Get your seed spuds ordered!

If, like me, you have favourites you wish to grow next year, I suggest you order your seed spuds as soon as possible if they are a popular variety!

Seed potatoes are down over 50% due to the dreadful summer we've just had, popular varieties will be available for a short while yet (whilst stocks last), rarer and heritage varieties are very thin on the ground (or underneath!), order now if you can!

 

Just out of interest, where do folks get their seed spuds from? This year I got mine from T&M, but was a bit disappointed as to the size and quality of the tubers.

 

I get mine from a local garden centre where I can buy them by the sack to get them cheaper, then also get a further 10% discount, making them a fraction of the cost of buying from the likes of T&M who only seem to sell 'very small' seed spuds.

If they're going to be even more expensive than this year when they all failed, I shan't bother wasting any of my time, money and space and get my potatoes from Aldi, only with the exception of a few grown for the 'biggest potato' class in the village show.

 

The local garden centre, has about thirty varieties in sacks
You can buy one seed if you want, recommended to take a pen as they are all just plain normal white bags you take them to the counter in

Jack McH

 

I think local garden centre is handy to buy loose if you want to try different varieties - just buy a few of each variety to try and have a Cook & Taste session - and then grow the ones you like (and produce a flavour you like in your soil). You can also choose the size of tuber you want; varieties likely to be limited though.

I'm a bit choosy when buying mail order, often the seed potatoes are shipped very early in the year - before Christmas even! (leaving the punter to look after them for months) and/or are shipped during very cold weather when potentially subjected to freezing cold left in delivery vehicles / cold warehouses overnight.

I buy my seed potatoes from JBA Seed Potatoes, have done for years in fact. They charge £2 for 5 (if you want to try some different varieties) and £4.50 for 2.5kg, £28 for 25kg (varies with variety, of course). They definitely suspend shipments during cold weather, dunno if you can choose a delivery time to suit you though - but they are a friendly bunch, so you could ask Heritage varieties available.

 

Having tried both T&M and JBA, I must say JBA have been the better quality.
Price wise JBA are very competitive and P&P is cheaper than T&M.

 

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/seed-potatoes-2012-2013-season.45025/

Like Kristen I buy from JBA, last year a group of us from the allotment ordered a bulk delivery (wholesale) and we got ours delivered in feb...it was delayed by a few days due to frosty weather...the delivery comes on a pallet. Ordering this way though you have to buy by the sack, but prices are around £12-£14 per sack and delivery for the whole order is £40.

So its worthwhile getting orders for a few friends, deciding on varieties and buying together.

Steve...