I get my potatoes from my local Rural King, no shipping since I pick them up.

Otherwise, I buy larger quantities. By doing this, I only have to buy xxx once every 2-4 years, and on the off years for xxx, I buy yyy, and so on. Usually buying 2x-4x larger amount than I need each year is cheaper on the per year price.

It takes a few years to get to that, and the research to know which seeds keep and which ones don't (corn), but after you get started, it does work out.

Plus, if you find that you need more, you already have the seeds. It also helps in case of seed crop failure, you already have yours. I always keep at least 1 extra years worth of seeds for that reason alone.

We saved a bunch of our own this year which will help with costs.

I won't do lettuce again because it's fiddly - but we did our dill, chufas, one variety of mustard seeds, amaranth, zinnia, foxgloves, sweet peas, chinese lanterns (I sell flowers at market as well). I plan on doing more next year.

Obviously it's not gonna work for everything but it does cut costs and gives you something garden-y to do in the winter. Over time you also end up with seeds that are best suited to your piece of land.

Supplies we tend to scrounge or people offer us stuff. The stuff we do buy is good quality so we can be sure that it will last a while.

A lady at work just offered us a 3-tier seed starting stand along with bulbs for free.

good gift. I made mine several years ago as a folding display rack, then added lights. Each year, I seen to add more stands. At this time, I have a 12x14 room that will surrounded by light stands this year, and maybe some down the middle. All before going outside to the greenhouse.

This seed starting business can be addictive. LOL

Marla

I always check the clearance section on the websites I visit for discounts. Seed companies have sales. I bought packets for around a $1.00 from Seed Savers Exchange, Peaceful Valley, and Johnny's a couple months ago. Otherwise, bulk is the way to go.
I've had luck with buying supplies and getting free manure on Craigslist. Just because it's a good buy doesn't mean I need it though. For fertilizer look at your local farm store for feed meals like alfalfa meal and soybean meal. For compost and soil mixes buy only by the yard from soil companies or make your own. I had a couple landscapers deliver their bagged leaves this Fall. I'm using them for mulch, as a soil amendment, and as a compost base.

On Clearance soil and seeds, be sure to check how old they are. Somethings don't do as well as they age. Especially on the seeds. I've been given lettuce and corn seed, just to find out that germination is at best 10%. Not worth wasting the soil to find out. Corn seed can be used in wood heating stoves if you have some old. Don't use too much at a time, it makes a very hot fire.

To be bulk is the only way to go, unless you are just trying something for the first time.

Marla

If you know Moose Tubers then you also know Fedco, but the real advantage of buying from them is in agglomerating orders with other growers. You will be eligible for larger discounts and can consolidate shipping costs, reducing your expenses by over 20% in some cases. This is a great way to establish good relationships with your neighbors as well, or could even be offered as a service at a local co-op or independent grocer or hardware store.

Shipping is so expensive that I try to limit what I order online, and then buy in bulk. I was in a hardware store in Priest Lake Idaho last month and they had last years seeds on sale for 10 cents each. There was a great selection cause it is too cold to grow stuff up there even in the summer. I bought a large bag full for almost nothing.
This year I saved onion, cilantro and carrot seeds from the garden. I got my compost in late winter from a stable, they were happy to get rid of it, delivered it to me free. Now if someone would only come and take away all of my river rock, I would be set.

Always compare prices, look @ local options. We have a seed store that is very resonable, but of course they don't stock all varieties. Also look at wholesale options. American Plant Products in OKC is a short drive & they have great prices on berry starts, potatoes & such.
When ordering online google for a coupon code prior to ordering. Retailmenot is one of my favorite sites. Had a code for free S&h from johnnys the other day. Saved me a bundle since I was ordering some hand tools.
Also I had added over $100 to my cart @ baker & didn't check out they emailed me a code for 5% off, if I finish my order. Wk later I still had not checked out so they sent me a 10% off code. I saved over $40 between the 2 online orders!!!

Think another idea is order in large amounts & try to split with someone. Amercian plant has an awesome price on sweet potatoes but min order is 1000.... I can't use 1000, wish I had someone close to split with!

I've bought sweet potatoes in large quantities, then sold them individually for 3/$1. I got a good deal because of buying a larger amount, and sold enough to pay for all. Worked out for me.

Old seed works on some things and not on others. Germination rate does go down, but sometimes it's worth buying the year old seed. I've found places will give them to me, if I catch them before they throw them away. Of course, I'm a regular customer of theirs. At this time, few retailers have the seed packets out. Livingston and American Seed, but no Burpee yet

Marla

Who uses Pro Mix products for starting seeds? I thought I had heard good things about them. I can get them somewhat locally. Looking into the cost.

I'm using it and having good results. The bales of compressed needs alot of water at first. All of my seeds popped up in record time, and the plants look really good, except the green zinnias. they died again this year, I guess I'm not supposed to grow them.

I will be adding some osmocote to the larger plants, since Pro-mix doesn't have any.

What formula do you use? People were bragging it up a couple months ago on idig and now when I was asking about it suddenly no one likes it or something. ?

Minnie, if you're asking me. I don't use a formula. I usually use Miracle grow with Moisture control over the last few years. This year I've started my peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes in the Miracle Grow, for the first round. Next round will be the Pro-mix, then I'll be fertilizing with liquid fertilizer 20-20-20 at 1/2 strength every 3rd watering. All of the 1203s will be in Pro-Mix. I'm thinking the pots may have alittle Soil Moist and Osmocote mixed in the soil.

I'm taking a soil science class and it may change my mind after doing some studies.

I found that it wasn't that much cheaper, but I could carry home 21 cu ft in the back of my Blazer. that's enough for at least 1/2 of what I will need. I could have picked up 70 cubic ft, if I had needed it. the compressed bales expect to use the same amount of water to dry soil. It will 'plump' to 2x the amount that you formerly had of soil.
Marla

I just had 2 bales of Pro Mix delivered today. I joined a wholesaler for free and they said it would be $22 for delivery and, although I am a cheapskate, I went for it instead of driving there to pick it up. With gas the way it is now I wasn't spending much more since it would have been my only errand in St Cloud anyway.

Be sure to let it soak at least over-night or longer with at least the same amount of water to mix.

I'm finishing up the 2nd bale and will need at least 3 more for this season.

Marla

You need to be careful when cutting costs on seeds. If you sell at Market this can backfire. Many of the cheapest seeds online and especially local are 2nds or last years seeds. For some things, like beans and peas, this is not really a problem, but for onions this can mean less than 50% germination and weak plants.

I buy from Seedway (main source), Johnny's, Harris for most things, followed by Stokes, Territorial and Park Seed. I get a few one offs from places like filaree garlic farm, Nourse farms (I spent more with them this year than any other place, almost 2K) for all berries, Boston mountain Nurseries for grape vines, etc.

Moral of the story is DO NOT skimp seed.

When talking about pro-mix you need to specify if you are talking about the stuff intended for residential customers, like in the hardware sore, or the professional mixes like BX and PGX. Pro-Mix BX is a good all puprose mix for seed starting. I used it a few years and have a bale left. I am no longer using it as I don't like perlite nor vermiculite. Both are inorganic and non-sustainable.

I have switched to Fafard GM-1 and add par-boiled rice hulls for the media ammendment. Fafard GM-1 is peat, dolomite, nutrient charge and wetting agent. No media ammendment, you add your own. I use rice hulls as they are 100% organic and work just like perlite. I usually use a mix of 30% rice hulls to GM-1. I really like this mix and it works well.

Fafard also sells this composition premixed as RM10 and RM30. Hard to find though and it is cheaper to mix your own.

Where do you get the rice hulls?

I have used rice hulls but didn't like them. I used the Pro Mix BX today and my first impression is that it is too chunky and way more perlite than I like. It seems more like potting soil. We'll see. It has good reviews and I really got a good deal for the quantity.

If you're just getting promix to start seeds with get the promix hp pgx plug mix with biofungicide. You won't have any damping off ever if you use clean flats and domes with it.
I spray all my flats and domes with physan 20 if they're used and give it a 5 minute contact time before filling them with the promix. It has killer drainage and you won't get any issues with root rot either.
If you want to save money on seeds, buy them in bulk and then get yourself a dedicated seed refrigerator and put it somewhere like your basement where it doesn't cost much to run it. I'm starting some tomato seeds that I always keep in the fridge unless I take them out to start some--and then put them right back.I mistakenly bought 1/4 pound of rutgers tomato seeds and they still come up good from 2004. I'll keep using them until they quit coming up. Some of the others are 7 years old and I get good germination.
That way if you want to grow heirlooms and save your own seeds you don't have to grow every kind of tomato you want seed of every year, you can put them on a rotation. I keep about 400 different kinds of tomato seeds in my fridge in ABC order.
Also, I started chives the other day from 2004 and had good germination on them. Some of those herb seeds keep forever. I surprisingly had pretty good germination on some rosemary seeds the other day from 2003.
Make yourself up a good excel spreadsheet of all the different seeds you have in abc order and keep an inventory on them of approx how many seeds of each so that you don't mistakenly order things you already have. When you use some of the seeds, keep a paper record of what you planted and how many so that you can update your spreadsheet. That way you know what you need to order or grow out each year.
That also helps you in your record keeping so that you know when to start things for next year. just look back over last year's and know if you had enough, not enough, too early? too late? and you've got a great starting place.

Again, you need to know which seeds and such that has a long shelf life and which doesn't.

I'm using the ProMix BX and am happy so far with it. It is alot more 'chunky ' than seed starting soil, which I don't care for. I like a potting soil to start my seeds, and this is working fine.

Marla

The Pro Mix with fungicide has a fungicide that is not natural and linked to Monsanto. I really wished I hadn't learned that.

In the last 3 years I have bought 2 tomato seeds. I bought Goldman's It Amer last year and Sungold this year. Last year I grew 65 kinds of tomatoes and all the seed was from free trades. There is postage with trades but not much.

I didn't realize that, but I'm not organic, so I will just have to deal with it this year.

Tomato seeds can last 7 years, in my experience. Peppers not near that, more like 2-4 years. Sweet Corn, after 1 year use it in the wood stove.

Marla

I don't think the fungicide is anything but natural, I took this off the promix website.

PRO-MIX BX BIOFUNGICIDE� is a general purpose peat-based growing medium compatible with a wide variety of ornamental plant species, fruit crops and most vegetable transplants that has been enriched with a biofungicide (Bacillus Subtilis) that prevents root diseases. These bacteria colonize developing root systems, and suppress disease-causing organisms, such as Pythium, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia, which attack root systems. The bacteria also act as a biostimulant developing with the growing root system. A vigorous root system is then established, resulting in more uniform plant stands after transplanting in the field and in greater crop yields.

Doesn't sound like a chemical to me! It probably isn't an organic mix though, because all the promix blends have a slight starter charge of fertilizer added.

I just picked up another 4 bales, that's 7 so far for this year. I'm hoping that's enough. I wish I could get the Miracle Grow in the qualities that I need at a reasonable costs, but I haven't found it near me. Shipping is way to expensive for 'dirt'.

Marla

moon, perlite is a naturally occurring substance, here's what wikipedia says.

Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently. It is an industrial mineral and a commercial product useful for its light weight after processing.

Vermilite is also naturally occuring. It takes a heating process to release, tho.

Vermiculite is a natural mineral that expands with the application of heat. The expansion process is called exfoliation and it is routinely accomplished in purpose-designed commercial furnaces. Vermiculite is formed by weathering or hydrothermal alteration of biotite or phlogopite.[1] Large commercial vermiculite mines currently exist in Russia, South Africa, China, and Brazil.

Sorry, I'm taking a courses in soil science and horticulture this semester and learning alot.

BTW, I learnt that 'dirt' is soil out of place, just like weeds are plants in the wrong place.

You can read about Subtilex here.
http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52080

There are natural fungicides but Subtilex isn't organic.

@myfamilysfarm

Perlite is an inorganic mineral, and as an inorganic mineral (that is mined) it is by definition not renewable. Perlite dust is considered a safety hazard for those working around it.

Virtually everything said about perlite is also true of vermiculite. With the nice added twist that Asbestos has been detected in the past in vermiculite. It can not be 100% eliminated either as the product is mined near deposits where natural asbestos deposits are also present.

For these reasons I consider Perlite and Vermiculite non-renewable, non-sustainable and environmentally unfriendly.

I consider Peate, Cor, etc. as a base, followed with dolomite (lime to balance PH), a nutrient charge and possibly a wetting agent for my base mix. I then add Rice Hulls to amend the media to my drainage needs.

My "Rice Hull Mix" is fully sustainable, it does not involve mining or working with potential lung irritants, etc. For these reasons I have chosen to go the more natural route with my growing medium. It works just as well as BX for me and it is about half the cost.

You can get Riceland (yes the same brand as at the grocery) parboiled (to kill all pathogens and weed seed) rice hulls in a compressed bale that expands to almost 10cf. Bales cost around $18 from BFG supply. Fafard GM-1 can usually be obtained for $18/bale from BFG supply or less if you take larger quantities.

I see perlite like glass. Would you chop glass into little bits and mix it into your potting soil? Perlite NEVER breaks down, nor does vermiculite. Some people use polystyrene pellets as a media ammendment. This is even less acceptable from a sustainable standpoint. Styrofoam never breaks down either.

I think as farmers we need to look at our practices LONG TERM, as in over hundreds of years. How do the choices we make today affect our children, grandchildren, etc. If our practices are not sustainable and renewable then we have a long term problem.