I stopped buying nursery starts at the beginning of the pandemic. I figured things are getting back to normal. I am good with my tomato starts but planned on bell peppers from the nursery. In the past I have purchased six packs for a few bucks. I went to a nursery near by that has in the past had nice six packs. Not this time. NO six packs of any thing . A total of six sad looking bell peppers in four inch pots for pennies less than five bucks, I purchased three but I wanted twelve. Next I stopped at Lowes. NO six packs and NO four packs of anything . They did have better looking bells in four inch pots for about the same price so I picked up two more .

I refuse to buy plants at the box stores, pandemic or not. Even out in the middle of nowhere there are locally owned nurseries that have everything needed to grow a garden. All my tomatoes and peppers are started in the basement, but flowers and some other vegetables we buy from the small businesses. They often sell singles along with 4 and 6 packs. We went on a couple of road trips in the last two days and inventory here was very good but then the weather has not been warm enough yet for the rush to begin.

I broke down and added a Cherokee Purple and Brandywine (it may be a Red) since I had not started this this year and they looked very healthy...I couldn't help myself.

What few I buy are from my local grocery store.
They are in 3.5 inch containers and always pepper plants.
If I wanted to get tomatoes to produce i would have to start seeds myself.
They simply don't put them out soon enough.
You can't blame them they would die during the cold snap season.
Even with my pepper plants I had to bring them in a time or two before planting out.

Nothing wrong with buying sets as I see it. I’d be surprised if San Diego didn’t have some local sources for vegetable sets. I’ll likely always buy a few sets from the local feedstore just because I like doing business with them. HD or Lowes, not so much, just because they have gotten so pricy on stuff. They, the big boxes, also, here anyway, let everyting die because they refuse to water in time. What a waste!

Maybe it’s a gardener’s milestone or achievement to take a tomato or pepper seed and nurture it all the way to fruiting. If I know I can get that accomplished and do this every season now, but why not supplement that effort with some store bought sets if you want? It all costs something, the soiless mixes, the lighting, time, fertilizer, not everyone has sufficient time or space to get everything they want going from seed. Get some at the store, yes, especially good six packs, those can be a real value. I got 14 broccoli plants off a six pack last fall. What a deal! Six packs were hard to find here this year also. The feed store had their singles for $2.

My husband and I have had this merry go round for years on this very topic I refused to buy from stores because of the I need to start it from seed the I did that feeling but he keeps saying they may have started it but you grew it and so on but I don’t feel it’s the same thing haha but this year things didn’t my way with the tomatoes so now I need to buy a few just so I have some my local nursery is amazing they have great looking plants lots of varieties at different stages. I’m going to a new one tomorrow to check it out .. guess will see that my 2 cents on it all

I won't purchase starts from the big box stores because they are treated with growth regulators and pesticides. I have no problem picking up plants from my local greenhouses though and they just do so much better than those from the big stores.

I always ask a million questions at the nursery’s just for that reason alone Whst they feed em how there cared for and so on I don’t buy anything from the big box stores either don’t trust it

HD, Lowes, Walmart are all on the same block. They stock their plants from the same local nursery so I shop them often. Lowes always has the nicer plants though, must be the watering lady over there is more on it than the other two stores.

Tomato selection is junk, but everything else is pretty solid

I don't know why, but i find that the starts i find always have disease that comes with them. I try and start everything from seed, unless absolutely necessary

I can't remember the last time I saw 6 packs, though I only look at the plants walking by, as a rule. Back in 2019 my Hari eggplants refused to germinate, so I had to go to a local nursery and buy some "Indian" variety in a 4 pack - I'd have to look at my pics to get the name, as it did not look like a variety listed anywhere. The price wasn't bad, but nothing like home grown. And eventually they came down with some disease, none of the others got, so it came out.

We have some really nice green houses here and even a few Amish ones that sell seeds and plants. But I enjoy starting my plants from seed. But now I will have to go check them out and see what there is and the price!

Buying a few starts from a nursery was part of my planning. I only have room under the lights and time for tomatoes. I like to support our local well known nursery but only if they have what I need. There is another nursery but it is 10 more miles and last time I went there I was disappointed in the sold out selection.

Perhaps my timing was off and perhaps the nurseries have trouble gauging the need with all of the new gardeners. Actually my timing was good for me and my planting schedule. If I am forced to buy a 4 inch start I at least want a nice pot that I can reuse. Both Lowes and the nursery provided me with a flimsy non reusable pot.

I planted the bells. The ones from the *quality* nursery were root bound, the ones from Lowes were not.

I may have to make a new plan for next year.

The plants I get at the grocery store have good pots they come in.
I've used everything under the sun to plant starts in.
From sardine cans to vegetable cans.
Half pint glass jars with holes drilled in the bottom.
Larger coffee cans.
You name it.
I've even experimented with zip lock bags with great success.

IF we do peppers this year they will be from bought starts. I am over a month late starting everything here and peppers are always hit or miss for me anyway. So I made the choice not to waste space on them.

well I done it ! i went and got my tomato starts today I was planning on small starts but welllll I got full size plants with blooms on them already:) got them from my local greenhouse and I trust what they do have not failed me yet. truly excited.. I was planning on 8 but they wouldnt fit in the car..now it really begins

On a whim I checked online for starts. Tomato starts are about $7 with high shipping costs as I suspected. Then I checked Amazon and they had Bonnie Plants Bell Peppers for $4.19 each with coupon (must buy 4) with free shipping because I have Prime. I paid $4.85 each at Lowes for the same Bonnie 4 inch plant! +$5 for gas + my time.

Buying a plant sight unseen is risky. Reviews are mixed as one would guess. Shipped and sold by Amazon but I don't think they come from their warehouse because of the 5 to 8 day delivery. It probably is a deal with a Bonnie Plants nursery. In some situations it could be a consideration because they have a return/replacement policy for these plants.

I couldn’t even risk ordering online yet I would love to order salmon berry bushes I really miss those in the southeast

@zeuspaul you're right, this year 4 or 6 packs are very rare. Seems everywhere they are selling in individual pots, cheapest I've seen are $3 but I've seen as high as $6 for 4in pots. Probably cuz it's more profitable than selling in multi packs.
I do like to peruse local small nurseries for plants I might want to try. A Buddhist church nearby has had a plant fund raiser for the past 2 years & the vegetable seedlings are excellent and reasonably priced @ $2. I got Yolo Wonder bells, saved seeds & grew my own this year so I didn't buy anything this time.

Thank God for the Amish! Done decent prices an the family owned fruit/veggie stand by my house. Only open during the season.

I feel really lucky to have a small urban farmer less than a mile away. I grow most of my own peppers and buy a few from her every year. She also has lots of natives and pollinator plants. I noticed our larger local nursery had raised their prices again since the last time I'd been--herbs are $4.99 now and the perennials are $12-30 depending on the size/type. I know their costs must have gone up a lot over the last few years--it wasn't that long ago that herbs were half that price.