[Nicki85]

So I live 20 mins out of town, have a full time job and really hate visiting town at the weekends (people scare me  ).  So I buy most of my gardening supplies (bamboo canes, seed trays etc.) from the local gardening centre.  But the prices seem steep compared to what others pay at pound shops etc.

I was wondering if there is anywhere online that supplies things like bamboo canes, cheap wood for constructing cages and netting for brasicca cages etc. Any other ideas at sourcing material like this welcome!

[Kristen]

I buy quite a lot of that sort of stuff off eBay ... but the problem with online, generally, is the cost of the carriage, so I buy in bulk to reduce the proportion that goes on carriage. (Although if you are "20 minutes from town" its may be car-petrol vs. online-delivery-charges?)

I also buy things like Vegetable Seeds in the Garden Centre sale at the beginning of September

[Lardman]

I fully understand... Life is just too short to visit the shops at the weekend !

Wilkinson used to sell canes online - not sure if they still do though, and the 5quid delivery will negate any savings you make.

Pots / Trays etc I buy in bulk which helps with delivery costs I bought mine here http://www.thegardensuperstore.co.uk/ but there have been a couple of posts to cheaper places on ebay lately.

Wood - isn't cheap, your best bet is to call a few builders / timber merchants locally I make most of the stuff I build for the garden from tiling lath, 19x38 treated and I pay 0.25 + vat a meter delivered.

[Rhiannon]

I buy some online and some localy it depends what i want . Never go into towns as the parking is bad and you always have to pay a hefty  fee, round here its Boston Lincoln and Sleaford all of which have nothing to offer IMO in the town centres.

i use a couple of well known names for young plants online , plus we have a garden centre just in the next village .

[rhysdad]

I use a mixture of Online, local garden centres, B&Q and local agricultural merchants. I do van deliveries most days and so it's easy (and cheap) for me to get bits as i go. I also get a lot of stuff for birthday/Christmas and freecycle /freegle is very good too.....

[mumofstig]

I buy canes, modules and sometimes fertiliser from

this ebay shop

[Rhiannon]

Exelent ! ive bookmarked it thank you .

[Nicki85]

Some brilliant suggestions here, thanks    Going to see the allotment for the first time later today so will be planning tonight what I need!

[Gandan57]

Three of my favourite value for money store are Mole Valley Farmers, The Range and Wilkinson.

Your nearest The Range stores would be Reading or Andover, no MVF near you I`m afraid.

Have you tried SCATS Countrystores?  Nearest is Basingstoke.

[arugula]

I buy quite a lot of the smaller things from eBay. Luckily, my OH works at a builders merchant which is handy for the bigger things like wood, compost etc.

[shokkyy]

I buy canes, modules and sometimes fertiliser from

this ebay shop

I wish I'd seen that shop before I bought 100 3" pots plus gravel trays from my local garden centre last weekend. As garden centres go, that one is cheap, but the ebay shop is a lot cheaper, and a very good range of stuff.

Have you ever tried those coir compost blocks? I get really fed up of buying huge quantities of compost every year, so they look like an intersting alternative if they're any good.

[mumofstig]

no I haven't tried theirs, the only time I have tried coir, I didn't get very good results

[JaK]

I have to admit to trying not to buy much until I can get to a £shop. Sometimes if I'm lucky we go to Trago Mills (Newton Abbot), their garden center bit is really good, worth a visit if you are ever down this way.

[compostqueen]

The allotment shop!  There's bound to be one near you. Join as a member and there ya go 

By the way, all this talk of using canes!  Imported from the far east and unnecessary. You can use hazel or prunings from your own shrubs and trees.   Those flowering cherries make good bean rig supports 

[BabbyAnn]

I buy from the allotment shop too - some things are definitely cheaper than even Wilkos! 

So I live 20 mins out of town, have a full time job and really hate visiting town at the weekends (people scare me  )

I just hate going into town and crowds, but if I have to, I go early morning and wait for the doors to open so that I can nip in and out again while everyone at home are still deliberating whether to go shopping or not