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Author Topic: Seed orders for 2020  (Read 8452 times)

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Seed orders for 2020
« on: December 13, 2019, 12:39:30 pm »
Has anyone got their 2020 seed orders in?  For things like potatoes, at least the more unusual ones and blight resistant, lots are already out of stock.  Even seeds, especially multibuy special offers are sold out.  It used to be you could spend the quiet time after the winter celebrations looking through the catalogues in a leisurely way while you made your choice, but now if you leave it that long, the things you most want will be out of stock.
I've sent off my orders but knowing my luck although they were all in stock when I did the order, when my parcels arrive some things will be missing.


As an aside, I find the 'free seeds' that come pouring into the letter box with magazines are really frustrating - if they are what I want then I've already bought them, but most are for varieties I don't grow, or want to grow.  What a waste!  Any ideas on what to do with them? I used to send them all to my brother, but he's 'resting' from veg growing this year.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2019, 03:17:26 pm »
My growing reduces every year (back pain and frustration). For the limited range of seeds I may need I now use ebay (premier seeds direct usually) and apart from really sensitive seeds most packets I buy are big enough to last a few years. I did plan to just sow all my 'left-over' and weird varieties into a reserve plot of veggie patch  all mixed up and just see what happened - might do that this year coming.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2019, 05:28:35 pm »
The year before last I chucked out all my old and unsown seeds to start afresh last year.  There's still lots left of last year's seeds for most varieties but increasingly seed packets don't have all that large a seed count - 5 x cucumber seeds, 10 x tomatoes etc.  I have spent years narrowing down what I try growing but each year I like to try a couple of new things and that way I've found some 'keepers'.  Things like brassica and salad seeds last for several years and like you I hold them over, but I do love reading the catalogues, both paper and online, and dreaming the winter away.  Spring is always so hopeful, then the reality of summer pests and diseases and bad weather hit and there's always disappointment  :garden:


A few years ago I did something a bit like you intend, sowing everything from old packets, including lots of flowers, brassicas etc amongst a newly planted coppice area, specially for the wildlife.  The little Bs couldn't wait and just ate all the seeds before they could germinate  :rant:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2019, 06:41:03 pm »

As an aside, I find the 'free seeds' that come pouring into the letter box with magazines are really frustrating - if they are what I want then I've already bought them, but most are for varieties I don't grow, or want to grow.  What a waste!  Any ideas on what to do with them? I used to send them all to my brother, but he's 'resting' from veg growing this year.



Give them your local school and encourage them to grow something. Put them in a nice box and give them as a raffle prize.

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2019, 07:12:45 pm »
The year before last I chucked out all my old and unsown seeds to start afresh last year.  There's still lots left of last year's seeds for most varieties but increasingly seed packets don't have all that large a seed count - 5 x cucumber seeds, 10 x tomatoes etc.  I have spent years narrowing down what I try growing but each year I like to try a couple of new things and that way I've found some 'keepers'.  Things like brassica and salad seeds last for several years and like you I hold them over, but I do love reading the catalogues, both paper and online, and dreaming the winter away.  Spring is always so hopeful, then the reality of summer pests and diseases and bad weather hit and there's always disappointment  :garden:

Again I find that ebay usually allows me to buy things like packets of 50 tom seeds of the variety i want, 50-100 pepper seeds and so forth..and usually cheaper if you punt about. I rarely pay more than £1 incl postage per packet. 1,000 french breakfast for instance. But as said not into it as much now what with pheasants and stray sheep getting into stuff and back problems re weeding.

A few years ago I did something a bit like you intend, sowing everything from old packets, including lots of flowers, brassicas etc amongst a newly planted coppice area, specially for the wildlife.  The little Bs couldn't wait and just ate all the seeds before they could germinate  :rant:

Terry T

  • Joined Sep 2014
  • Norfolk
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2019, 07:44:50 pm »
We have got our seed orders in. I prefer not to keep seed for more than two growing seasons as it’s a lot of work for poor quality crops. I’m gradually increasing the amount of seed I save to reduce the costs.
If you want larger quantities of seed  - often the commercial distributors like Moles sell 100 x the amount for the same price and you can then swap leftovers.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2019, 01:25:32 pm »
The heritage seed list is now out with the Organic Gardening website.  You can download a copy https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/join-us?fbclid=IwAR3hKw20CTKCODGNHETxTdrKaRSlK61z0dF7n-F2XSD0SoFmUx9uIXW4jX8

I think you have to be a member to order though!


I think you are also expected to contribute self saved seeds to the scheme too, and I'm not doing too well with seed saving.  Beyond peas and beans I could not be sure of no cross pollination.  I'll have a look though just in case something is unmissable!
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

DavidandCollette

  • Joined Dec 2012
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2019, 10:06:19 am »
The heritage seed list is now out with the Organic Gardening website.  You can download a copy https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/join-us?fbclid=IwAR3hKw20CTKCODGNHETxTdrKaRSlK61z0dF7n-F2XSD0SoFmUx9uIXW4jX8

I think you have to be a member to order though!


I think you are also expected to contribute self saved seeds to the scheme too, and I'm not doing too well with seed saving.  Beyond peas and beans I could not be sure of no cross pollination.  I'll have a look though just in case something is unmissable!

No, you dont have to contribute but you do need to join. It's only a couple of quid a year but you get some really unusual varieties. Just about to order ours today.
As an aside, we recently moved house and Garden Organic (and Heritage Seed Libriary) were one of the few organisations to successfully transfer our address! Banks and pension companies failed miserably.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2019, 08:45:58 pm »
Mmm - I had a look and it said I can join for a mere £18 and it doesn't let you see the catalogue until you've joined!  Now I remember why I didn't join the last time I looked into it. Then I remembered the real seed company which sells heritage varieties too.  I really love these guys - they must be the only seedsmanandwoman who prefer you to save your own seed from the crops you grow from their seeds, rather than buying more seeds.  I've just had a peep and I see they've bought a wonderful old machine which packs paper envelopes with seeds.  There's a short clip of it working - brilliant.  I love almost anything of mechanical splendour!   Even though I have all the seeds I want, I'll just have to buy some from them just to know they've been packed by that machine  ;D
www.realseeds.co.uk
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2019, 02:26:44 am »
Thanks Scarlet Dragon.  I did click before but didn't notice the list was lurking at the bottom of the page as a PDF.  I've seen it now but nothing has caught my eye.  I think sometimes the best varieties from heritage collections get promoted by mainstream nurseries, such as the Crimson flowered broad bean, which I grow every year now.  I have a sneaky feeling that the less popular ones are not worth growing because there are better versions available elsewhere.  I find DTBrown is very good - for a start their catalogue is printed on recycled, non-shiny paper - top marks. They have a good list at reasonable prices, although I notice this year that seeds are very expensive from all the big boys.
I've been a member since Garden Organic was the Henry Doubleday research Institute in the 70s.  I hate the new name for its poor grammar and because they probably spent thousands for someone to come up with the name.  It used to be an entity with small, honest and simple principles, then they brought in the consultants to make as much money as they could and the whole lot has lost its way, or at least its roots.
Real Seeds has some interesting peas, beans and salads, so I have a few packets ordered.
I'm going in for raised beds to a small extent this year.  In the past I have felt that too many people think they can't grow veg without expensive designer raised beds and bought soil.  I think clean rows of veg on the flat look lovely, but the bed experiment is to see if they will be easier to maintain but still grow the same amount of crop, given our continuing creeping senility.  We are using old scaffold boards to make 2x1meter dismantleable beds, mostly in the tunnel, as an experiment.  We have plenty of sheep and poultry manure to fill many beds, and endless mole hill soil!  :garden:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #10 on: December 16, 2019, 07:40:31 am »
Just ordered all mine - I also chuck out older seed regularly and so far have not been able (or actually bothered) to save my own - I always have more than one variety of most things, so cross pollination always likely. There just aren't enough hours in the day already...
Gave up on everything connected with Garden Organic a while ago (well definitely since Dobie takeover), and now use Real Seeds, Tamar and Nicky's Nursery. I don't get my knickers in a twist if seed is not organic or even F1, as I know now what grows well and what doesn't. Always try a new variety of tomoatoes and peppers though.... given up on aubergines though, sadly never get anything bigger than goose eggs size, and that's with bought-in plants.

Briggsy from Gower

  • Joined Nov 2018
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2019, 08:16:36 am »
I keep my seeds in a sandwich box in the fridge and they last forever.

Well not quite, but I've yet to have anything fail to germinate even after 4 or 5 years or more.

Sometimes if they are very elderly I will sow the lot just in case, but have always ended up with a mini forest of seedlings.

Fleecewife - good luck with the raised beds. I use them as I don't seem able to keep the veg patches even reasonable weeded if they are not clearly defined!  It's more of a slightly raised and then no dig affair, but seems to work well as you can grow the crops closer together if their roots can go deed so you don't loose out on yield.

I too harvest mole hills, fantastic loam.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2019, 12:47:25 pm »
[member=3211]Anke[/member]  Most of what you wrote could have been me writing it!  I'm not quite sure why I'm still a member of Grow Organic really, as I haven't bought anything from them for a few years.  Maybe it's the work they do overseas, although I'm a bit doubtful about some of that too, maybe it's habit or maybe it's simply that I haven't got around to cancelling my (long)standing order.  You and I do have a similar climate and conditions and we seem to be dealing with growing stuff in a similar way.  For aubergines, one year I grew loads of whoppers - but I didn't eat them because I just didn't like them.  The flowers are beautiful and growing the plants successfully is very satisfying, but what's the point if I don't eat them?  So no aubergines here either.


@BriggsyfromGower  I have too many seed packets to keep in the fridge  :roflanim:   I've found that seeds such as brassicas and tomatoes last for years, but others like parsnips really don't maintain a good germination rate.  So I have quite a few packets of brassica seeds and grow just a handful of each variety each year, so the packets go on forever.  You're right that seeds need to be stored correctly to have any chance of lasting.  Leaving them in the polytunnel over the winter is especially doomed as the mice will eat the lot and build their nests with the packets  ;D   I'll see how I get on with these experimental beds; the ones I have outside are fairly disastrous for weeds.  One is strawberries and picking them is accompanied by many 'ouches' as my fingers find yet another nettle.  The other has to be dug because thistles and couch have found their way in.  It's a high bed, so Mr F has to be persuaded to hop up there to dig, but of course digging was the thing we were trying to avoid!  We still get creeping thistle in the tunnel, and couch creeping in from the sides, plus raspberries, so we'll always have to do some digging out of those until the day we can afford to lay a concrete path all around the tunnel and around the edge of the whole plot.


"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Briggsy from Gower

  • Joined Nov 2018
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2019, 09:46:03 am »
I love the way most no dig methods usually start with digging.

We have horsetail in our tunnel. Lots and lots of horsetail, after 7 years it is starting to reduce so there is hope. I read that it has antimicrobial properties which in a tunnel is a good thing, so have decided to change it from villain to hero. The other 'hero' in there is nettles which now form part of the crops.

It's all about spin

DavidandCollette

  • Joined Dec 2012
Re: Seed orders for 2020
« Reply #14 on: December 17, 2019, 09:54:01 am »
Tamar also do a good variety of organic seeds

 

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