ONE Tomato/pepper plant for SEVEN QUID!!

[coreopsis]

Depends on the size probably.I was at B&Q and saw the tomato plants with fruit.Visited garden centre at the same day-they had tomato plants still to grow-never had a look at the price as I was more interested in varieties they had.I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted £7 for established plant with fruit on it.

[Alison]

I've seen them. They are pretty big, don't know about the tomato plants but the peppers all had ripening peppers on them already. For what you were getting it wasn't as bad as some of you think but I'd still not buy them, if you're buying the plant with the fruit already ready then you might as well just go to the green grocers and buy a pepper or whatever to me.

Re growing your own, don't forget it does cost rather more than the price of a seed, there's compost, an warmth or light provided etc. Still cheap but not free and that's before you factor in all the time you spend on them which you would have to pay for if you bought them in a shop.

[SarzWix]

That's even more wrong then, selling them nearly fully grown, and producing fruit, at this time of year?! Is just going to confuse people who have no idea of seasonality anyway! And I bet half of them take them home, sit em on the patio, then wonder why they've died off after a frost...

[chriscross1966]

I guess it's all down to the instant gardening attitude fostered by the makeover shows.... if you want your own tomato plants frmo seed, start planning in January and sorting it out in February.... I know there are exceptions but it is a sort of attitude you fequently see these days, if it doesn't happen straight away they're not interested...... given the price of a pepper in the supermarket then 7 quid for a plant with some on already probably doesn't sound that bad..... but I think I only paid about 20 quid for all the seeds I'm planting this year, though I did swap for some others.... Next year I plan on trying to get it down a bit further than that.... pick some exotic wierdos to buy and swap for all the normal stuff ...... the only thing I insist on is fresh Kelsae seed

chrisc

[TonyF]

Posted in the B&Q approach previously on the Vine.

Victoria, are you having to wheel the plants in and out each morning/evening or are they on the permanant benches under cover? It all sounds soooooooooo familiar. Which of the Ipswich stores are you at, I trained a lot of the managers for the new store before I left for France tho many may have moved on by now?

How forced must the plants be if they're that big this time of the year - need to be kept under cover for sure because the frost season certainly hasn't finished yet, one cold snap and voila, gone.

Been doing the rounds of the plant fairs here over the past few weekends and here the plants are two/three sets of true leaves high and are between 65 and 70p equivalent each and are all excellent plants as far as I can see. Ok, they're obviously grown under cover - almost certainly polytunnels but the nurseries have had the vents/ends open to harden off for 2/3 weeks. But St Glace doesn't finally disappear until 15 May so still keeping all my plants under some cover.

Pay that price for one plant tho - sounds like Toby's Gardener's World syndrome gone crazy.

[Victoria26]

Sorry guys been down the allotment all day so just getting back to reply.

Ok the plants are forced and potted up in 9inch pots. They are choc full of fruit. They've been pinched out so wont grow anymore and are mainly aimed at people who want to grow their own without any effort or knowledge.

I work at B&Q Ransomes Park so if anyones around come over and say hello. We do not wheel them in at night so they're left to fend for themselves. All our plugs are too.

You can actually buy 6 plug tomatoes for 3.99 but even so they are the indeterminate varieties so not suitable for many pepole.

Sigh - I'm on my crusade to educate the masses on growing from seed so will be doing a kiddies demo on Monday!

[marmalade]

I'd love to grow from seed, and have done in the past, both a mixture of no space and no time means this year I'm growing on from small plants

whilst I agree that from seed is much better/cheaper/fun - sometimes some of us don't do it for valid reasons please don't assume everyone doesn't know better

[Victoria26]

I'm aware of that marmalade. Sowing seeds is to much of a faff for a lot of people so I'm not judging anyone! (Be it because your not physically able, or you just have a busy life!) I've been bringing in seedlings for colleagues to get them started too!

But being able to give other people new ideas and information makes me happy. I'm crusading to recruit grow your owners everywhere.

[marmalade]

ah cool I wasn't sure whether to post that or not but though may as well

it sucks tbh, I'd love to have the time but atm as well as working full time I am also studying part time so something had to give!

good luck on your mission

[Bramble_killer]

For a newbie gardener, buying a plant might be a way to get them hooked and they can start from seed the next time they decide to do it again. I've never bought a plant (as they are expensive and I get excited about waiting for seed leaves) but it might be a way to lure some people into being a gardener

[Victoria26]

For a newbie gardener, buying a plant might be a way to get them hooked and they can start from seed the next time they decide to do it again. I've never bought a plant (as they are expensive and I get excited about waiting for seed leaves) but it might be a way to lure some people into being a gardener

Exactly - it IS a good way to inspire people. But seeing the end product and then finding out just how cheap and easy it is to do it yourself (If you have the time and patience...) is an eye opener too.

I can't wait until I can go round my neighbours doors with baskets of fresh produce for them. I like being nice to people and its an achievement.

[SarzWix]

I've grown quite a few veg from plug plants over the years, I don't disagree with them at all - I think B&Q and the garden centres do a good service there for people without greenhouses or room for seed sowing. But, selling forced plants, full of fruit, at the wrong time of year... That makes me cross!

[Noodles]

£7?? That's flippin pricey! You could buy an awful lot of tomatoes from the grocers for £7!

[TonyF]

But, selling forced plants, full of fruit, at the wrong time of year... That makes me cross!

But think of the bonuses the buyers at Head Office will make with all these potential sales, come on Sara, get with the programme. And for sure, the stores will be criticised if they don't sell enough of them.

Victoria, know just what you mean. When I was at Chelmsford, Alan Tichmarsh was expounding the virtues of Tree Ferns and we had them in stock at some seriously silly prices. We told people, including the publican who bought 12 at £50, not to be so silly but as B&Q and Tichmarsh had some sort of deal going and he said it was ok, what did us gardening experts know?

The following spring the publican wanted his money back because they hadn't overwintered - and to save a row, the general manager gave him the money back!

Where were you when I needed gardeners in the stores in which I worked?

[Paul Wagland]

I buy loads of plug plants but grow any specialist, unusual varieties from seed. I just don't have room (or time) to grow everything from scratch.

There's a guy near us who sells plugs for £1 a tray (small seed tray size). We also shop at the auctions - 60 runner bean plants for £4 last weekend! I really recommend it to anyone who has an agricultural-style auction nearby.

I don't understand the point of the B&Q 'full-grown' chillies and toms though. You may as well just buy the fruit from Tesco.