What can $100 buy?

Last year, I ordered only tomato and pepper seeds, and used up a lot of seeds from the previous year. So this year, I felt the overwhelming urge to broaden my horizons a bit. I've narrowed down my seedlist selections, and here's what I've got:

Flowers
Didiscus, two types of Calendula, New Guinea Impatiens, Nicotiana, Vigna caracalla, Alternanthera, two types of Cleome, Coleus, Dahlberg Daisy, Gazania, Digitalis, Helichrysum petiolare, Nasturtium, Torenia, Brachycome, "Crazy Daisy", Cynoglossum, Gomphrena, Aconitum, Doronicum, violet and white Lunaria, Macleaya, four types of Salvia, Verbascum, spider-type Aster, Dracocephalum, Dianthus plumarius, Penstemon x mexicali, Adenophora, Astrantia, two types of Eryngium, two types of Lychnis, Zizia, Senna hebecarpa, Euphorbia marginata, Anchusa, Amsonia, Phacelia, Linum perenne, Agastache aurantica, and Monarda citriodora, plus Oxydendron (Sourwood) tree seeds and Lespedeza thunbergii.

Herbs
Black Cumin, Borage, Clary Sage, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, 'Gigante' flat-leaf Parsley, Stevia, and Lime Basil.

Vegetables
Corn (Hopi Blue and a sweet corn), five types of tomato (Arkansas Traveler, Green Zebra, Kentucky Beefsteak, Jaune Flamme, and Keepsake), two types of beans (Purple Trionfo Violetto and Red Rice), Lavender Touch eggplant, purple tomatillo, Cardon, hot peppers and 'Blushing Beauty' bells, 'Jack of All Trades' pumpkin, 'Tigger' melon and 'Orangeglo' watermelon, dwarf burgundy Okra and Cardoon.

Now to be honest, with shipping and a couple 'supply items' (namely a sturdy plastic trug from Stokes and some really cool 20-row seed starting flats from Pinetree, the total damage to my budget will be closer to $150.

But when I think of the amount of plants I'll have to share with my family, plus hopefully some to sell this spring; and the gardens full of produce and flowers these seeds will provide (Lord willing!) the rewards far exceed the purchase price.

How's everybody else doing with your lists and orders? (And does anyone know of a way to instantly expand my GH to about two or three times its current length, lolol?)

Hehe, greenhouses grow only in our dreams. . .

I just really started working on my order lists. Lots of red dots in Seymours Select Seed catalog, not one in T&M. I haven't even thought about veggies yet, other than what I didn't get planted last year. I have a lot of "old" seeds to go through, maybe put some up for trade or sase and start out with an empty stash box to fill this year. I will say that I like your list - didiscus in blue is something I'm looking for, although I may have some of those left over from a few years ago. They are lovely with Graham Thomas roses in bouquets. I'm trying to expand my viola collection and maybe a few more interesting salvias and dianthus. I'm also thinking about tiny ground covers for my rock walks and walls. I think all of the New Years gardening resolutions (I know, some of them contradict others, but it works for me!) apply. Perhaps I should quit playing on the computer and go get to work figuring it all out!

I don't spend _any_ money on seeds. I'm already covered up with more than I can use in ten years.

But that doesn't stop the costs. I have to put in a drip irrigation system this year; don't even want to look at the sticker price on that.

My sprayer needs replacing, and I'm thinking of breaking down and getting one of those stainless steel jobbies.

Trust me, G-V. I'll trade cost lists with you anytime this year.

No thanks, Brook! My post was simply to encourage gardeners to start some plants from seed.

If I planted every seed I purchased (I won't, at least not this season), I'd have THOUSANDS of plants - enough to fill a commercial-sized greenhouse or two, with plenty to spare. Comparatively, $100 will buy me roughly 7 flats of annual bedding plants (assuming $15/per), or 25-50 4" potted perennials, ($2-4 per), or a few trees/shrubs, depending on size and value.

Then there's the immeasurable satisfaction that comes from watching your "own" plants grow and bloom and bear fruit - so much more fulfilling than the instant gratification from buying an expensive container-grown plant. (Although I still buy those, too!)

Vols...I've got lemon balm running out my ears...and out of bounds.Let me send you two or 3 bushels of it! Seriously,I love my lemon balm and am going to use blackberry leaves and it to make tea this year.If you want to spend money on something else,other than LB let me know.I also have tons of Ark Trav and some JF tomatoes. I'm most likely not buying seeds this year either...oh well...Baker Creek may tempt me. really,I need to use my garden budget on drip irrigation and a shade cloth.

Beyond the price, Go_vols, there is also the fact that a huge number of plants are only available by planting seeds. Huge numbers of very worthy flowers just do not transplant easily; another huge number do not look great in cell packs. A nursery trying to stock all the cultivars would go bust without hope of recovering their costs.

I actually got a catalogue last year from a grower to BUY lettuce transplants. Huh. I buy a packet of 1000 lettuce seeds for 50 cents; I can buy 10 transplants for $1.99 (plus shipping). I can buy a whole lettuce for about 50 cents. But I sure can't buy Deer Tongue lettuce at the store; neither can I buy Red Oak Leaf or any of the other hundreds of varieties. At least that place didn't offer carrot transplants *giggle or beet seedlings *snort*

My own list of seeds to buy is very short this year; my stock from last year is still in great shape. I only need to replenish 2 lettuce varieties and a few new varieties of pansies. Oh, and a few new delphiniums, a couple of new types of perpetual spinach, another couple kinds of carrot, uh - oh, my list is a lot longer than I thought. I better get busy!

And yet another reason to grow plants from seed is that they are already aclimatised to your garden situation, so they tend to be a little hardier than bought plants.

Lupine

It's quite popular to buy veg plants from seedlings here too. As you say the seed costs are nominal but there seems to be a thriving market for them.

Thanks to davesgarden, I no longer 'need' to buy plants or seeds... However, last year's $100 went to purchase 5 new Pardancanda Introductions by Darrell Probst from Joe Pye Weed Gardens, and well worth it... John

Last year (gulp), I spent $600 on seed, purchasing from 16 different companies. I sold plants, true, but that's a lot of seed. This year I plan to trim that down. I'm going to do some trading, and I've collected lots of seed. Still, I imagine my purchased seed will be about $300.

I think all of us buy more seed than we can ever plant, and every year these seeds become a bit less viable. Seed trading is such a wonderful idea, whether trading collected or purchased seeds. It might also be worthwhile to coop with other members in one's growing area so that seeds could be ordered and share. It would also cut down on those shipping costs that can exceed the price of a couple packages of seed.

That's a good idea Weez. I've split orders with people on DG before and it's worked out well. Which reminds me... I bought a package of Malva alcea fastigiata seeds ;o) I'll share if you wanta few. This year I'm treating myself to some nice seeds... not that I'm really all that deprived ;) I've relied on trading for the past few years but this year I'm springing for some unusual and more expensive seeds.

My parsimonious soul is shocked! *G*

In the past I got quite a number of my seeds from society share outs. I have a strict rule never to pay more than £5 (approx. $7) for one plant and that has to be really special, as in terrestrial orchid (and if I get a chance to barter...)but I'd really like to know how Spinners garden managed to create what they did on as little as they did (see link)
http://www.ngs.org.uk/ngs-bin/gardenq4.cgi?gardenID=5904

Would the M. alcea fastigiatas grow up here? I'm hollyhock impaired. I'll send you my trade list so far. Maybe I've got something you want.

I know what you mean about 'nice' seeds. I always worry that seeds I collect may not come back true to the mother plant, or maybe I collected them at the wrong time, but generally, my collected seeds are the most viable.

Weez, maybe the seed stays viable for you because you control the conditions from the moment of harvest: some of the less reputable mail-order places just buy odd lots of leftovers; those seeds tend to not be maintained in correct climate control. Same with seeds purchased from local stores. The best of them do a great job, others, well, if you buy from them, do it as soon as the seeds arrive.

Just my own observations from years of wasted money buying seeds from a large variety of sources.

Curiosity got the better of me: how many seed packets did you buy for $600?

I'm ordering hardly any seeds this year. I'm running out of room - LOL...I spent in the 100 to 150 dollar range for seeds the first couple years I gardened and before I found Tom Clothier and DG. I still order "some" seeds but I buy most of my annual seeds at Wal-Mart or Odd Lots. I also got hooked on the instant gratification of plant trading too, but I have to admit...there's nothing like sowing a seed and watch it grow and bloom....Aaahhh, the joys of gardening *giggle*

Oh, Lupinelover, your question made me curious, so I just cecked my list for last year and the number of seed packets was right around 281. Some were larger packets, so in general, the average cost seems to be around $2.30 each.

Got 40 kinds of seed for $160; was shocked when I saw how much I spent. Then made the mistake of sowing the whole pack. if they do well - will have to have a plant sale in my area. LOL Beginner's luck?

Yes, TLC, it always seems to work out that way! When you open the pack, it seems there is so little seed, but once planted, it's incredible what you've got to transplant. I've gotten to the stage where I plant less and save some for next year. Most seeds keep well, if sealed in a dark, cool place. One way to limit myself from planting too much is to use small containers. A small 3"x3" container can yield two or three flats of plants if you have a knack for transplanting.

TLC, I am the same way! I finally trained myself that I only plant 12 seeds of a packet (except for things that I really want a whole flat, like marigolds). Sometimes I plant even less, especially perennials.

One company offers herb seeds, 1,000 seeds in a packet. Now, honestly, who wants 1,000 herb plants (I can't remember what type of herb, but it was a culinary type). Either they expect most of them to not germinate, or they want us to grow HUGE numbers of these puppies! (Dill, maybe? Or anise? Something like that) A dozen is too many for most of us.

Weez, that is a respectable number of packets you got. I was just so curious, I could imagine you had bought most of them from a place like Pinetree, most are $1.00 or less, and so were buried in seed packets. Or did you splurge and get the ones that are $6.00 for a packet of 3 seeds? Thanks for setting my curiosity at rest :) I usually spend under $40 for seeds every year (including postage). Plants, now, well.... *giggle*

I've only been looking at heirloom tomatoes so far. I found I had fewer pest problems with them last year. I also want to try some heirloom watermelons and peas along with our other favorites, but I am hoping my vegetable seed cost doesn't exceed $100 this year. Last Feb I bought some peas from the Dollar General Store at .10 a pack - I was curious - and they did so much better than I expected.

Carol,

Check over at the tomato forum. Most folks over there are more than willing to send seeds for an SASE, so you won't have to spend much at all.

Lupinelover: Many herbs have inherently poor germination rates, as low as 5%, which is why suppliers pack so many of them in an envelope.

I purchase lots of seeds because I sell plants. The closest nursery is about 30 miles away, and the selection is limited. Anchorage has lots of greenhouses, but they are about 120 miles from here. I grow almost everything from seed here. As most of you already know, Le Jardin is a wonderful opportunity to try sample packets of herbs. They have an offer for many packs for $12 that has everything you can imagine. Here it is in our Garden Watchdog: http://gardenwatchdog.com/c/89/