Dealing with Excess Plants

Attack someone at the garden center. LOL

This actually happened to me. I was there last fall shopping for some end-of-season sales on potted perennials and day lilies (half price!), when a total stranger approached me and asked if I would like some stuff from his gardens.

I thought at first he was a total wierdo. I mean, who approaches strangers and starts to offer free stuff? But as we've gotten to know him and his wife, and they are nice, kind people and have since given us lots of goodies.

I also heard of people having luck putting ads in the paper when they have a garage sale, and specify plants for sale. Lots of communities have free listings for garage sales.

 

That's funny - thanks for sharing this tidbit. So it turns out this is NOT a good way to meet someone of the opposite sex even if they do share an interest in gardening! :D (Pity)

 

Give away excess plants. Someone mentioned Craig's List and Freecycle - Freecycle has been the single most effective resource for getting rid of (and acquiring!) excess plants I have ever seen. Sometimes I'll trade them for other plants, but that's usually at the suggestion of someone else. I've scattered excess (local) wildflower seeds along the roadside, and even planted some extra vegetable plants near a 'tent city' once.

 

I like it - guerilla gardening!

 

give some to me. ;D

 

I am new here. Hello everyone. Why not join a community garden club or give plants to schools or to other projects. They are all over the place in vancouver

 

KBQ, "give plants to schools" is a good idea, or so I thought and offered some plants in this thread, but as you can see, it didn't elicit a response from the original poster.

 

Bartered my coffee trees with my local fair trade roaster at a value of 5 bucks a pop for product to feed my caffeine habit. Sounds like we may have an ongoing deal. That'd be a good thing...I've got twenty more seedlings.

 

That's great, pinenut. It's nice to be able to produce something that other people actually want. What size plants are you offering for that price? Are your plants similar to those typically found in retail stores? (i.e. Several plants per 4" pot.)

 

Just one per 6" pot, four or more sets of leaves, 4 to 6 inches tall. He's going to sell them for about $7. I think its tied in with a project he has going with his co-op in central America. He has a small roaster that's surplus to his requirements, and he wants to take it there to broaden the co-op's earning ability. At present I think they only grow coffee. So my trees may be used in the promotion of this project somehow.

He also said something about a poke in the eye for someone who couldn't get theirs to germinate. Not sure who he was referring to, an employee, a partner, another Canadian member of the co-op...He was definitely chuffed that you could grow coffee in the Yukon, so I think it was somebody from Outside.

 

where i live, we gardeners put any extra plants from our gardens out on the side of the road and, more often than not, within hours they are taken to new homes ..

 

I donate them to the local garden club's annual plant sale.

 

if i dont have any place else in my garden to plant them i will give to anyone who wants them.nearly all plants in my gardens have been given to me or grew from seeds.i also like to find neighborhoods with dead end streets in a wooded area,you woould be surprised at what poeple throw away,i have found pine cone ginger,many different ferns,impatients,air plants,philos,and bromiliads and many more.i tell my freinds they are cheapest nurseries around.

 

I never have excess plants... lol I want them all! No, seriously, I have been known to give away a few, but usually I use my cuttings, seedlings, and divides are moved to different parts of my garden. Other than two half barrels, I have no garden right now. I will in a month or so, so anything you might have, I'd be willing to dicker! :) I just moved to BC from NL, so right now I'm doing my research, then I'm going to design my raised beds, then I'm going to get my honey to build them! Then I'll get some spring flowering bulbs in there (I already know what I want...lol), and a few things that could use the rainy winter to get established. I'm so excited about the prospect of a new garden. I've even found a garden buddy down the street who is willing to trade my design and planting ideas with her plants. That way we'll each get some different things from each other. kinda cool. I've always said that gardeners were a good bunch... I haven't been proved wrong yet!

 

All of my excess plants are either given away to friends, or donated to local horticultural societies. If you are ever in Ottawa try dropping some plants off at Algonquin college horticulture building, they will either keep them to grow on it the greenhouses, if its something interesting, or horticultural students will be able to bring them home and take care of them.

 

I don't often give away any plants, as I don't have many to give away. I do have quite a few pineapple rooting at the moment and I suspect I'll have too many to handle in a month or so haha. The plan then would to be to give them away to friends, a few people have asked me for one already. If there are more left maybe apromotional sale at work would be prudent. Buy 3 pineapples and get a pineapple plant for free haha.

 

I had tons of tomato seedlings. I picked out 10 - cuz that's more than enough... and left the other 2 or 3 dozen in the cool garage to fend for themselves. I couldn't dispose (kill) them..... so I left them there.

After a week, my selected 10 grew to an 8 inch height, while the garage tomatoes were still alive and reaching their stunted 3 inch tallness. I took the survivors to work .. and they were gobbled up by my fellow emloyees with much enthusiasm. I'm so glad I took them to work. WHEW!

 

Almost every indoor plant I grow I've started from cuttings. Whenever I see a plant big enough to take a cutting from, I get permission from the grower (every time and even businesses) to take a cutting. Everyone, so far, has been more than willing and usually (when possible) let me take more than one. When they get full enough, I share cuttings with anyone who has a true desire to care for them. It gives me great joy to share them and to see them flourish under the care of my friends.

Good to know the majority of the voters do and feel the same.

Love it! Thanks for the poll!

Nancy

 

Give the plants away. One will make new friends thus.

 

As a bonsai enthusiast, The rooted cuttings are usually planted as forest style if it is a good material for that type. I also have friends who love plants and we exchange cuttings. Maybe one day, I'll sell them to whoever wants it especially the flowering plants.