Kitchen Garden Forum

Seedling and I were in the garden centre buying compost yesterday (she's still looking after me and is now my sherpa too) and they were selling leek seedlings at £2.99 for 9. That's 33p each for something like a blade of grass. Am I right in thinking that I could buy a fully grown leek for less than that? Are people really so gulible that they'll pay these prices?

I've also calculated that I have several thousand pounds worth of leeks sat in pots in my garden I'd best up the security.

You're right. When you look at the cost of a packet of seeds, the cost of buying veg seedlings in a garden centre is horrendous and I only ever resort to this method if my home sowings have been lost or not germinated and it's too late to resow replacements. But I think the reason why people buy them is that a) They don't do the maths, b) they're short of time and want a quick route and c) they only have space for a few items so are willing to pay over the odds.
What annoys me is that occasionally I need a few garden centre lettuce seedlings to fill my succession planning and have to buy trays of about 20 plants when I only need a maximum of half a dozen for a household for 2 people. The garden centres round here no longer seem to sell the "single strip" trays and it's usually impossible to find somebody prepared to share a whole tray with you.