seeds - anyone tried Nicky's Seeds?

foreign_correspondent

Hi,

I grow a few bits and bobs including tomatoes and chillies.

I like unusual varieties of both and have been dissapointed in the selection available in the well known seed catalogues. I have bought a few of the mainstay, normal varieties from Wilko, Lidl etc, but I have just ordered a load of interesting ones from Nicky's seeds, which I found online.

The variety is excellent, the prices are much better than, for example, Suttons, but of course, the quality will only be clear later!

has anyone bought seeds from them before? Have they been ok?

Any info gratefully received!

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/

Davesnave

I have used Nicky's. Their prices are reasonable & the seeds germinate OK.

I've also used this company local to me. They have lots of toms & chillies:

http://www.simpsonsseeds.co.uk/

daska

GardenAction rate them the best seed merchant http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/vegetable-seed-prices.asp

madmum33

No mention of Mr Fothergills? Their P&P is free if you only order seeds.

cjb02

I used Nickies a couple of year ago to buy some Stevia rebaudiana seeds. They were the cheapest by far for this seed type and germination was good on what is a very unreliable seed to start with.

pinksleepybear

I like Nicky's seeds too - as well as everyday veg seeds, I bought 5 bird of paradise seeds - all 5 are now strong healthy plants, and they have a low germination rate too.

foreign_correspondent

Update - I bought about £25 worth of seeds from Nicky's Seeds earlier in the year - overall, I have been pleased with the prices and delivery speed, and the choice of varieties - however, one of the varieties of black tomato seeds I ordered (either carbon or paul robeson, not sure which as I planted them side by side) has turned out to be a yellow tom resembling golden sunrise!

I also bought some Mini Bonnet chilli seeds - the chillies have ripened nicely this week and look beautiful but have no trace of heat, and very little flavour - they taste more like a bell pepper but very thin walled... big dissapointment!

I know these things happen, but I have emailed them about the tomato seeds three times, twice via the website, and once direct to this email address - [EMAIL="seeds@nickys-nursery.co.uk"]seeds@nickys-nursery.co.uk[/EMAIL] - first email sent about three weeks ago - and the last six days ago, but still no reply - I have to say I am dissapointed with this, and dont think I would trade with them again now.

RuthMarianna

That's funny I just ordered from there this evening. Ordered spinach and green compost

SEE

I've find most online seed shops too expensive and have always used these two on Ebay. Always had great germination and double the quantity of seed of the main suppliers with good and unusual varieties. I have recently purchased some lovely looking tomato seed for next year called great white, and haven't seen that in my T&M catalogue which I now only use for reading on the loo:o

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/The-Seed-Merchant

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Premier-Seeds-Direct

foreign_correspondent

I have to say, its not so much the seed problems that puts me off them, but more the fact that they have not replied to any of my three very polite emails over the period of over three weeks...

It is frustrating to spend months growing plants which do not turn out to be what you ordered, and I could have used the space I used for growing mini bonnet chillies to grown something better, but I do accept these things can happen - an apology from the company concerned would be nice.

Has anyone else had and difficulties with this sort of thing from them?

Davesnave

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Has anyone else had and difficulties with this sort of thing from them?

No, but if I wrote to seed companies every time something failed to germinate, or came up having obviously been open-pollinated, mis-labelled or whatever, then I'd not get anything done.

I agree they should answer your emails, but I'm not sure what you'd expect them to do. Credit note? Refund? By the time they've dealt with that, their profit has gone.

Feedback from the public is important though, because without that they won't know the dodgy suppliers. Also it's far from clear-cut in the case of the chillies. Have you left them long enough to develop the flavour? How warm were they grown? etc etc.

I used to sell plants to people, and sometimes they would complain that x or y hadn't survived. I always gave a refund without question, even knowing that I had no control of their growing conditions. If I handed over, say, £4, I knew that it would take three more sales to recover that as profit.

And profit is what business is all about.