[mrsparkle]

Got my seed pots today by mail but 4 of them were damaged (I assume in transit). They are look brown  and dried up around the area of the damage and I wonder if I can still chit them or whether I should send them back for replacing.

Or can I cut off the damaged bit and then chit them ?

Also got my garlic and some cloves are sprouting, should I just plant them now or return them for new, dormant cloves? I have space to plant immediately if needs be but am suprised they arrived like this.

[Kristen]

What variety of Garlic is it?  I think it might make a difference whether it is an Autumn/Winter planting or Spring planting variety.

[bigben]

How many spuds did you order? 4 bad ones out of a dozen is a problem but if you ordered 120 like I have then it is probably not worth the hassle. Another thread on the go talks about people planting seeds spuds that have been chopped in half to make them go further. You could simply let your supplier know about the 4 bad ones and see how they react.

If your garlic is sprouting and you dont want to put it into the ground just yet, you could stick it into paper pots or loo rolls full of compost to get it started and then once it has rooted plant out. Garlic is know to need cold to develop properly, however if your soil is cold and waterlogged then it could rot at this stage in the year.

[mumofstig]

I ordered my seed spuds from Garden Organic and the box arrived torn and some of the spuds were damaged...I rang up right away to explain and I had the replacement box within a week.

So ring and tell your supplier that you are not happy, and I'd tell them about the garlic as well.....it shouldn't really be sprouting already...although it will probably grow away if you can get it in asap. Plant it in a ridge if your soil is inclined to drain slowly.

[Salmo]

The garlic are obviously wanting to grow so plant them. As they are showing signs of life they will not lie dormant in the soil and rot.

I would chit the 4 damaged potatoes as normal but make sure that the damaged areas are exposed to the air and dry.

You should certainly report the damage to the supplier. Send them a photo. Tell them you would like them replaced. They will not have intentionally sent out damaged potatoes. Indicate to them whether you think the damage is poor sorting or they have been handled roughly by the deliverer. If you do not tell them they cannot improve their service.

[paintedlady]

Definitely contact the supplier and tell them straight away - you bought goods in good faith and you shouldn't be wondering whether they are too damaged to plant or not.  They may be unaware of the state of the potatoes/garlic when packing, and for all you know the parcel has been delayed in transit and the warmth has triggered the garlic to start growing.  Not your fault. 

And seed suppliers expect things to go wrong and most customer services are fine about it - It wouldn't surprise me if they simply just send another pack as it'll probably be too expensive & not worth it for them to collect the others 

[cooperman]

dont make a song and dance about it - just phone up the supplier - explain that you have some damaged tubers - be nice and polite about it, friendly like and if they are worth their salt they will either send you some more FOC or give you a credit for your next order. 
HOWEVER, if they start umming and arhhing and asking you to "send back" the damaged items just tell them to forget it and that you will order from a company that looks after its customers better AND make a point of telling them you will tell ALL your friends!!  That usually does the trick

[st0ne5ish]

I ordered spuds from T&M online, they arrived a week ago and I was disappointed. The box they came in looked like it had been dropped as the corner was squashed in, there was no packing inside just the bags and some brown paper. 6 out of the 60 spuds were damaged, the others varied dramatically in size, some were really small only about an inch and a half across and others really big about the size of a fist.

I would not have ordered online as it's expensive, I only did as I got a £10 voucher emailed to me from them, all I had to pay was P&P.

I went to an independent garden centre nearby to get the rest of my spuds and I was able to choose my own from a good range. They also worked out a lot cheaper.

[Lee1978]

I would never buy my spuds by mail as i like to see what quality i am buying. I bought 3kg of deseree from Wilkinsons today for £2.98

[mrsparkle]

I ordered online becuase I was after hertigate varietys that I cannot find in the shops.  I bought Salad Blue, Shetland Black and Burgundy Red

[mumofstig]

I would never buy my spuds by mail as i like to see what quality i am buying. I bought 3kg of deseree from Wilkinsons today for £2.98

That's great if you live near enough to Wilkos or a garden centre. I have no car so have to buy a lot of things mail order, but have to say that when you phone the supplier about damage/quality issues, I've always been sent replacements without any hassle.

[Lee1978]

I would never buy my spuds by mail as i like to see what quality i am buying. I bought 3kg of deseree from Wilkinsons today for £2.98

That's great if you live near enough to Wilkos or a garden centre. I have no car so have to buy a lot of things mail order, but have to say that when you phone the supplier about damage/quality issues, I've always been sent replacements without any hassle.

Do you not have a local allotment shop that you can buy from?

[Troopersnoots]

Got mine from Marshalls this week, well package and in good condition. They even supplied 'chitting trays ' this year as well.

[gobs]

If they are just shrivelled and dry, they shall be absolutely fine. If they are sprouting, unless there is rot on them, I would not worry.

[solway cropper]

My order came from JBA yesterday and out of 10kg of seed potatoes there were 3 bad uns. That's not something I'm going to complain about.

When you live in the middle of nowhere mail order is often the only option, especially if you want varieties that are a bit out of the ordinary.