Plug plant sales

[Holly]

Hi all,
We received an interesting email from a reader suggesting that beginner gardeners can easily be mis-led by the sale of plug plants, and I wanted to find out what you think.

What do you think about the timing that Garden Centres adopt when selling plug plants, in terms of realistic cropping times?

Have you seen plugs on sale before they would naturally survive if planted out?

Do you think it is up to the gardener to assess conditions and times, or do you think garden centres are irresponsible, and possibly misleading, to sell plants that are unlikely to survive?

I'd like to know if you've had any direct experience with this issue.

Thanks very much!
Holly

[Hillwalker]

Another question to add into the mix: The definition of a plug plant? - Some of the mail order ones, including from larger companies, are tiny! At least at a garden centre you can see what you're getting. That's probably why they're all a reasonable to good size.

[rustylady]

If you order from a reputable mail order firm, the tell you the size of the plants. But I do agree, "plugs" come in all sorts of sizes and most need a lot of TLC before going into their final quarters. My particular gripe is with some of the DIY/Garden stores who sell plants without any kind of aftercare advice. Beginner gardeners can easily be mislead into thinking these plants can go straight into the garden after purchase.

[SarzWix]

I think there are a lot of factors to take into consideration, the first obviously being the experience of the gardener. A purchaser who has grown veg. for longer than a couple of seasons will most likely be well aware of the appropriate timings for planting out tender plants, and will also have an idea of the principles of hardening-off. A new, or less experienced, grower won't have this experience to draw on, and therefore seeing tomato/squash/sweetcorn etc for sale at the end of April is likely to cause confusion, and possibly lead to the loss of the plants if information isn't displayed prominently on the plant pot/label or in-store.
Secondly, the place of purchase seems to make a difference in the information available. For example, a local/independent garden centre, in my experience, is much more likely to have signage warning that tender plants must be protected from frost - our nearest GC prints this on A4 paper and displays it at intervals along the length of the display. They also offer advice to new gardeners. Similarly, in my experience, mail-order plants usually come with detailed instructions on planting and after-care. On the other hand, the large DIY chains which sell veg. starter plants give very little information - what there is tends to be printed in tiny writing on the back of the plant label, and rarely have trained staff on hand to give advice. In my opinion, this is where inexperienced growers are most likely to experience failures due to unexpected frosts etc., and possibly be put off altogether.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Spot on Sarzwix,

There seems to be three types of garden centre excluding mail order, (a) Conected to a large multinational DIY chain, stack em high, sell em cheap and get the stock of the shelf, a beginners nightmare. (b) Expensive garden centre selling everything including over priced cane furniture, advice maybe available if you ask, still got to meet those sales targets. (c) What I call a true garden centre sells plants, seeds. compost, tools etc. Here in Nottingham we have two I like to use, expert advice freely available, knows the clients and their needs a beginners paradise. One in particular is a small family business and at the right time of year if they don't know your face they will ask if you have a green house and if not ask you to come back. If you purchase your plants there and then they will even save them for you collect at the appropriate time.

Colin

[Aberdeenplotter]

I don't normally use plug plants but this year our local supermarket(Tesco) had some flower plugs reduced to clear at 30p. Being thrifty, I bought some zonal pelargoniums (15) and some bush lobelia(managed 48 out of 24 plugs). Ok I'm a meanie but it seemed like a good deal and now with the frosts hopefully past, I have them all out in planters looking good. I may well can become a plug plant convert.

I can't ever see me buying vegetable plugs though. The weather in our part of the country is far too variable and our season is at leat four weeks behind middle England. As a result, the plants are produced far too early. On our allotment site here in Bucksburn, Aberdeen, we have some recently created starter plots. Plug plants bought and planted, cabbages three to a station, leeks, parsnips and carrots in clumps and many of the plants already dead because they weren't hardened off before being planted out.

The inexperienced growers are the ones who will get caught out and there are a lot of them about.

[evvy2]

Yes, plants are on sale too early and inexperienced gardeners who are not aware that these plants need tlc can get caught out which is a shame as might put people off.

[pinns]

do you think garden centres are irresponsible, and possibly misleading, to sell plants that are unlikely to survive?

As a newbie, I did exactly that last year, I bought a tiny tray of "Winter Leeks" (which basically looked like grass) from a major chain, and tried to do everything right, growing them on for a bit and hardened them off, but they just stayed like grass and then winter set in, I was ever so disappointed! As some kindly grapes on here pointed out, they were far too small to be on sale at that time of year and stood no chance of going in my Leek and Potato soup during the winter!! Even now they are just about the size of supermarket spring onions and after all this time I'm finally going to have to pull them up as I need the space for 3 courgette plants. It is just as well a) they were hardy leeks not tender plants, and b) I wasn't actually relying on them to feed me!

They were silly to sell them, but I was silly to buy them, but since they have their money, it's only me that loses out and feels stupid Live and learn (and make lots of mistakes!)

[JamesM]

I think it's irresponsibe for garnden centres (I know B&Q are guilty primarily becuase i love so near to one and often wander in) to sell plug plants without sufficient and easily understandable information on show prior to purchase. Now i know that more often than not they come with labels with information but this should be made fool-proof in the same way it is in pet shops for example. Signage including information on when plants can be planted out should be made clear as particularly inexeprienced gardeners can be drawn in with the idea of growing your own and naively buying veg to plant out when conditions just aren't right.

Another thing i am irritated by is the sale of root vegetables like carrots and parsnips in modules which are not conducive to their growth

[Newton]

Unfortunately the GYO renaissance is being enjoyed by commercial growers as well as you and I who are trying to aspire to the good life.

The commercial growers are supplying the supermarkets and home improvement chains and have found that there is a ready market for plug plants earlier and earlier. So yes; B&Q, Homebase, tesco etc are guilty of selling to eager GYO newbies but let's look at the commercial growers who really do know better than to be upplying carrots in modules and cucumber plants in March.

If we are to spread the GYO word successfully we must all take responsibility for preaching the benefits of seasonality and timing of sowings. But come on guys.......let's not profit from taking advantage of those who know no better............

[VirginVegGrower]

It appears to me that garden chains and DIY chains are alike in that there is a race to get stock from greenhouse grower into store before each other. Competition is key to meeting sales targets with veg growing akin to Christmas - let's start selling three months too early. If Easter Eggs at Christmas, why not vegetable starter plants at Easter?!
By the time you are able to put these plants in the ground most are dried out, pot bound and dying. But an unwitting somebody will already have parted with their money. Sow your own! Grow your own!

[SarzWix]

I do think there is a place for plug-plants. In fact I buy quite a few myself, to fill in gaps, or replace failures from my seed sowing. There are also people who either don't have the time or space to grow everything from seed, or don't yet have the confidence. The problem is in the lack of information given on how to get the best from them, and the rush to make a profit...

[Incy]

I am also not averse to buying a few plug plants but I was shocked this year to see B&Q selling cucumbers and courgettes as plug plants in -I think- about February!
I do think there should be some requirement to provide clear instructions as to growing requirements for plants. After all if someone sells hardware it has to be fit for the purpose intended. Personally I feel that selling plug plants at the wrong time of year without clear directions on how you can get it to survive is false advertising.

[rana]

In some respects I agree with many of the comments. Yes it is ridiculous to see geraniums, tomatos and petunias for sale in major retailers in early Feb and I have also seen carrots sold in modules which will not perform well. However many of the plug plants sold by post or in the shops are of excellent vigour and high quality. Because of modern mass growing methods and competition they also represent exceptional value for money.

[singleseeder]

The worst I saw in a garden centre was a strip (1/4 tray) of radish seedlings for £2.99!!!!!!!!

18 seedlings (yes I counted them) too close together to grow to radishes and I have never heard of radish seedlings transplanting successfully. What good were these to man or beast?

Everyone's jumping on the 'grow yer own' bandwagon, but surely this (and the carrot seedlings) would put off newbies; therefore killing off future trade. If I weren't such a well brought up girl, the word fraud might pass my lips.