I'm beginning to wonder about the frugality of do-it-myself
 

Yesterday, a got away from work a little early and went down to the feed and seed store in search of a Sun Gold tomato plant. I've started a bunch of other tomatoes, but I grew the Sun Gold last year and liked them a lot. They're a yellow cherry tomato with lots of flavor.

So, I took the plant to the cash register and it was priced at $1.35.

It was nice and healthy and a little further along than the seedlings I'm starting. And I began to wonder, "Am I actually saving anything by starting plants myself?"

When I add up the cost of the seed, starter mix, pots and electricity for light and heat in one of the outbuildings, I'm not so sure that I'm much ahead of $1.35 a plant. And that's without figuring in the time spent (which, in reality, is kind of free to me).

Granted, I'm only starting about 25 or so seedlings, so the economy of scale is on the greenhouse supplier. And I am growing varieties that I have trouble finding as seedlings.

I suppose that I could figure out how much the power for the heat and light costs. There are also cheaper ways to start seedlings, using recycled containers, saved seed and such.

It just gave me pause.

And left me wondering if there other things I spend a lot of time and a little bit of money on that might be better bought somewhere else or hired in.

Yeah, I just figured the price of pansies. 42 cents each and I know I've spent more time than that just planting and potting up. Plus I didn't get my choice of colors (other than a general mix).

But did you have fun? Did you get a sense of accomplishment? If not, then definitely not worth doing it yourself. If you did, then you have to figure out how much it is worth to you.

Oh, I'll probably continue to start seedlings; mainly because it allows me to grow favorite varieties that I can't find at the greenhouses.

It's just that one of the justifications for going to all the trouble was that it might be less expensive.

But given the actual costs, and the realization that one power outage might wipe everything out, I'm not sure I can tell the household accountant that it's such a good deal.

Of course, when the little ripe babies show up in a couple of months, we probably won't think about the price.

The are many heirloom species you can't get in stores. For instance, we really like Amish Paste tomatoes, great for canning and very meaty. Closest we can get from a store is Roma hybrids, so we save seeds every year from our best plants.

Plus, we enjoy it.

Sun Golds are a real tasty tomato! By starting your own you know how many are available for you to plant and it may keep you from introducing some unknown plant pathogen to your garden. * But on the facts on this theory I defer to Martin.

I think this season we are going to see a spike in plant prices because of the heating costs this past winter.(At least in my area of WI) I will buy plants to supplement what I've started but I find a certain amount of satisfaction in growing what I have tended from that tiny seed. Always like a small miracle.

The satisfaction and joy of doing it myself is the only reason I keep growing from seed. The thrill of seeing that first bit of green has no equal.

There are so many plants you can't buy. Four o'clocks and nasturtiums are just a couple that I can think of.

I have to laugh, I can buy a 6 pack of Dusty Miller for a couple bucks but yesterday I pulled the seeds off my finally expired plants (did you know some are biennials?) in hopes of starting a few from seed.

I plant and grow seedlings and have a garden because I LOVE doing it. It is very rewarding to have contact with dirt. A lot of good things in our meals come out of it and it gives me a sense of accomplishment. It's a lot more than what it costs me in money.

Dear Oggie,
If that's the worry for the day, you are truly blessed.

Embrace serenity,
Alice

I am mixed on this one. I'll start things from seed mainly if I can put the seed right in the ground outside. Beans. Peas. Carrots. That sort of thing. Perennials where I am looking down the road to future years.

I will start seeds for some veggies only if it's a variety I can't get locally from one of the nurseries.

For other things, I happily go to the nursery and pick out the best and brightest of the lot. I have such a frightfully short growing season up here. Plus, I am an "urban homesteader" these days with raised garden beds that, while pretty expansive, are no where near the garden I had at my farm. Time is also a really critical factor for me. If I spend time with the seedlings it means time taken from something else. In my world, that means I have to make choices. Tomatoes I will pretty much always buy as larger started plants from a nursery where I actually used to work. I feel confident buying from them. And I want BIG starters.

There are all kinds of reasons to start from seeds, not the least of which is the simple pleasure of watching them grow and having varieties you can't get elsewhere. For me, a blended plan of a little of this and a little of that works well.

I've also seen tomatoes grown in flats , bunched together for a cheaper price.

Worries are my seedlings: They grow as much as I feed and water them.

I have been thinking this way also. Sometimes it is a waste and sometimes it is a profit. Every year is different.

Spent $50 on a fancy growing light and then it died. I was a few weeks past the dead line to send it back to amazon so I am stuck with it. Those seed starting trays have turned out to be a big waste of money and time. It is easier to just start them in solo cups. The electric heating pad is a keeper that thing really help me germinate seeds. The rest of the fancy stuff I can live without.

Pansies are 4 for $2.50 here. Not such a deal.

It is sort of like me calculating the price per pound of the walleye I catch out of Lake Erie. By the time you add up depreciation on a $50k boat, an average of 10 gallons of marine fuel per trip, lunch, drinks, bait etc...Those walleye fillets cost me about $80/lb. However, spending the day on the lake is preferable to me over a day at Kroger.:)

I buy seed packets for $1 per packet and depending on the variety, each seed packet contains enough seeds for several years worth, starting several each year.

My pots cost nothing. I make them from the free newspaper that is delivered once a week.

I do buy starter mix. $4.82 buys me a bag that fills several dozen pots.

I use no electricity. I start my seeds in recycled containers in window sills that face south. Once they have sprouted, I carry them outside in the morning and back in at night (unless the night is forecast to be way above freezing). I allow natural light and heat to grow the seedlings until they are ready to be transplanted outside.

So my only cost is a few pennies for the seeds (since one packet lasts multiple years) and (this year) 3 bags of starting mix (less than $15 total). I have about 10 dozen starter pots with seedlings in them for that cost. That many seedlings would cost me, ahem, quite a bit more if I were to purchase them at $1.35 per pot!

I think you could do it for less than that per plant. I buy all my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom seeds, so the seeds are a little more expensive. Other than that I make pots from newspapers to start them in, and use my own compost/dirt mix to start. I did close to 200 mater plants last year that way.

Fun.

You don't need to take the time to post here. Some one else can do it. Thanks for doing it.

It's easier and safer than climbing a mountain.

I can save two thirds of the cost of most of my projects and get them done faster...when I hire them done. :)

I use to do my plants froms seedlings and for some reason I quit and this year I started back...and I really enjoyed it regardless of the cost. I only bought some starting dirt and my seeds so I dont believe I spent very much especially now that I will be having seeds that I can collect from and use next year.

I get so excited when I see a sprout coming up...lol :thumb:

I've been growing my own tomato seedlings for years. Dh stops at Big Box Lumber store. Buys me a Tomato plant he thinks looks interesting. About 6 weeks later, all my tomatoes have fungus/blight. Dead. I actualy had to buy tomatoes by the bushel for the first time sinse the late 70's.Now that mess is in my soil. No, store tomatoes are not cheeper.

Well, I took my trays of seedling babies out of their winter home and set them outside in the shade.

After getting a good look, I feel a bit more satisfied with my starts.

Hopefully, they'll go into the ground this weekend.

I think that, if I crunched all the realistic numbers, each plant probably cost in the neighborhood of a dollar; a lot less than the ones I've seen at Lowes or Home Depot.

Makes me appreciate the feed and seed store a little more.

We have a frost warning Tuesday morning, so I guess all those milk jugs I've been saving will come in handy.

Oh ya, I am planting Wave Petunias for the first time, it looks like I'll save a lot, but man the price of the seeds is expensive.

My wife (when she was alive) use to say that to me - considering all the money I put into fishing equipment, boat, camper etc. -I could easily buy the fish a heck of a lot cheaper - money and time wise - my response was the only way to get the price of the fish down was to go out fishing more times -

I think that is with just about anything we do - you do things because you enjoy doing it - if not - then yes you should be doing something else with your time and money - I must admit though - taking care of a garden does take time away from fishing -

Oh, and as an odd aside, it seems like the prices for seed packets in my Burpee catalog might be higher than the prices on the Burpee packets in the racks at the big hardware stores.

I didn't order from Burpees, this year, because Johnny's had more of what I wanted.

I just haven't found the price of seeds to be high. But then I guess I am the ultimate tightwad and usually buy them out of season. One year I stocked up end of season when the store was selling them for 10c a packet to clear them out. Those packets still sprouted just fine many years later (I do keep them in the fridge though).

Last year I attended a Mother Earth News Conference and there were several booths selling organic seeds for $1/packet so I stocked up again, since by now my 10c packets really ARE getting old.

I also plan to save seeds this year from my best-tasting varieties of everything so that I will have an ongoing supply and in future years I perhaps will not need to purchase many more.

Keep in mind that a single packet of seeds usually contains enough to start a LOT of plants. Even putting 2-3 seeds in each starter pot, I don't come close to using up a whole packet of most things each year.

I found the same thing here. I got my seeds for free this year, but the cost of electric, potting mix etc all add up. I figure when I can really garden big time, after retirement, and I start a huge number of plants indoors it will pay for itself then. But for the 50 or so tomato plants I've got started...yeah, I could have bought prettier plants much cheaper. But at least by using the extra heat in that work room...the cats got a cozy place to snooze! I'm sure Oggie can appreciate that!

I used to start my own seedlings every year and didn't mind doing it but the last year I did start some after using the heat mat, lights, soil etc. and then to have them all die was very disheartening. We have a Mennonite greenhouse and 4 packs are $1.50 and I can buy them when I am ready for them and they have a huge selection, so no more extra work for me.

It's not for everybody. Some people have different interests and feel their time could be better used than messing with seeds and plants. On the other hand, some people just like messing with seeds and plants. If everybody liked the same thing, then there would be a whole lot of unhappy gardeners at the farmer's market. The actual facts are that $3 a pound for produce is unrelated to the actual value of tomatoes, but rather the value of the time, effort, capital expense,and education the grower has put into it.

Anyone with an adequate income should be happy to buy from the local farmer's market and pay a few dollars more. I mean, if I could make $25 an hour or something like that, I probably would be doing the same, as opposed to the $4 an hour or less the average farmer's market vendor gets for his time and effort in producing those vegetables.

Here comes a load of garden heresy but I think if people would wait until the weather is right outside, gardening from direct seeding would be as cheap as it gets and, in the end, just as productive. The trouble comes from the great desire to get those goodies asap.

I remember reading that someone did a test garden of various veggies- they grew each veggie from seed and from starts. In the end the ones from starts were bigger at first but within a short time the direct seed ones caught up and were just as productive or more so than the starts.

Since this idea suits my hatred of watering starts, I have used this one unscientic example as the reason for only direct seeding.. Like many other beliefs, it is just more convenient that tested. :)

Here, in central Oklahoma, we often have summers that will fry just about anything. Even tomato plants go sort of dormant, if they don't just die, when the heat and drought hit.

If I don't get fruit off the tomatoes by the middle of July, it's a long wait until they might set fruit again.

Some autumns, the tomatoes don't recover before the frost kills them.

Some years, it's more mild. But, if I don't get an early start, it might be too late if it's a hot one.

But that is the assumption- that the starts produce earlier. This article insisted that the direct seeded caught up and then surpassed the starts and produced as much in the same time frame.

I usually buy a couple of common started plants, but I grow most of my veggies from seed because the varieties I want are generally not available in stores. My luck in saving seeds has been variable, depending on the veggie and the variety but I am getting better with practice...

I am planting my tomatoes in tubs this year - that way I can move them into the garage when there is a chance of freezing overnight. Already my "Early Girl" (bought) has flowers, and "Siberian" (seed started January) is not far behind.

My peppers are all looking ready for putting out but not sure the weather is settled enough yet.

Mary

You need a compost pile to cut out that $4.82. :)

I usually reseed from last years plants. I've been using the same bag of potting soil for three years because when I transplant the plants I put the soil back in and add compost. Maybe there is a cost of electric...but the more seedlings you plant the lower the cost to each plant. I plant something like 100 tomato plants, to buy them in the store would be too expensive. Throwing some free seeds in my trays with recycled potting soil and turning on a light is going to be way cheaper.

For $1.35 you got one plant. For about $1.80 I got one package of tomato seeds, an interesting heirloom variety that may do especially well where I live and, if I planted all of the seeds, would yield about 40+ plants.
I'm in Maine, so a seedling started now or a small plant purchased now still requires some extra light and heat. I don't bother heating an unheated space for seedlings, I grow them in my already warm house (which is not being heated with the furnace now, so the warm is free).
I add some light, at fractions of pennies per hour. The light I use for one seedling can be shared with dozens, so I'd say fractions of fractions of pennies per seedling per hour.
Pro mix is $35 for a half bale, which makes enough for about 100+ seeds in re-used solo cups. To get a sterile start for my seeds I microwave the pro-mix. Seems to work. Cheap.
So my outgoing is under $37 dollars for 40+ tomato plants. Your output is $54 for 40 plants.
It CAN be cost effective, or it can be a waste of money. Do whichever you find preferable.

Sometimes you have to start your own plants cause you cannot find the plants you want. For example, there are no true small grape tomatoes to be found around us. Also, the types of hot peppers are limited to only 1 or 2 types. Another thing I have found is that if you have limited purchased varieties, and pests and diseases affect those varieties, then you have problems each year - I suspect that I was getting pests imported from a greenhouse I bought from. So there are other reasons than saving money for starting from seed.

If you are just growing a few plants of common types, I can definitely see where it could be cheaper and less bother to get the starts from a nursery.

Some of the ways that I use to save on costs for starting plants:
Save seed
Trade seed (local swaps and trade through the mail for a very reduced cost or net zero cost)
Trade cuttings for divisions of established perennials
Making my own potting soil from sifted rotten wood on our property, a bit of silt and some compost.
Washing and reusing recycled flats and containers
No artificial lighting - plants either grow in a sunny window or are taken outdoors if the weather is suitable
Diluted urine for some fertilizer
Blood and bone meal for the rest of the small amount of fertilizer until the plants are ready to go in their final location

I'm working on making my own blood meal and fish meal to close that final part of the cycle.

Alice, I first read that as " Embrace senility" and thought , well I wont say what I thought. :grin:

I have started tomatoes and peppers and bought them as well.

I am to the point that I start varieties that cant be found in stores that we want to try and buy the rest.

This year we just bought all of them but I will start some for the Fall garden.

I don't have anything to compost! No grass clippings - I use a mulching lawn mower. No leaves - I just let them stay on the lawn and mow over them. No veggie scraps - the chickens eat them all. The bedding from the chicken coop gets spread on the veggie garden area and tilled in once a year.

In the past I've used soil from the garden for starting seeds but found it difficult to keep moist. This is the first year I've broken down and purchased seed starting mix and I have to say, it is superior to anything I've tried in the past. I looked into making my own but purchasing the ingredients and mixing it was going to cost about the same as buying the premix, and that comes in a bag that is easy to seal and set aside, so I just went with it.

I have a co-worker who swears by this. Says she figured it out after killing her tomatoes and cucumbers too many times by not covering them when there was a late frost. She seeds the garden in June, after the threat of last frost. She's a little lower elevation than us so has a longer growing season.

But she is also not trying to grow all of her veggies for a year! Don't think i dare to experiment.

It was in the high-80s Saturday and Sunday. I thought about putting my seedlings in the ground. But the forecast and my neighborhood old gardener said, "not yet!"

This morning, I was out for a run and ice crystals started falling, then snow. Early tomorrow, it's supposed to be 30.

My store-bought plant is already in the ground, covered with a milk jug greenhouse. Now, it's also got a brick-weighted 5-gallon bucket over it, too.

My starts are tucked back into the barn, under lights with the heater on low, just in case.