Allotments 4 All

i went to my local netto and the seeds there were only 19 pence,many types to choose from also had flower seeds at same price

I'm going to save a fortume by joining this site, it's brillient reading about all these bargins.

Thanks Greenfingers.

I popped into Wilkinson's yesterday and found that most of their seeds are 39p to 59p. Lots and lots of good old popular varieties. (They also have Unwins.)

Dave

Just a note of caution, cheap seeds may be last years stock which doesn't matter for some plants but does for others.  I have found Kings Seeds to be the best for consistent quality, price and number of seeds per packet.

Usually the only difference betwixt packets of seeds is the quantity within. Many of them in fact come from one wholesale grower.
If you are worried about it, all packets have a date stamp on them somewhere.

Wilko's always clear out of their seeds every season by selling their stuff at half price or less.  :o I got quite a few bits for this year last year. ;D

Very true Palustris!

I always buy new from a good mail order supplier, I know where the seeds come from and how they have been stored  B4 sale

Don't let that stop you though, some good bargains can be had from the cheapies!

Loz :D

I've just got 100% germination from a packet of geraniums I bought at Wilko's the Christmas before last.  I keep my seeds in a tupperware box in the fridge.  The ps broccoli which is about two years old has not germinated though so it's swings and rounabouts.  I'm still ahead though as geranium seed is dearer than broccoli seed  ;D 

Wardy

I have arthritis and am currently living on Incapacity Benefit, so have become very good at locating cheap suppliers for things.  Wilko's are great, but not many of them in South England.  Poundstretcher is in my experience FAB for seeds.  Very cheap, also reliable - only thing I never got going was the yellow alyssum which never did a darned thing.  Last year they even had mushroom-growing kits in there.  I believe the brand they sell is Carters.

Don't ignore the pound shops either.  I have found them great for plastic containers, drip trays and even propagators. 

If it is metres of plastic / weed matt / enviromesh etc then cheapest suppliers seem to be mail order/web. 

The most disappointing seeds I ever got were quite an expensive packet of spinach from one of our local garden centres.  Sowed a whole planter but no joy at all.  Felt quite miffed!!!

 :)  Them two year old purple sprouting broc seeds I said hadn't germinated well they have now  ;D   Glad I didn't give up on em

My dad-in-law always swore by Suttons, but they are soooo expensive!! Since I took over the plot at Xmas I've bought from Kings and Alan Roman etc. Saved a fortune I reckon. I'll let you know what germinates and what doesn't!!

TimJ

cheap seeds

yes those cheap seeds can be no good but i have used the ones from 'lidl' now for three years
initially i was sceptical but they arn't going out of date, they arn't old stock or Mr fothergills rejects- theyre own brand continental varieties because the supermarket is german in origin.
i checked many of the varieties on the internet and most are contemporary well regarded varieties.
They have 5 varieties of radish and a similar number of cucumbers mostly for pickling- germans like dill pickles a lot it seems!
I think we have got used to paying too much for seed

The minimum germination rates of vegetable seeds sold "cheap" or at any price are governed by law - selling old seed is no protection for the seller.

So if they don't grow - take em back!!

Phil

I think we have gotten used to paying too much for seeds in the UK. A few years ago we all went to France on a family holiday and I picked up a packet of carrot seeds to show my Dad-in-law. They were about a quid for a HUGE amount of seeds compared to what you get here and they were the best he ever grew too!!

TimJ

Thank you very much, all of you!  :) :)

After reading this thread, I've just been down to the local Aldi.
They were almost out of seeds (@29p), but I wlked out with 3 varieties of apple tree (Elstar, Cox's and Granny Smiths) for the princely sum of £3.99 each.
They'll fit loverrly in the lottie.

Oh, and hello to you all. I'm a bit of a newbie, I'm in South Yorkshire and although I've had the allotment for a few years, it's been me old dad that's been growing on it. I've had a workshop/shed/garage on it for me.
It's getting a bit much for him now though, so it's about time I got stuck in, I reckon.
Any advice much appreciated.

Welcome RotH,

Your first port of call for advice should be Dad, as he's grown there already, then check the archive for answers to your questions if no joy from either source start a new thread

Phil

Thanks, of course he will be, but I'm hoping to grow a few things he hasn't tried before, such as melons, pumpkins, sweetcorn and all the other things that my kids will enjoy.
Involving the kids is going to be crucial to my wife giving me the time..... ;)

Now I know what kids are for! Hadn't thought of that. Somehow I don't think my cats will be of any help whatsover. Perhaps I can get my 5 neices and nephews to visit, get 5 forks & spades, a bit of bribery.... aah, visions of a Perefect Plot.

It can be worth getting together with a few others and buying bulk anyway. An example - I bought 1kg of Feltham First from Moles for £3.90 which split into 8 packs equivalent to £15.60 if bought from regular suppliers. We really do pay over the odds for packaging.

If you want large numbers of seeds of something, try Franchi (Seeds of Italy). I bought some Romaine lettuce a few years back and they quoted the packet number as 4500!!

Needless to say I've not run out yet...

moonbells