Could buying plugs be less costly than growing from seed?
Our customer Jessie of B.A.R.E Flower Farm breaks down the numbers that go into producing your own starter plants vs. buying in plugs in this data-driven video. As a first-year cut flower farmer, Jessie quickly pivoted from seed starting to using plugs for her early spring crops. Of the 300 snapdragons she started, only 45 survived to the transplant stage!
Here's what Jessie had to say about why she pivoted to plugs.
"Plugs–they look more expensive on paper but when you crunch the numbers, you may be surprised. They may actually be cheaper for the beginner, small scale cut flower farmer! For someone growing on a quarter to half an acre, they may actually be a great option for:
- People who want “insurance” to ensure they have blooms, especially beginner growers.
- People who are nervous about succession planting and want to have blooms all throughout the season. Let’s face it, when the growing season starts, things get crazy busy and who has time to start seed?
- If you’re having issues germinating certain types of seed (Lisianthus, I’m looking at you!)"
Dig into the numbers of buying plugs vs. starting seed with Jessie in her unbiased video, and read 11 Reasons to Buy Plugs here on the blog.