I realize this is supposed to be about seed trading but one has to start somewhere. I've tried most of the normal places. Even some far-away (from me) like Swallowtail and difficult (JL Hudson - gives me a headache) places. All I want is to buy all my seeds in one or maybe two places. I don't want to get Alonsoa (the apricot one) from one place and Thunbergia (Alaskan sunset) from another and Delosperma (Mesa Verde), Coleus, Columbines, Alyssum, etc from a different places. This is driving me nuts! I like pretty seed packs to remind me what I had in mind, but they are not required. There are 12 varieties of Thunbergia listed in PlantFiles, lots with pictures, but I've only found three of them in any online source. So far.
xxxx, Carrie
Where do y'all get your seeds?
Carrie, I think you're asking the impossible.
LOL it's not the first time! I guess the real problem is when I go to Swallowtail for hmmmm the Thunbergia I think it was, I end up buying $50 worth of stuff! If I could keep it down to $5 - $10 each, then buy the rest for $0.85 at HD...
xxxxx, Carrie
Baby, then now you're talking to the wrong person! My seed expenditures topped my utility bills this winter!
Carrie, I've been having the same problem just trying to get vegetable seeds. I really wouldn't mind if some of them didn't charge $4-$5 for shipping, which is pretty ridiculous for a few ounces of seeds.
For flowers, have you tried Select Seeds? I don't know about having 12 kinds of thunbergia, I don't think you'll find that anywhere, but they have a really nice selection of flower seeds.
At www.parkseed.com search under Thunbergia and they's got a collection of 4 different colors for $8. The regular alata, Sunrise Surprise (amberish tones), Blushing Susie (rosey tones) and alba (white). I believe the seeds are 10 to a pack like most places I've seen.
Sunrise Surprise or Blushing Susie may be the same as the Alaskan Sunset that you saw. I've noticed that some places call the same plants by different names at different places or countries.
I know what you mean about trying to narrow down your best deal:LOL: I'm fighting myself right now because I want to order from Seeds by Size and Chiltern, both of which are in England so I would have to make the order worth my while, you know:LOL:
Carrie-
Have you looked at www.seedman.com?
I have bought poppies from them with good success.
There site is not fantastic (they don't list plants alphabetically by latin name), but you can use their search function.
ROX
well.................... has there ever been a seed co-op?
That's an interesting idea. I bet it could get a little crazy.
I went through about ten seed catalogs this winter trying to find the catalog that had most of what I wanted and at a decent price at that. I spent a lot of time. I ended up with Vermont bean seed for my veggys.
It is a little agrevating when they don't publish the seed pack size the same in the catalog (number of seeds verses weight of pack) it's hard to compare the price.
Perennial flower seed is another thing by itself. I have gotten from Select Seed. If I couldn't find the plant from www.bluestonepernnials.com. The seed packs are half the price of three small plants sometimes.
hart,
you have d-mail.
Jan
Try http://hardyplants.com/index.htm . it is a very small, family run business; but they have an enormous variety. It is a father & son business and sometimes you have to stay on them, but they deliver! Prices are quite reasonable.
Another place is www.crossmanseed.com very cheap but with a nice selection of fresh seeds.
Also, some English seed companies seem to ship to the US; they have different varieties than we have some time.
You can't beat trading. A number of websites claim to have trading.
Later in the year www.valueseeds.com will have the overstock from Thompson & Morgan. Right now it only has 5 pages, but later this spring and summer there will be many, many pages of the overstock. It is cheap too: .79-99 with only .99 for postage no matter how many you order; they deliver FAST.
County Farmer's Co-op has most ordinary vegetable seeds and I got mega MEGA seeds for half the price of any of the websites I checked or the big box stores, therefore I started with the County Co-op and when I get these planted I intend to order online. (actually I'm a seed addict)
Judy
PS Hart what do you want??
This message was edited Mar 1, 2007 2:29 PM
Chiltern seeds seems to have a good variety and good germination for me. It is in the UK but using a credit card online is no different and the calculations are pretty close. It was only 27 cents for the conversion charge on my credit card. They may seem a bit pricey, but the germination is really good.
You could find a conversion page online be googling and have an idea of the difference in money.
Carrie,
I get a lot of my seed from RedRock Nursery. They have all kinds of flower, herb and veg.
seeds at great prices and the shipping is FREE with no minium order. They ship fast too.
http//www.RedRock Nursery.com/
Won't hurt to take a look. I have bought seeds there for 3 years now.
Bev
This message was edited Mar 6, 2007 9:53 AM
Carrie,
Did you try Jung? I've had many successful seed deals with them - - - and they ship super fast! Let us know how it turns out!
Belinda
Oh! Red Rock has good prices *and* free shipping! Thanks for giving me another good bookmark! This link should work, without the space... http://www.redrocknursery.com/index.htm
I second....hardyplants.com it is a great site they have a huge selection,no photo's but I just open two windows one for hardyplants and look up the photo's on google...They sent me bonus seeds and an e-mail also about how to start a rare seed I ordered..very nice people...I will for sure order from them again...
I have sooo many seeds to plant this year,I'm not sure I can get them all planted,I also spent a small fortune..like I read above..more than my electric bill also..lol..good luck...Have you googled thunbergia to see if you can find a place to get several kinds/packs at once?
mamajack...
Oh Gee what a wonderful idea...someone needs to do a seed co-op...someone PLEASE do One...I'll for sure get in on it...:-)
Hint - if you like those varieties at Red Rock, the seeds at WalMart that are labeled "Walmart Gardens" and are 97 cents a pack are Ferry Morse seeds and you'll find all or most of the same selection.
I actually called Burpee a few weeks ago and asked why WalMart had the same Burpee seeds for $1 to $1.50 a pack that Burpee sells for $4 a pack. What was wrong with the WM seeds? The lady told me they're the exact same seeds. The big box stores buy them from Burpee at the going rate and sell them cheap on the assumption that while you're buying cheap seeds you'll pick up a few bags of potting soil, fertilizer, etc.
The Burpee seeds at WM are labeled Burpee.
This message was edited Mar 6, 2007 8:35 PM
Anyone ordered from this company?
http://www.mainstreetseedandsupply.com
Their prices seem great and shipping too if you stay under 13.00 or so I think.
Brenda
Great tips, hart. Thanks. ☺ I'm all for buying a good product at a GREAT price!
plantnutz -
I went to their site and they didn't really have anything I really wanted....
xxx, Carrie
Carrie, I should have mentioned for veggies as that is what impressed me.
Brenda
Ah. I haven't dared to try veggies yet. I'll be amazed if this WinterSowing system gets anything to grow for me, and if it does, it will be the system, not I.
I forgot about www.hardyseeds.com ! I used to check there all the time! And, they have the Alonsoa I'm looking for!!!
xxx, Carrie (scurrying away to close other thread!)
carrielamont...you can do it...you can do it,just like the little train that could(remember that book?)What kind of veggies do you want to grow? I will help you get started if you need help just ask..:-)
I do buy cabbage,cauliflower,broccoli and brussel sprouts.. they are all very cheap at walmart and I have other seeds I'd rather start in my seedling trays in my house..they should be a walmart in a few more weeks..yeehaw!!!..I plant the rarer seeds here in my mini greenhouses,that I can't find locally,without ordering the plants or seeds..I have two 4 shelf mini greenhouses with 8 (72) plug trays full of seedlings (4) most have already sprouted and I'm in the middle of making a big mess right now putting them into bigger pots,like my peppers and tomaotes...other seeds I just planted,and they haven't come up yet..i keep the greenhouses inside my house in front of my south windows...:-) I just have to remember to open them in the daytime about 10AM or I will cook them by 2PM they probably would be DOA...or at least most of them,,believe me I just almost had that happen a few days ago...:-( a few will die,but most are still okay and I have some expensive seedling,i sure don't want to loose them now..That would ^%$^*%#$%#@..lol..
Yes I just bought a few seeds from wal-mart for 97 cents..golden hubbard squash,and I found Swiss Chard bright lights..which I was very surprised they had..some spinach,It's just about time to get something sown directly in the ground here..I'm getting excited..heehee lat frost date here April 15th..some things need to be planted this next weekend like potaotes, snow peas,ect.cold season crops...yeehaw!!! yes I'm a hick..heehee
I already have Swiss Chard "Ruby" (very pretty red stems) growing in my living room under lights,I'll be having my first black seeded simpson wilted lettus in another week or so..so both of them can be grown inside under lights..I'm still experimenting..lol...I also have radishes and cucumbers doing well inside also under shop light with plant bulbs full spectrum..:-) Most of the seeds that are at walmart,I already have or can trade for...usually they are very common,but I do have to have/buy or save my regular veggies every year,I plan to do a lot of seed saving this fall,summer..to save money next year...my biggest problem was mice got into my seeds last summer/fall and I started with nothing at all a few months ago..I have bought about $150-$200 worth of seeds this spring and spent another $50 on postage either trading seeds or doing sasbe's..next year I will get to use that extra money to buy plants with,like plumerias that will bloom few weeks after I buy them...heehee Or something else I can't live without,there will always be more and more plants I want..lol...darn catalogs..:-( they get me everytime..I just had to be sent logee's so i knew I couldn't afford the plants,so I did the next best things,started buying everything in there I wanted to try from seed..if I would have bought just 1/2 of what I'm starting from seed directly from logee's I'd be out about $800-$1000..now I have some get tropicals to start trading seedling of in a few more weeks when they'll e ready to hit the mail and it will be perfect mailing weather about the time they're ready to send not to hot or to cold..gotta go..bye...:-)
If anybody has been eyeing seeds at Gurney's http://gurneys.com/default.asp but didn't want to pay their regular shipping... I just got an email from them, and they're having a sale with $1 shipping through this weekend (expires March 12th). :-) Garden Watchdog has some negative reviews about plants from them, but I think people who have just purchased seeds (as I have in the past) were happy... They have a cucumber (their burpless pickler hybrid) that does really well for me, but I didn't have anything else really on my wish list from them, so I was happy to see this offer.
Don't forget Johnny's Select Seeds!!! They are THE place to buy seeds if you ask me!!!
Nicole
Jody-
All your veggies sound wonderful! My DH won't eat sweet potatoes, summer squash, winter squash, maybe fall squash if they've invented it, LOL Also maybe a little spinach secretly into the salad, but NO swiss chard, nothing like that! Maybe tomatoes; I grew cherry tomatoes last year but nobody cared; there were only 2 or 3 at a time.which I ate then and there.
This year is for experimenting with WinterSowing. I've planted some perennials, not as many as I have seeds for, but 17 kinds, and now I'm on to annuals. I think sweet peas will be easy and nasturtiums and morning glories. I have lots of seeds for datura, zinnia, celosa, spider flowers and then I bought pansy, impatiens, lobelia and other stuff I ALWAYS buy. It's still dipping below zero occasionally, so I don't need to rush to plant them.
xxxxx, Carrie
Should I close this thread? xxx, C
Carrie, you have D-mail.
This message was edited Mar 9, 2007 7:35 PM