Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Frugal Living => Topic started by: Kristen on August 30, 2013, 15:33
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The annual 50p-a-packet sale has started :)
Locations of stores:
http://www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk/garden-centres
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I found 36 that I couldn't-afford-not-to-have (tm) :) ... sticker price £88.34 ... saved £70.34 :tongue2:
In previous years I have bought double-qty of packets that will keep a couple of years or more. This year I have decided to have another go at raising my own Cucumber plants as Garden Centre didn't have plants of any suitable varieties last Spring - 8 seeds for a quid instead of £1.25 each :ohmy:
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Drat I was only there last weekend when they were selling at 50% rather than 50p >:(
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Happy Days.
I'll be there tomorrow! :)
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Thanks for the heads up Kristen :)
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Now there's a great excuse to go to the garden centre - and I need compost so I will HAVE to go today ::) thanks for letting me know :-)
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Now there's a great excuse to go to the garden centre - and I need compost so I will HAVE to go today ::) thanks for letting me know :-)
Wyevale / Garden Centre Group were doing 5 bags x 56L for £16 - dunno if that offer is still running. I think the quality is better in the Autumn (made from materials that are drier, and not stacked in the warehouse as long getting compressed, nor getting wet outside, which I feel is what I have bought in previous Springtimes ... so I have 30 "Autumn bags" in the shed ready for next Spring :)
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Just got back from Wyevale , £64.66 with of seeds for £13 ... thanks again ;)
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Hope they still have some left next week, as I cannot go until then. I was there on Thursday and it was still only 50% off so I waited ......
Don't need too much tbh though ;)
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at my local they take the packets off the racks a few days after the sale starts and bung them all in a bin and I've heard that other stores do the same. Takes ages to sort through that trying to find the interesting ones :(
The first year I went I tipped the whole lot out on the floor and sat there cross legged for an hour sorting them to work out what I wanted. All their other customers had to detour around me! ... why they can't leave them on the racks beats me, I'm sure they would sell more if they were easier to see what-was-what.
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We went to our local today, and yes all seeds now in a big bin. Took me 40 mins to sort through the lot. Spent £19.50, no idea what the "proper" value is, but I now have plenty of seeds and need a bigger seed tin!
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no idea what the "proper" value is
Saddo that I am :) I added mine up. Average price was £2.45 - so £1.95 saved per packet, if yours was the same you have saved £76.05 :happy:
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Now there's a great excuse to go to the garden centre - and I need compost so I will HAVE to go today ::) thanks for letting me know :-)
Wyevale / Garden Centre Group were doing 5 bags x 56L for £16 - dunno if that offer is still running. I think the quality is better in the Autumn (made from materials that are drier, and not stacked in the warehouse as long getting compressed, nor getting wet outside, which I feel is what I have bought in previous Springtimes ... so I have 30 "Autumn bags" in the shed ready for next Spring :)
Thanks Kristen - well worth a visit then :-)
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Seeds are down in price at Wyvale if anyone is interested :)
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WATCH carefully because Wyvale always bring down the price to 20p a pack a bit later on.
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Seeds are down in price at Wyvale if anyone is interested :)
Thanks, CH - have merged this with the existing thread to keep them all together :D
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WATCH carefully because Wyvale always bring down the price to 20p a pack a bit later on.
Bit of a gable though?
Seed that I wanted in the 50% sale was gone by the time of the 50p sale ... and I had the last few packets of several varieties at 50p ... although my local seems to have had far fewer seed packets left this season than usual, maybe they bought less, maybe people are growing more sow-your-own?
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That's ok for your bog standard seeds but the interesting stuff has usually gone by then ;)
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We've just come back from Blooms by the race course in Cheltenham.....
£80 worth of seeds for £15.50 SWMBO is well happy :D
WW 8)
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I am very happy with my 50p a packet seeds, spent £12 on seeds which would have cost around £65. All the seeds still on the racks, so no rummage in bins for me :)
Thank you for the promot for the sale. :)
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Thank you for the tip off. I didn't think I would get there but then called in on a detour after picking up MIL. £65 worth of seeds purchased for the princely sum of £12. really pleased with that,got some for my sister for when I go to see her on Thursday so good for her too. Even better MIL bought the cup of tea :lol:
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£90 worth! Cost £15! Well happy.......TY OP!
The Mrs tagged along, I bet you can't tell me what her favourite flower is :=]
(http://imageshack.us/a/img10/3695/auhk.jpg)
CdT
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Nicotiana :)
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Thank you for the tip off. I didn't think I would get there but then called in on a detour after picking up MIL. £65 worth of seeds purchased for the princely sum of £12. really pleased with that,got some for my sister for when I go to see her on Thursday so good for her too. Even better MIL bought the cup of tea :lol:
Hi Snowy, did you go to Woodlands? I didn't get there either yesterday but am going after work today. I ther a lot of choice and are they in the racks of buckets? I was thinking of seeing if Sapcote was doing the same because I prefer to go to them. P.S hope you are good :-).
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The best bit about this is that you don't have to worry at all about how expensive the seeds were to start with. My best buy was a purple podded mange tout which should have been £3.49! Just starting out so not that fussed about what varieties I got, have been to two centres yesterday and today and pretty much bought all the seeds I need for the next year for £9. You had to be a bit in the know though, didn't you! The shelf edging still said 50% off!
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You had to be a bit in the know though, didn't you!
If you take up membership of The Garden Centre Group you get a mailing (mine arrived last Thursday) with all the monthly offers - plus you get Points for purchases, which converts to money-off-vouchers periodically :)
(Actually maybe you had to be/become a member just to get this "offer". You can join there&then and if you forget your card my branch can lookup via my postcode, which is handy)
The shelf edging still said 50% off!
I think that's just the manager/staff at that branch. Mine had their normal-style purple boards with the "50p sale" banner on it.
That said, I find most of their plants, fertiliser etc. relatively expensive.
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I ventured in today and I was sooooooooooooo good. I'd sorted my seeds out last week and decided I had just about all I needed for next year, except short of kohl rabi and nasturtiums.
Got 2 packs of kohl rabi - purple and green
2 packs of nasturtiums - pale yellow and deep red\black - should look lovely together next year :D
Actually managed to walk away with only 3 more packs :ohmy:
Mixed oriental mustards which are always useful to have around
Red onions to plant in January as already got some brown skinned ones
Tromba D'Albenga curly whirly summer squash to try something new, as MoS always says they're good 'uns
So I'm sorted for £3.50 :D
Remind me I said that in a couple of months when I'm drooling over seed catalogues and going all seedaholic again ;) :lol:
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... and going all seedaholic again
This native (well Irish) company will be right up your street then
www.seedaholic.com
:D
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So I'm sorted for £3.50
Well done you ;)
I can't get there til Wednesday - and they might not have any left by then, cos you lot are buying them all :blink: :ohmy:
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thanks for the heads up on this one.... it was a bit of a free for all around the giant tubs they had thrown them all in but £6.50 for £32 worth of seeds was a bargain!!
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Oooh what fun. I took 2 grand daughters with me and we delved into the piles of seed packets on a huge table. We ended up with pile each and then had to sit on the floor to sort them. £42 worth for £9. :D I'm glad I took the girls 'cos I might still be there!!!!!!
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... and going all seedaholic again
This native (well Irish) company will be right up your street then
www.seedaholic.com
:D
Aaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh :ohmy: Red alert Seedaholics - DO NOT under any circumstances click on this link :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:
You made me look Kristen and they've got some really nice stuff. Stepping away from the website now .............................. before I click on something :tongue2: :nowink: :lol:
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... and going all seedaholic again
This native (well Irish) company will be right up your street then
www.seedaholic.com
:D
Aaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh :ohmy: Red alert Seedaholics - DO NOT under any circumstances click on this link :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:
You made me look Kristen and they've got some really nice stuff. Stepping away from the website now .............................. before I click on something :tongue2: :nowink: :lol:
refusing to look :lol:
Edit to clarify quotes
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I can't get there til Wednesday - and they might not have any left by then, cos you lot are buying them all
You should have sent me your wishlist MOS :)
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refusing to look :lol:
By far the safest option ;) :lol:
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Kirsten that is so funny. Last year i too sat on the floor sorting through the seeds, took me ages and so many people wanting to look, how dare they! :lol:
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Popped into the Gardening Club on my way to do an inspection to have a look at the 50p seed sale
18 packets of seeds (one of which is a 5 seed multipack) with a value of £44.92 for a £1 plus an eight pound token sent from the gardening club - RESULT!
Fellow Seed-a-holics can see the list on my diary
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Kirsten that is so funny. Last year i too sat on the floor sorting through the seeds, took me ages and so many people wanting to look, how dare they! :lol:
Missed opportunity? "personal shopper service, varieties found just for you, £1 per packet" :lol:
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Might attempt to go tomorrow as have car trouble but do have £3.50's worth of gardening club vouchers to spend so wish me luck with the seeds and the car lol :tongue2:
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Its a great way to stock up a seed box for a new plot SCassin ;) :)
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I confess to going back and getting another £26 worth for £5.50. ;)
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I know - so excited over such a simple thing lol - I got out the little leaflet that came with the vouchers just now and saw they also doing some autumn veg plugs for 3 for £10 - don't normally buy these but might have a look just so new plot looks nice and encourages kids early :D ;)
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Been back when I finished work today as I forgot cucumber seeds & spent another £8 between me & my sis. I'm off to see her tomorrow & they've only got Dobbies near her.
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Thank you ! Been to my local one today, I was in seed heaven. ;) :D . Spent £15.50 but saved a fortune .
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:D Wyevales Day today vouchers in purse ready - do I have a plan - NO - just going to see what they got, dream and spend ;) One dream is they have something that states can be sown this time of year on new plot
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Well we went there were 4 racks of seeds it was heaven. Spent £21.50 but had some vouchers to come off that. Also - even with the 50p packs if you bought 3 packs of Unwin seeds you got a pack free so got extra there to. Will work out later what I saved. Spent ages tho looking thro different varieties of what we like and check dates on packets etc and even managed to get some kids seeds so new plot next year should be of more interest to the kids now :D
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Well I went this evening and bought just 4 packets (largely as I do not know if I will have growing space next year so no point in stocking up). The seeds were still on the racking and a good selection left. I got:
Chilli pepper f1 gusto purple (cos it looked pretty)
Cauliflower igloo ( a baby vegetable)
Sweet pepper f1 redskin (again a small one for window box growing)
Italian mix salad leaf.
Not grown cauliflower before so looking forward to that, hopefully it can be grown in a container / trough etc should I not have a large veg patch.
Hannah :)
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Even my parents in law went, which surprised me as MiL usually doesn't like to follow any of my tips if she hasn't thought of them first, and said FiL had already ordered all his seeds. They spent nearly as much as I did!
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Had to drive past the Garden Centre again - The Seed Borg got me - Resistance was futile, I had no choice, I had to go and rummage - I came out with another 11 packs of seeds but not the ones I was looking for does that mean I will have to visit the local branch to see if they have them....... NOOOOOooooooooooo....
Got some Autumn /winter peas
More Little Gem for winter crowing
2 more packs of 5 Patio Salad Collection
More variations of over wintering Spring Onions
My name is Alan and I am a Seedaholic
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does that mean I will have to visit the local branch to see if they have them
Depends :)
Did you remember to buy extra packets of seeds that will still be viable in a year or two's time - of varieties that you like but which you can't be sure will be "In stock" in next year's sale?
Particularly the packets that are 4-quid :blink: a go ::)
And if you haven't made a spreadsheet, yet, to catalogue them all and to have as calendar of sowing dates ... then you definitely aren't a seed-aholic :happy:
Perhaps best I don't let on to some of the weird and wonderful websites I buy unusual ornamentals (can I use that word on this site?!) from?
OK, just one :) I've never been able to afford to win an auction from seed from this guy, but his auctions are always mouthwatering
http://www.ebay.com/sch/strange_wonderful_things/m.html
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I admit it I did look at the sow by dates and discarded those with shorter dates in favour of some with later dates, and I have just put elastic bands around them after sorting them in use by date order.
I also crated a sowing, planting out and harvesting calendar last year, based on my box of seed using the information from the backs of the packs as there was little else to do in the dark and depressing winter days when I could not get to the allotment.
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Just worked out the costings total price pre-sale £86.58 my price £15.50! I did check dates etc on packets and bought what I like, some new ones and some because they looked nice. ;)
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Thought this was a joke till i got 36 pavkets for £18 pouds worked out it was worth £90 happy planter!!!!
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Thought this was a joke till i got 36 pavkets for £18 pouds
;)
Wyevale, or Garden Centre Group as they now call themselves, have been doing this for several years - around about this time of the year. Long may it continue :)
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I'm going tomorrow - just a bit excited which is very silly for a grown up, its like going to a really nice sweetie shop when you are a kid :D
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Thought this was a joke till i got 36 pavkets for £18 pouds
;)
Wyevale, or Garden Centre Group as they now call themselves, have been doing this for several years - around about this time of the year. Long may it continue :)
Annoying though as I doubt they are making a loss on it :(
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I wonder what happens to old-stock seeds at other garden centres? The new stock will be arriving now/soon, either the old stuff goes back "sale or return" (and is then presumably binned, or given away), or the garden centre bins it and rights the money off. Makes sense to me to flog it, even at a loss, at that time of the season.
I did work for a seed company some years ago, they said they were selling "dust" and the raw material cost very little, thus the marketing, packaging and distribution was 99% of the sticker-price.
Of course the garden centre will be buying it at a trade price, probably 50% - 75% discount (these aren't fashion accessories!!) so unless they have a kick-back from the seed companies they are unlikely to break even at 50p, but its less-loss than binning them :)
(My local sells Unwins, Suttons and T&M so I think unlikely that they have a kickback from all three - but its a big group, and no doubt they have some negotiating muscle )
But I may be well wide of the mark ... it has been known!
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Morning.....anyone know when the 50p a packet sale ends? I'm away on holiday and need to get a bit of that action!
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Morning.....anyone know when the 50p a packet sale ends? I'm away on holiday and need to get a bit of that action!
It was still going yesterday at the Hinckley Wyvale, I got32 packets for £16, absolute bargain. Although OH was with me and 'needed' the half price extendable loppers (£20) and I didn't get past the bulbs empty handed (another £30) so whilst I saved a lot on seeds, I still spent lots.
My name's Caroline and I'm a bulbaholic.....
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Morning.....anyone know when the 50p a packet sale ends? I'm away on holiday and need to get a bit of that action!
In previous years there has been a "Bin" of 50p seeds near the till for ages. The choice diminishes with time, so hurry back from holiday :D
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In the one in Croydon they piled all the seed on a large table and in large baskets around the table.
Between my two visits both short as one on the way to an appointment (10 minutes) and the other 15 minutes in a lunch time the pile had reduced dramatically.
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Well I went and spent far more than I thought I was going to. All bargains of course. Got 37 seed packets, which means I now need a second seed box .
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Well I went and spent far more than I thought I was going to. All bargains of course. Got 37 seed packets, which means I now need a second seed box .
:lol: your lucky I am on my third :D
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I was very good only another 13 pacakets added to the stash mostly grow sures etc and things that have done well this year....
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Well me and the wife wemt to the one i Shenstone and had a sort through , this one will do my mrs kept saying ..............anyway 30 minutes later we say that is enough and off we trot to have a further mooch around the store...............Whilst my darling was looking at the sale rail in the clothing section , I take a seat and decide to count the packets.....................Darling how many seeds do you think we have bought...............Mrs !! about 25 i suppose ..................Try 55 dear
Mind you we do have a large plot (3 plots really)
The love of growing your own
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I managed to get to the York branch last weekend, all the packs were still on the displays so easy to look through them all. Came away with £78 worth of seeds for £14! :D
So thats all of next years crops sorted, appart from seed potatoes!
I too am going to need another seed box :wub:
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Im really sad I just spent an hour making a spreadsheet of the seeds I have in my box, brands, varieties their sowing, planting and harvesting schedules - think I need a drink lol - but it does look nice all colour coded, veg, herbs, flowers :wub:
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Im really sad I just spent an hour making a spreadsheet of the seeds I have in my box, brands, varieties their sowing, planting and harvesting schedules
That's not sad, that's normal - 'coz that's what I do too :)
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Im really sad I just spent an hour making a spreadsheet of the seeds I have in my box, brands, varieties their sowing, planting and harvesting schedules
That's not sad, that's normal - 'coz that's what I do too :)
Yep me too. It really helps to see what has worked and what hasn't and makes the planning easier and not overlooking that packet of seed that gets in whe it shouldn't be. And where there are the gaps that means that the 50p packets are a double bargain!!
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And me! :wacko: :blush: :dry: :D
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He He I was thinking I was turning into a Seed Nerd :D
Glad Im not alone tho - I got idea I have to admit from searching for seeds on ebay and someone is actually selling a spreadsheet for exactly this. I thought blimey why would someone buy that! Then I started thinking I suppose if you aren't good at spreadsheets like I am (blowing own trumpet) then suppose you might buy it - hey wait a minute I could do that for personal use only tho and as I have been to wyevales and got £84 worth of seeds (obviously for a lot less tho in sale) and have a new plot this could be useful and before I knew it I was busy designing my spreadsheet lol
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He He I was thinking I was turning into a Seed Nerd :D
Glad Im not alone tho - I got idea I have to admit from searching for seeds on ebay and someone is actually selling a spreadsheet for exactly this. I thought blimey why would someone buy that! Then I started thinking I suppose if you aren't good at spreadsheets like I am (blowing own trumpet) then suppose you might buy it - hey wait a minute I could do that for personal use only tho and as I have been to wyevales and got £84 worth of seeds (obviously for a lot less tho in sale) and have a new plot this could be useful and before I knew it I was busy designing my spreadsheet lol
copies will be welcome :)
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copies will be welcome :)
See eBay :D :D :D
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Thought I would go along and have a look at our local Wyvale and got a nice surprise. They had a table with about 6 wicker baskets on, each filled to the brim with seeds. I came away with £8 worth of seeds and will probably go back next weekend for more. Might add up later the value of the seeds and see what I should have paid.
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The Seed Borg collective have been sending messages to my mind - Go to the Garden Centre and pick up more Ramrod Spring Onions - OK got the last two packs - But could not resist Thompson & Morgan Feast Onions and two packs of Ishikura Then saw some Parsnip F1 Albion baby type beetroot, celery and gold ball size radish so 10 packs another £5 and the seed boxes are bursting - may need to get a bigger box or perhaps a third smaller box
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did some damage....also bought an onion how
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good selection :)