ONE Tomato/pepper plant for SEVEN QUID!!

[Alison]

Ahhh. I snorted out laughing at the supermarket today. A bag of rhubarb containing three sticks. £3.00
The madness of retail veg pricing astounds me.

Good God, does rhubarb really cost that much to buy! Picked a load tonight and it's currently sat in a huge jar infusing some vodka. Think I'd be less inclined to do that if it had cost me anything.

[WeeGarden]

There is a huge market for decorative pot plants that are given as presents to loved ones. Plants that are as out of season as these tomatoes.

To my eye these tomatoes are prettier than pot flowers and cost the same - yet, unlike with pot flowers, you actually get to eat them.

I agree with this to an extent. I was given a potted chilli plant full of chillies back in Feb as a housewarming gift. I knew it was out of season, but it was one of my favourite presents, cos I have a bag of chillies in the freezer and it's flowering again! It's not just the big DIY stores, this one was bought in Borough market I think.

I agree that it makes for a nice potted plant present for someone who wants to dabble in having fresh food from plant to plate, but don't have the time/space/green fingers to do it, but I think it defeats the purpose of GYO - the chilli plant doesn't give me as much satisfaction as seeing seeds turning into mini plants, and mini plants turning to food.

[PeshB7]

Never mind the price of tomatoes, I'm intrigued by this 'swish and spit' technique of sowing

Anyone else like to confess to projecting their seeds from an orifice? How successful was this method, and did you end up with a plant or an ASBO?

Give it a go...It works! Its tried and tested by yours truely!

I think the coating on the seed maybe even feeds it and gives it a power boost once it comes up. Because the plant looked extremly healthy and had dark green leaves in soil that didnt have much material worked into it.

My indoor ones which i transplant usually start getting a bit discoloured sometimes, but these outdoor ones seem to be ready born and have adapted from birth to the outdoors, so appear very healthy when they come up.

Same with peas, the ones I sowed in pots were small and only really got going once in the soil outdoors.

The ones I just threw outside as I couldnt be bothered putting the pre-soaked seed back in the packet came up very healthy from the second they popped up through the soil. Nice big dark green leaves and very sturdy.

[raine]

i love growing from seed but am just not very good at it so plug plants are my back up! This year though, i have stumped myself as my seeds have been more successful and now I've got plug plants as well (note to self- don't be so eager to order next year!)

[NOG]

Growing Veg is the fashion this year....we did a plant sale for charity and to make it easy it was 50p a plant or a £1.50 for a pot of leeaks, runners, peas and the like.

We took £500..one bloke spent £30....we did a bit of advertising and people were sitting outside in cars an hour before we started.

Some people dont know about allotmens or even garden centres and so think B&Q prices are what you pay.

[RedThorn]

Hopefully more people will end up growing now and as the fad wanes as it will, there will be some who continue. These will figure out that there's the "fashionable" way and there's the womble way

The price difference is a reflection on the schools of thought. Fashionable is not cheap! Alas but hopefully when it's no longer fashionable and the recession is a distant memory, there'll be more allotments and allotmenteers too.