On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:29:09 -0700, James wrote:

Which plants are cheap to buy in 6 packs? Tomatoes, peppers, and other
warm season plants to me are cheaper to buy as small seedlings instead
of starting your own.

When it cost 10 cents just for the jiffy pellet, the only reason to
start your own is if you can't buy the seedlings.

That's ridiculous. If price is your concern you would be hard pressed to
beat the price of a supermarket tomato, or even a farm stand tomato. The
prime benefit of growing your own is to have something that's not only
fresh, but also to have varieties that are different from the commercial
varieties. This year I've decided to grow heritage tomatoes. I'm growing
a bunch of commie varieties, Paul Robeson's, Orange Russians, Alaska's,
plus one Italian variety. The tomatoes that you get in flats are always
the same few varieties, Big Boys, Early Girls, Romas, and a couple of
others. They are very reliable and they have huge yields, all good
characteristics if you are a commercial farmer or you are relying on them
for survival. But I'm not a farmer and I count on the supermarket to
provide my basic needs. I also have a farm stand on the corner so I get
get produce that's just as fresh as anything I grow myself. So I've
decided that this year I'm only going to grow varieties that I can't get
elsewhere. I don't care about yield, last year I grew from flats and I
had hundreds and hundreds of tomatoes, if this year I end up with just
10% as many I'll still have more than enough.