[garddwr]

I have been ordering 2009 seed catalouges and I am confused over which supplier to go for ?

Thompson and Morgan look good but they are expensive.

I am keen on Dobies as they have a large variety and are quite cheap.

Suttons are a little more expensive after Dobies but I've been told Dobies are Suttons in disguise ?

And I have a local wilkinsons store which have a great gardening section, the seeds are very very cheap compared to the big seed companies.

So I am puzzled. Can anyone recomend any seed company that they have used in the list above or not ? I would love to hear any info!

The other thing is germination rates, there is no point in buying cheap seeds then half of them not germinating then you miss the time to sow.

The last thing is the end quality of the vegetables. Would there  be a difference in taste,storing,yields e.t.c between the 39p seed packet or the £2.99 packet ?

Sorry for a long post hope anyone can help !
Thanks

[peapod]

Im a wilkos girl  
As im new to growing veg I havent yet looked into growing specific varieties, so am happy for now with the normal selection they offer.
I also look at dobies, but there are others as you have pointed out. I do get the catalogues, for my winter reading, but always go back to wilkos.

Paula

[richyrich7]

I've used them all over the years, never really had much problem with germination rates to be honest, poor germination can probably traced back to poor sowing techniques in 90% of cases IMHO.

There is a statutory germination rates that all commercial seeds must attain before being sold which I thinks about 85%

If you just want run of the mill standard varieties go for Wilko's you won't go far wrong.

[woodburner]

Wilko's are fine. I got most of my seeds from them last year but they don't do a lot of things, and not much choice of varieties of the things they do do. I got most of the odd things that I wanted from Dobies, next year I will be getting them from Suttons via our local gardeing club, as we get a substantial discount if we get a large enough order together. I never heard of them being the same company but Kings and Suffolk Herbs are, though their ranges are not the same. (Nor, I think, are Suttons and Dobies.)

Kings and Suffolk herbs are both good for hard to find stuff imho.

[noshed]

You get quite big packets at Edwin Tuckers

[compostqueen]

Suttons, Dobies are the same. T&M, Fothergills and Browns are one of the same.  Kings and Suffolk Herbs are the same but have different, interesting catalogues.  I like Seeds of Italy and they have fat packets as do Tuckers.  An interesting supplier is Real Seeds who only sell varieties that can be saved, no hybrids at all  

Oh forgot to say, that Wilko seed is fine. I got marvellous sweetcorn crop from a packet of 26p seeds.  Lidl seeds are fine too but not a great choice but for the bog standard stuff they're ok. I've noticed that the packets aren't as fat as they used to be, thinking of marigolds

[Bombers]

I don't wish to tempt fate but, Iv'e never had any bad experiences
with 'Cheapo' seeds.  :roll:  I got a load of Fothergills/Suttons stuff sold off cheap last year (Focus DIY Closing down sale anything for 40/50p a pack), and I forgot to buy any Sweetcorn, and ended up getting a pack from B&Q - Brilliant they were!    I'm always on the lookout for special offers, and don't like to pay full price if I can help it.

[gingercharlie]

got all my seeds from wilkos this year,no problems with any of them.

[breathecosse]

Real seeds and Kings seeds have been good for me.

[Steve.P]

I've used wilco's seeds and they are fine. Look on the back of the pack of cheap seeds, if its made in kennett, newmarket, chances are its something to do with fothergills.

[woodentop]

I have had several bad experiences with T&M. The customer service is awful. The seeds may be ok but Wilko are great if a bit limited in choice for something "different"

[Nogger]

i have just received this supplier for seed ,see what you think.
https://www.alanromans.com/
ray

[Runnerbean]

I was told about this company a couple of months ago and from what i can gather they have a link to Thomson and Morgan.  I will definately use them this year,  50p a packet for a good range of seeds,  80p for bigger things like peas and beans.  The seed potatoes are very well priced as well.
The only downside is they come with no sowing or planting instructions, but these are on the website so you can easily print them off ( or write them down if your printer is broken, like mine!! :x  :x  :x )
I reckon i will save loads by using them, i just hope they grow well.

[wighty]

Well I use Fothergills as it is what I sell in my shop.  I just help myself to whatever I want  and plant it.  It is technically my own money I'm spending so why not?

[Minty]

In our limited experience so far we have had great results from Dobies and Unwins,Our site shop also offers a 20% discount on Dobies stuff so we'll be using a lot of their stuff in the future.

We've also got the free Suttons seeds to use that we have just recieved this week with John's brilliant book

We did put some Wilko's spinich and dwarf french beans in when we first got the plot but the results were very disapointing but it might be more like Richy says and it might be down to our inexperience than cheap seeds.