Is It Cheaper To Grow Plants From Seed Or Buy The Plant?

For most plants growing from seeds is almost always cheaper. There are some plants however whose seeds might be hard to obtain. For these if you can find the plants, buy them.

I've also heard that there are some seeds that will not germinate because they need "special treatment." Some germinate only after they've been soaked in warm water while others few have to be boiled!

For most vegetables and fruits, seeds are cheaper. For the best results sow the seeds in a nursery. .

 

I too would agree - that as seeds are generally way, way less expensive to buy than ready grown plants or seedlings - they would without doubt - always be considered to be the cheapest option.

However - although I do generally start almost everything I can from seed - as not only do plants started from seed usually take quite some time to develop into good sized plants - but as Denis Hard mentioned - not all plants can be grown from seed - mainly due to the fact that they don't all come true to the mother plant or are either erratic or difficult germinators - another very cost effective and slighty quicker alternative to furnishing a garden with an abundance of plants - would be to choose perennials and shrubs that can be multiplied by division or from cuttings.

In fact - the latter is something I've always done when wanting some form of structure in a new garden - quickly - especially as - by buying just a few different perennial plants and then dividing them up to make 3 and sometimes even 4 new plants - its amazing how quickly a garden can look fairly well established for very little cost in next to no time.

 

Seeds are literally worth peanuts nowadays so my family always grows using seeds instead of shop-bought plants which can end up dying on the first day.

 

I think it depends on whether or not you have a green thumb. Although I've had many plants over the years, I don't always have success growing plants from seed. Because of that, I've often purchased small plants to get started. Also, there are people willing to give cuttings sometimes on Freecycle and Facebook groups, and others will charge a small amount for them via Facebook groups or other local sites.

 

I guess in general seeds are always cheaper to purchase but maybe some may take a bit more to grow than others and the trouble might not be worth it or may turn out to be more expensive than just buying the plant already grown to a certain point. Nonetheless I think there is value in learning how to grow seeds of many types of plants and for that I think the extra expense, if there is any, is invaluable so if it were me I would just pick that instead as much as I can.

 

If you already have certain plants, then it is a lot cheaper to grow from the seeds if you have the patience for it. However, where I live, plants aren't particularly expensive anyway, so it doesn't make all that much difference to me. But I am the type of person who always wants to try and save money wherever possible, so for this reason I will always try to grow from seeds if I can.

 

I totally agree with Diane Lane....If you have green fingers and know exactly what you're doing, it would naturally work out cheaper to buy seeds and grow the plants yourself. My mum is very passionate about gardening and really enjoys it. She has a huge, lush garden that she spends a lot of time in. So she either gets seeds or swaps plants with her friends and makes it work.

I however, am the least green fingered person you'll ever find. So if i ever decided I wanted plants, regardless of the price, I'd opt to buy plants as opposed to seeds.

 

I think it always cheaper to start your plants from seed but in some cases I prefer to go with the plant. I grow beans and peas from seeds and they do very well. I also like to grow tomatoes but in Ontario it is a fairly short growing season. In order for me to start them from seed I would have to start them indoors which takes a lot of effort and time. I prefer to spend the extra money to buy tomato plants that are a fairly good size with flowers on them already.

 

It depends on the price of your time - watering a plant is easy, but if you can't constantly watch it, some of them are bad for certain lifestyles. Generally better to get one that's been in a pot for a bit and save yourself the time.

 

I think the cheapest way to grow plants is from cuttings. I bought a container of Takeroot rooting hormone on clearance for $1 and asked my neighbor Rosa if I could take some small cuttings ofsome of her plants. It didn't cost me anything except the $1 for the Takeroot. Even if you pay full price for the Takeroot, it's still worth it.

 

Cheapest way is definitely the seed route, however, like others have mentioned there are some plants that you might have to buy since they might be a little harder to start from seeds. I personally start all of my fruits and vegetables from seeds and some of my flowers. I buy a few flowers because I invest most of my time in starting fruits and veggies for my garden and if I decide I want a little more color flower wise...then I'll head out and buy some flowers at the store. But yeah, I would say, the seed route is cheaper and in my personal opinion a whole lot more fun too!

 

Even though buying seeds is cheapest it hasn't been a good choice for me because the plants or flowers always die. What I've gotten use to is buying from the clearance shelves at Lowe's garden center and nursing them. The outcome has been very well for the most part and I feel that I've saved money and time in the long run.

Also I buy adult plants from a vendor at the flea market I go to mostly perennials. I'm able to enjoy blooms immediately and the cost is much cheaper than in the garden center.