hand!!!... ;)
Awesome! Thanks for the advice here, all very interesting! I will keep my seed in a fridge and find this wyvale 50p seed sale!
I imagine that i won't need so much next year either, but knowing me i should cut the order by 1/3 and i still will have too much! My day job is a fashion buyer and I always buy ALOT! lol! Scared of a drought/famine!
Pumpkinlover, I think your advice is right, less is more! I'm rubbish with too many seedlings :)
about $50 = £31 which equal about 60 packs of seed a year but then again seed is a lot cheaper in USA
Dollar is slipping your $50 is now £32. ;D
You can get quite a lot in lidl for 29p. Wyevale sales 1st Sept though a few years ago they were mid august. I got some spring green and put them straight in a bit late two weeks later.
It is odd that if you raise a few seedlings you tend to nurture them but if there are loads in the packet you put in too many. I often seem to sow too many carrots.
Of course we could grow tons of veg 'frugal' way..but many of us do like to 'play' with our seeds.. ;D Cabbage is not just cabbage any more..why to have green and round when you can have it in all shapes and colours.. ;D
It is that experimenting and 'playing' with your food that cost some money. And once you start 'playing'..there is no end.. ::)..world is full of weird and wonderful different kind of edibles...then you start wanting more and swapping with others take place..and the ball is rolling.. ;D It is like with any other 'collectibles'..you hear about it and search and search to get it..unfortunately it often involves parting with money..if the seeds are not pricey, the postage is... ::) Friends and family now ask me before they go abroad if there is anythig they should bring me while they are there.. :-X ;) ;D
This year I won't be buying any seed. Last year I only bought 5 packets of perennials from the Agroforestry Research Trust, but none of them grew, one of which because of my own fault. Their trees are doing great, though. I save a lot myself, am in 4 internet/postal swaps and organise one in Norwich as well (17 November).
Growing perennials from seeds can be very hit and miss business. It is cheaper than buying plants but many times you may not get nothing from one packet of seeds. And some of them are very specific how they are handled and treated before they germinate.
I've bought some seeds from AFRT too..with varying results. I don't doubt their seeds...it is just the way perennials are..
One of resent purchases I did was Zhechuan pepper...the germination took months..and the seeds were germinating weeks and weeks apart. Eventually I ended up with 6 healthy little shrub 'starters'..now I just have to get them over their first winter alive and all should be doddle after that.
Martin..what kind of things did you try to grow from their seed?
Every yr. I try to restrict myself to one or two experimentals.
Now Martinsburo has mentioned success at growing grains which now requires me to buy unexpected new varieties.
And that's how it goes, folks!
I find it helps to have my seedbox beside me to check what I have that really needs replacing! ::) Lidls 27p nasturtiums are still going strong outside but I couldn't control their energetic cherry toms this year so not again.
One pumpkin plant and 6 ivy leaf geraniums from the same store,a few packets from the local garden centres annual 50% sell off and a posh fi parsnip to share with my daughter. Saved own peas, garlic,beans, pfas etc. Got to cut back now my income has halved and my back is knackered. But my plot is my playground and I've just picked raspberries for tea.... ;D ;D
I'm just sorting my seeds.
Realistically I should say I need to spend nothing for the next five years.........
However ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: pumpkinlover on October 28, 2011, 21:42:34
I'm just sorting my seeds.
Realistically I should say I need to spend nothing for the next five years.........
However ;D ;D ;D
Seed Denial: works about as well as New Years Resolutions and Dieting.
Prompted by this thread I did a list of seeds yesterday sorted out into types (nerdy behaviour I know) to see what I've got. I was getting excited as I didnt seem to have many legumes and salad things so was already planning to visit RealSeeds (new list out there). Sadly I then found another bag of seeds I had overlooked... and I have more than enough of legumes/salad things...so no buying.
I think I can justify buying broad beans, red cabbage and quinoa (the latter being my 'new' thing this year).
also gives us something to talk about with other gardeners and a way to bore those who aren't.
;D..particular that last statement.. ;D
Even on lottie other gardeners eyes gloss over with boredom when I start talking about my seeds..very few seem to be in that 'denial' level of seedaholishm. Most of them are just basic 5-veg men and women.
I did manage to turn one lady to seed saving after giving her a sample pack of various seeds to grow last year.. ;D ;D
She didn't even know such variety of veg existed..and she only had 'taster pack'.. ;D
No problem Goodlife -just chat away on here. We love you for it ;D ;D ;D
Aww...thanks.. ;D
mmmmmmmmm a bar of chocolate or a packet of seeds :-\ no contest chocolate here i come not ;D
Spent an HOUR in local market today riffling through the boxes of in date seed packets at 50p that an excellent man buys from seed companies who cannot be bothered to sort accidentally mixed up packets. He buys them at 40p.
Just about to send in orders for me and a friend to T&M half price because of their allotment offer. Found 33 packets of what we want!
Dare not add up what either of us spends every year, sorry......
I use Dobies generally and think I spent about that in my first year but have a chart which shows how long seeds are viable for and I spent less the second year and each one since. I suppose, if I averaged it out, it is around £50 per year. You can save beans you don't harvest from plants each year and it is satisfying to grow a subsequent crop in this way. It seems a small investment for the pleasure if you ask me. I haven't got my order in yet this year but have received my over wintering onions, garlic and shallots already.
Dobies do a selection of plug plants for around £30 if you want to go down that route - check out their web site for details.
Quote from: goodlife on October 28, 2011, 14:52:02
Martin..what kind of things did you try to grow from their seed?
Acca sellowiana
Amelanchier canadensis
Atriplex halimus
Bunias orientalis Turkish rocket
Camassia quamash
I think I have my annual seed purchases down to £20-30 maximum.
Including spuds, onion sets, compost and rent for 2 plots I reckon my annual total is around £100.
Martin...
The list of 'things' that you mentioned...there is only one that is really 'not so straight forward' to germinate...Amelanchier.
Other you should not have problem with..I have grown few of those varieties from seed too.
Are you going to have another go at them again?
Check you PMs... ;)
Thanks folks for all the replies, I think I will put this order in and see how I go through the year, I have two problems really, one is I have no idea of how much I can grow on my plot during the year, I guess i will know this in about 8 months. Also I like to have a few different types of everything, so I will probably not use most of the packets up completely .... Hopefully my neighbours will want to swap. I think I will try and get some more seeds from Real Seeds as you can collect your own seed from their stuff too so maybe I will get into that a bit xxxxx
Well, even if you get too many seeds..it is not necessary going to waste and you don't have use all them up at once..like its mentioned before..majority of seeds will store several years.. ;)
Many crops can be sown throughout the year in smaller patches as well. You'll be surprised how much you can grow..you could sow things in pots and as you pull one veg up and little space comes available, plant your earlier pot grown sowings on its place..constant cropping and planting.. ;)
Every now and then I do good clear out in my seedbox for those packets that are 'getting on' and coming to an end of their storage life..things like lettuce and herb seeds you I just empty all varieties in same bag and find spare bit of ground and just scatter all in...what comes is bonus and what don't..nothing lost. Usually I end up with big medley of stuff.. ;D..more than one can cope and what we don't eat can be dug in like a green manure....win, win.. ;)
What kind of veg are you interested of?..or you are thinking of buying?
Quote from: Ruth Rocket on October 31, 2011, 19:23:38
Thanks folks for all the replies, I think I will put this order in and see how I go through the year, I have two problems really, one is I have no idea of how much I can grow on my plot during the year, I guess i will know this in about 8 months. Also I like to have a few different types of everything, so I will probably not use most of the packets up completely .... Hopefully my neighbours will want to swap. I think I will try and get some more seeds from Real Seeds as you can collect your own seed from their stuff too so maybe I will get into that a bit xxxxx
If you are into having a few of many different types of things, make sure you have plenty of labels handy! I cannot tell you the number of times I've poked seed into the ground, as Helter-Skelter
Goodlife suggested ;D ;D, thinking I'd surely without a doubt remember what was where, and a week later couldn't remember. ::)
Helter-Skelter Goodlife :o...and GrannyJanet calls me spunge brain.. ;)
What next.. ::)...well..there is Finnish saying.."loved child has many names"... ;)
Thanks..Grannies.. ;D :-*
Quote from: goodlife on November 01, 2011, 10:09:24
...and GrannyJanet calls me spunge brain
[/quote]Surely because your brain likes to soak up knowledge. I'd take that one as a compliment.
Well, all in all, everyone hates to admit to their spending!!!
My plot = 72 euros a year in rent.
Manure = 18 euros once a year and some free stable waste when I have time to go fill a few bags.
Potatoes and onion sets, last year I think it cost about 35 euros. I cannot seem to grow onions from seed, but that is my total year's onion consumption so think it's not too bad an investment. (that is shallots and reds too).
Seeds = between Lidl for some common things such as lettuce which I barely manage to grow anyway, and internet buying like Alan Romans, Vegseeds etc, I think about 30 euros for seeds. But I have saved some this year, mainly tomatoes and beans and swapped some too!! I will need to stock up on most things next year as this year I used all my excess stock and the seed box is a poor speciment just now. I never buy seed in stores here anymore - at least 1.99 euros a packet, whereas on the Net I can get things starting at about 40p a packet, even taking postage into account.
GrannieAnnie, I know what you mean, I must buy some labels, as my seedling recognition is not as good as I thought it would be! Memory is shot to pieces!
Goodlife I am not sure what I am hoping to grow yet, I am going to have a year of trying the easier things I think, I love beans and hope to try a few varieties not found in the supermarket. I would love some courgette as I love them with the flowers on, squashes too, the smaller types. Also I am spurred on by my failures with potatoes and carrots, I want to get them right next year. Also peppers and chillies I want to have a bash at. The. Other thing is any salad leaves and herbs. ..... I think that will keep me busy!