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Seed starting pellets UK: what to check before you buy

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have a packet of basil or lettuce, a sunny windowsill, and a search for seed starting pellets UK that mixes dry discs with sponges, rooting cubes and mini greenhouses. A pellet here is a compressed disc, usually coir, that you soak until it swells and then sow into. The [seed starting pellets comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/seed-starting-pellets) is the table of seven amazon.co.uk packs compared on 19 October 2026, priced from £7.99 to £16.99. Peter F. wrote this from those listings and public UK sources. We did not run a germination trial. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a packet of basil or lettuce, a sunny windowsill, and a search for seed starting pellets UK that mixes dry discs with sponges, rooting cubes and mini greenhouses.

Our top picks

e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)

Best overall

e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)
9.1/10about £16.99
View offer
GROWEASY GROWEASY (36 mm, pack of 24)

Alternative

GROWEASY GROWEASY (36 mm, pack of 24)
8.2/10about £7.99
View offer
Lawei Lawei (30 mm, pack of 200)

Best value

Lawei Lawei (30 mm, pack of 200)
7.9/10about £15.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What you are actually buying
  2. 2.Diameter and count
  3. 3.Wrap, feed and the peat-free line
  4. 4.What to spend

What you are actually buying

A seed starting pellet is a dry disc of growing medium in a sleeve, not a bag of compost and not a hydroponic sponge. You add water, the disc swells, you sow, and later you move the plug on. Rooting cubes, grow sponges and greenhouse kits appeared in the same amazon.co.uk search and were left out of this set. If the photograph shows a tray, a lid and a packet of seed, read the title again before you assume the price is only for discs. These packs name a dry diameter of 30 mm, 35 mm or 36 mm. Expanded height is rarely printed, and reviewers disagree, so do not treat the dry photo as the wet plug. Premier Seeds Direct, writing about Jiffy 7C, points small herbs toward a smaller plug and larger herbs such as parsley toward about 36 mm. That is seller guidance, not an RHS trial.

Diameter and count

In this set, 30 mm is the dry size on Weciau (60 discs, £9.99), GOTVUGE (100, £12.20) and Lawei (200, £15.99, also 13 mm high when dry). The 36 mm packs are GROWEASY (24, £7.99), e-pots (20, £7.99) and e-pots (100, £16.99). Mr Fothergill's refill is titled 35 mm at £9.49, and the listing does not state a count, so there is no price per disc. GROWEASY is about 33p, the e-pots 20-pack about 40p, Weciau and the e-pots 100-pack about 17p, GOTVUGE about 12p and Lawei about 8p. A larger pack is cheaper per disc only if you will sow the spares and keep them dry.
e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)

Testsieger

e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)
9.1/10about £16.99
View offer

Wrap, feed and the peat-free line

Paper and mesh behave differently once the plug is wet. GROWEASY names paper. Both e-pots listings name FSC paper. Weciau names non-woven mesh. Lawei's listing does not name the wrap, though a UK review describes netting. Jiffy describes a PLA net as EN 13432, which is industrial composting, not rotting in a border. Feed claims contradict each other, so the bag wins. The e-pots 20-pack says coir contains no nutrients. GROWEASY says the pellets give seedlings the nutrients they need. Do not copy either sentence onto the e-pots 100-pack, which does not repeat it. The RHS keeps seed compost low in nutrients because a strong feed can harm seedlings. GOTVUGE is titled as coir, and several UK reviews say the bag says peat.

What to spend

The range runs from £7.99 to £16.99. Weciau is £9.99 with two ratings and no review text. GOTVUGE at £12.20 looks inexpensive per disc until you read the peat-label reviews. Lawei at £15.99 and the e-pots 100-pack at £16.99 are the larger outlays, one on count and one on a 36 mm paper disc with 134 reviews. A small herb sowing is usually the 36 mm paper pack you will finish. For basil or parsley, months and pot size are on seed pellets for herbs.

Common questions

Is 30 mm or 36 mm better for herbs?
For a small herb such as basil, a 30 mm dry disc can be enough as a short nursery, then you pot on. Premier Seeds Direct, as seller guidance rather than a trial, points larger herbs such as parsley toward about 36 mm. In this set the 36 mm packs are the two e-pots listings and GROWEASY. Check the first soaked plug before you sow the rest of the packet.
How many pellets do I need for one windowsill?
A single tray of herbs is often 20 to 40 cells. The GROWEASY 24-pack and the e-pots 20-pack match that job at £7.99 each. A 60, 100 or 200 pack is for repeated sowings if you store the spare discs dry. Buy the count you will use, not the lowest pence-per-disc headline, if the extras will sit in a damp shed.
Are the cheapest discs a false economy?
They can be, when the label does not match the title or the discs barely swell. GOTVUGE is about 12p a disc at £12.20 for 100, but several UK reviews say the bag says peat. The Fothergill's refill is £9.49 with no count on the listing, and two UK reviews said expansion was poor.
Should I buy paper wrap or mesh?
Paper is the simpler choice if you want to handle a wet plug and you may not slit a sleeve. GROWEASY and e-pots name paper. Mesh can hold the plug together for planting out, and it can also block roots, as a GOTVUGE pea review described. Weciau names non-woven fabric. Lawei's wrap is in the reviews, not in the listing title.
Does the pellet already contain feed?
It depends on the listing, and you should not merge them. The e-pots 20-pack says the coir contains no nutrients. GROWEASY says seedlings get the nutrients they need, with no analysis. The RHS prefers a low-nutrient seed compost because a strong feed can harm seedlings. If the sentence is missing, as on the e-pots 100-pack, do not borrow it from the smaller e-pots listing.
Can I trust a coir title?
Trust it when the material field says coir and UK reviews do not describe a different bag. GROWEASY, both e-pots packs, Weciau and Lawei name coir or coconut fibre in these listings. GOTVUGE's title says coir and several UK reviews say the packaging says peat. That is a description conflict to check on arrival, not a lab result.

Related pages

Best plant starter pellets

How to use coir pellets

Seed starting pellets

Coir pellets vs peat pellets: still on sale in England

Seed pellets for herbs: start them on a UK windowsill

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these seven listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: sale of horticultural peat to be banned, 27 August 2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. RHS: retail peat-free note, 19 October 2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. DEP2026-0072, letter of 29 January 2026 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RHS: peat-free seed sowing (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. RHS: coir questions answered (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. RHS: grow your own basil (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. CAP Code 11.1, environmental claims (retrieved 19 October 2026)