When do propagators and pots come into the shops 31 December 2019 at 12:48PM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 9 replies 1.2K views

adonis

When do the shops like b and m and wilko start getting the gardening products in,

I want to get a couple of windowsill propagators and some large pots to start things off early in 2020 but they are a bit pricey in the garden centre.

savemoney

Very soon. Wilkos have just started (takes a few weeks to get full stock) but saw my B&M today still had xmas stuff

adonis

Thanks, I didn't know if I had to wait until February so I will try to get to the stores in a week or so and see what they have got.

Linda32

You should be able to get them by the end of January. There isn't much to sow at this time of the year though, so no rush.

DigForVictory

If you're desperate to get cracking, the peat pellets are usually on ebay all year round.

I find they distract the relatively young with fruit seeds even if they don't germinate.

BargainGalore

If you start too early you could have problems with the cold and leggy plants as you cant put them outside until around April

adonis

BargainGalore wrote: »

You haver start to early you could have problems with the cold and leggy plants as you cant put them outside until around April

I have a cool greenhouse to transfer them to and will do successive sowings so hopefully they will be OK.

Davesnave

Starting many things off very early is usually a waste of time and results in poor plants, but by all means have a go and learn what others have found by trial and error.

There are possible exceptions to this general rule of holding-off till light levels improve, such as chilli peppers.

OTOH, in the non-edible kind of gardening, where stratification may be needed, it's already somewhat late to be sowing, especially with most bought seed, which might now take until 2021 to germinate.

Farway

Davesnave wrote: »

OTOH, in the non-edible kind of gardening, where stratification may be needed, it's already somewhat late to be sowing, especially with most bought seed, which might now take until 2021 to germinate.

Although I've never done it I seem to recall the fridge / freezer can be used as alternative. No doubt an online search would provide the details of suitability using this method

Davesnave

Farway wrote: »

Although I've never done it I seem to recall the fridge / freezer can be used as alternative. No doubt an online search would provide the details of suitability using this method

Yes, it works....sometimes, but the truth is that much bought seed is too old and it becomes double dormant, whereas if one can source it, seed taken in the autumn will work, either via leaving it to get frosted naturally or by the fridge method in the spring.

(And then there's the seed that's so poor it never germinates!)

With really fresh seed, one can sometimes break the rules and win. For example, if I sow, say, 100 hawthorn seeds, freshly pulled from the tree, I know between 1 and 10 will come up the following spring.

I don't know many firms that sell really fresh seed. Derry Watkins at Special Plants is one. Blink and you'll miss some of the things she harvests, or you might miss them anyway, because she has waiting lists.