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Author Topic: Seeds  (Read 6679 times)

oor wullie

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Strathnairn
Seeds
« on: March 19, 2018, 08:58:33 pm »
I've never been a great gardener but having acquired a big polytunnel I now understand the attraction of reading seed catalogues.

I am going to order some seeds from Real Seeds but there are a few things that they don't have so I will have to order from somewhere else as well.  Where do people recommend for seeds and for strawberry plants?

Clarebelle

  • Joined Jan 2013
  • Orkney
Re: Seeds
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2018, 09:08:33 pm »
I usually get stuff from Real seeds, but, as you say, they sometimes don't have everything you want. I get anything else from D T Brown, no particular reason except that I have good results, like their website and have always had good service from them.

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Seeds
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2018, 10:52:14 pm »
I've commented before.. I'm mean with this stuff.. lidl seed prices or ebay for moderate quantities..and check how many seeds per pkt for the money.
I'm also mean when it comes to using them ..no more than 2 brassica seeds per cell, only one sweetcorn per cell etc. Its only things like spring onion, radish, carrot, parsnip that i sow direct.

DavidandCollette

  • Joined Dec 2012
Re: Seeds
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2018, 09:28:42 am »
I use Tamar Seeds as they are organic. The other interesting one is The Seed Cooperative. They produce organic seeds for a lot of other companies.
A really useful book is The Poly tunnel Book by Joyce Russel.enjoy!

Part time dabbler

  • Joined Aug 2016
  • Cornwall
Re: Seeds
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2018, 12:44:06 pm »
On another forum I have just come across this website https://www.greenplantswap.co.uk. I mention it as I love the idea that we can swop those seeds/plants that we don't use.. Also I would like more people near Liskeard (my motivation for posting this :))
Physically part time in the garden, mentally full time in the garden

oor wullie

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Strathnairn
Re: Seeds
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2018, 03:32:45 pm »
Thanks for the advice.  I've ordered from some of the sites mentioned and noted the others as ones to look at next year.

I think my wife has the polytunnel book out from the library just now too.

Maysie

  • Joined Jan 2018
  • Herefordshire/Shropshire Border
Re: Seeds
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2018, 04:31:26 pm »
My seeds come from DT Browns too.  Generally good service, prices and availability. 

With a new polytunnel to play with, try VERY hard to resist the temptation to plant lots and lots of everything and grow what you like to eat!  Just because you have a polytunnel, does not mean that you can eat all of the courgettes that 10 plants will produce!!  Ask me how I know.... :innocent:

Part time dabbler

  • Joined Aug 2016
  • Cornwall
Re: Seeds
« Reply #7 on: March 20, 2018, 04:40:58 pm »
Mayse

That is why your friends and neighbours have door handles, to leave bags of veg on them lol
Physically part time in the garden, mentally full time in the garden

oor wullie

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Strathnairn
Re: Seeds
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2018, 08:09:55 pm »
This polytunnel was 7.5m x 30m, I have halved the hoop spacing so it is now "only" 13m long.
I am trying hard to stick to the ethos of doing a few things well rather than lots of things badly as with so much space it is tempting to grow all kinds of things that I don't actually like.

Maysie

  • Joined Jan 2018
  • Herefordshire/Shropshire Border
Re: Seeds
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2018, 11:58:24 am »
That is still a nice size tunnel. 

Resist the temptation to buy Asparagus Peas at all costs.  I have no idea what the point of those awful things is.....


oor wullie

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Strathnairn
Re: Seeds
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2018, 12:42:46 pm »
Ha. We should maybe start a new topic "what not to grow".

I am sure that lots of people grow broad beans because they are easy to grow despite not liking them.


Terry T

  • Joined Sep 2014
  • Norfolk
Re: Seeds
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2018, 01:08:25 pm »
Ooh no, broad beans are delicious, swede on the other hand ...

Maysie

  • Joined Jan 2018
  • Herefordshire/Shropshire Border
Re: Seeds
« Reply #12 on: March 21, 2018, 02:28:44 pm »
My apologies, I did not mean to throw the thread off in the wrong direction! 

Having done a few years of growing virtually everything available in the seed catalogue, we now concentrate our veggie-growing efforts on things which taste noticeably better when home-grown or eaten really fresh, like salad crops, herbs, tomatoes and winter veg.  Personally I don't bother with potatoes and onions etc as space/time is limited and they are readily available in the shops fairly cheaply anyway and taste virtually the same.  With the exception of a few new potatoes - which are fantastic when home grown!

Clarebelle

  • Joined Jan 2013
  • Orkney
Re: Seeds
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2018, 02:50:43 pm »
I think it is a relevant point [member=175813]Maysie[/member],

I had a different issue the first year I did veg. I tried to take on a 1/4 acre veg garden from scratch, planting it all up but found, come summer with the weeds raging (not so bad in a polytunnel maybe) I just couldn't keep up and had to abandon most of it as a lost cause! If I could do it over I would start on a small section then expand the garden over a period of time

Maysie

  • Joined Jan 2018
  • Herefordshire/Shropshire Border
Re: Seeds
« Reply #14 on: March 21, 2018, 03:03:01 pm »
Hi Clarebelle

I completely agree. 

My Dad has all day every day to potter around growing veg and that is pretty well all he does nowadays.  For me however, I need to prioritise my time and when I am faffing around with my veggie patch, I want it to be an enjoyable experince, not a massive chore which I would end up resenting if there was too much to do. 

I realise that once again I am sending this thread off topic, so apologies, but the best thing that I ever did was install 7 raised beds to divide up my veggie patch.  Mentally, if I only weeded/dug/manured/whatever one veggie bed in a day, I had not 'broken myself' with work, but still felt like I had achieved something and reached a conclusion, whereas if I had weeded/dug/whatever 1/7th of the veggie patch and then stopped for the day, I would have felt like I had achieved very little and still had a mountain to climb so would not be having any fun at all. 

I am now very selective about what I grow, but still generally grow far too much still! 

« Last Edit: March 21, 2018, 03:04:51 pm by Maysie »

 

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