Where does a novice gardener buy plants and seeds?

[TreasuredMim]

Planning to have a smallish vegetable patch for the first time this year. Also want to grow flowers and a plants to my garden for interest and to add colour and to cut.

Previously I've bought garden plants and seeds from garden centres or supermarkets. Now I'm going to be a real gardener where would you recommend I buy my plants and seeds?

Amazon is as good as anywhere. The only seeds I've struggled with are Sarah Raven.

Garden centres and supermarkets! I have been growing veg for over 20 years and apart from the odd online order for something not readily available (which I don't recommend for plants anyway as you can't see what you are getting) I don't do anything different. Good luck!

I'm not a novice but I'm also no expert.
We moved house and I now have a massive garden which had no plants at all. So slowly working towards designing and planting out beds/veg patches etc.

If you have a local garden centre they can be great sources of help and advice. We have a family run one nearby to us who are fab.

But I've bought seeds and plants from supermarkets, B&Q, and Amazon and have good results from most. Even rescues from the shelf of doom .

If buying seeds online I'd stick to Jonstones or brands which are sometimes a little more expensive but more reliable.

We grow our own fruit & veg. We tend to use Marshall's. They are usually reliable. I've just received broad beans, French beans, tomatoes, red peppers, chilli peppers, salads, melons.

I have separately ordered some blueberry and a selection of strawberry plants from J Parker's who are very good value but take a little while to arrive

Will buy seed potatoes locally. Time to start chitting around the end of this month.

Good to know about Marshall. I have 2 apple trees and some raspberry canes in my basket but wasn't sure whether to go fir it or not.

I haven't used them before.

We order from Marshall's most years 👍

Chiltern Seeds (which have a lot of unusual stuff that you can't get elsewhere). I use them for all my flowers and some of my veg. They're especially good for out-of-the-ordinary salad plants and stir-fry greens. Catalogue/website is not as glossy as Marshalls, T&M etc, but they have a huge number of species.

Thompson and Morgan look good but seemed expensive when I used them so I haven't ordered from them for a great many years.

Real Seeds are good for veg but are a tiny outfit, and at the moment they're opening their online shop on Saturday morning and closing it as soon as they have all the orders they can cope with for the week - which at the moment may mean after two hours! So I'm giving them a miss this year even though I need some of their giant mangetout peas.

This year I've picked up some stuff from Marshalls because of not being able to use Real Seeds - most of the order arrived in a few days, but the cucumber seeds are delayed.

Remember that seeds don't have to be thrown away if you don't use them all - most will still be viable for several years. The ones where you're advised to buy fresh each year are the parsnip family - parsnip, carrot, parsley, coriander, dill etc - but even they will germinate (though not such a high proportion) in the second year. But things like beans and peas will last for years.

In normal times keep an eye open for local fetes, garden open day schemes (check out The Yellow Book on line for gardens close to you) , school summer fairs etc. They nearly always have a plant stall and some of my most interesting plants have been picked up from them, especially if you go for the plants that have been home grown rather than bought in. If you visit NT or other gardens then a walk through the plants for sale bit is compulsory. It will get to the point when it is a rare thing that a day out that doesn’t end up with a plant or two in the boot of the car .

Something to look forward to.

We go to a local nursery/ garden centre that only focuses on plants, so you could research if there’s something similar in your area.
I’d avoid those with tea rooms and general clutter.
Seeds are generally from a few suppliers like Suttons. So buying them from DIY/ garden centres are pretty much the same, unless you want specialist varieties, then it’s on line.
Beware, during the first lockdown DH wanted bean seeds, the only place he could find them was from a seed merchant ( supplying farms).
A Kilo of beans is an awful lot, we now have enough seeds for server also acres!🤣

‘Server also’? several

I buy most of my seeds from eBay. It is worth a look, and there are some great seed businesses on there.

I get loads from ebay, both seeds and plug plants.

For plants I love "Secret Gardening Club". (Online). The quality of their plants is great and they sell a good variety of the " not so commonplace".

It depends what you're looking for, and what your budget is.

At the cheaper end, I like lidl and aldi plants, as long as you get them 'fresh'. Also lidl do huge range of very cheap seeds. Wilko good for basic seeds and all sundries.

Also very good value is (online) Premier seeds, More Veg, Chiltern Seeds

For lovely lovely heritage seeds I like Real Seeds as mentioned above, also thomas J Etty and Brown Envelope Sees.

Sarah Raven is great but I find them £££ so quite often I use them for inspiration-their catalogues are amazing for colour ideas.

And secret gardening club as mentioned is excellent and packaged so so well.
.

I recommend moreveg.

I buy a lot of veg seeds from there. You get smaller quantities and therefore pay less. Always good quality and variety . My tomatoes from them last year were amazing!

Wilko for seeds. I find their own brand as good as any - great value. They stock plenty of branded ones too. I'd recommend getting them in March before the weather improves and people strip the shelves

I also found Lidl very good for seeds - and plants - last year. I think I've seen cheap seeds in Aldi before now as well. I got a few good value packets from The Range last year when everywhere was sold old due to people catching the gardening bug during the first wave of the pandemic!

Morrisons I find amazing for plants if you happen to have one that bothers to water theirs. Excellent value and they tend to thrive. Everything from annual bedding to perennials, shrubs, climbers, fruit+veg and hardy evergreens.
I sometimes pick up things from Aldi or Lidl if I'm there on the day they arrive (usually Thursday and Sunday).
The shelf of death at Homebase and B&Q etc is well worth checking out. Particularly for perennials and shrubs that have flowered. You'll miss the flowers this year but get a bargain ready for next year and the plant will be established in your garden by then. Ignore anything too crispy or mouldy but anything reasonably green or just a bit floppy is a winner.

B&M and The Range both have garden centres too with decent prices. The latter has much better stock ime although I've seen B&M stores with good garden centres. Ours is just a bit pathetic unless you happen to visit on a plant delivery day which seems haphazard. Good for plastic planters of all shapes and sizes (some ceramic), compost and plenty of other garden paraphenalia however.

Thanks, I was going to start a similar thread. Away to peruse Marshalls and will make sure I keep my eyes peeled in the shops.
I did quite well last year for the first time planting veg - carrots, spring onions, beetroot, tatties and lettuce, all from seed. And I felt so proud watching them grow and seeing the hard work pay off. Definitely planning to do the same again! This year, I have already planted (too many!) winter onions and garlic bulbs, and am hoping to grow courgettes, carrots, chillies and French beans.