Prices for growing veg plants at Homebase!

[Mrs Dobby]

Popped into Homebase yesterday, to check out their new Barbeque range (very good and reasonably priced for good quality, yep we got one! ), and couldnt help but notice their plants they are selling, and the ludicrous prices!

£1 for a single roma tomato plant at 3" tall!!!
£1 for a single dwarf french bean plant at 2" tall!!!!
£1 for single runner bean plant at 3" tall!!!!

I couldnt believe the prices, absolutely ridiculous!!! They must be making a massive profit margin ff them, especially if folks like SR are selling them for 20p or so to the GC's! In the range of products we sell at work we are usually running on a profit margin of between 5% and 45% of the retail price, whereas these guys must be making 80%+!

Anyone else feel we should have a 'name and shame' thread for ridiculous prices charged by GC's / large retailer's for things we know cost a fraction of that to produce?

[Two_Sheds]

Ridiculous prices = trainers cost less than a fiver to produce, yet sell for £100+

I agree with you Mrs D. But there are gullible and lazy people out there with more money than sense! My main problem with the DIY chains is they don't provide proper growing instructions. My sis-in-law put all her baby bedding out at the first hint of sunshine, and now they're all dead. She's wasted about £20, just because the label didn't warn her to harden off.

[Alison]

Most of them don't mention anything about temperatures etc either and could leave you with the feeling that you can just dump the ickle plant in the border and you'll be cropping in a few weeks without any protection, feeding etc. Must put a lot of people off which is a shame. Personally I've only ever bought plants like that to fill in the odd space when I've had late deaths!

[mikk100]

I was in my local Squires garden centre and noticed similar things on saturday, toms and cucumbers for £1.29, and trays with 6x brussel sprouts for £2.99!!!!!!! With all this in mind I think I might get my little greenhouse insured, the contents must be worth a fortune!

[Alice]

You're right Mick100. I think we must all have greenhouses worth a fortune at the moment. But just think how much your insurance company could rip you off for - and at the end of the day you would find you were actually covered for nothing !

[SarzWix]

But on the up-side, I went into B&Q the other day for orange buckets ( now they are a bargain!) and noticed they were selling San Marzano Lungo tomatoes in packs of 6, as well as Gardener's Delight and an ordinary sized one (Ailsa Craig?). I was quite impressed, can't remember price but didn't have a heart attack when i saw it so can't have been much above £4. All organically approved too. Whether they'll ever get watered or rotated is another matter of course!

[yoanbob]

Restaurants typically make between 75% and 85% profit, grow your own toms and eat out on your lottie!

[Earthbabe]

Wilkinsons are selling rhubarb crowns (admittedly in 4L pots) with about one stalk on for £5.99 double

[Alice]

Dobbies are selling the rhubarb crowns for £9.99 !!!

[Alison]

Northern Harvest who do local food delivery around there are now also delivering plants and shrubs. Rhubarb (Victoria or Timperley Early) are both priced at £2.99 which didn't seem too bad to me. Various tomato plants are 90p and there's also a range of others. Not sure how big or what quality though and won't be finding out as I've got more than enough already.