Ok, I think there is enough evidence here to maybe avoid T&M for seeds (I get their sweet pea bounce variety plants each year and they're brilliant) and if wild poppies can be tricky I'll avoid those too. I do like Sarah Raven's stuff and don't mind paying a little extra if it's going to work, which so far it all has. I didn't realise about the free p&p either, but I've just looked inside one of their catalogues and found the offer. I'll choose some different seeds for next year ... some happy hours coming up :-). Thanks all for your help.
Wish I'd read this before I sowed T&M seeds! I got one free packet and one £1 packet at NEC earlier this year. I have had a poor germination rate on those...nothing so far. One lot of primulas sprouted then died. Maybe it was something i did lol. Some more have just sprouted, let's see. Not tried Sarah Raven.
Not all plant seeds germinate easily and some seedlings need special care so comparisons can be difficult. I wouldn't pay over the odds for easy-going hardy annuals or types that grow like weeds, but the more exotic or demanding may well be worth it. T&M seeds have usually performed well for me and I have felt that most of my failures have been aftercare or compost related.
I tried growing not one but two packets of the free T & M Super 100 tomatoes from Gardeners World this year. Neither produced a seedling taller than 1 cm. They have since offered me a free packet of seeds (not Super 100 tomatoes), which I am willing to try to germinate next Spring. If they succeed in producing flowers I will post them on here, and it will help to restore my faith in T & M seeds again.
Posts
Ok, I think there is enough evidence here to maybe avoid T&M for seeds (I get their sweet pea bounce variety plants each year and they're brilliant) and if wild poppies can be tricky I'll avoid those too. I do like Sarah Raven's stuff and don't mind paying a little extra if it's going to work, which so far it all has. I didn't realise about the free p&p either, but I've just looked inside one of their catalogues and found the offer. I'll choose some different seeds for next year ... some happy hours coming up :-). Thanks all for your help.
Wish I'd read this before I sowed T&M seeds! I got one free packet and one £1 packet at NEC earlier this year. I have had a poor germination rate on those...nothing so far. One lot of primulas sprouted then died. Maybe it was something i did lol. Some more have just sprouted, let's see. Not tried Sarah Raven.
Not all plant seeds germinate easily and some seedlings need special care so comparisons can be difficult. I wouldn't pay over the odds for easy-going hardy annuals or types that grow like weeds, but the more exotic or demanding may well be worth it. T&M seeds have usually performed well for me and I have felt that most of my failures have been aftercare or compost related.
I tried growing not one but two packets of the free T & M Super 100 tomatoes from Gardeners World this year. Neither produced a seedling taller than 1 cm. They have since offered me a free packet of seeds (not Super 100 tomatoes), which I am willing to try to germinate next Spring. If they succeed in producing flowers I will post them on here, and it will help to restore my faith in T & M seeds again.