PANDEMIC GARDENING: Buying seeds online

[Dave Riley]

Since there is a run on seeds and seedlings because of Coronavirus I thought I'd list the seed companies I mainly use for online purchases:

• The Seed Collection: cheap wee packs of seeds and good range. May now be limited to returning customers.
• Green Harvest: well established and supported -- but now, no doubt because of Covid-19, is closed until Spring.
• The Lost Seed: Touch wood. Still open.

They are my primaries. Please add further suggestions of suppliers and let us know if they are still supplying or not.

The Caboolture Markets are now closed so there goes the seedling option from there.Closure was a decision arrived at by stall holders in order to protect the public.

But All Herbs and Seedlings will be distributing from their farm gate on SUNDAYS.

Their farm/nursery is located in Woodford area but I don't as yet have a public address I can share. They are the very very best suppliers of seedlings for domestic use.

If any folk can monitor Bunnings expensive seedlings supplies please share.

[Dave Riley]

While I have yet to receive my latest order of seeds, I have planted what was seasonal from my stock.

In lock down mode one tends to do that.

However, I'm sure to  have more seedlings than I need by the time they're ready to plant out. So the extras are going to be distributed locally.

I'm fortunate in that I run an online network of community info with around 1200 members but you'll find many communities can boast similar  online groupings. So if you have 'em get distributing any extra seedlings you have. Even consider putting them out for free on your street verge.

As a tip:

Rather than give away  your seedling containers with the plant, you should be able to wrap up your seedlings in newspaper. Stamp the soil in the container down with your fingers, and  tip out its contents onto a few pages. Add maybe a few more seedlings that way, and fold it up, securing the roll with some sticky tape.

If kept for some time in the sun, just wet the base of the newspaper roll.

Folk can drop by and pick up your offerings.

Remember most gardeners are seedling dependent and many folk will be turning to local food growing for the first time. So in the spirit of Brisbane Local Food -- that's us -- give them a hand.

Distributing seedlings can be  your bit --or one of your 'bits' --to help out