What do you do with leftover seedlings?

[Hilde]

This is the first year I have sowed a lot of different varieties of OP tomatoes. Last fall was the first time I saved seeds. I did pretty well for a novice I think, because the germination rates are pretty high.

Now I have a lot of beautiful little seedlings growing
under shop lights in the basement. (It is my first time using grow lights too.) I don't have room for all of them outside, even if I soon will start building four 4x16x1 raised beds in the back yard.

I do plan to go to a plant swap (or in my case, a plant give-away, since I won't have room for much else!) around Memorial Day, so I guess most of my leftover seedlings will go there and perhaps my neighbors would like a few.

I am curious: What do all of you do with your leftover seedlings? Do you toss them? Swap them? Sell them? Give them away? Plant them out too close together because you can't bear to not grow them?

Hilde

[gssgarden]

I hold on to them as long as possible just in case one doesn't make it and I need a replacement. Last year my Dr. Wyche was looking good until two weeks after I put it in the ground and it just stopped growing. No other way to describe it. I wish I had another but I didn't.

My mother takes all my leftovers and crams them in a suuny locaation in her yard hoping that she gets a few.

Then, I make the slow painful trip to the compost pile and..sniff...well, you know what happens..

Greg

[ddsack]

Give away what I can to my sister who redistributes to her friends who grow in community gardens.

Anything leftover gets stuck in a shallow hole near the sunny edge of our woods! They have to compete with grass and brush, the deer usually find them, or I forget where I planted them. But I can't bear to just trash them or compost them.

[rxkeith]

i share some with my neighbor at the farm. extras get brought in to work, who ever wants em gets em. last year i wrote on a sheet of paper a brief description of each variety, and country of origin so people would know what to expect. i have never taken any back home. some extras get held back in case others bite the dust. each year i end up shoe horning a few into any available location in the garden. the only ones that go on the compost pile are the failure to thrive plants. healthy plants deserve to grow.

keith

[huntoften]

I give away a bunch to friends and family...when there's more then that, try posting them on craigslist in your local city's farm/garen section. I did so well selling off my extra plants last year for $1 each I decided to purposely plant a bunch more this year. I've met a bunch of local gardeners and made some money to offset the cost of seeds, soil, and containers. I won't get rich, but should break even and have some fun as well!

[mresseguie]

Hilde,

Good for you for asking!

I give most of mine to the Master Gardener Association for their plant sale. The money earned helps them do many things in the community. The rest go to friends and to the Youth Garden Project (YGP) here in town. YGP is ultra low budget, so they can use all the help they can get. All their food goes to the local food bank.

Knowing that my tomatoes are helping the community gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling.

Michael

[kimpossible]

It is just about impossible to buy heirloom/OP seedlings around this area - just the typical Early Girls, Better Boys, Big Beef [[[[...yawn...]]]]. I know there are plenty of gardeners that would love to try something different, but are not prepared to go to the trouble of raising their own from seed. This year I have decided offer my extras for sale at the local grocery store's garden centre. I have known the owner for many years, so it will be interesting to see how this works out - price for the plant - his cut/ my cut. I have never done this before, so I'm not sure what to charge. We also have a Saturday morning market in the town square, so I could take some there, too. I know I'll have at least a few hundred extra plants to find homes for!

[gardengalrn]

I usually plant and pot up a few extra for spares, a few to give away. This year I doubt I will be giving away as many as in years past just because I don't have that network yet. I'm thinking once people taste a good tomato they will start inquiring I used to not be able to bear to cull any but this year I was ruthless because some didn't look so hot. I only picked the healthiest, sturdiest seedlings. I'll find space for all those that I've potted up if not given away, even though I haven't allotted for them. I think it is great to give to the community, I may try to find a cause next year for my extras. I'm a big fan of the library, maybe they would be interested.

[RosaDawn]

I usually give my spare tomato plants to families I know with a lot of children,and to the elderly.The elderly especially like the gift of a few plants,I put theirs in containers to make the tomatoes easily assessible to them.It makes them feel like they are gardening without all the hard work.And families and the elderly are feeling the price pinch at the stores,so it is the least a person could do is help them save a few dollars on their own fresh tomatoes.

[gardenmama]

I am one who grows transplants for sale. My (very) little business, Mater General's Rare & Unusual Tomatoes, started out because I had too many plants and couldn't bear to throw them away. At first I just gave them to friends and neighbors. Then I asked the owner of a local garden center if he would be interested in carrying heirloom plants. He was hesitant at first, but since then he has been doubling his order each year and selling out all stock in less than 3 days after each delivery.

Besides the ones I grow to order for customers, I purposely grow extra plants to donate to our neighborhood garden club plant sale, the Master Gardeners plant sale and give to the local service that provides a therapy garden for adults with disabilities. I also give a few to the schools in the area for their school gardens. As long as I am covering my costs for the season, I'm happy.

[feldon30]

A small memorial service.

[Tomaat]

I give away my extra seedlings to family and friends as I can't kill them. Some people really appreciate this and give the seedlings lots of TLC (I love that type of recipient) and in contrast, some just treated the seedlings very raugh and neglected them (that, really hurt ).

[Raymondo]

Ususally give away to friends, no relatives nearby. I donate a lot to a local school fete and last year I also offered them through the local organic food coop. That was a real hit. Next season I might try to sell some to offset costs.

[DonnaK-NC]

I may have 15 to 30 plants left over. Like others, I save a few for replacements if something happens to mine. I give around 15 or so to my mom who plants maybe 4 in containers. The rest she takes to her quilt club meeting to give away to friends who are delighted with free plants. I've learned to always use disposable containers for these because if i use one of my 3-4 in plastic pots in a give away, the seniors have a fit trying to pay me for the container! lol Any left over after that, well, last year, I stopped at a local small business, didn't know the owner, and just said, "Would you like some free tomato plants?" They were so shocked and surprised and wanting to trade me and I said no thanks, enjoy! Not maybe more than 10 plants but fun to watch their surprise when they get something free from a stranger.

[nctomatoman]

Give lots away to friends and family - but now that I am going to be officially retired, our little Seedlings business From The Vine will be a bit more relevant and perhaps expanded....still pondering the possibilities...