Advantages of buying plants. Much less trouble--no need for a greenhouse or propagator. Hardened off seedlings can be bought in the spring when the weather is right for planting. Some plants are difficult for the ordinary gardner to raise from seed i.e Impatiens, Bedding begonia, Petunia. You can see what you are buying and what you will be planting out--no risk of losing tiny seedlings to disease. Advantages of sowing seeds. Cheaper. The saving is considerable when compared with plants bought ready for planting out. The saving is less when compared with seedlings bought for potting on. Much greater variety. A much larger variety is available in seed catalogues. You can grow all sorts of novelty seeds and choose single colors instead of popular mixes. As a general rule, you get what you pay for. It is not an absolute rule, you could be sold rubbish by a garden center and yet find many good plants from a market stall. But the general rule still applies-------you get what you pay for. Garden Centers. Generally agreed to be the best source of bedding plants, which can be planted outdoors immediately after purchase. The range is usually large and varied, also advice is usually available and complaints will be taken seriously. Grocery stores. Bedding plants offered at cheaper prices. Convenience is the biggest seller for these stores, but be wary of the conditions in which the plants are kept. Are they getting watered, do they have enough light, are they in over warm conditions. When you get them home, will they deteriorate. It is wise to only buy from these sources at the beginning of the season. I hope this will help you to choose where to buy( or grow) your bedding plants to give you the best start for your season. Mrs Greenthumb.
I start a few inside, direct sow a few. I have little "shopping bug," but get me at a garden center/ nursery and I almost lose control! what's your take on dry rootstock, such as strawberries and such? (eta bare root...duh.)
I think she means bare root (not in dirt). I think your post to start this thread was great, I'd add that some things (French Tarragon) can ONLY be gotten as plants. Another reason to buy plants, especially with herbs, is that way by smell, touch & taste, you're sure of what you're getting. Peace, poor_old_dad
POD, I pretty much can tell one herb seed from another, but that might just be my mix. I'm not above cracking obne for taste if I do think I have them confused. and yes bare root was the phrase i was (badly) grasping for.
The new trend in buying plants for everything including melons, squash, corn, beans, etc. just markets to the mentality of immediate satisfaction. The modern gardener can spend one weekend planting and already see their neat little rows and mounds produce growth, without waiting for mother nature to do her thing. Rarely do plants of these sorts of crops result in any productive gains. Root ball are sometimes pot bound, and if the plants aren't hardened off or acclimatized to their new situations, many times there will be delays in growth patterns. Bare root is perfectly fine for crops multiplied through division. And it's usually the best time to plant them. I make a rule that I never buy bareroot after March 01st where I live. The plants have been held to long by that time in my area. A lot of nurserys will try and hang on to their bareroot until they fully leaf out. That's just too hard on the stock. Bareroot should be replanted while it's still dormant. But the nurserys want to save on labor and supplies and get their biggest return on bareroot investment. So they leave them healed in or bagged until it's way too late. For things like woody perrenial herbs potted plants are fine and the recommended method of acquiring them, unless you are good and propagating by cuttings or layering. I was a propagator for retail nurserys for 15 years. We loved the plant buying mentality. I'd start tomato plants right before Christmas for the jackasses that would buy them at the end of January or the first part of February, only to have to buy more sometime in March because the frost would kill the first ones they planted. Tomatos and peppers should probably be purchased in packs or pots because most homeowners don't have greenhouses for early starting, but don't try to rush the season by planting too early. And we bought extra bareroot stock such as roses and trees, in order to increase our pot stock for less. If we bought bareroot why shouldn't the consumer. But I never left our stock healed in into March. I started potting for our inventory towards the last part of January. And let's mention bulbs, what's with a public that buys tulips and daffs and other bulb type plants in pots but many do. Guess they don't enjoy planting something they can't see immediately. I even planted some onions in pots and packs for those type of people. And they sold. Hard to believe.
Gardener, where I live the inside space for plants is a must. or a greenhouse in the yard. I container garden as a hobby more so than a food source (although it is all edible) Sometimes I just want ONE tomato plant. Since the 4 pack survival rate is three, I do get a 4 pack, and give away two. My first year at this rental I bought a fair number of established plants. It was too depressing not to. So I planted mums while popping bulbs in. The squirrels loved me. They ate well that winter (I now leave stuff that "spills' from compost). Some folks don't get how to force bulbs, or they simply have a complete in the now mentality. Lets say I need a good looking housewarming giftie for a friend. I usually know a couple weeks in advance. Some people get a painting, some get plants depending on their orientation. With that week or two notice, so much for having the potted whatever ready. So a potted or forced bulb pot is great. And it allowed someone to be paid to do what they love.
