What to do? Extra Seeds.

[The Mad Hatter]

I have ordered up my tomatoes and peppers for this year. I have also drawn up a scale version of my garden plot. I will end up haveing more seeds to plant than I have room for in my garden. I thought maybe I could save the extra seeds for the 2012 growing season, but the thought that sounded boring.

So, what I am thinking is that I should go ahead and try to get them all started then the ones that do start I could get them transferred into six inch pots. I would keep what I need for my garden, then take the extra plants and list em on Craigs List or take them to the local Farmers Market and try to make a little cash off of them.

What do you guys do with all the extra seeds? Just so everyone understands, I am not trying to get rich, just though I would try to make a little on the side to help pay for the rest of the irrigation system in the garden.

I have the room to start everything, I have most of the supplies. Need more six inch pots, and the jiffy pellets, more flats, and a few extra lghts for the basement.

My "extra" seeds are...

Bell peppers. Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, and some Costa Rican ones.
I have salsa tomatoes, and some porterhouse tomatoes. Never tried these before.
Also have Mariachi peppers, and Biker Billy Peppers.
All the seeds have come from Burpee. Hopefully thats OK. Heheh.

What do plants normally go for that are ready to transplant into the ground at last frost? I know they are pretty proud of them at the big boxstores, and they generally do not look all that great. I was thnking around the five to eight dollar a plant mark. Am I all wet here?

What do you think? Is it worth the try? Thanks in advance!

[wordwiz]

I've been selling seedlings for three years. Have discovered some truisms: People will not buy plants they do not know. You will sell six Early Girl toms for every Siletz, though the latter is arguably a better tom.

Two: Anything above $3 for a good plant in a 3" cell is expensive and probably will not sell - at least not easily. Yes, I have sold some seedlings for $5 each, but not many and they were plants not found other places. There are too many dealers selling plants at the cost of $1.25 each or even six for $5. Farmers Markets are a good idea, especially if you can print out a picture and details about the plant. The problem is, most FMs limit the number of sellers so you may have trouble getting a spot.

Mike

[The Mad Hatter]

Thank for the advice. I appreciate it. Not sure if I will be able to get into the market or not. We have one on Saturday and Sunday. Still not to worried on the price of the plants even three dollars would suit me just fine. So far I don't have much tied up in the so called start up, really its just extra stuff that I don't want to go to waste.

[soil]

we start about 500 tomato plants each year, and only plant about 100. the rest we sell for 1-2$, same goes with peppers.

[The Mad Hatter]

Thanks for the feedback. His large of pots are you guys using? Are sixes ok, or should the be smaller?

[soil]

we start them in 72 cell trays, but the ones we sell go into small drink cups filled with compost and rice hulls. they are about 4-6 inches tall. much taller (and healthier which is key) than anyone else selling plants at the same time ( and most sell them for 3-4 each)

I find its easier to sell 3 or 4 two dollar plants than selling 1-2 four dollar plants.

any extras I just plant wild or give away to anyone and everyone.

[The Mad Hatter]

Oh I never thought about the drinking cups. Another great idea. How long are you leaving them in the cells prior to transferring them to the cups?

Do you punch drain holes in the bottoms to sit in a flat then? This would make sense to me anyhow lol.

Are you zone five out there as well. I picked up a pamphlet today that said I could transplant to the garden in mid March. This has to me a misprint right? Doesn't that seem way earley? I was thinking more along the lines of mid April.

[jal_ut]

Nothing wrong with trying to make a little money back to help defer expenses.

My take on buying plants though....... if the cost of two plants approaches the cost of half a bushel of tomatoes, forget it!!! I'll just keep the money and buy tomatoes.

Good Luck!

[rainbowgardener]

I sell a couple hundred plants every spring at my church. I do it as a fund raiser for the church so I just sell them for $1 each. They are big sturdy well started plants that I could probably get a little more for somewhere else, but I'm not doing it for the money. This way everyone gets nice plants cheap, the church gets a couple hundred extra bucks and I get to grow way more plants than I have room to plant!

I also save left over seed for next year....

[applestar]

I grow more than I need but less than is worth to set up any kind of sales project. I like having extra to give to my father who doesn't want to grow from seeds but have caught on that the varieties I grow can't be easily found, if at all, in the stores or markets. MIL also has fun with the strange tomato shapes and colors That grow from what I give her.

For anyone new to growing from seeds, let me tell you -- if you grow just enough numbers for the garden space, something will inevitably happen to them, up to and including you dropping them from height and snapping them in half when they're nicely grown, cat or dog overturning seedling flats, unexpected pests (I once had mice in the garages eat up all the newly sprouted cabbage and broccoli, and have had army of slugs eat up the newly planted out seedlings overnight ), etc. BUT! If you grow way more than you need, and even hold back on giving them away, then everyone of them will survive, leaving you to scramble for planting space. NOTE though that if you plant earlier than everyone else and THEN, give away all the left over good transplants so that all you have left are rejects, then something WILL happen to your best transplants that you planted out and you'll be glad to have even those rejects and look at them with new appreciation....

[rainbowgardener]

too true

I also give away plants that don't sell at church and love having them to give away. And I do also hold back some of the rejects until I'm sure everything is going well in the garden and we are well past the last possible frost, etc.

[soil]

Oh I never thought about the drinking cups. Another great idea. How long are you leaving them in the cells prior to transferring them to the cups?

until they are ready, no set times. let the plant be your guide.

Do you punch drain holes in the bottoms to sit in a flat then? This would make sense to me anyhow lol.

are you talking about the cups? if so then yes I poke holes. but they don't go in flats.

[The Mad Hatter]

All very good advice guys and I greatly appreciate it. Got a few more supplies today, lights, mulore jiffy pellets, cups. Just waiting on my seed order now.

The room in my basement that I am going to dedicate to this little endeavor I can hold right about 58 to 60 degrees year round. What is the ideal temp to raise the seedlings? I have bought some heating pads to try to bump up the temp of the flats and pellets but they only stay on for two hours before they shut off. Will this be a problem?

Also, I plan on having two four fiora 6500k lights on each shelf. With this and the heat lamps will this be ok?

Thanks again everyone!

[rainbowgardener]

The basement temp will be ok for the seedlings.... a little cooler than some of them like, but they will handle it and be a little sturdier for it. But for germinating the seeds, it really is better to have the soil temp higher for all your warm weather seeds. They germinate a lot faster, which is good, because the longer they sit around in cold moist soil not germinating, the more vulnerable they are to rotting, damping off (fungal disease), etc.

So yes the heat pads make a big difference and no, two hours isn't enough. When I talk to people about getting the drugstore heat pads, I usually say watch out for the ones with automatic cut off.

I didn't follow what you meant by two four fiora lamps? And heat lamps? Don't put heat lamps on your seedlings, you will just dry them out.

[applestar]

MH, I think in your enthusiasm, you might be losing sight of an important factor -- when to plant out the seedlings. Not all of them are best started ahead. This thread might help
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23934