Local plant sales
Depending on where you live plant sales may be a possibility again this spring. It great fun to see new plants, learn about them and have new color and use in your yard or patio.
The local audubon is having one again this year and its a favorite of mine. You tend to get more herbs and wild plants there.
You can buy or swap and buy. I like to swap.
The sale is May 20 so I am going to get my plants dug up now so they will look healthy when I take them. I make sure my plants look healthy, pots are clean and they are well marked. If they are different I make a plant ID and instruction sheet for them
I plant to take around 200 plants and figure I will get credit for about $400 worth of plants. Prices are determined by pot size.
I plan to take CutLeaf Coneflower, Beebalm (monarda), Queen of the Prairie, violet, cattail, ferns, sweet woodruff in larger pots. Spearmint, lemon balm, black eyed susan, lily of the valley in smaller pots. And some extra veggie plants in small cups. I may dig up a few small trees to take for my side forest area.
You can find plant sales and swaps in local newspapers and online. I love them because I always learn new things and meet fascinating people.
This is also a way I make extra income in the warmer months
Comments
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We dug up lots of dill, hen and chicks, strawberries, hostas, ferns and more to sell at our annual neighborhood garage sales.
My son's in high-school band and they are hosting a plant sale to raise money. I always like to support the locals when I buy plants. Or get them for free! :)
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Sounds like fun. Is there a resource to track Audubon plant sales?
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@tilathehunn I would check to see if you have a local Audubon. Many garden clubs have a spring plant sale and If you're on facebook many town have a local plant swap site.
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I just added peony, slender nettle, chinese lanterns and flag staff iris to the list of plants to take for trade
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I will look to find a group in my area. I guess I will just root a ton of mint to trade. Everyone likes mint, right?
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@Cornelius My best trading buddy loves spearmint. She will trade anything for more spearmint plants.
I have a swap going on tomorrow, This guy has amazing gardens. I always get great things and I mainly take seeds. He just loves to look at my seed collections.
I will take him some Fall Crocus, Outhouse Flower and Queen of the Prairie.
I have at least 5 plant trading groups in my area so you should be able to find a few.
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I picked up borage, bronze fennle, rainbow grass, wavy grass, 3 quince trees, 6 red bud and about 40 other plants for $8 this morning.
And I still have to visit my friend. It looks like later today or tomorrow will be a potting day
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@Denise Grant I'm almost afraid to ask. What is an Outhouse Flower?
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@torey lol. Exactly what you imagine.
It looks like a small sunflower on a 8 to 10 foot stem. They planted it around the outhouses to help hide the house or make it look prettier years ago.
The joke was you could tell the size of the family or how full of s%*t they were by how tall the flowers grew. Once very popular they are now hard to find.
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Well my afternoon swap went well. The best thing is they have this stunning garden thats almost like a secret garden in town.
There was one place that looked perfect for a rain I asked about their water drainage and they do have an issue after a rains so they liked the idea of a rain or bog garden.
I took them a few of my differnt plants and a bunch of different seeds and they gave me over 300 plants - much more than I need. So my friends will get a heads up and a bunch of plants.
It was such a nice relaxing afternon and talking "gardening" is always nice.
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@Denise Grant I like this kind of sell-and-swap idea. I am not aware of anything like that around here, but there may be some events I don't know about. I am not a member of the local gardening club.
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@VermontCathy I find these sales/swaps on facebook, my local small newspaper and bulletin boards.
The garden clubs around here do have sales and sometimes I see the fliers for them and go.
My local Audubon just had one and I imagine the conservation dept. will too
What I like about these swaps/sales is the sharing of tips
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Yes, @Denise Grant We have some outhouse flowers too. But they are not in very rich soil so they don't do as well as they could, I think. LOL
It sounds like you have a fun thing going! Do any people come to the swap to buy? How do you deal with that? It might be fun to arrange a swap in our hamlet.
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I will have to see if I can find any swaps or sales in my area. Nursery prices around here have increased 50% post covid and I can't bring myself to buy when there's that much of a price hike.
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@annbeck62 I feel the same way. If I can find something cheaper or swap I do.
Two amish greenhouse have extremely reasonable prices there and I shop there first. $1.25 a cell for flowers and $1.00 for veggies. I have one rare veggie I am looking for and will have to pay for that - if I find it
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@Denise Grant I'm also buying more seeds instead of plants this year. But I need to start showing some restraint. I just placed two more seed orders today 🤪 Fingers crossed everything comes up and grows happy.
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@annbeck62 Look at it this way: Two orders instead of Four.
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@Denise Grant true, and it was still cheaper than plants :)
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Besides, seeds are an investment, so you're doing great @annbeck62!
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Today I pulled up a wheelbarrow's worth of enthusiastic perennials, and I thought of you @Monek Marie /Denise Grant (you are the same person, right?) . How cool it would have been if I could have swapped or shared them like you do. Now they are just on the compost pile because I didn't have the oomph to put them into pots etc. Maybe next year I'll be more organized.
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@Annie Kate If you lived closer and not across a border I would have been there in plants to swap.
Yes, plan for next year. Have some pots and soil ready and pot those up to trade or sell. I make a very nice extra income and add to my plant varieties with swapping without the bank.
And yes, Monek and Denise are the same. Or maybe ones the evil twin?
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I picked up 40 free tomato plants today. I opnly need a few of the different varieties so I rest I will swap plants or other items for or give them away. I need some straw so I know my neighbor needs tomato plants so I am sure I arrange a swap with him
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Today I am going to a "free" veggie and flower event.
The town above us and in a differnt state has a program where they go to local greenhouses and get their plants that they have too much of or figure will not sell.
I am looking for a few veggies but I am mainly going to get veggies for my neighbor who helps me out a lot and that I get my hay from. I know he needs tomatoes and peppers.
I am also taking seeds that can be given away.
In ther last two years this organizatin and activity has been responsible for about 50 new gardens and many new gardeners, including children.
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@annbeck62 I keep buying more seed than I have room to plant, and then kicking myself for wasting money. I'm starting to get more disciplined about it, and also trying to save some of my own seed where possible.
I've already decided that next year I'm going to cut back on the "that looks unusual and interesting" and the "I like this plant, but never have much luck growing it" and the "we don't eat very much of this niche plant" seed purchases, and focus 90% of my available garden space on fundamentals: potatoes, tomatoes, peas, beans, onions, lettuce, spinach, pickling cucumbers, strawberries, and a small amount of garlic.
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I would love to come to your plant swaps @Monek Marie . They sound great! I don't think I'd have much that you don't, but I'd love to see your plants.
These are activities that are absolutely wonderful and so good for the community.
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@frogvalley What I like about these events is you learn so much. i also love sharing plants and seeds
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@VermontCathy that looks unusual and interesting and I've never had much luck growing this but maybe this year will be different get me every time
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