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Post by daylilydude on Feb 5, 2018 4:46:31 GMT -5
A bunch of us start our own seed for most of what we grow in our gardens, but I was wondering if anyone buys plants whether it's just 1 plant or the whole garden, and whether it's vegetable or flower?
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Post by farmerjack41 on Feb 5, 2018 5:14:45 GMT -5
Buy tomato, cukes, broc, and a few flowers. Also plant some of these vegetable seeds directly in the ground when it warms up good. (like June 1st)
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 5, 2018 9:29:48 GMT -5
I have in the past, yes.
Last year I bought tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Some of the eggplant was mislabeled too. It turned out great cause I got a variety called ichiban (sp) and we really liked it.
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Post by bestofour on Feb 5, 2018 9:34:13 GMT -5
I start from seed and buy a few plants. In my warm climate starting from seeds is so easy.
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Post by september on Feb 5, 2018 9:44:08 GMT -5
I only buy flowers to fill in if I have seed failure with my own. Or if I see something new and unusual or a color that I don't have.
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Post by spike on Feb 5, 2018 9:50:21 GMT -5
I never go to a green house to actually buy anything. I just simply love walking through through the row after row after row of seedling/starters. To me a green house is my "happiest place on earth" and I love them. Once in a great while I will find something new and interesting but rarely. There is one small, local green house that I buy from yearly. It is owned and operated by a younger Amish lady. Fortunately she also sells onion sets, seeds etc. But I buy mostly to support her not because I want or need anything she has.
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 5, 2018 9:54:42 GMT -5
I love colored bell peppers but don't grow anything unusual so I buy them as seedlings at the local greenhouse for $1.09 for a 4 pack. I also pick up 2 packs of cabbage seedlings. For a little over 25 cents per plant it's not worth growing my own. My seed starting set-up is not large.
My birthday is May 20 and another local greenhouse gives away four 4-packs of annual flowers to their customers as a birthday gift. May 20 is a perfect time to plant flowers so I enjoy picking out those free ones and planting them.
I grow all of my own tomato plants from seed so that I can get the varieties that I want and I enjoy growing them anyway. This year I am planning to try some cucumbers from seed so that I can possibly get an earlier crop.
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Post by octave1 on Feb 5, 2018 10:11:56 GMT -5
I start everything myself except peppers. I grow some uncommon tomato varieties which I would never find in a store, plus some cukes and zucchini that I am really fond of. Peppers are too demanding for me to grow from seed. I don't like getting out my seed-growing parafernalia until April, and by then it's too late to start peppers.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Feb 5, 2018 10:26:15 GMT -5
I will buy them in case of crop failure or if I see something interesting. Berry bushes and fruit trees I buy. Other than some pass along plants from tubers I don’t have much to do with flowers. I used to buy and plant heirloom roses though.
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Post by ahntjudy on Feb 5, 2018 10:42:06 GMT -5
Years and years ago I started some veggies from seed...My then boss had brought me back a bunch of packets of seeds he got from a trip he took to Italy...I went and bought a couple shop-lights and did a mini set up in the cellar and started the trio of tomatoes, eggplant and peppers...Then after that year, for whatever reason, that was the end of that... Except for root veggies or greens which I start from seed outside, I began buying young plants... Then I joined gardening forums and have since been encouraged and inspired by others who have been seed starting for years... So just a couple years ago, I went berserk...increased the shop lights to 8...and squeezed 18 flats of stuff under them... Not being one to eliminate any plant, among other things, I ended up with way over a hundred hot pepper plants...and I don't live on a plantation here... ...I'm still using those peppers from the freezer...in fact, yesterday's poppers were from that batch... I've toned it down a bit since then...I start my tomatoes, eggplant and peppers now again from seed... And Gomphrena.....lots and lots of Gomphrena...My needs no care 'Go To' flower...I plant them here and at my Boyfriend's... Last year was the very first year that I did not buy any plants at all...
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Post by paulf on Feb 5, 2018 11:00:44 GMT -5
Tomatoes and peppers from seed plus any herbs my wife wants to add or replace. Sometimes I will start flowers. Usually my wife's flowers are plant purchases. Trees and shrubs are all plant purchases. Everything else in the vegetable garden is direct sown. Maybe this year melons will get an early start.
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Post by paquebot on Feb 5, 2018 11:18:23 GMT -5
There are certain peppers that I will buy 4-pack. Since peppers have to be started inside, only have room for so many. Also don't need 15-20 of any particular variety so no need to buy packets of seed. Just went through the seed on hand to sort out what to start in a few weeks. Everything from Fooled You to Carolina Reaper.
Martin
he truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Feb 5, 2018 11:44:41 GMT -5
I will buy them in case of crop failure or if I see something interesting. Berry bushes and fruit trees I buy. Other than some pass along plants from tubers I don’t have much to do with flowers. I used to buy and plant heirloom roses though. Ditto - I buy veggie plants when I have a crop failure and when I see something interesting. Sometimes I buy some of the slower-starting herbs I will buy as well. Also, oregano, because not all oregano from seed tastes good. I can snitch a leaf at the nursery to see if I like the taste before I buy. Some flowers grow really fast, so they can be direct-sown (like zinnias) but others take too long to reach blooming size. I don't have room to start flowers indoors - my seed starting area is full of peppers and tomatoes at the time I would need to start flowers. So, I buy some flowers for the front beds every year. I also buy berry bushes and fruit trees.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 5, 2018 11:46:23 GMT -5
Usually, I only buy unusual herbs as plants, from a local herb farm. This year, I'll have to order some rosemary from Richter's, since my rosemary died in those single digit temps we had, and maybe I'll order some zaatar, and a couple other herbs not available locally or in seeds – min of 6, if I recall. And a couple of years ago I bought some peppers from www.chileplants.com only because I lost some "essential" varieties, and it was nice that I could get them. I just got another catalog from them...hopefully, I won't need it!
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Post by meandtk on Feb 5, 2018 16:27:02 GMT -5
I Try to start all from seed but did buy my fall cabbage plants.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Feb 5, 2018 17:08:03 GMT -5
birthday is May 20 and another local greenhouse gives away four 4-packs of annual flowers to their customers as a birthday gift. br] Wow, That's wonderful. No one offers me a Poinsettia for my birthday?? I seldom buy plants. Last year, I bought seed potatoes to get a particular variety, but it's been 20 years probably, since I've done that. I only buy something if it's an unusual variety or a deal that is too good to refuse.
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Post by carolyn on Feb 5, 2018 20:32:40 GMT -5
I grow almost everything from seed unless I only want 1 or 2 plants of something... such as eggplant. those I buy. my greenhouse space is too valuable to waste on something I have a hard time getting to germinate as it is.. Somethings I buy because you can't start it from seed such as African Blue basil. I wish I would have taken a few cuttings last year before the freeze killed them. they flowered all summer long and the bees buzzed them all day long. they do not seed so they never were in a cycle.
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Post by guruofgardens on Feb 17, 2018 22:53:28 GMT -5
We don’t usually buy any plants unless the seeds fail to germinate. One year while attempting to harden off the tomato seedlings, we left one tray out for half the day. They fried. So we bought a dozen plants and learned a lesson.
Usually we try to start everything by seed. I like to choose which tomatoes and peppers to try - heirlooms mostly.
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Post by spacecase0 on Feb 18, 2018 12:29:09 GMT -5
every disease my garden has got came in on plants that were bought. now I start everything from seed. if I can only get it as a plant, then I just do not grow it.
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 18, 2018 13:18:13 GMT -5
I did bring home aphids on my pepper seedlings one year. Now I inspect them VERY carefully. I don't purchase tomato plants.
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