[Goldfinger]

If I'm posting in the wrong place, then have me moved 

The time is nearly here (whoopee - at last!)

I'd like to know, how many packs of seeds should I be buying of each variety of veg, etc so we don't run out (successional planting?) as we're hoping not to run short like last year. 

What I'm meaning is, how far does/should a packet go??

And are Wilko's / Pound shop seeds as good as the catalogues??

[DD.]

How long is a piece of string?

The quantity in a packet vary greatly from supplier to supplier.

If you ran short last year, you are the one with the yardstick to judge how many you need this year.

[Yorkie]

I think the seeds in the cheap shops are generally OK but you don't get the variety

[grenhouse]

Well with me I decide what i'm growing, then how many packs I need, then times it by 10 cos I buy whatever takes my fancy in the end!
The number of seeds you require varies on how you will grow the veg. e.g. I have a pack of cabbage with 20 seeds in which is fine for me as I sow them individually in modules, however some people sow them in drills outside and would therefore need more. I use a lot more packs of radish and carrot for example than cabbages, caulis or squash.

Personally I have found wilko's seeds to be excellent, aswell as poundlands. It is worth deciding what you want and then see if you can get them from an online supplier as you may get them cheaper (in my opinion!).

Happy sowing (nearly!)

[JayG]

1) Obviously if you are growing something like radishes you will need a lot more seeds than something like courgettes, so decide what you want to grow (and how much) and how often you could (or want to) re-sow during the season.

2) The seed packet should indicate the approximate number of seeds in the packet.

3) For the most part you don't have to buy fresh seed every year; the only ones which really need to be bought fresh each year are parsnip (especially), and also in my experience the F1 sweetcorn varieties which seem to have much reduced germination in their second year.

Some useful advice on seed storage life HERE.

[peapod]

Always been happy with Wilkos seeds - but for things like sweetcorn and peas I buy from elsewhere (Moles, Thompson and Morgan) -  for variety reasons. The advice on snips is right - fresh every year - from wilkos about 300 seeds per pack.  Thats plenty!!

Ive sown other seeds that have been three years old and they've been fine, and storage counts too- so if you store your seeds well then they will be fine to use next year even if you do buy too many

However, perfick quantity is down to your maths skills 

Work out how much you eat, then find a seed packet with that plus a little bit more for germination failures, and check the maturity times of the veg (e.g. radish are about 6-8 weeks).  Then you can successionally sow to fit in with your eating. 

However, most seeds are so cheap to buy that it isnt the end of the world if you buy a packet (or 12) more than you need 

[JayG]

Just a word of caution to those contemplating a trip to Aldi or Wilkos to buy their seeds; we have both stores almost next to each other in Sheffield and when I visited them yesterday full of eager seed-buying anticipation neither of them had anything garden-related at all.

The counter assistant in Wilkos told me that the gardening stuff was seasonal, although their bigger store in the middle of the city centre did have gardening stuff all the year round.

Check before making a special journey! 

[Sweet Pea 2]

Wilko in  Slough is  stocked up 

[Allotment Jon]

One thing I would suggest is you keep a record of what seeds comes from what packet.

Last year I used Wilko as well as B&Q for leeks and some were fantastic others were not. It would have been nice to have planted just the better ones this year but I did not know from what seeds the better ones grew from.

[Goosegirl]

Successional sowing is good for some veg but for others, you can buy early, mid and late season varieties. I'd just go for the early and late and those that will over-winter.

[New shoot]

The only things I buy multiple packets of are the fast crop salady type veg that I tend to bung in whenever a space appears, so my list is a short one of spring onions, salad leaves, radish and maybe baby carrots, but check the packet sizes as some suppliers (usually the no frills mail order ones) give you masses of seed.