Allotments 4 All

How much is everyone else paying for seed potatoes?

I usually buy mine from my local hardware shop as I'm not very good at planning ahead and they usually have a choice of 3 or 4 for each type (first, second earlies, mains).  A couple of weeks ago I bought a bag of Unwins Pentland Javelin First Earlies - 2.5kg for £3.99. 

When I looked on Unwins website today they advertise what looks to be exactly the same deal (ie 25-30 tubers, mine had 31) for £6.50 which, by the time I've added postage as well, comes to £11.25.

So am I missing something here?   ???

My horticultural society has done all seed potatoes at £1-20 per kg, and you can buy any quantity from one upwards!  On offer were 3/4 varieties each of first earlies, second earlies and maincrop.
As with most things it's well worth shopping around as prices do vary considerably.

the seed companies seem to be charging lots more this year, the sweet potato slips have doubled   :-\

My lot went up a bit this year but managed to get them @45p per pound (£1.00 kg)

Paying £1:20 per Kg in the lottie shop... slightly more elsewhere. Big thanks to Tattieman, finally got to Brookside Nuseries (Anstey) for the Epicure...
If you are near they have a great selection...

A couple of people moaned about the cost of ours!
We've since put up a list of all the prices that we could find for elsewhere and none are cheaper. It's the same with onions and shallots.

We sell them for 45p per lb or £2.80 for 7 lb in our stores.

Might be worth looking in Wilkinsons, if I remember correctly they had Pentland Javelin, Maris Piper and another, a couple of days ago. Sorry I didnt notice the price.

Got mine from wilkos, can't be 100% sure as I can't find the receipt, but I think they were £3 for 3kg.

Most varieties we have in the lottie shop are selling at £1.90 for 3kg,  (about 12 varieties).  3 other varieties we sell range from £2.20 - £2.80.

local hardware shop, in centre of huge council estate, £1.10p per kilo.

Here's the price list for Charlton Park who do the Whitchurch potato day and the markets around Newbury.  Depends what you buy, but they start at £1.20/kg.  Delivery costs are quite high because of the weight - three bags carriage is £8.85.

£/kg isn't necessarily a good way to compare different varieties because it also depends on the size of the seed and the yield - eg, bio gold are £2/kg but the seed are very small and they yeild well so they're quite a cheap buy really, whereas Kestrel at £1.40/kg are big seed and the yield isn't fantastic.  It would be interesting to see the yeild for the different varieties - so how many kg of tatties you get per kg of seed, and then you could work out the cheapest buys where cost is important.

I paid £12 for 5Kg each of 4 varieties (ie 5KG x 4 total) from the  local lotty association. T&M wanted £39 for the same deal.

I got 2x3kg bags of Maris Piper from Wilkinson's,most of their varieties were £3 for a 3kg bag,and paid £3.99 for a 3kg bag of a salad variety from local garden centre

3kg rocket 75 spuds £3.10
3kg Kestrel 37 spuds £3.10
3kg Cara  38 spuds  £2.99
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Quote from: Unwashed on February 28, 2010, 17:21:49
Kestrel at £1.40/kg are big seed and the yield isn't fantastic.  

Maybe it is soil in different areas but our site swear by Kestrel as it is always the first to sell out.  Admittedly ours is cheaper at £1.90 per 3kg of Kestrel but they produce good sized spuds, a fantastic yield, some of the biggest and also store for ages. 

I pay between £3.20 and £3.80 for a 3kg bag depending on variety plus £7 P&P for upto 25Kg - Edwin Tucker and Sons , highly recommended.

Its a few month since i paid but i think i paid just over £8 for 2.5kg each of Sante, Maris Peer and Romano, ftom the allotment shop.

I always look for a bag with lots of little ones and got 162 potatoes two varieties from, Wilkies in 3Kilo bags I know they were less tha £3 a bag.  

They are just the right size to chit in the egg boxes I saved over winter.

There are a lot of places selling little packs of half a dozen spuds for £1.99.  

Personally if I could only find enough space for so few, I would use sprouting spuds meant for eating.

Kestrel for me certainly produce large spuds and good yields and certainly weight wise are Superior to anything I have grown.    ;D ;D ;D