Where to order pots

jlwalke12 · March 25, 2012

Im growing some tomatoes for a farmer's market and the owner wants them in a 6 inch pot. Does anyone know of a good online store to buy from?

fortyonenorth · March 25, 2012

I like greenhousemegastore.com. They have a good selection and I've found their prices and service to be excellent.

whistler · March 25, 2012

Also try novoselenterprises.com - free shipping on >$75, and good discounts (including 20% off $200 or more). Their service is fast and the staff is helpful if you need to call and ask questions about their products.

I buy their 3.5" deep square pots for my tomatoes. The year I bought 6" pots and potted up tomatoes from the 3.5" pots, I saw no difference in plant size or health (I ran out of the 6" pots, so had plants of the same age in both size pots to compare). Now I stick with the 3.5"s which cost less and use less potting mix.

jlwalke12 · March 27, 2012

Thanks for the advice. I also have another question. The owner of the store said that he wants plants that have a thick stalk and lots of blooms and even small fruits on them. To get a thick stalk does that depend on the variety or how deep you pot them up or both?

feldon30 · March 28, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlwalke12

Thanks for the advice. I also have another question. The owner of the store said that he wants plants that have a thick stalk and lots of blooms and even small fruits on them. To get a thick stalk does that depend on the variety or how deep you pot them up or both?

So in other words, the owner doesn't care about the customer. A tomato plant with lots of blooms and fruit on it has switched from the growth/root stage to the blossom/fruit stage and will not easily switch back. The customer will get a poor crop. No offense, but if I saw a bunch of transplants with fruit on them, I'd high-tail it out of there and head to Calloway's.

If he wants the seedlings to have a thick stalk like Bonnie's transplants, then you will need to grow the seedlings like they do, in 40-50 degrees and with frequent application of growth inhibitor chemicals. You can use an oscillating fan to make the stems on your tomato transplants a bit thicker, but you'll never be able to reproduce the "Wal-Mart/Lowe's/Home-Depot" type thick stems without growth inhibitors. This is from someone who used to work at Bonnie's.

huntoften · March 28, 2012

To stay on topic...I second the vote for greenhouse megastore.com for prices, variety, and service.

On to the other topic...I agree with Feldon...flowering plants = bad news for gardeners. I spend a lot of time every year convincing customers that it's a bad idea to buy a flowering plant or one with fruit on it. I tell them they want root growth in May...top growth and flowering in June and ripe fruit in July until it frosts.

A lot of people also balk at the sight of my 4-8 inch, stubby tomato plants I sell, but when they put them in the garden and have earlier fruit set, longer harvests and a healthier plant all year long, they understand that there's more to successful tomato gardening than just buying a big plant and getting a handful of so-so tomatoes off of it.

I could make a LOT more money in the short term by selling bigger plants at a premium price, but I want my customers to be successful and come back year after year...more money in the long run.

jlwalke12 · March 28, 2012

I totally agree with both of you about plants already having blooms and fruits on them. I would buy ones without them but Im not the owner of the store and when I brought my plants for him to see he said that he could not sell them that way because they dont stand out. I also forgot to mention that he wants mostly container varieties. Just out of curiosity are growth inhibitors expensive and hard to use or is it something that anyone could buy and use?

janezee · March 28, 2012

jlw, if I were you, I'd stand by my principles and take my business elsewhere. Even to Craigslist or a grocery store or church parking lot.

But that's me.

j

jlwalke12 · March 28, 2012

Your right I will probably have to go somewhere else unless I can convince him to buy what I already have.

janezee · March 29, 2012

jl, don't feel that you have to convince him. I was in business for myself for many years. Anyone like the person you are describing was not worth doing business with. Trust me. Do not try to convince him. Be proud of your product, not apologetic. Tell him that you no longer need his demands. You won't cheapen your product for him, because you won't feel right about it.

Oooops, but that's me, again!

j

dice · March 30, 2012

For someone like that, you could grow dwarf tomato plants and start them
earlier (so that they will be taller when he gets them). Thick stems and
interesting looking leaves are built in to the dwarf phenotype.

Here is a good picture of one:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7Jm1o_ioyp...warfTomato.jpg

feldon30 · March 30, 2012

I just curious how successful this nursery owner has been when he's competing with with Calloway's of which there are 17 locations in the greater Dallas / Ft Worth area and they don't do this nonsense of trying to sell plants with flowers and fruit already on them, unless it's Patio in a 2 gallon pot.

snappybob · March 30, 2012

I've been buy from Morton's
http://www.mortonproducts.com/page.cfm/1278

jlwalke12 · April 2, 2012

First of all it's not a nursery its a farmer's market and they only sell a few plants compared to produce and stuff like that. So there not competing with Colloway's very much and they only buy from the locals. I like what you guys said about dwarfs in 2 gal, pots. I might give it a try.

afrance30 · April 2, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortyonenorth

I like greenhousemegastore.com. They have a good selection and I've found their prices and service to be excellent.

I agree, I shop around and I always end up going back to them.

March 25, 2012	#1
jlwalke12 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Dallas Texas Posts: 29	Where to order pots Im growing some tomatoes for a farmer's market and the owner wants them in a 6 inch pot. Does anyone know of a good online store to buy from?

March 28, 2012	#6
huntoften Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kansas CIty Posts: 560	To stay on topic...I second the vote for greenhouse megastore.com for prices, variety, and service. On to the other topic...I agree with Feldon...flowering plants = bad news for gardeners. I spend a lot of time every year convincing customers that it's a bad idea to buy a flowering plant or one with fruit on it. I tell them they want root growth in May...top growth and flowering in June and ripe fruit in July until it frosts. A lot of people also balk at the sight of my 4-8 inch, stubby tomato plants I sell, but when they put them in the garden and have earlier fruit set, longer harvests and a healthier plant all year long, they understand that there's more to successful tomato gardening than just buying a big plant and getting a handful of so-so tomatoes off of it. I could make a LOT more money in the short term by selling bigger plants at a premium price, but I want my customers to be successful and come back year after year...more money in the long run. __________________ Kansas City, Missouri Zone 5b/6a

March 28, 2012	#7
jlwalke12 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Dallas Texas Posts: 29	I totally agree with both of you about plants already having blooms and fruits on them. I would buy ones without them but Im not the owner of the store and when I brought my plants for him to see he said that he could not sell them that way because they dont stand out. I also forgot to mention that he wants mostly container varieties. Just out of curiosity are growth inhibitors expensive and hard to use or is it something that anyone could buy and use? Last edited by jlwalke12; March 28, 2012 at 10:12 PM. Reason: Forgot to include a question

March 30, 2012	#11
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	For someone like that, you could grow dwarf tomato plants and start them earlier (so that they will be taller when he gets them). Thick stems and interesting looking leaves are built in to the dwarf phenotype. Here is a good picture of one: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7Jm1o_ioyp...warfTomato.jpg __________________ -- alias

March 30, 2012	#12
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I just curious how successful this nursery owner has been when he's competing with with Calloway's of which there are 17 locations in the greater Dallas / Ft Worth area and they don't do this nonsense of trying to sell plants with flowers and fruit already on them, unless it's Patio in a 2 gallon pot. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

March 25, 2012	#2
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	I like greenhousemegastore.com. They have a good selection and I've found their prices and service to be excellent.

March 25, 2012	#3
whistler Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: PA Posts: 100	Also try novoselenterprises.com - free shipping on >$75, and good discounts (including 20% off $200 or more). Their service is fast and the staff is helpful if you need to call and ask questions about their products. I buy their 3.5" deep square pots for my tomatoes. The year I bought 6" pots and potted up tomatoes from the 3.5" pots, I saw no difference in plant size or health (I ran out of the 6" pots, so had plants of the same age in both size pots to compare). Now I stick with the 3.5"s which cost less and use less potting mix.

March 27, 2012	#4
jlwalke12 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Dallas Texas Posts: 29	Thanks for the advice. I also have another question. The owner of the store said that he wants plants that have a thick stalk and lots of blooms and even small fruits on them. To get a thick stalk does that depend on the variety or how deep you pot them up or both?

March 28, 2012	#8
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	jlw, if I were you, I'd stand by my principles and take my business elsewhere. Even to Craigslist or a grocery store or church parking lot. But that's me. j

March 29, 2012	#10
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	jl, don't feel that you have to convince him. I was in business for myself for many years. Anyone like the person you are describing was not worth doing business with. Trust me. Do not try to convince him. Be proud of your product, not apologetic. Tell him that you no longer need his demands. You won't cheapen your product for him, because you won't feel right about it. Oooops, but that's me, again! j

March 30, 2012	#13
snappybob SETTFest™ Coordinator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 214	I've been buy from Morton's http://www.mortonproducts.com/page.cfm/1278

April 2, 2012	#14
jlwalke12 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Dallas Texas Posts: 29	First of all it's not a nursery its a farmer's market and they only sell a few plants compared to produce and stuff like that. So there not competing with Colloway's very much and they only buy from the locals. I like what you guys said about dwarfs in 2 gal, pots. I might give it a try.