Veg Have you noticed how much plant prices have gone up???

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seraphima

Veteran Member
Plant prices have really gone up this year. Last year it was $4 for a 4-pack, for veggies, annuals, herbs etc. This year it is up to $5 at the local nursery. Used to be plants like cabbages came in 6-packs, but no more!
Walmart is selling much bigger plants but only one to a pot- so one pansy plant is just under $4. Lavender, decorative sage plants, etc. are $10 or $14+.
 
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Telescope Steve

Veteran Member
Seed saving is becoming more important. Here is a good guide for those who are interested. Some crops are easier than others for saving seeds. Hybrid varieties will not breed true to type if you save their seeds.

The big seed companies have been buying out the smaller companies. This limits our options. And a lot of companies sell seeds that have been grown in China or low wage countries. So your growing conditions might not match their conditions. And we can select the best plants for saving seeds, rather than just taking seed from all the plants in a field like the big companies do.

 
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philkar

Veteran Member
moldy said:
I am selling my extra tomato and pepper plants. So far, I've made about $100.
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I started 140 tomato plants for us and friends. Free to all but I figure it was worth about 6 or 700 dollars. It's my own community charity. Given mostly to older people who still love to garden but are having a hard time buying plants while being on a fixed income. Sparks joy for us! Good for you Moldy on the peppers. Mine were fussy this year!
 
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Murt

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I start a good bit of what I plant
This year I started sweet potato slips as well
I was shocked to see what the asking price was for purple sweet potatoes----$16 for 4 slips
I used 4 potatoes and pulled off about 60 slips and then gave the still producing potatoes to a friend
the white sweet potatoes didn't do nearly as good but still I didn't have to buy any
the orange ones are pretty easy
 
Peachy

Peachy

Contributing Member
No I haven't noticed plant prices this year. I always felt I was getting bugs and diseases with store bought plants.

This is my first year of 100% plants from seeds. I've also gravitated to heirloom and trading more seed. I'm actually trying several new-to-me varieties of peppers. Sweet heart shaped, Hungarian hot wax paprika, Alma (apple) Hungarian sweet paprika and an Armenian cucumber.

@philkar How nice of You to give plants to your neighbors!

​

 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yeah. I started watching for local greenhouses a few years back. Most of them sell at around $1 per plant. Occasionally $2. if I can't get seedlings started and/or seedlings die off, I go to them.

They also offer much larger, and frequently better varieties.
 
AlaskaSue

AlaskaSue

North to the Future
I do seed save, and have had very good success doing so! However this year I had to bite the bullet and get starts from our local nurseries, since I was in Washington for two months during my normal start time. I do have seeds I can direct sow when the ground warms a bit more.

Very expensive for everything of course so I am not doing the usual 25-30 flower baskets :( I’m in the process of hardening off everything, but it’s still a rare day we get up to 50 degrees, and the wind off the Knik glacier makes it very chilly.

I hope you all have a great harvest for your efforts - this time of year is very brief so we are on like Donkey Kong! ;)
And Seraphima, look for a package first week of June! ;)
 
Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
with the HUGE upsurge in energy pricing $$$$ - expected a $2-4 price increase on the flats of 48 - very surprised the small family run greenhouse held to last year's prices - winter weather was a big help
 
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Wildwood

Veteran Member
The only starts I ever buy are a few flowers...mainly purslane, lantana and impatiens. The others I start or direct sew. My son does share his sweet potato slips with me that he gets from the co-op but I still start most of my own...they are in a raised bed though and not in the main garden. I haven't put a store bought plant in my veggie garden since I got nematodes in my tomato row and suspect they came from the starts I was buying from a local. I realize the nematodes may not have come from the local starts but that same year, none of the tomatoes were what the label said. That was probably four or five years ago.

I plan to sell starts eventually, if I ever get a better growing situation...people always ask when they see them on the front edge of the porch or on tables in my yard. It seems I have been late getting things planted the last few years because of last minute changes to my set up but this is the final one. Anyway, I'm afraid to let anything go until I get my own starts in the ground and well on their way so I'll have to do better if I want to sell some.
 
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Wildwood

Veteran Member
Toosh said:
Next Feb/March contact your county extension office and find out when the Master Gardener Plant Sale is. In all the counties around here, the Master Gardeners start transplants and sell them for $1-$2 as a learning exercise and fundraiser.
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There's nothing like this in my area...unfortunately for the new gardners. Those Bonnie plants look artificial and from what I understand, don't do that well.
 
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hd5574

Veteran Member
We have a friend and her husband who truck farm....have known her for years... since she was nine and helped her dad..he gave her this market after she married...DH and I have helped them for years..so we get starts and veggies for free... but we still start a most of our own from seed..and save seed ..they are a ways south from us so they get somethings before we do.. plus they grow early tomatoes in their hoop house...so we have ready had BLTs...yum
They have perfect soil for melons so get those from them.. we have perfect berry soil. It works out...
 
JMG91

JMG91

Veteran Member
Wildwood said:
There's nothing like this in my area...unfortunately for the new gardners. Those Bonnie plants look artificial and from what I understand, don't do that well.
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I've noticed that. The tomatoes that planted themselves in my compost are doing better and are stronger than the Bonnie ones I planted from the store. The folks who do the best with the store bought plants are those who are using synthetic fertilizers, which I won't do. :shr:

I found a new place that I'm ordering seeds from this year though; and I was surprised by how reasonable their prices were compared to other places. I've planted multiple of the seeds that I got from them, and they all came up and are very healthy.

Everything You Need To Know About Rain Gardens | Blog
 
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Wildwood

Veteran Member
JMG91 said:
I've noticed that. The tomatoes that planted themselves in my compost are doing better and are stronger than the Bonnie ones I planted from the store. The folks who do the best with the store bought plants are those who are using synthetic fertilizers, which I won't do. :shr:

I found a new place that I'm ordering seeds from this year though; and I was surprised by how reasonable their prices were compared to other places. I've planted multiple of the seeds that I got from them, and they all came up and are very healthy.

Everything You Need To Know About Rain Gardens | Blog
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I'm glad to hear that...I've had my eye on them for a while. They've had a few things I've been trying to find and I appreciate the feedback!
 
pauldingbabe

pauldingbabe

The Great Cat
Wildwood said:
There's nothing like this in my area...unfortunately for the new gardners. Those Bonnie plants look artificial and from what I understand, don't do that well.
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Start one!

You have an amazing green thumb and your brain is turned on! With as much care as you have taken with your own garden, sharing that would be just as fulfilling.

Contact your local farming associations, maybe the USDA (?), don't know, I'd have to go look.

The master gardner test isn't hard and takes about 6 months of class.

You have a gift sweet Lady. Pass it on.
 
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Wildwood

Veteran Member
pauldingbabe said:
Start one!

You have an amazing green thumb and your brain is turned on! With as much care as you have taken with your own garden, sharing that would be just as fulfilling.

Contact your local farming associations, maybe the USDA (?), don't know, I'd have to go look.

The master gardner test isn't hard and takes about 6 months of class.

You have a gift sweet Lady. Pass it on.
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Thank you pauldingbabe, you are way too kind!

I just may check into that this fall. Right now I am in my element but running behind...stupid flu. Between that and endless days of rain, I am behind but only by a few weeks since I start my garden later than most.

My very busy but sweet DH is doing what he can to get things in gear and has both my huge raised beds ready for me to do my thing along with all my other rows. I'll be slinging seeds and starts this weekend, Lord willing. At least I've managed to get the tomatoes planted with DS's help.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
I've grown a lot of mine from seeds this year. I'll transplant a lot of them outside this weekend.

That said, I am going to buy several potted day lilies at Menards. NONE of my bulbs sprouted from my basement collection. They may have been dead when I first stored them.
 
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Digger

Veteran Member
Our local Harps gets plants, but not Bonnie's. The prices are a little higher than last year, but still less than Bonnie plants. This year there seemed to be more plants in 4" pots. I am sure the profits are better on those. The plants are selling but not as fast as in the past. I don't know if more people are starting their own or just don't have the money. I bought a few but started most of my plants. I planted all my bell pepper plants and a cut worm got 4 of them. So I bought a 4 pack at Harps to replace them. They only had 2 bell pepper 4 packs left. I had started some more seeds but that was going to take too long. Note to self: start double what you want.
 
West

West

Senior
I've been looking for some of this....

www.nature-and-garden.com

Absinthe - growing and caring for the plant

Absinthe is a plant that is easy to grow which boasts for both the body and the vegetable patch as a repellent. Sowing, planting and advice on caring for it up to the harvest.
www.nature-and-garden.com www.nature-and-garden.com

For many years we had a excellent batch growing. But between the chickens, goats, drought and my own laziness, it all died.

Have a good spot now to grow it and can't find any locally .
 
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philkar

Veteran Member
West said:
I've been looking for some of this....

www.nature-and-garden.com

Absinthe - growing and caring for the plant

Absinthe is a plant that is easy to grow which boasts for both the body and the vegetable patch as a repellent. Sowing, planting and advice on caring for it up to the harvest.
www.nature-and-garden.com www.nature-and-garden.com

For many years we had a excellent batch growing. But between the chickens, goats, drought and my own laziness, it all died.

Have a good spot now to grow it and can't find any locally .
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I think I saw it at Strictly Medicinal? Also known as wormwood?
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
For now, I have given up on trying to grow corn (I just don't have the space). It's worth it for me to buy it locally from others. I knew that corn seed had increased, but that's bad.

My main "pretties" are marigolds, and they are also getting planted with the tomatoes, but I've got several separate pots of them around for color. I grew them from seed this year ($0.50 pack from the Dollar Store -- maybe 70% germination), and they are doing decently on my kitchen table. I'll see how it goes when they go into the ground.

The daylilies are the other "pretty." Several from last year came up on their own outside, but I need a few more in that bed. Menards will have them on sale before long. The smaller ones aren't generally expensive.

I just have to stay out of the big commercial garden centers! With the price increases, I could easily drop several hundred, and I had other priorities this year, including the tree, but several small pots of daylilies won't break the bank. They are a perennial here, but some of the newer ones don't have the best cold tolerance. I'll try others when I buy new ones. The red ones are doing the best. I don't remember the name of the cultivar. The yellow ones that the builders use really aren't cold-hardy here.
 
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B

Border Collie Dad

Flat Earther
I am so excited!
Just came in from doing a quick walk around and found a couple little tomatoes!

For this area, that is amazing.
They are either Sophie's or Glacier and are supposed to be early producers.

I have never had tomatoes this early.
Usually July 4th is still early.

And garlic scapes, too.

This is crazy.
 
JMG91

JMG91

Veteran Member
Brought in 6 decently sized zucchini, a handful of beans and some June-bearing strawberries! Whoo hoo! The birds have been swiping them so far this season; it was nice to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor finally.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
philkar said:
Meemur, believe it or not, orange daylilies grow along side many of the highways and country roads here. I have dug hundreds of lilies to make my own beautiful row around one end of the garden! I bet the contractors are planting stellas and for sure they probably don't handle the cold.
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Yes, I find the orange ones here, too. I have a few of them. I'm trying to make a colorful patch of them near the patio.
 
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Wildwood

Veteran Member
Digger said:
Our local Harps gets plants, but not Bonnie's. The prices are a little higher than last year, but still less than Bonnie plants. This year there seemed to be more plants in 4" pots. I am sure the profits are better on those. The plants are selling but not as fast as in the past. I don't know if more people are starting their own or just don't have the money. I bought a few but started most of my plants. I planted all my bell pepper plants and a cut worm got 4 of them. So I bought a 4 pack at Harps to replace them. They only had 2 bell pepper 4 packs left. I had started some more seeds but that was going to take too long. Note to self: start double what you want.
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I'm always paranoid and usually do start a fair bit more than I need. DH tilled up a little overflow area and he calls it his garden lol. I stick the extras there. They don't look pretty but they produce a surprising amount of food. By the end of summer, it's literally a jungle.

I'm glad you mentioned the cut worms...I've been slipping on putting a nail beside my tomatoes and peppers and I know better...Daddy drilled it in my head for years but I haven't been bothered with them for years either. I keep looking at my pititful tomatoes and thinking I need to get something in the ground beside them. Because of the flu and rain, I was late getting them out and they got a little leggy. The wind and rain have been beating them up regularly and then the sun comes out and cooks them. They finally get to looking better and then it happens all over again. It's rained almost every day here for a few weeks and I still haven't gotten any other starts out. They always say tomorrow and the next three of four days will be clear and still it rains.

I wish the Harps stores in this general area had plants. Even Sutherland's in FS has gone to almost all Bonnie and another brand that is even more expensive than Bonnie if you can believe that.
 
Hermantribe

Hermantribe

Veteran Member
I’m growing some native narrow leaf milkweed plants from seed in 4 inch pots. I figure I’ll sell them for $5 each to help the local Monarch butterfly population. I’ll give them away if no one will buy them, but usually people value something more if they pay for it!

And my husband‘s desert tortoises have spread tomato seeds around the backyard so we have a few “volunteer” tomato plants. Probably Roma variety but we’ll see.
 
M

Murt

Has No Life - Lives on TB
just a FWIW

if you want elderberry and have a little time just get a 2 or 3 different plants and grow them for one year then take cuttings
they grow very fast and are crazy easy to propagate and hard to kill
I used "wild" ones from 3 different locations and 2 "commercial" varieties that I bought from an individual somewhere in Missouri
 
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