Allotments 4 All

Anyone else having to wait forever for these to be delivered ? 
I'm told it will be just short of 6 weeks for them to turn up (having chased my ordered yet again today).  Early March isn't good enough IMO.   >:(

I've not ordered potatoes from them before but was grabbed by their newest blight-resitant offering Sarpo Mira.  Are they always this bad or have I just been unlucky ?

???

What's the rush??

You're not trying to break records with a first early -  an early main is happy planted in mid April.

I see your point Tim, but I rekon i would be as impatient as thistle if it were me! Mine arrived on 24 Jan, and I was hassling them then for an arrival date  :)

Mine came from Kings seeds by the way. This was my first year for seed spud orders so I can't tell you what anyone else was like. Most local GCs have had seed spuds in for around a month. You could always head for a potato day next year, then at least you don't have to wait for em  :) (Ryton was great!)

I've ordered from T&M for the past couple of years and have found that I have had to wait too, but what I find most annoying is that you do not receive confirmation of your order, so without phoning them up you can never be sure that they will be sent out to you.

Ryton isn't too far from me, is it worth going? I might try to make it next year, even my wife thinks it's a good idea!

TimJ

I have just cancelled my order with Thompson and Morgan having phoned them yesterday and been told that I would have to wait for at least another 4 weeks for delivery 

They got very snooty with me when I suggested they should have given some indication of likely delays in delivery on their website. When I ordered the website said that orders would be sent out from January, so I was certainly not expecting to have to wait until the end of March to receive them. If there had been a clearer indication of likely delivery dates oon the website I would not have ordered from them in the first place.

I went straight down to the garden centre yesterday - not a very good selection left but at least I now have some Arran Pilot and International Kidneys chitting in the spare room 

Now that they are independent again, they may improve?

Independent again?  How come?

Quote from: Moggle on February 24, 2005, 16:11:02
You could always head for a potato day next year, then at least you don't have to wait for em  :)

Moggle, that's excellent advice  I couldn't have put it better myself  ;D

Tim, you're nearest day is in Cheltenham - and it's free to get in!!

Phil

TimJ, Royton was great! And that was with an impatient husband and 7yo brother-in-law in tow, and in winter. I almost wished I'd only got my spuds from there, there were so many varieties to choose from  ;D Get there early if possible, they'd already sold out of some varieties when I got there at lunch time.

I'm hoping to visit again in the summer when the gardens are looking their best - especially the fruit garden  ;D

Thanks for the feedback everyone.  And as slow delivery seems the standard for them, I wont order any earlies from T&M in the future.  Oh well, thanks for the feedback peeps ::)

Quote from: tim on February 24, 2005, 15:57:39
What's the rush??

You're not trying to break records with a first early -  an early main is happy planted in mid April.

My order also includes a number of varieties including an 'extra first early', Lady Christl, which I would like to start chitting asap.  Cover the soil with a cloche tunnel and fleece on the soil, you can plant them as early as mid-Feb (though admitidly I'm not usually organised enough until beg. March).  I love early or late croppers for a number of reasons, though agree breaking records isn't one of them  ;)

As I said, 6 weeks delivery period is unacceptable, especially as no indication was given in the catalogue/at time of order. 

I can also vouch for Potato Day at Ryton - last year, got absolutely carried away with 2 or 3 seed spuds each of a 40+ varieties!!!!! This year, got carried away with seeds instead! But I have still got a few seed spuds, some chitting in an egg tray on top of my computer speaker! I still even have last year's "seed spud" chosen by my darling son (he was 2 at the time) which there is no hope in hell of ever growing (I paid 13p for a STONE)!!!

Not potatoes - but strawberries - I ordered along with few (less than half a dozen) seeds, some strawberry plants which said delivery in Feb. Just posted a message on the T&M guestbook (the order receipt is somewhere safe!) and had a reply that the plants should be dispatched early March.

Quote from: TimJ on February 24, 2005, 22:12:07
Ryton isn't too far from me, is it worth going? I might try to make it next year, even my wife thinks it's a good idea!

TimJ

Tim, I've been to the last two Ryton potato days and they have been really good fun. I'm an HDRA member so go on the Saturday, but I expect this holds for the Sunday too. Go early! And I mean early... they open at 9.30am but the queue is usually forming by 8.30am and by 9am this year it was already snaking down the car park... and by opening it had reached the far corner. Folk rush in and the marquee turns into a scrum.  Also the car park is small and the overflow a bus ride away so getting there early also gets you a space near to the garden so you can pop back with your heavy purchases.

I wished this year I'd remembered to take a basket or trug to put the paper bags of spuds in. Next time I will. However this time I remembered to advance book lunch in the restaurant. It's potato themed and not cheap, but very nice if you've got up at 6.30am to drive up from London... but you do need to book.

Talks are good too - basic ones appear every year like growing organic potatoes and pests/diseases and their solutions.  The rest are a mix of topical sessions (this year they had a talk on how the HDRA trial of the Sarpo potatoes went)  cookery demos (with tastings!) and Q&A sessions.

If you have small people. you can take them round the vegetable kingdom exhibit, and there's always the gardens, showing what their allotment looks like at this time of year!

And there's a large shop selling organic food, special diet food eg gluten free stuff I can't find anywhere else, and lots of books and garden gear and...

So yes, worthwhile :-)

Why not try your local event in Dulwich?

Phil

I,m quite lucky as our local allotment shop sells seed pots for 30p per lb (35 for salad) and 65p for a lb of onion sets.
Helen

Phil - if you mean this Tim - I don't do Cheltenham any more!!

Pak Choi - they got fed up with being a US pawn. I have long avoided them because of that association.

Sorry Tim,

I confused TimJ with you and your address, I don't know where TimJ hails from, the map thing doesn't seem to be working properly

Phil

No prob! Cheltenham was, of course, our 'shopping town' in our 'younger days'.  Only 17 miles.

As to TimJ - note that I no longer sign my notes - to minimise confusion.

Mmmm, sorry Tim, I didn't mean to cause confusion  :(
I will change my username if possible to smething less similar. I didn't realise when I 1st joined that there was another well established Tim.

Phil, I hail from Leicester.

I shall eat my salad & fish tea and see if i can change my profile!!  :)

Moonbellls,

Thanks very much for the info, I'll give it a try next year!   ;D

Monthy/Timj

Leicester is just a bit beyond the pale for Potato Days - you'll have to start your own or travel all the way to Ryton!!!! ;D

Phil

hey all,

I ordered T&M potatos in november and recived them 4 weeks ago.  so some time they work. (soon as this cold snaps over the going in)