[pol and mick]

Not to Hijack the thread but ... how do you all feel about buying in brassicas ? I had a friend that swears that how he imported club root.

Im not sure his were GC plants or from a car boot or similar and it was a while back.

Personally I would never buy in brassica's for that reason alone.

  I'm expecting an order from Thompson & Morgan  in June & July. Would a nursey like this surely screen for diease

[Janeymiddlewife]

I didn't do well with brassicas this year. First lot of PSB got clobbered by cabbage white while i was away (even under fleece); I then bought in replacements from local nursery which keeled over with cabbage root fly; eventually grew some from seed very late, but they have now produced lovely spears, planted in large tubs, super limed & collared 

Have just read the "Half hour allotment". An interesting concept and the author lists many plants which are recommended to be bought as plugs, partly because they're more successful, and partly to cut down on a space/time problem. They also enable forward planning and a degree of control over planting time.
However, they are expensive, and i think, not worth it for plants that can be easily raised provided you have a large enough space to gorw on in. Last year I bought in pepper plants - what a waste of money! Half of them died (they were from T&M) - this year I've raised so many from seed I had to give most of them away - yes they've taken over a windowsill, but they were so easy to grow I'd only buy in again if disease decimated them. So  no, I don't think you've "sold out" - the skill, surely, is in raising young plants to harvest - whether they were "IVF" plants, or traditionally raised 

[woodburner]

the once ubiquitous cabbage white is now in serious decline so maybe we all should plant a few unprotected brassicas or nasturtiums.

they werent in decline in my garden last year 

as for buying in - its you who will raise them for the table, last year we bought in som plants, this year doing it ourselves, i wouldnt worry about it, lifes too short  ???and veggies you have raised too tasty 

I had some white butterflies flitting about my brassica seedlings and nasturtiums, but the few caterpillars that the birds didn't get were plain green. The cabbage white butterflies that I remember as a child had cream with black spots caterpillars, so I looked them up and there are IIRC three kinds of white butterfly, of which I only saw one kind.

I will be growing nasturtiums again both as a sacrificial plant, and for salad. Even when they used to get decimated by caterpillars (years ago) they always recovered.

[Kristen]

An argument in favour of buying in might be where you want different varieties, and very few plants.  I think that particularly applies to greenhouse crops like Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Peppers - the garden centre plants are more advanced, and much more stocky than my seedlings - probably grown under lights, and at just the right temperature.

There again you might be limited on varieties available

[mumofstig]

Personally i never find the range of tomatoes at the GC wide enough for me to try a few new ones each year, so it's always seeds for me ....buy a few, swap a few. Try not to spend too much...but doesn't always work
With cue/pepper the seeds last a few years so it's still worth buying a pkt. With your own seeds you can delay sowing till it suits you and when you can maintain high enough temp..not have to buy when they've got them!
IMO they may be stockier and more advanced....but have you the right conditions now for them to continue growing? I know i haven't ...usually by the time i have my own sowings have caught up

[sunshineband]

Not to Hijack the thread but ... how do you all feel about buying in brassicas ? I had a friend that swears that how he imported club root.

Im not sure his were GC plants or from a car boot or similar and it was a while back.

Personally I would never buy in brassica's for that reason alone.

Good luck - they are so far behind on despatches it's ridiculous - hope they come through for you 

  I'm expecting an order from Thompson & Morgan  in June & July. Would a nursey like this surely screen for diease

[bluealf]

Be very wary of accepting brassica plants. You could unknowingly import club root.

As for 1500 carrot seed - you'll need all of them for a decent row.

Blimey its a complicated life, what have i let myself in for 

If they have been grown from seedlings surely they wont be infected ?

So you are saying i wasted my time with the tweezers and carrot seed then 

What DD. means be wary of any brassicas that you yourself have not sown, Club root is carried in the soil, once you have it    Well at least that's what I think he means

Precisely what I meant. "Imported" means from elsewhere!

I hope you're joking about the tweezers!

I was  or was i