Starter Seedling Prices

[SweetMissDaisy]

WOW JackB... your plants look GREAT!!!

 

[bootstrap]

wow nice plants, I started a couple flats 2 weeks ago and they are only a couple inches high, nothing like starting your own.

 

[jackb]

Good plan because those must be about $425 each eh?

Actually, most of the plants are for the greenhouse, and the seeds are expensive, like over a dollar each. I planted Trust, Cobra, and Tropic for the greenhouse. For the plants for the garden I use seed from Home Depot, like Burpee Super Beefsteak. At some point mid season I will clone the expensive varieties and start a batch to grow in the greenhouse until about Thanksgiving. With current prices for fresh vegetables it makes a lot of sense to grow your own these days.

 

[4grandbabies]

I started mine from seed and based on those prices I should hire an armed guard to watch my plants.

http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp121/hydrogardener/toms2011.jpg

That is some AWESOME looking plants..
I start our own every year, but this year I started late, and mine are really small .

 

[vfem]

Wow Jack, much healthier looking then mine. I have to restart a few again... but everything else seems to be doing so very well.

I think the joy and cost savings going from seed really keeps us going. I did break and buy some herbs this year. I spent $1.99 for all my herbs except my thyme... the thyme was 'usda organic' and $3.99. To $%^ with the USDA. I have to spend more on plants I want because they have to certify no one sprayed it.

 

[Rozzie]

I was in a Walmart this weekend that was selling big pots with 3 pepper plants or one big tomato plant...$10. These had tiny little trellises that were a joke for the tomatoes and unneeded for the peppers. The tomatoes were so big they had little tomatoes on them already.

Single plants were $3-4 for peppers.

I have also noticed that tomato packs have gone from 6 plants to 4 plants at many stores this year, for the same price or higher than past years.

Good thing I started most of mine. I have not even been able to find anyone with banana peppers or green peppers here yet. It's a bit early but not THAT early. I went ahead and bought some seeds and put them in yesterday, just in case I don't find any. They'll get a late start, but I'm going to get them going, just in case. (I forgot to buy them earlier this season and made the mistake of thinking I'd just buy one pack of each...)

 

[AmyRey]

I keep telling myself I'm going to start my excess heirloom tomato seeds and sell them. But I don't. lol

Until I know these varieties do well in our area, I'm scared to sell them. I'd hate for someone who paid money to have something that bombs.

 

[i_am2bz]

I have also noticed that tomato packs have gone from 6 plants to 4 plants at many stores this year, for the same price or higher than past years.

Yup. Just like everything else at the supermarket - they try to hide inflation by decreasing the size of the package.

 

[silkiechicken]

6 packs of tomatos just starting showing up at fred meyer out here. $3 for a 6 pack! Then the 4 inch potted ones are 1.50 each. I can't compete with that really... I started a pile inside along with a pile of other plants and have increased the electricity bill by 40 bucks for the last 3 months... so with supplies and such, each of my plants cost about a buck a pop plus time. LOL

 

[digitS']

I keep telling myself I'm going to start my excess heirloom tomato seeds and sell them. But I don't. lol

Until I know these varieties do well in our area, I'm scared to sell them. I'd hate for someone who paid money to have something that bombs.

I appreciate that kind of thinking! Heirlooms, almost by definition, are location specific. There are probably very few that are widely adapted.

Let's see:

Red Zebra
Green Zebra
Mortgage Lifter
Brandywine
Yellow Pear
Black from Tula
Sweet Pea Currant
Blondkopfchen
Reisentraube

Okay, that's quite a few that you are growing in 2011, AmyRey. Maybe you have had experience with some already. It wouldn't surprise me if you have some stories of success with heirlooms that you could share with customers next year.

Don't take on all the responsibility of them having success in their own gardens, tho'. Some individuals seem to float around their yards about 10,000 feet above the greenery. It is a wonder that lawn grass grows for them!

Steve