Allotments 4 All

Can anyone recommend some good catalogues and online ordering websites for veg seeds, fruit trees, spring/summer flowering bulbs and general gardening goods. I know about the Ken Muir website and I have a Marshalls catalogue but would like to extend my browsing choice for rainy days.

I believe this is a link to Phil's website http://www.plant-seed-mailorder.org.uk/

and here is another site with website links.

http://www.powen.freeserve.co.uk/Links/supplierslinks.htm


Lots of websites to look through.  I must resist...I must resist!

This is an organic site which I have used a few times now and found the service excellent and quick.

http://victoriana.ws/home.htm

But there are loads and loads of others to browse

i like the organiccatalogue.com site.

TrailRat

My 3 favourite sites:

http://www.vidaverde.co.uk/index.html#cattable

on-line ordering,  
they have got some crazy breds-
8 ft high, purple sweetcorn!
not that comprehensive, its a family business not a huge multinational!



http://www.seeds-by-size.co.uk/

very comprehensive list- crazy no. of breds
if your looking for a particular variety he should have it
nice old boy!
NO on-line ordering but he's very quick, i got my seeds 5 days after i sent for them



http://www.tamarorganics.co.uk/

organic!
quite comprehensive
i like it!

http://www.suttons-seeds.co.uk/

There are some ads at the top of the page you could check out  ;D

Dan

Dan - I thought for an awful moment that you were going to say we couldn't recommend any more!

For a British family firm - for, especially, plants of toms, peppers etc  - simpsonsseeds. = Tim

Thank you all for such a good selection of sites to look at. I will have lots to look at through the winter, just hope I get an allotment soon otherwise my garden is going to be bursting at the seams next summer!

The 8ft purple sweetcorn sounds intersting! I'm pleased that there are so many local family run and organic sites suggested, I prefer to support smaller local businesses wherever possible. The problem now is with so much choice what do I decide to grow and where do I put it all, I think I need a farm not an allotment!

ps, Dan, thanks for reminding me of the ad links at the top of the page, I had forgotten about them, I automatically blank out adverts in my mind, so many websites have irrelevent ads that I tend to ignore them. Will make sure I pay attention to the links here though.

Just to add my 2 ha'porth,

Kings Seeds aka Suffolk Herbs

http://www.kingsseeds.com/

or

http://www.suffolkherbs.com/

and based in sunny Essex -what more could you want.

I also use the chase organics catalogue.

Jeremy

Jess for spring bulbs, I plan on using www.jparker.co.uk.
I love browsing seed, bulb and plant websites too  :)

You are all recommending these sites, but how many do you order from?  I only ask because if you order a few from this one and a couple from that one, doesn't the postage and packing make things expensive?  I really want to shop around a bit more for next year, but even so, I have a very tight budget so sense most of my seeds will be coming from just one supplier.  :'(

EJ I can't really talk for "garden" shopping because until now I have tended to buy from my local nursery but with regard to "other" things bought on the internet or by mail order I tend to shop around and quite often buy from more than one place. I guess it depends on what you're buying, particularly with more expensive things it is sometimes better to buy from various sources because the savings you make on the item often more than pays for the additional delivery cost. This year I plan on buying some fruit (blueberries, raspberries and goosberries) as well as vegetable seeds and spring bulbs so depending on price and quality I may end up buying from more than one source. I guess it's a case of working out the sums. Anyway it's fun to window shop sometimes.  ;D

Don't get me wrong, window shopping for seeds and plants is the only type of window shopping I do - I loath any other shopping.  I plan to do the sums and see what savings can be made, and will also chat to sister and other family members to see if there is anything they want, and share the costs a little.  It is amazing how many seed and plant sites there are out there in cyber space!

Good idea EJ sharing the cost of delivery, think I'll get some of my friends together and see if we can do a similar thing.

I want to get a few blueberries too Jess. So far I have only found Kenmuir selling them. What about you?

TrailRat

TR in addition to Kenmuir I have seen some in the Marshalls catalogue (very limited selection, think there's only one) and I got a leaflet through the mail from Chris Bowers & Sons (never heard of them and don't know how they got my details so can't say if they're any good), they have a selection of six varieties and seem to have quite a large selection of other fruit. Will spend the next couple of months trawling through the links recommended here to see if anyone else does them.

I too have been searching for soft fruit for planting this autumn. I particularly want a 'natural' tasting blackberry (ie like wild ones) and have heard that Fantasia is a good bet. Are any of you growing it?...is it good?...and where can I get it (other than Ken Muir where it seems a tad expensive! :o)
Plottie

Plottie, I have not seen the Fantasia anywhere else but Ken Muir although can't say I have looked hard to find it elsewhere. Most of the suppliers prices range from around £8 +. Personally when it comes to buying fruit I tend to go with a reliable source even if it means paying a little extra. You can have some of the many wild blackberry canes sprouting up through my hedgerow!

Have started looking through the links listed abve and had a look at the site recommened by Wicker. Although they seem to have a limited selection of varieties the bonus is they have free delivery if you order over £15, is that right, have I read it right?

I have had a lot of rubbish plants from Parkers this year - complained and they sent worse stuff - so I don't know about their bulbs.  I want to plant bulbs in my new woodland  and it's a lot of work - I'd be gutted if Parker's bulbs are as bad as their plants..........