Gardeners are spending up to 100 times more than they need to on vegetables for their allotments and patches, it has been claimed. A report from Which? Gardening has urged green-fingered people to compare the cost of plants and seeds when choosing vegetables to ensure they get a garden bargain. It comes after a survey by the magazine found that plug plants, which yield just one carrot, can cost £1.09 each. In contrast, a packet of 100 seeds normally costs less than £1. Which? Gardening editor Ceri Thomas said: "£1.09 for a carrot is definitely not value for money. Carrot seed is really cheap to buy and very easy to grow - even for novice gardeners. "Plug plants are a great option for slow-growing or tricky-to-raise crops, but we wouldn't recommend them for vegetables that can be easily grown from seeds." Last month, Which? Gardening said peat-free composts are better than traditional versions. The consumer magazine carried out tests using 26 composts, which revealed that not one of the peat-containing composts met the Which? Best Buy criteria.
Make the most of your garden with our gardening deals.
Posted by Jez Walters
 |