Shoppers often ask where to find garden seedlings in Maine. Fortunately, farmers, nurseries, and greenhouses have an ample supply of healthy, hardened seedlings ready to go. When deciding whether to start your garden from seeds or by purchasing seedlings, there are many things to keep in mind. For example, seed packets are affordable. Also, depending upon where you purchase the seeds, there is likely to be a wide variety of each type available. You can purchase the plants when the conditions in your area are right. Many types of plants must be started indoors well in advance in order to give them enough time to grow in Maine. Getting the timing right can be difficult for beginners! If you purchase seedlings, you can leave the timing to professionals.
People who have small to medium sized gardens often appreciate the ability to purchase a mixture of seedling varieties. Whereas a seed packet might contain dozens of seeds, you can purchase seedlings in packs ranging from 1 to 6 or more. If you only have room for 1 row of tomatoes, why not plant several varieties to experiment? Professional growers have the right environment and tools to produce healthy, acclimated seedlings. They have the right soil, pots, temperature, and light conditions. Starting with healthy seedlings means starting your garden off right!
Seedlings can be mixed and matched with plants sown directly in the ground from seed. There are many places to find healthy seedlings to start your summer garden.
YOUR LOCAL GREENHOUSE, NURSERY, OR GARDEN CENTER
If you are lucky enough to have a commercial greenhouse nearby, that’s a great place to start your search for seedlings. You’re likely to find separate areas dedicated to vegetable seedlings, and there will likely be many varieties to choose from for each type of plant. Many greenhouses have experienced staff who can offer advice.
FARMERS’ MARKETS
Farmers’ markets typically have vendors offering seedlings from early spring through June. At a farmers’ market you may find several farms offering seedlings, and may therefore have a particularly good selection of varieties and sizes.
FARMS
Many farms are set up to start large quantities of seeds for their own production, and sell seedlings as well. Typically you might find these at a farm stand or store. This season, some farms are also offering pre-order options for pickup or even delivery. Local garden clubs, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and other organizations often hold annual plant sales. These can be excellent places to purchase seedlings, as well as to buy perennial plants that are divisions from garden club members’ gardens. Shoppers who use SNAP benefits may purchase fruit and vegetable seedlings using SNAP at participating farm stands and farmers’ markets.
One final tip
ONE FINAL TIP: DON’T RUSH! With warm, sunny days in May, it can be tempting to get the garden planted early. But remember, only some plants (such as kale, spinach, and peas) thrive in cool temps. Many popular garden plants are damaged by cold or even cool whether. In 2020 there was a “hard frost” in early June, meaning it got cold enough overnight to freeze plants and fruit tree blossoms. Farmers, orchardists, and gardeners experienced extensive damage. Even if it isn’t cold enough to freeze a plant, it can still be cold enough to damage them. Tropical plants like peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers don’t like to get cold at night, and they don’t like to be planted in cold ground. When in doubt, wait before planting your warm-weather seedlings.
To make an appointment please use this scheduler tool, or if internet is not your first language, feel free to schedule by phone. Seed & Soil’s cannabis nursery is open to anyone over 21 years of age. We accept cash and check only. Seed is available all year long. Seasonally, seed-grown cannabis plants along with a selection of vegetable, herb, and flower plants and seeds are available. We also offer red wiggler worms and small quantities of potting soil (made here by us). Plants that perform in this region need to be hardy, especially cannabis. If you have any questions about a strain, its availability, our methods, us in general, etc. We love baby plants! Still no guarantees on type or availability, plant starts are extras from our own home garden. Which is a big garden! So there will certainly be extras.
“I’m not afraid of just saying the organic truth of it, which is basically, we had these incredible interns. But these weren’t ‘finding themselves before senior year’ type interns, husband and wife pair Ben and Betsy Samuelson had a lot of cannabis-relevant degrees when they arrived at HSC ready to get their feet wet in the industry. They were just incredible resources for us, and vice versa. All year round, we are available by appointment. See map below for other retailers of our seed. Stop by our farm stand located at 75 Back Brooks Rd. Monroe, Maine 04951. We are currently offering our whole lineup of seeds ($50/pack). Feminized seed comes in 5 seeds/pack and regular seed in 10 seeds/pack. If you are interested in larger volumes of seed please inquire!
We are an outdoor oriented facility and we don’t make clones (yet) - but we do offer seed grown plants, cannabis and otherwise. A large selection of live plants will be available to the public from May - August. We make our own compost and potting mix, all in the great outdoors. In addition to buying directly from us at the farm, you can find our seeds at select retailers across Maine. Find our live resin cartridges at retail!
Custom Seed Production: Contact us to make S1 seed from a special mom, cross favorite clone-only strains, or revitalize fading moms by seeding them with your choice of pollen and hunting the progeny. We have several IBL autoflower lines that can be crossed to make an F1 auto or a “quick version” exclusive to your brand. Custom PhenoHunting: Leverage the efficiency of our large outdoor space to find an exclusive unicorn. We can S1 a favorite mom, receive a transfer of plants or seeds, or commission a hunt within one of our many R&D accessions.
Come Hunt Our Field: We finish approximately 1000 photoperiod plants each year in our annual hunt, and welcome other AU cultivators and caregivers to come smell the flowers.
The Difference Was SHOCKING (Rookie Vs. Pro Seed Starting)
Пакеты рекомендаций по выбору: семена vs. саженцы
- Seed packets are affordable and offer a wide variety of each type depending on where you purchase.
- Seedlings provide ready-to-plant capacity and can save timing concerns for beginners.
- Professional growers provide healthy, acclimated seedlings with controlled soil, pots, temperature, and light.
- Mixing seedling varieties can be advantageous for small to medium gardens.
- Seedlings can be combined with direct-seeded plants in the ground for flexibility.
Как выбрать место для закупки
- Local greenhouse, nursery, or garden center - разнообразие и советы персонала.
- Farmers’ markets - сезонная доступность и широкий выбор;
- Farms - покупка рассады на месте или онлайн/предзаказ;
- plant sales from garden clubs and conservation districts - выгодные предложения и долговременные дела.
Shoppers can use SNAP benefits to purchase fruit and vegetable seedlings at participating farm stands and farmers’ markets.
Note: This article uses a variety of seed and seedling sources to help Maine gardeners choose the best path for their space and climate.
Informed timing and careful selection of varieties are essential to a successful Maine garden, whether starting from seed or buying established seedlings.