Topic: Plug Plants

[tim]

The Guardian points out that plug Carrots from gardem Direct cost £1.09 EACH!!

[Duke Ellington]

You cannot be serious!!! :o

LOL!!

Duke

[Mortality]

 :o

[Chrispy]

You mean Gardening Direct.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/01/garden-plants-ripoff

Can't see their carrots (withdrawn) but.....

http://www.gardeningdirect.co.uk/Root-Vegetable-Collection/XV7003,default,pd.html

There was a thread last year of what was the biggest plant rip offs you have seen.

[Suzanne]

Goodness - had a look at the links - pack of 21 lettuce plug plants - £4.99 + £3.95 postage!

[1066]

Blimey!!

And Duke where the heck to you get those crazy avatars from  ;D  ;D  ;D

[Baccy Man]

Greenfingers have carrot plug plants currently out of stock but more are expected soon.
5 Early Nantes are £6.49, thats £1.30 per carrot.
http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp?dept_id=200509&pf_id=DD5779D
Or of couse there is Sarah Raven who  charges £6.95 for 5 tomato plants or £4.95 for 5 sugarsnap peas etc...
http://www.sarahraven.com/shop/plants-and-seedlings/vegetable-seedlings.html

Perhaps I should start selling mail order plug plants.

[macmac]

Market forces
If someone is stupid enough to buy these things then someone will always exploit their ignorance I still can't get my head round bags of ice cubes and frozen mashed potato but someone must buy them  ::)

[cleo]

A fool and their money??

Some got rich from it

[Anisemary]

I was under the impression that the vegetables they are offering didn''t transplant very well and had to be sown direct and thinned out (they are all roots) ?  Am I wrong about this, if so, more module filling on the way for me!

[Chrispy]

I was under the impression that the vegetables they are offering didn''t transplant very well and had to be sown direct and thinned out (they are all roots) ?  Am I wrong about this, if so, more module filling on the way for me!

Yes, so was I, but apparently some people do start them off in plugs, Tee Gee for example
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,58227.msg595285.html#msg595285

Last year I did see T&M selling plug trays of carrots, so I had a go and sowed some carrots in plug trays, but I just got no roots, but as Tee Gee said, all down to timing, so I may give it ago again.

[Vinlander]

All your examples are truly appalling ripoffs except maybe the toms...

I'm sure this has been said before, but a few tomato plants at £1 each can be money well spent - but only if you can get a 20cm plant in late March/early April for this price and chop it up for cuttings. They root incredibly easily.

I think garden centres are the only place you'll get a big plant - I suspect the mailorder ones are tiny.

I reckon that from each big one I can get 1 top cutting and maybe 2 basal axil sprouts straight away. This leaves a decent plant that gives another 4-6 axil sprouts in the next week or two - before the cuttings start to be not much bigger than my normal seedlings (sown late Feb). Still useful though.

Of course this is because I no longer bother to sow (and coddle madly) from December - but I think mine is a good strategy if you can't run to a heated greenhouse set in wide acres.

I go for Gardener's Delight and Sungold (especially Sungold as the seeds are F1 and so expensive), and I only sow rarer kinds I can't buy as plants.

Incidentally on the subject of snap pea prices: www.alanromans.com sells 50g of Sugar Ann peas for 80p, and most of his other stuff is Wilko-type prices too. P&P is 99p. Excellent value and quick. Small range but some rare gems.

Cheers.