Normally I am a huge advocate for growing ones own seedlings to transplant into your garden. There are so many pros to this: money savings, the pure joy of doing it, getting to grow hard-to-purchase varieties.
This year, I am taking a few steps back. Which is to say that I won’t be starting seeds indoors under grow lights next month. Some of this is due to logistics (visiting family in Arizona at the end of March/beginning of April when intense watering is needed) but really I am just owning what I do well and what I could stand to get some support on. And, I am being aware of all that is available to purchase these days.
Last year was my best year of eggplant and sweet pepper production despite the hail that nearly decimated the garden the first of July. It turns out that I have some things to learn about routine care of these heavy feeding vegetables. But I also think our transplants aren’t the healthiest they could be for some reason either. So this year I ordered hot peppers, sweet peppers and eggplant from Cooks Garden. They have a pretty robust variety of organically grown seedlings – including my favorite eggplant, India Paint, and I don’t have to sacrifice anything aside from a few extra dollars in cost.
In Chicago, we are pretty lucky. We have farmer’s markets, fairs, greenhouses and garden centers that offer quite a variety of organic and heirloom seedling varieties. There is such an interest in supporting these types of plant that the market is simply responding. If you have the means to shop at somewhere outside of the big box stores for your annual vegetables, do so this year. The options may surprise you.
Stay tuned to hear more about my adventures in mail order seedling purchasing!
Jaime