Gardeners warned to avoid expensive vegetable plants and seeds

17:03:20 1st March 2010

Gardeners have been warned to avoid paying over the odds for plants to grow their own vegetables as cheaper alternatives could produce equal or even better results.

The Which? Gardening report highlights that in some instances individuals could be spending 100 times more than is necessary to gain the plants and seeds needed to fill and top up their vegetable patches.

It was determined that a range of carrot plug plants were being sold for £1.09 each, with a large pack containing hundreds of seeds available at a cheaper cost.

Ceri Thomas, editor of Which? Gardening magazine, 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."

Radishes, carrots and lettuce are considered to be among the easiest vegetables to grow, with radishes needing little maintenance apart from ensuring that they have enough space for a bulb to develop.