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Wish traditional seed suppliers would up their game

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  • #1

    Wish traditional seed suppliers would up their game

    <Rant>
    No names, but traditional seed suppliers often charge for delivery, which is seldom tracked and they don't even dispatch for "3-5 working days".

    This is 2020 guys. You're up against Amazon: who dispatch same day, use overnight tracked delivery, and for Prime subscribers don't charge for delivery.

    I also don't need several mailings of glossy resourse-hungry catalogues one of which this year was devoted exclusively to tat under the guise of Gifts for Gardeners.

    </Rant>
    I live in a part of the UK with very mild winters. Please take this into account before thinking "if he is sowing those now...."
    ∃
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Most of the Big Boy seed suppliers have regular P&P free weekends - some like Marshalls have free postage on seeds anyway.
    Have you looked on Amazon for seeds?
    I agree about the catalogues - the best one is DT Brown which can be composted as its not shiny.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by veggiechicken View Post
      Most of the Big Boy seed suppliers have regular P&P free weekends - some like Marshalls have free postage on seeds anyway.
      Have you looked on Amazon for seeds?
      I agree about the catalogues - the best one is DT Brown which can be composted as its not shiny.
      If the key advantage is that it composts well I think I made that point.

      P&P weekends need planning and forethought, both of which I happily gave up, along with wearing a watch, when I retired.

      I use Amazon quite a bit for seeds (and much else besides) as it fits with my immature "I want it now" attitude.

      It was just a rant. Ill get over it.
      I live in a part of the UK with very mild winters. Please take this into account before thinking "if he is sowing those now...."
      ∃

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      • #4
        Sorry, I hate amazon. One small thing in a huge box and tons of plastic filling. Half the time they don't tell you it's coming from China. I could go on.

        Catalogues are changing, I love a good read . All the tubers and bulbs I buy these days the packaging can be composted....and if you don't really need next day delivery on seeds! I've just ordered my dahlias- they get delivered in Feb as that is when the season starts.

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        • #5
          Probably not the platform for a lengthy discussion on merits of amazon.
          Sun is out here, at least I think k it's the sum - been a while. So doing some digging
          I live in a part of the UK with very mild winters. Please take this into account before thinking "if he is sowing those now...."
          ∃

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          • #6
            I really like to buy my seeds locally and I like to see my potatoes onions and garlic before I buy. For me, with a Garden Centre very close, this is the fastest option and the staff use used cardboard boxes to put things in.

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            • #7
              Yes, I do try to get all my seeds from nearby shops/garden centres or when the seed companies are offering free p&p deals.
              No good replacing p&p charges with fuel cost if you need to use a car, though - is it?

              When you order from the seed companies you have the option, tick a box style, to receive mailings or not, Up to you whether you can be bothered to do that, or not

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              • #8
                I use amazon ( one of the few that will deliver here ) a lot but would never buy seeds off there!
                I try not to use big seed companies. I don’t like lots of things about them. I’ll not go into details.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Thelma Sanders View Post
                  No good replacing p&p charges with fuel cost if you need to use a car, though - is it?
                  This is the thing that bothers me - I often choose the "greener" option but I don't really know if it is!!
                  I use all plastic pots - I never buy them but gladly take them out of recycle bins and friends drop them off.

                  Im still using plastic packs for seed "cos I have them" but I always reuse. Is paper use better because it can be composted, how much resource is used to make those mini paper envelopes sold in a plastic wrapper.
                  Plastic single use bottles - or recyclable glass?? Transporting glass is taking more resources?
                  I'm never certain.

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                  • #10
                    Use Plant world for seeds and find them very good. The rest of the seeds I need come from Dobbie's half price. Do not see the point in going for cheap seeds as by the time you realise that not much is coming it is getting on for replanting.
                    Bob.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Scarlet View Post
                      This is the thing that bothers me - I often choose the "greener" option but I don't really know if it is!!
                      I use all plastic pots - I never buy them but gladly take them out of recycle bins and friends drop them off.

                      Im still using plastic packs for seed "cos I have them" but I always reuse. Is paper use better because it can be composted, how much resource is used to make those mini paper envelopes sold in a plastic wrapper.
                      Plastic single use bottles - or recyclable glass?? Transporting glass is taking more resources?
                      I'm never certain.
                      Same here. Not certain.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by greenishfing View Post
                        Same here. Not certain.
                        I don't think anyone has done a proper full life cycle audit on much of this stuff. Lots of us have hunches and there is a whole industry targeting us. They can see the mood shifting away from rampant consumerism and desperately want to hang on to our spend.

                        We need independent facts.
                        I live in a part of the UK with very mild winters. Please take this into account before thinking "if he is sowing those now...."
                        ∃

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Scarlet View Post
                          This is the thing that bothers me - I often choose the "greener" option but I don't really know if it is!!
                          I use all plastic pots - I never buy them but gladly take them out of recycle bins and friends drop them off.

                          Im still using plastic packs for seed "cos I have them" but I always reuse. Is paper use better because it can be composted, how much resource is used to make those mini paper envelopes sold in a plastic wrapper.
                          Plastic single use bottles - or recyclable glass?? Transporting glass is taking more resources?
                          I'm never certain.
                          I was thinking only in terms of cost of petrol v cost of postage - but see your point.
                          I'm still using the plastic pots and modules, various nets etc that I already have - but shan't buy any more. My sweet pea starter thingies (what are they called - those deep pot things that fold up? brain isn't working this morning ) broke, so I've used deep paper pots, but even those are inside a deep mushroom box. Where does it end?
                          We can but try...

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Scarlet View Post
                            This is the thing that bothers me - I often choose the "greener" option but I don't really know if it is!!
                            I use all plastic pots - I never buy them but gladly take them out of recycle bins and friends drop them off.

                            Im still using plastic packs for seed "cos I have them" but I always reuse. Is paper use better because it can be composted, how much resource is used to make those mini paper envelopes sold in a plastic wrapper.
                            Plastic single use bottles - or recyclable glass?? Transporting glass is taking more resources?
                            I'm never certain.
                            This sort of thing is an absolute minefield, and unsurprisingly many companies get it wrong. Data is hard to come by, but paper seems to need to be reused 3-4 times to make it comparable environmentally with plastic (I would reuse a plastic bag far more times than a paper one). Cotton has a huge environmental footprint, so buying a cotton bag instead of a plastic one is a bad decision.

                            Interesting article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47027792

                            With regard to plastic v glass, glass is infinitely recyclable whereas plastic can only be recycled a finite number of times and often into different things from the original. But glass is heavy and breakable so consumes more energy for transport. Both consume a lot of energy to make from new. I can't find any information comparing the two, but if you can find recycled aluminium containers, they are better than either.

                            The most important thing is to reuse, reuse reuse and then recycle.
                            A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Scarlet View Post
                              Sorry, I hate amazon. One small thing in a huge box and tons of plastic filling.
                              I've just ordered my dahlias- they get delivered in Feb as that is when the season starts.
                              Just had something delivered from sky, all packaging compostable, the packing is tissue paper which can be used to clean Windows (went straight into the compost bin just in case OH spotted it, guess who would clean the Windows)
                              Just an illustration of how gardening differs from one area to an other my dahlias will not be started before the end of April or mid May
                              it may be a struggle to reach the top, but once your over the hill your problems start.

                              Member of the Nutters Club but I think I am just there to make up the numbers

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