Sticker shock, plant prices

[Danaus29]

Checked the price of lettuces, brussel sprouts, and tomatoes at Lowes yesterday. $3.48 for 6 packs of lettuce and bs. Tomatoes in 4 inch pots were also $3.48 each! I could buy 2 or 3 packs of seeds for the price of one mater plant! Stuff is going to be expensive this year! I'm glad I've got all my seeds and the place to start my plants.

[simplegirl]

I hadn't seen the plant prices yet but expected them to be expensive. I am glad I bought my seed and started my plants already.

[COSunflower]

Plant prices were REALLY high here LAST year - and it was a shame as so many went to waste in the stores because no one would buy them. I'm starting everything from seed this year. My old neighbors, who were vegetarians, gave me all of their left over seeds when they had to move last summer. Many pkgs have never been opened yet. I don't think I'll have to buy a thing!

[turtlehead]

Even seed prices are up. Any seed packs that you can buy 2 or 3 for 3.48 I wouldn't bother with. The germination rates are likely to be low and frustrating. I find it's well worth it to buy the $2.50 a pack seeds.

I began starting my own seeds three years ago when we moved from Atlanta to WV. It's just too hard to find any plants around here, and no control over what variety you'll get. Sure, you'll get a tomato plant, but will it be good for slicing or will it be a paste tomato? Or a novelty like Mr. Stripey? You just never know.

I've got Suzanne Ashworth's "Seed to Seed" and I saved some of the easier seeds last year. This year I hope to tackle some of the more difficult ones, like corn, peppers, and squash.

I agree, the more a person can do to avoid getting stuck with sticker shock or lack of selection, the better off they are.

[DKR82]

I would imagine a big part of the price increase would be due to the inflation of popularity of gardening. The stores figure that "Hey, a bunch of newbies are gonna be out buying these things, not know the difference, let's hike 'em up a buck or two!" Also the reason they put things out WAY too early to actually plant...newbies or anxious inpatient gardeners buy, say, tomatoes in March, they die in a frost, and they come buy them again. Double the revenue from the same people!

DK in KS

[Backfourty,MI.]

Plants aren't out in our state yet but last year I noticed the bigger stores no longer selling vegatables in flats but selling them in individual pots or the 3 or 6 pak for much higher prices than the year before that. I just kept looking other places.
Normally I shop at our local farm market stand & there prices were still very reasonable last year & sold veggies in flats for $10.99 (1.00 higher than year before).

I don't recall that bedding plants this year have gone up significantly over last year. Some yes, but not a big jump. The big pots have always been expensive because you're getting much older plants. The nine and six packs have been pricy at least these last several years.

I need to stop buying the things and go back to starting my own, but that requires more forethought than I've been able to muster lately.

.....Alan.

[Danaus29]

Last year I bought a few peppers for $2.49 each but 6 packs of cabbage and broccoli were around $1.99.

I buy lots of seeds every year, never noticed any difference in germination between $5 packs of seeds and the $0.59 packs sold at the hardware store until late in the season just before things get shipped back. Then the ones stored in open air stores have a lower germination, ones stored in climate controled stores have higher germination. I've even bought 99 cent seeds from Wal-mart (usually royal burgundy beans) and had every seed sprout. The big difference is in how the store keeps them from the time of arrival until they are sold. Home Depot and Lowes keep theirs indoors (good) until gardening season gets really going then they move the displays outside or to the sun baked area just inside the foyer (very, very bad).

I was truly surprised that tomatoes were offered for sale already. Our last frost date isn't until mid to late MAY!!!

[turtlehead]

Danaus, that makes sense about the critical thing being how the seeds are stored.

Now that I think about it I always get my turnip seeds from the feed store.
I might start trying other "cheap" seeds if they have the varieties I'm interested in.
Those $2.50 seed packets can really add up!

[Paquebot]

Originally Posted by Backfourty,MI.

Plants aren't out in our state yet but last year I noticed the bigger stores no longer selling vegatables in flats but selling them in individual pots or the 3 or 6 pak for much higher prices than the year before that. I just kept looking other places.
Normally I shop at our local farm market stand & there prices were still very reasonable last year & sold veggies in flats for $10.99 (1.00 higher than year before).

Big stores never have stocked flats around here in all my years of gardening. In fact, they never had vegetables for a long time. Pamida was the first to have a small temporary greenhouse affair in the early 1980s and that was quite a novelty to most. Shortly after that, several local growers began setting up larger hoop greenhouses in parking lots but were merely a sales outlet for what they grew elsewhere. Didn't see anything from out of state until Wal*Mart came along. Past 2 years, the one here has even had sweet potatoes in 6-packs. That would have been unheard around here until then.

Martin

[clovis]

I had severe sticker shock last year when I went shopping for plants. 5.99 for a single small daisy????? I would have left in dismay and disgust, but I was too shocked!!!!

Clove

[Ladyhen]

I was blown away when looking around at Wal-Mart today. For one thing, they already have all of the tender plants out - and our last frost date is in late April. And for another, the prices are sky high.

Even pansies! They didn't have them in six packs at all! They were $1 for one plant or you had to buy a whole flat of them.

[Randy Rooster]

If you are planting in quantity and need to buy plants I suggest looking for bundles of plants and not the 6 and 9 packs. Last year I decided to plant some extra cabbage plants because I diddnt grow enogh from seed for what I thought the demand would be at my stand. I got 30+ fairly nice in a bundle at wal mart for $ 3.29. They more than payed for themselves. I can also get pepers and tomato plants in bundles locally- it just takes some looking via the telephone.

[Randy Rooster]

Paquebot- the strangest thing Ive seen is about half a dozen years ago I noticed they were selling squash and cuke plants in cups - and not cheap either!

[MaineFarmMom]

My six packs are going up from $3 to $3.25. They should be $3.50 but I'm compromising a little to help both myself and customers. If I charge more than people can afford I'll be sitting on plants I can't sell and don't have room in the market garden to plant. Seeds, planting medium, six packs and heat have gone up. My net from selling them won't go up even though my cost of living has increased.

[ladycat]

One of the farm stores here has 3 pack veggies for 58 cents. That's less than 20 cents a plant, so it's not at all a bad price.

[Kim_NC]

Our local garden shop and a farmstore both had started cole crop plants 4/$1.25 - but buying a flat of 12 packets reduced it to 4/$1.00.

We have a Lowe's but I haven't looked there. Will have to take a look later this week when I get in there.

We also have Wal-mart, but I never go there.

[kruizeag]

I went to price compare to see if I was in line with my prices. Lowes and Wally world were selling a 9 pack of lettuce for about $3. Tomatoes and such were about $3 in a 6 pack. I thought that was really cheap. I have about that invested in seed, soil, and pot alone. I agree they put them out too early and you get crappy plants, but the novice doesn't seem to care or know the difference.

[ChristyACB]

Walmart and Lowes both have some out already, mostly cole crops but a few others too. I was shocked.

A single, yes single, brocolli start was 2.99. My goodness, you can just buy the brocolli for that!

Love that Bonnie brand...the only one that costs more than the finished product!

[Farmerwilly2]

Brings back memories talking about buying started vegetable plants. I think my last were beauregard sweets. Here I gripe about the price to buy 1020 flats and cell packs and I'm about anal when I plant trying to make sure I don't damage the cells (those things have to last a few years fella). Still haven't made past buying fruit starts----but someday.