Best online ordering site?

fimonkey

Hi All,

Having planned my garden I need to get a move on and start planting. I have a list of things to buy which include:
- 2 small cherry tomato plants for my hanging baskets
- Bag of oyster shell for my raised beds
- 2 tomato plants (good yielding)
- 2 courgette plants
- Salad seeds
- Spring onion seeds
- 2 X growbags
- 2 X compost bags 45L
- onion
- Petunia sparkles - white and blue
- Red busy lizzies

I also need to look up how to grow carrots and leeks, is it best to get them from small plants? I'm a very novice gardener, this is the first time I've ever planned anything like this.

I am wondering if any of yuo have used online sites for ordering stuff and if so how cheap and reliable are they?

Thanks in advance

Money_maker

Would recommend buying tomato plants from a garden centre or DIY shed. Online they are silly money each.

I would take my list to min 2 garden centres, B&Q and Focus and price up from there. Carrots have to be sown from seed and leeks are easy peasy from seed. Check out seed prices from the above places and don't overlook the much cheaper own brand seeds.

stumpycat

I've never bought veg plants online, but would have thought the likelihood of them getting damaged is quite high?
I would have a look at your local suppliers - I'm sure different shops vary so much depending on their employees' skills - e.g. our Homebase has lovely, healthy plants, but I'm horrified at B&Q's 'trolley of death' - they don't water plants & then reduce the price by about 10% when they're past saving. I'm sure it varies a lot between different branches.

Tomatoes & courgettes are really easy to grow from seed (and I'm quite new to this lark!) the problem tends to be you end up with too many, so you could maybe swap seedlings with a friend.
Good luck!

fimonkey

Wow brilliant answers, thanks a lot!

I looked online and found this deal from suttons, what do you make of it? http://www.suttons.co.uk/Shop/Special+Offers/Essential+Vegetable+Starter+Pack+211671.htm

rabidbun

There're a lot of spinach plants in that offer! I'd say that it depends on whether you would eat what's included and like everything there as to whether it is worth it. I would probably hold off on the offer and wait to see what I can get from local plant sales, from garden centres and also plant from seed so that you match exactly what you want to eat. I got some good heritage tomato and broad bean plants last year from Homebase, and have saved seed from them for this year so it's well worth a look.

I have had some good plants from online sources (not the main ones but the smaller niche suppliers) but the postage always adds a fair bit to the cost of them, so you really do have to want specific ones (or bulk) to make that justified imo.

smk77

stumpycat wrote: »

I've never bought veg plants online, but would have thought the likelihood of them getting damaged is quite high?
I would have a look at your local suppliers - I'm sure different shops vary so much depending on their employees' skills - e.g. our Homebase has lovely, healthy plants, but I'm horrified at B&Q's 'trolley of death' - they don't water plants & then reduce the price by about 10% when they're past saving. I'm sure it varies a lot between different branches.

My local B&Q had reduced all their "grow your own" vegetables to 5p..they looked half dead! Some could be salvaged but I didn't bother. The 2 B&Qs I go to seem to be very bad at looking after their vegetable plants. They've had a very poor selection this year too.

stumpycat wrote: »

Tomatoes & courgettes are really easy to grow from seed (and I'm quite new to this lark!) the problem tends to be you end up with too many, so you could maybe swap seedlings with a friend.
Good luck!

Agreed. Tomatoes seeds will need to go in quickly. Courgettes should start to go in about now but can be left until late April and still get a decent crop.

Sally_A

Where abouts are you fimonkey?, if near me I could always get some spare tom plants, and sow a couple of courgettes for you.

fimonkey

Hi Sally,

I'm in Bournemouth. Thanks.

Thanks to everyone else too, am looking forward to my gardening trip now. I priced evryone I wanted from Suttons and it came to £55 pound, not very money saving. Hopefully get them cheaper from garden centres.

cootambear

parkers is cheap if you buy in bulk (AKA DUTCH BULBS)

Sally_A

Don't waste your money

fimonkey wrote: »

Hi All,

Having planned my garden I need to get a move on and start planting. I have a list of things to buy which include:
- 2 small cherry tomato plants for my hanging baskets - packet of seed for Tumbling toms = 15 seeds £2.49 T&M.
- Bag of oyster shell for my raised beds why???
- 2 tomato plants (good yielding) Gardeners Delight 65 seeds £1.99 T&M
- 2 courgette plants - seeds from B&Q from memory about 10 per £1 minimum
- Salad seeds - 3 packets for a £5, or less if you shop at aldi/lidl etc.
- Sping onion seeds £2 tops for 600 seeds.
- 2 X growbags - NO!! they are cruel for toms, unless you slit the tops and give one plant a whole bag - use builders buckets (99p B&Q) drill the bottom for drainage and fill with good compost.
- 2 X compost bags 45L
- onion - buy sets - Homebase for about £1.99 I think.
- Petunia sparkles - white and blue - you can't eat flowers
- Red busy lizzies - ditto

I also need to look up how to grow carrots and leeks, is it best to get them from small plants? I'm a very novice gardener, this is the first time I've ever planned anything like this.

I am wondering if any of yuo have used online sites for ordering stuff and if so how cheap and reliable are they?

Thanks in advance

As you are only planning on growing 4 tomato plants and 2 courgettes, buy seeds and use a south facing window sill.

I reckon you could do all the above for under £20 including compost, and a couple of builders buckets.

Daisymaisy

Fimonkey, there are lots of garden centres/nurseries in your area it depends where in Bournemouth you are and what transport you have available. There are 4 that my mum and I go to near Bournemouth Airport and they are all on the same stretch of road so it makes for the a pleasant day out . There is a large Haskins, Plowmans Garden Nursery & Plant Centre, Golden Acres and another called Coppins. There are sometimes signs out offering manure along that stretch of road too, handy if you have a compost heap or to put on your raised beds in late autumn.

As Sally A says the veg you want to grow are easy from seed. It will be much cheaper that way and you should have plenty of seeds left for next year too. If you would like plants and seeds, you could ask on your local freecycle, there are bound to be many over enthusiastic gardeners who have sown too many and will be willing to part with a couple of gardener's delight and maybe some cherry tom seedlings for your baskets which you can nurture.