High Tide and Low Tide

I can see how people can get themselves into trouble shopping online. Scrolling through the mega sites with all their gadgetry and fun stuff is so tempting especially when it comes along with photos of the gadget being used by happy, smiling people. The photos make it look like just owning one will make you a better person and that your family might even like you better if only for a day or two.

I wish I would have never looked for something on Temu. I got what I wanted for a ridiculously low price, almost to the point that I couldn’t believe it would be what it said it would be or it would show up in the mail in miniature sizes, like the size of little army men. I set my entire seed chamber up with supplies from Temu. Well built racks, UV light bars for lighting, heat pads for keeping the soil warm enough for seeds to germinate, cell trays, clear domes for the seed trays and even quality seed germ soils came at a fraction of what I was about spend. The problem was everything else on these pages in my peripheral vision that sang to me even though I tried to put my blinders on. There were garden gadgets that I had only dreamed of someone actually inventing. Some looked super cheapo, some looked like they might just work, and for the price, why not? I found little seed dibbles, terrarium sized tools perfect for seeding and seeders that drop one seed at a time (very handy). I got myself set up and wound up with a little junk just to satisfy my curiosity. I found a pair of trekking poles for less than $14 dollars, normally at least $60. They have not shown up yet, I have my doubts.

The world over produces everything and they have to get rid of it any way possible, straight out of a factory somewhere makes it cheap. Seed catalogs have a similar effect on me. This year I even had a list of the seeds I plan to germinate and have ready for retail sales by this spring so I wouldn’t stray to far from my plan. That went up in smoke by around page 3. The photos the seed catalogs and the seed companies websites offer are just too tempting. This year I mostly used Baker Creek the holy grail of seed catalogs, Johnnys Seeds and Urban Farmer. Of course the photos show full grown, blooming or producing plants that will knock your socks off. I wound up with 3 times the varieties that I had made plans for. I only have so much room in my seed chamber, I can produce around 15,000 seedlings at a time in full production. I try not to reach that number more than twice since all those seedlings have to come out of there as quickly as I can get them into full, greenhouses light so they won’t stretch.

Last year I was a little slow getting some of my seedlings out of the seed chamber which is a walk in cooler converted to hold a steady 85 degrees as quickly as I now know and into the sunlight thinking that I had enough light bars to do the trick. I bought my lights from Temu and zip tied them to the bottoms of each shelf so the young plants could bask in the light for a while. I went too cheapo and got what I paid for. This year I will give the seedlings time to emerge, establish roots for a couple of days then head right out to a heated, warm greenhouse to finish making true leaves before the stretch occurs. That

stretch can ruin them over night, once they get too thin and floppy they are hard to deal with. I think most people that have tried seeding at home are surprised at how quickly and uniformly their seeds germinate only to watch a crash and burn once the seedlings have sat in the kitchen window or the brightest window in the house. There is no window in most houses that will be bright enough to support a seedling from stretching and flopping. It can be discouraging as the goal of starting your own seedlings is to be ready with young plants when the weather gets right and to save a lot of money.

The average cost of a 4 inch pot of most bedding plants and veggies from a garden center is $4 to $5. The cost of a pack of seeds with 50 seeds is around $3. Another plus is that you can get just what you want instead of just what the garden centers offer for the cost of a little soil, a saved pot and a few seeds, probably around 30 cents. It is worth it if you are ready with all the right equipment and a plan for what to do with the young starts as soon as it’s time to get them under some serious lights and warmth so the plants will be as healthy as they can be at transplanting time. The most important part about seeding your own is to have checked your frost dates checked out so you don’t mess up and start the process too early. If the plants will be ready to be transplanted and there is a chance of more frosty weather coming you’ll have to hang on to the plants even longer risking their stretching from being in tight quarters for too long. The beauty in my situation is that I have two great outlets not if but when I overdo it. There is always space for more varieties on our tables at Garden Works and our customers seem to love experimenting with plants they may have never heard of.

I will grow plants just because I like the picture of them blooming in the catalog but I also am attracted to plants that we have all heard of but just can’t find anywhere. Old fashioned plants like four o’clocks or clarkia and many others aren’t produced in a big way by the big suppliers of plants for the Jackson area since they have to grow what sells fast. Growers bench spaces are planned out for a certain amount of turns in a certain amount of time or their plans get changed which makes for unplanned moves which leads to inefficiency. Growers profit margins are razor thin and these kinds of bumps can be the difference in a good year and a bad year. With the weather and the economy breathing down the necks of the growers as nothing you can do about it, self made bad decisions can’t be one of the big factors if we can help it. Better to play it safe. Those plants that are blooming at showtime will sell faster than those that aren’t blooming so they will grow a lot of petunias and portulaca and all the other blooming annuals and perennials that have been on nursery benches since I can remember. I get that, we like to use and spend money on those plants that we know will perform in our seasons. I use all that at my home as well but I love finding a new/ old plant that work great and then turn someone on to it.

My yard at home is my other outlet for when I overdo the seedling to plant process, I can’t have enough Research and Development at my house. I like to experiment at home then bring those plants that blew my pants off to the nurseries benches and turn people on to them while at work. We have a large community of gardeners in our area that are game to try new plants, it feels like they’ve been waiting for someone to bring in something different and refreshing. Using the same plants over and over is safe and fun until it becomes mundane then I think we begin to lose gardeners interest. I want to keep it interesting for new gardeners and seasoned gardeners. Growers of plants for the nursery industry have similar woes as big farmers so I can empathize with them as we all want to put food on our tables. Mississippis department of agriculture has done all they can to support us. Our industry employs over 20,000 Mississippians, providing $75 million in employee compensation. We add $90 million to the economy. A nursery grower can produce $60,000 per acre in container grown plants . A farmer growing soybeans is doing great to bring in $200 per acre, thats why they have to run high volume acreage. Farmers, including us nursery guys, are bringing in $9.5 billion dollars annually to the states economy, the largest percentage of that being poultry, Forestry is second then row crops.

Agriculture supports 30% of jobs and contributes significantly across all 82 counties. In essence agriculture is the cornerstone of Mississippis economy. We love our life, living on the edge, or we wouldn’t do it, you know when you meet a farmer or anyone tied so deeply to Mississippis heartbeat, we are a little crazy. It allows for an alternative lifestyle off the beaten track of the “normal” J. O. B train. The trick is making it work through thick and thin, High Tide And Low Tide, Bob Marleys famous words that we live by (which are the words engraved on the insides of both mine and Mimis wedding rings). When the tide gets too high or too low maritally or otherwise we remind ourselves of these words and we feel a peace as we pray for patience while this thing passes. Patience!