I recently ordered my seeds for this year and I would encourage you home gardeners out there to consider doing the same. I am sure some of you will pick up your seeds from the Home Depot rack or your local garden supply store. There is obviously nothing wrong with this but you limit yourself in many ways.

First, there are more than 6000 varieties of vegetables out there that I know of. Many are not commercially for sale but the point is that it is fun to grow different kinds each year instead of always getting “Snow Crown” cauliflower or “Celebrity” tomato. These stores stock the seeds you know, not the ones that are best. That brings me to my next point.

Success in growing starts with a good seed. Ordering from seed companies allow you to choose seeds that have higher yields, more disease resistance and almost always have higher germination rates because that is what they do and they stake their reputations on getting you good seeds.

Last, it so much more fun to peruse through seeds catalog or online sites deciding which ones sound or look best and then assembling your garden with lots to compare with. It is like buying a house or hiring an employee, you want to compare and contrast before you decide on your final pick. In the same manner, I think it is better to look around before you buy when it comes to seeds.

I will point out that you probably can get your seeds cheaper off the rack at Walmart, but the extra .79 cents won’t matter when you could have had 10 lbs more of tomatoes by getting the right variety.

I have a list of retail garden seed companies below. It is not all inclusive, but it a pretty good list. You will see some of my recommendations in other posts. It is listed alphabetically. Some are better than others, but I will let you decide. Let me know who I am missing in your comments.

Hope this helps.

It is that time of year when you start to see garden centers large and small open their doors to allow consumers like you and me to purchase their vegetable starts, among other things. Hopefully, this post will give you a few things to think about before making your purchase.

First and foremost, you must consider timing. The large box stores in particular are great about providing an overgrown tomato start for you to purchase before anyone else does much like you can buy Christmas decor before Halloween, however, unlike most of your Christmas decorations, these starts don’t store. Usually, there are ready to put in the ground right away and you may be in an area that is still waiting for the correct weather to put them outdoors.

Here is a picture of a tomato start that I found in a big box store 7 weeks before it should have been planted in my area.

If you were to purchase this tomato start your chances for success are very small because it is too big to keep for 7 weeks, even in a wall-o-water or hotcap. If you are growing directly in a greenhouse, then of course, timing is not that important, but don’t be suckered into buying this start because you have “Spring Fever” and are ready to start planting when the timing is not right.

Next, quality doesn’t equal size. In the example above you see a large tomato start, but you should know that if you were to plant a start half that size the difference in when you will start harvesting will not even be perceptible. This means that you should buy healthy looking, vibrant, vigorous starts that are not root bound. This means that the root system is still appropriate for the size pot it is in. I guarantee you that the tomato roots in the above picture are circling around inside that pot looking for more places to root. This is not good for a transplant and ideally the roots should not be circling.

Therefore, I would prefer a tomato half the size of the one pictured above that is dark green, no dead or wilting leaves, and ready to put in the ground the day I buy it, which for my area is the first week of May.

For reference here is the size that I believe a tomato start should be when transplanting to the garden. These are 4 week old.

Those are 2″ pots and you can see that they are much smaller than what you find in the big box store. My neighbor bought the big ones a month earlier, put them under wall-0-waters and they were almost 2 feet tall by the time I plant these guys, however, when it was time to harvest, ours were equal in size and I actually started harvesting earlier because I planted an “Early Challenge” variety with my other varieties.

I am all for trying to get vegetables out in the ground as earlier as possible, but if it is too early, then you increase the chance of failure in order to really gain no benefit.

In summary, biggest is not best and you have to keep an eye on the calendar before you rush to your local nursery and buy a bunch of starts. Of course, I don’t have to buy any starts anymore because I just grow from seed indoors and save a bunch of money, but I realize that not everyone is that ambitious. However, the store bought tomatoes are about $2-3 dollars a start and limit your selection to just a few. Growing from seed yourself is about $.20 a start and you can pick whatever seed you would like. Admittedly there are some costs associated with getting a light stand and providing electricity, but you make that back fast.

If you would like to learn more about seed starting indoors, check out one of my posts on the subject and for more on when to plant any of your vegetables get a free account at VegeNag.com

It is a new year and that means it is time to get your seeds. Make sure to order them now, even before it feels like it is time to start planting because you don’t want your favorite seed company to run out of what you want. Seed companies only have a certain amount of seed packets on hand and the good varieties go fast. I also suggest getting them now because there are plants that are ideal for starting indoors and depending on where you live that could mean anytime now. For example, onions are a crop that takes 6-8 weeks from seedling to transplant and yet needs to be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in order to give them the required 100+ days needed for maturity.

Of course you could just buy your transplants from a local nursery but then you miss the fun of starting it indoors and beginning your gardening early, while it is still snowing.

I have a lot of different seed catalogs that I look at every year. I usually order from multiple sources depending on what I want to get. From some I get heirloom seeds and from others I get hybrids. Some have good prices, others have great selections. Therefore, I will make recommendations depending on what you are looking for.  My favorite seed company for heirloom seeds is BBB Seed in Colorado. They have a great team over there and their website is really easy to order from. Prices are great and selection of heirloom seeds is decent. They also do wildflower seeds if you are into that.

For hybrid seeds, not to be confused with what many call GMO or genetically modified seeds, I like a number of different sources. Territorial seed, Stokes or Park Seed to name a few. These would also be my picks for great selection. I always get their mail order catalogs and pick through them when I want to try and get a seed with a particular disease resistance or characteristic.

As for good prices, I think PineTree Gardens has some really decent prices. Honestly, I think most seed companies have good prices, however, it is the shipping policy that you need to discriminate on between companies. This is where they can get you if you don’t check it first, particularly if you are ordering just a few packs of seed.

There are many more seed companies to be considered so I would advise you subscribing to as many of the mail order catalogs as you can so every year you can have fun looking through all of them. Please comment on your favorite seed company below. Also for more seed starting guides and information go to that section of the blog. And if you want reminders on when to start your seeds indoors go to VegeNag.com and subscribe to the service.

One of the most valuable tools in my shed is a root feeder. I would spend the money on a Ross Root Feeder since it has proven to the best I have found. Not only do I need this to feed my fruit trees, but I consistently use it to feed plants that have plastic mulch around them like my tomatoes and melons. I just had to fertilize with nitrogen the other day and since I have the melons and tomatoes growing across a large swath of black plastic, this pretty much the only way to get to the roots.

All you do is hook up the hose, stick it in the ground, add the appropriate amount of fertilizer, in this case I added 1 tablespoon per tomato and melon plant, and then turn it on. Within 30 seconds all of the fertilizer is shot down to the roots.

A couple of things to know. First, this really only works for soluble fertilizers or you will jamb it up. Also, you should water your plants right after feeding them so that the feeding is not too concentrated. Right after doing this I watered my tomatoes and melons for about 3 hours on a drip system. Last, timing is everything. You shouldn’t do this whenever, there are specific, ideal times to fertilize. If I would have done this any later, I might ruin my harvest. Tomatoes and melons should be fertilized 4 weeks and 8 weeks after transplanting. Don’t do it any more than that.

Let VegeNag take the guesswork out of the proper timing and amount by subscribing to our automated email reminders complete with how to’s by signing up for a free account today at VegeNag.com

Many of those I talk to feel that gardening is expensive and that it would be cheaper to buy produce from the store. I guess that you can make an argument that if you take your labor and multiply it by an average labor rate and then estimate the land costs of your garden cost while adding in the cost for your water and gardening tools then it is possible that it is cheaper to buy from the store.

That being said, realistically we should only count cost incurred from actually having a garden vs. not having one. That would be things like money for seeds, fertilizer, special mulches and the occasional tool. According to a recent study done by the National Gardening Association in 2008, the average food gardener spends $70 a year on their garden. The average gardener has a 600 sq.ft plot for their garden. Given a $2 per pound average produce price and 1/2 lbs per sq.ft of produce produced (according to the study). That is an average of $600 of produce produced per gardener. If you subtract the $70 investment. That is a $530 return on investment or a 757% return on your money. In times of economic uncertainty, what could be better than that?

This return is consistent with my experiences. Last year, I estimate that we produced over $1000 in produce and we probably invested just under $200 into it. Of course, if you are not successful in your garden then you will just waste your money on a bunch of dead plants. That is why I suggest you read the posts in the blog to help in your efforts. Also, our “nag” service will be coming soon. So keep your eyes out for the roll out.

For the last few years I have been buying my black plastic mulch from the big box stores. I usually buy the 3′x50′  6 mil roll and then would drape them across the rows. This has worked well for water retention and weed control. I am a big fan of black plastic for your mulch. For more information on mulching, read my recent post.

This year I am trying a new black plastic mulch that I got from PineTree Gardens. I was skeptical because it was such a thin mil. However, I saw the same mil thickness in all the gardening magazines so I figured they knew something I didn’t. Well, I believe they did. I just received the plastic today and while thin, it is highly durable and stretchable. I also believe that the thinner mil will moderate the soil temperature better producing better yields.

I am also really excited about the 4ft width instead of 3ft. We always have weeds in the pathways between rows since the plastic doesn’t cover this. Now I shouldn’t have that problem.

In summary, I would recommend the new way I am trying. I believe I will be very happy with this new black plastic mulch. It was also pretty cheap, .15 cents a foot. You can also try some of the other new plastics like the SRM red plastic for your tomatoes. I have yet to try it, but they say you get a 20% better yield than black plastic because the sun reflects the red into the plant which somehow makes it produce better. One of these years I will spend the extra money and try it, but for now I am happy with my yields for the money.

After pouring through 10+ seed catalogs, I have determined what I will order and from who. I make this post to give you an idea of things that you should consider when planning your garden.

First, do it early. Seed growers only have a certain amount of seeds and when they run out they can’t produce more until next year. Also you want to get them shipped to you in a timely manner so that you have them on hand to begin growing when it comes time.

Next, look at different catalogs. While I only ordered from 2 different catalogs, each catalog had something different to offer that met my particular needs. Many times I will focus on some special thing I am looking for and then if the price is right, I will order the other stuff from them that is the same in most other catalogs.

For example, I am trying to get broccoli and cauliflower to grow in the Spring here in Utah. This is very difficult and I have not yet had great success since it gets too hot, too early, so I looked for the earliest ones I could find. I found ‘Major’ broccolli at 43 days from transplant and ‘Silver Cup’ cauliflower at 40 days. Both were at PineTree Garden Seeds. They have great prices so I also ordered my carrots, beets, peas and so forth from them.This will be my first year ordering from them, so I will let you know if I have any problems with fulfillment or service etc.

Prices is another consideration when deciding who to order from. Some have good prices, but high shipping rates. Some have high prices, but give large coupons like Henry Fields. They give $25 off an order of $50 making it 50% off everything. And some have high prices, but very reliable service, selection and premium seeds. I would put Stokes in that category. In the end, seeds are really cheap. I got everything I needed for a huge garden for a whole year and I will have a ton of extra seeds for about $35. Therefore, I wouldn’t concern yourself with seed prices, check for shipping rates and such since that could be a bigger hit in the end. I spent 25% this year just on shipping.

Last, try new stuff and don’t get stuck with one variety just because it comes with a ton of seeds. If you want to try two different onions like a red onion and a yellow onion then order both. I know that they each come with 300 seeds, but they are only $1-2 each.

I just ordered 5 different kinds of tomatoes, one early variety, 2 beefsteak variety, one paste variety and one cherry tomato. I will get about 25 seeds per pack for 125 seeds. I am only growing 6 different plants. Assuming no loss, that would take me over 20 years to plant all the seeds. I estimate that I will grow over 400 tomatoes from the $12 that I spent on the seeds. Don’t worry about wasting seeds, give them away or throw away, but have fun with growing different varieties.

Please let me know your experiences this year or in year’s past with seed companies. I have ordered from a handful, but would love to hear about your experiences.

I have been receiving most of my seed catalogs over the past few weeks and I received one I have never seen. I went to their website last year after a friend told me about them and requested a catalog. The company is PineTree Garden Seeds.

The reason why I like their catalog so much is because I felt like they had a lot of varieties that other catalogs do not. Many of the mainstream catalogs all seem to carry the same stuff with little deviation. This one filled in a gap I was looking for with special varieties. For example, I have been looking for a really early broccoli and cauliflower to grow in the spring since we have such a short spring crop season here. This one provided me with varieties for both that are about 10 days earlier than ones I could find in other catalogs. I also found a number of banana pepper options, most others give you one.

I also found really good prices. For example, I want to grow a mild or sweet jalapeno this year since I love the taste, but not the hot. They have a variety called Fooled You Pepper for $1.65 a packet. Stokes also came out this year with a sweet jalapeno called Dulce, yet it costs $5.75 a packet. As you can see, they are a great option.

I have updated my seed catalog post from last year so that you have a good list to choose from. If you are new to vegetable gardening, then you should click the link and order all the catalogs you want. Even if you aren’t new, you may find one that serves you much I like I found PineTree Garden seeds.

I was listening to Larry Sagers this morning on the greenhouse show and he talked about a great point that I want add here for everyone’s benefit. He talked about the economics of home vegetable gardening when you have very little space. 

When you go to the grocery store and consider the prices of certain vegetables and then weigh that with how much you could produce in your home garden vs. the space it takes then you may reconsider what you plant in that precious space. 

For example, potatoes are about $5 for a sack and they can be purchased all year round. A potato plant will take a lot of space in the garden and only produce a certain amount of a vegetable that is relatively cheap. Conversely, tomatoes can be about $1 per pound or more in the store and not as good tasting. Whereas one tomato plant can produce 50lbs of tomatoes or more throughout the season and they are very delicious right out of the garden. 

Similarly, fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, colored bell peppers, artichokes, and leaf lettuce are good examples of cultivars that produce economically in the garden compared to what they sell for in the store. 

Now I don’t want you to choose your vegetables based solely on economics, but this principle is worth considering particularly when gardening in containers.

I shop alot at “big box” stores such as Home Depot, Walmart, Target, etc. However, when it comes to plants don’t expect much. First of all, the associates at the stores aren’t required to be knowledgeable about the plants in order to work there. Also, most of these stores bring plants in way too early for the average gardener to expect to buy and plant the same day. Here is a perfect example. I was at Home Depot in Provo, Utah yesterday and I saw the plant rack full of tomatoes and peppers. I took a picture.

If someone where to buy and plant today without protection, they will most certainly die. Tomatoes and peppers should not be planted until all danger of frost has past, that means May 20th for me, because they will die with one frost. Now you can plant them early with Wall-O-Waters or hotcaps, but even then I wouldn’t do that until mid April at best because they will start to poke through too early. 

Another concern is when the plant was started. These plants that I took pictures of are ready to plant from a size standpoint. Their roots are ready for it and so is the size. Some of these peppers probably wouldn’t even fit in a hot cap. My point is that they are not an ideal size for planting in mid May, 6 weeks more. According to the Utah State University planting guide, tomato and pepper seeds should be started about 6 weeks before transplanting. I started my seeds March 15th because I plan to plant them May 1st under hotcaps. Here they are as of today.

They look like they are right on track. So please, don’t be a sucker and buy these plants from a “big box” store now unless you have some other use for them and you know what you are doing. 

Don’t get me wrong, I think “big box” stores should be selling gardening supplies and plants, but the reason you aren’t paying nursery type prices is because you don’t get nursery type service. If you know what you are doing, then by all means, buy them cheap. However, just because the plant is for sale doesn’t mean it is ready to plant for a while. If you don’t know what you are doing then take my advice and go to a nursery. Let them advise you and you will be much more successful.

Here is a list of some Utah county nurseries that I have been to:

GardenPlot in Springville  801-491-0606  I go here for berries, fruit trees, grapes etc.

Hansen’s in Spanish Fork/Benjamin  801-794-1101  Great for vegetable starts

Cook’s in North Orem  801-225-8271 Large greenhouses, has a lot of selection. 

There are many more, so if others have experiences good or bad with others than please comment.