1. What are your returns and customer service policies?
Products are despatched in excellent condition but if damaged in the post, or for any other problems with your order, please contact us immediately and we will replace any damaged items. Plants travel well in the post and many of our items are dormant when they arrive so check your instruction sheet for plant care instructions. If within 90 days of receipt of live plants, they are not performing as we have outlined please contact us and we will replace them (if still available), refund the amount or give you a credit as you advise. Follow this link for a full copy of our customer service policy.

2. Do you maintain privacy of my information?
Your confidential details are important and we will not pass them on to another company other than our mailing house and Australia Post for catalogue delivery. Please advise us immediately of change of address. If advising by email or post, please remember to include your previous address so we can find you in our records. You can also choose to unsubscribe from our emails by updating your account and contact info or by calling our office. We have both customer service emails, notifying you of an order despatch or ordering details, and also events and newsletters emails which are sent regularly and you can subscribe or unsubscribe to either of those.

3. How do I get my free seeds?
Only current members receive our free seed selection which occurs in autumn and spring each year (see the Member's benefits page for dates). All seeds are offered through catalogues and members can choose four packets each time from a selection of up to 16 varieties. While we try to maintain all packets in stock, some are more popular than others, and towards the end of the offer, some varieties may be substituted. Free seeds are shipped postage free. They can be ordered online by logging in to the website and following the prompts, or send in your marked order form (with preferences from 1 to 8, which will allow us to make substitutions if required). Orders may take a few weeks to despatch due to the great volume, but we will ensure to get them all out to members during the seed sowing window. If you have a web order that has been declined and includes free seed you will be unable to place another free seed order. Please contact us to remove the order.

4. How are goods shipped?
We use Australia Post to deliver all of our goods. A postal truck comes to Diggers and collects our mail directly to the sorting warehouse so it is shipped as quickly as possible. For orders over $150 we send them receipted delivery to ensure we can track your order in the post. We can arrange your goods to be shipped by courier at your cost if you prefer.

5. Why do you take money now and ship later?
Most of the products we sell are living things with their own seasonality. While we send out catalogues every two months this doesn’t always coincide immediately with the delivery of some items. We put goods in the catalogue closest to their next available date, and we will secure your order with a payment, and as soon as the available plants or bulbs are dug up and available for despatch we will send them.

6. How do I get a password for the website?
If you are not already a customer of Diggers you can log in and register, at which stage you can select your own password. If you are a Diggers Club customer and we have your email address, we will automatically create a web account for you and your password will be emailed to you.

7. How can I change my details online?
You will need to log in to your account and click on My Account. This will bring up all your account details long with your order history. Simply enter your new details and click on the update account button. Please do not register again under your new email address as this will not pickup your membership status. If you want to change your details and you are not sure what your old email address password is, email us requesting us to update your old email address. If you have any trouble, or you have a name change you can ring the office on 03 5984 7900 and change any of your details with one of our friendly staff.

8. Can I order now and have goods sent later?
We do not have a backorder system in place from year to year and we cannot hold orders. If you will be away, please create the order with an alternative delivery address or have someone check your mail. The catalogues are the best guide to what is seasonally available. There is also current information on this site regarding seasonal availability. Also, we keep all our items listed on the website during the year with their 'available date' showing when it will be next in season.

9. Why can't I get all the things I want in my state?
Many states including Tas, WA and Qld have restrictions on the import of seeds, bulbs and plants pertaining to a potential weed or disease threat. Diggers abides by all known restrictions in this regard and list those in the catalogue and on the website by product. These lists are constantly changing and will be reflected on the web if the catalogue has already gone to print. You can find a link to the full list of these restrictions on the quarantine page of this site.

10. Why does it take longer to get my delivery interstate? And what is the surcharge?
Due to state quarantine restrictions all parcels to those states need to carry a list all of the items and botanical names of products being sent there. Some states need a physical inspection of the goods before they are despatched (which are done in weekly lots at our nursery). They are also randomly opened and inspected. This can slow the delivery to these states as part of that process.

Our products

11. Why do you send plants that look dead?
We try to despatch plants through the mail when they are least vulnerable to damage. This is mostly during the winter when many plants become dormant. During this time the roots of the plant are fine and well but the tops of the plant dies down as a reaction to the coming cold weather. These plants have a ‘dormant’ label in them, which advises they can be planted and will shoot again in spring when the weather warms up.

12. How many seeds in a packet?
We try to provide enough seeds per packet that, with reasonable germination rates, you could feed a family. This sometimes varies for very rare, hard to find or difficult to produce seeds. The seed count is generally listed for each variety in the catalogue. On each products page on the website you can see the number of seeds and the germination rate listed.

13. Are your seeds genetically modified?
No! Diggers believes that there are plenty of productive, tasty and disease resistant varieties of traditional and heirloom seeds which are perfectly suited for home gardeners. GM crops are produced for profit and grown commercially in mono-culture crops for mass production. Find out more about our stance on GM in our articles on the Polictics of Gardening.

14. Are your books Australian and what do they cover?
Yes. Clive Blazey has written a series of gardening books based on our own trials, taste tests and growing experience. In addition, we have collaborated with the Bureau of Meteorology to ensure heat and cold zone relevant information broadens our relevance to the whole of Australia's climatic conditions.

15. Why isn't everything available all year round?
All plants, seeds and bulbs have their own life cycles. Bulbs need to die down completely so that all the nutrients for next year's growth are stored away in the bulb. So it is not until this has taken place, which depends on the temperature and rainfall, that they can be dug up from the ground and packaged. Potatoes, garlic, strawberries and bare rooted trees all follow similar patterns. While we try to estimate what date this will be on, it can sometimes vary by a few weeks depending on the climate.

16. Are your garden clogs standard sizes?
No! Here is a conversion chart:

Clogs	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
European	37	38	39	41	42	43	44

17. What will fit on your propagator?
Our heated propagation units fit one standard seedling tray (30cm x 25cm) which holds 8 punnets of seedlings.

18. Why are the seed packet instructions different from the catalogue? And what is the use by date?
In the catalogue we have the space to list the seed sowing dates by month according to the climate zones Cool, Warm and Hot. However on the seed packet there is less room for detail and only the seasons are listed. You can also use a copy of the Sow What When poster to determine any variety sowing time by climate zone.

19. What do I do with strawberry runners?
Strawberry plants may come as bare rooted runners. These need to be opened from their packet and dealt with immediately. Please read these Fact Sheets on handling runners and growing strawberries organically and successfully.

20. What should I do when I get my plant order?
A plant order which arrives in the post should be opened immediately. It should be checked against the invoice to check all plants have arrived, watered and placed in a bright position. Please watch this video or read this brochure for further details on what to do next.

Gardening

21. How do I get started with my first vegie garden?
Getting your first vegetable garden started can be as simple or as complex as you wish to make it depending on the style (raised beds, parterre, mulched lawn, container garden or integrated with chooks and an orchard as a Permaculture garden) and the size (in pots, barrels, beds). You will need to do some research as this is a personal decision about how much time you have to maintain and develop the garden as well as how much money you are willing to spend on the infrastructure and set up costs. Only you are able to decide whether you want to try and do it organically, and what your prevailing climatic conditions are. Much of this information can be found in articles on our website and also in our books. The seed catalogue gives plenty of guidance as to sowing times and spacing required by vegetable variety, and you can also read our article about growing a mini-plot garden which is a great way to get started in a small area. We also sell the seeds as a collection at a discount to members.

22. Why don’t my seeds germinate?
All seeds are tested for germination rates before we send them out and these rates are shown on the web page of that variety. We store them in a temperature and humidity controlled environment and they should last around 12 to 18 months if kept in a cool dark and dry storage location. For seed sowing technique information, watch this video or read the article on seed sowing.

23. How deep do I plant my seeds and bulbs?
Look for that information on the descriptive page for each variety where sowing or planting depth is listed for seeds and bulbs. Some seeds need light to germinate, others need darkness, and they all need constant moisture (although not wet) until the have roots to reach their own water source.

24. What can I plant in my climate?
All members will receive their heat and cold zone information on their membership card, on their address details each time a catalogue is sent and they are also available here on our website. This information can then be matched to plants and bulbs in the catalogue and on their web page, where an optimal growing zone is indicated to see if it will thrive in your climate. These are indicators only based on post code ranges, and micro climates exist and can be developed to improve your growing range.

25. How do I grow potatoes and garlic?
Growing potatoes and garlic is the easiest way to get started into growing your own food supply. The benefits are quick and flavoursome! Read our Fact Sheets for more about how to grow potatoes or the history of potatoes, and garlic information.

26. How do I espalier fruit trees?
Espaliering fruit trees allows you to grow more trees in a smaller area, to produce more fruit. This Fact Sheet will show you how. Diggers also runs workshops on espaliering so check our monthly workshops at Heronswood, St Erth and Adelaide.

27. How do I grow blueberries and cane fruits?
Knowing the types of berries to select for your climate is important as well as the care and maintenance, so that you maximize your crop. Find out about blueberries and other cane berries with our handy Fact Sheets.

28. Why are my seedlings leggy?
Seedlings become long and 'leggy' when they are stretching towards the light. It is important to move your seedlings into a bright position once they have germinated but not in direct sun.

29. Why don't my citrus thrive?
Problems with citrus are very common, and often related to watering. Find out about the care and maintenance of citrus with our Fact sheet.