Tomato plants on Feb.1 in at Home Depot

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by Worth1

HD and Lowes do strange things.
If I didn't know better I would think they had some sort of conspiracy going.

Last year Lowes killed lots of plants last year. I met Bonnie delivery guy one afyernoon that night low was forecast like 30. I told him wont they freeze tonight ? He said " maybe"

[OzoneNY]

Since I move to North Dallas TX a few years ago, my target date is St Patrick's day + or- a few days depending on the 10 day forecast. As it looks now, I will probably set my plants in the ground this Sunday. Maybe it works out, or I get rekt. I'll let you know in 4 weeks

[DonDuck]

I bought the little six pack of seedlings at Lowes for many, many years. One year, I went to Lowes to buy my seedlings in the six packs and they didn't have any. They had switched over to the single plant containers. It ticked me off because the single plants suddenly cost 50% more than six pack of seedlings and the plants in the single containers were no larger than the plants in the six packs the previous years. I think it was the year they switched over to Bonnie plants. I tracked down the garden center manager and asked him if they would be getting the six pack containers later. He was very rude while saying they would no longer be selling the six packs, only the single plant containers. He acted like I shouldn't be asking how they run their business. That was the last time I bought anything at Lowes garden center and possibly the last time I bought anything at Lowes.

I've been leaving my "grown under lights" seedlings outside most of the day for about one week. I was bringing them in at night due to mid thirties temperature forecasts. I will leave them out at night now due to mid forties forecasts for the next week. If the future forecasts look favorable, I will probably plant all or part of them this weekend and make sure I have enough covers for them if needed. I probably won't plant my peppers for another week to ten days. Most of my seed grown plants like cucumbers and squash will be planted next week. If the soil temp is high enough to germinate the seeds in seven to ten days, they should be okay.

[Gardeneer]

Last year I sacrifice few plants to the gods. Cause I rushed to early.
This year I am going to take my seedlings outside tomorrow to start hardening them off. It might take about 6 days
Then, looking into 15 days forecast I might start planting out, maybe 5 or six of them per day. My garden is all ready. All I have to do is just to dig planting holes.

[DonDuck]

Along with my grown from seed tomato and pepper and eggplants, I always purchase at least six Big Beef Plants. I went to the farm store and was told the Big Beef plants will arrive on Friday. If they do arrive on Friday, I will probably plant most of my plants on Sunday. I left my seedlings out all day and all night yesterday. It is supposed to get really windy today. I hope it does. It will strengthen my seedlings.

[DocBrock]

Originally Posted by DonDuck

I bought the little six pack of seedlings at Lowes for many, many years. One year, I went to Lowes to buy my seedlings in the six packs and they didn't have any. They had switched over to the single plant containers. It ticked me off because the single plants suddenly cost 50% more than six pack of seedlings and the plants in the single containers were no larger than the plants in the six packs the previous years. I think it was the year they switched over to Bonnie plants. I tracked down the garden center manager and asked him if they would be getting the six pack containers later. He was very rude while saying they would no longer be selling the six packs, only the single plant containers. He acted like I shouldn't be asking how they run their business. That was the last time I bought anything at Lowes garden center and possibly the last time I bought anything at Lowes.

I've been leaving my "grown under lights" seedlings outside most of the day for about one week. I was bringing them in at night due to mid thirties temperature forecasts. I will leave them out at night now due to mid forties forecasts for the next week. If the future forecasts look favorable, I will probably plant all or part of them this weekend and make sure I have enough covers for them if needed. I probably won't plant my peppers for another week to ten days. Most of my seed grown plants like cucumbers and squash will be planted next week. If the soil temp is high enough to germinate the seeds in seven to ten days, they should be okay.

So I took a stroll through the garden center at HD this morning and they've got in cucumber seedlings. They no longer sell the individual 6 packs like DonDuck said, however the single cucumbers they're selling now have 8 or more seedlings packed in a 1 inch circle. How useful is that to anyone? I'd probably damage most of them trying to get them separated. I wonder how many people take that home and plant it as is. How does that work? One seedling becomes dominant and the rest die off?

[DonDuck]

Originally Posted by DocBrock

So I took a stroll through the garden center at HD this morning and they've got in cucumber seedlings. They no longer sell the individual 6 packs like DonDuck said, however the single cucumbers they're selling now have 8 or more seedlings packed in a 1 inch circle. How useful is that to anyone? I'd probably damage most of them trying to get them separated. I wonder how many people take that home and plant it as is. How does that work? One seedling becomes dominant and the rest die off?

I've never had much luck transplanting cucumber or squash seedlings. They seem to be very fragile where the stem comes out of the soil and can be easily damaged removing them from the container. I may be wrong, but if you do plant transplants, you should snip the excess plants off with a pair of scissors. Plant them as a group and remove all but the largest and strongest. I do that with tomato and pepper plants by planting excess seeds in a cell and only keeping the largest and healthiest of the group when they are only a few inches tall.

[JerryHaskins]

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

That's the way Bonnie's works. It's also the same reason you see Bonnie's everywhere. The store owners have no skin in the game, they give Bonnie's space for the display and profit only from what sells.

Yep. I tried to buy spme lantana plants that looked pretty bad and it was too late to plant them.

I asked the Home Depot manager if he would discount them since they were headed for the dumpster.

He said that he couldn't. He said that Bonnie owns them and sets the price.

[Goodloe]

We don't have a HD here; wouldn't shop it if we did...just TOO ORANGE! We do have a Lowe's, but I don't buy plants there; way too expensive. I do raid their trash sometimes when I need plastic trays, tho.

I buy my seedlings from the local Sunflower grocery store. They get about 3 shipments per year from an independent grower over around Tuscaloosa, AL (Roll Tide!). The 1st shipment is due in next week. A 3-pack of tomato or pepper plants is $1.19+tax. A single tomato plant at Lowe's starts at about $3.78... Crazy, right?

[taboule]

I stopped buying plants a couple of years ago, since I learned how to start them from seed. Except last year. Because of our move, I got busy and skipped starting some of the harder types like peppers -as those need longer germination time and more babying.

One sunny day in June while cruising the country roads, I saw a small flee market by the side of the road, sponsored by a charitable organization (forgot who.) I stopped to see if they had any antique tools. None, but there was the sponsors selling various plants, in six packs. They were SUPER healthy, beautiful, and a great selection -tomatoes, peppers, cukes... At $1.5 a 6-pack IIRC. I couldn't pass them and ended up buying a dozen peppers -mixed sweet types. I planted them in big pots and enjoyed peppers and salsa material the entire summer and fall.

[Gardeneer]

I usually dont buy seedlings unleß i see something that i like. Like last year i bought a German Queen.
This year i have all my tomatoes now getting hardened up. But i will be looking to get some peppers as some of mine did not germinate.
HD , WM And Lowes sell mostly Bonnie plants for the same price. By the time you add the tax each plant cost 4 bucks. Toooo expensive. Sometimes they sell two for 5. They make more money by selling individually than by 6 packs. They have figured that out. However they sell things like lettuce corn ..in 6 packs.I find it tooo expensive to pay 4 bucks for 6 lettuce, for example.

[Worth1]

Cucumbers squash and such are easy to transplant with no ill effect to the plant.
The pot needs to be root bound and the soil and roots not disturbed.

[MadCow333]

Originally Posted by Worth1

HD and Lowes do strange things.
If I didn't know better I would think they had some sort of conspiracy going.

They aren't bright enough to pull off an actual conspiracy. It's simply monkey see, monkey do.

The Bonnie plants are owned by Bonnie or whatever company sets the racks and delivers plants. The retailers have varied polices regarding how much care they give the Bonnie plants. Lowe's here has the Bonnie racks on the sidewalk out front, and literally could not care less about those plants, because they are not Lowe's property. Kmart is the same. . Home Depot integrates theirs into their greenhouse, where they will at least be watered. Local Lowe's does nothing in the event of a frost or freeze. Not even make sure plants are watered beforehand.

[DonDuck]

i sometimes enter or leave a store and notice the plants are limp and dying from thirst. The water hose is laying on the ground within a few feet of the plants, but no employee bothered to pick the hose up and water the plants. It really isn't any of my business, but it really ticks me off.

[MadCow333]

Because Lowe's doesn't own those plants , they are just added burden to Lowe's already understaffed nursery. The other issue is that the Bonnie truck delivers all the trays bone-dry! When I worked seasonal OSLG, I'd go water them. And separate out diseased plants and set them in some empty part of the racks by themselves. Employees are overextended and tasked to death after last year's staffing cuts and reorganization. I buyplants from the local greenhouses. The last Bonnies I bought gave all my homegrown plants septoria in 2016, so to heck with Bonnie. I grow more seedlngs than I can use and seeds cost at most $3 or $4 for something I paid through the nose to get.