Steffani Cameron

If YOU want to buy ESTABLISHED PLANTS so you have a plug-&-play garden with less of a learning curve, then go you!

You buy that shit, man! Plant those plants!

Insta-food-garden? Fuck, yeah!

Don't you let ANYONE shame you for taking shortcuts that get you planting & growing your food. However you get that hobby started, let it empower you!

These "plant seeds, not seedlings" people are HARMING the grow-your-own-food culture.

Whatever gets you gardening is a beautiful thing. Just grow it.

Apr 4, 2024 at 7:23pmWeb
Show threadTheJen will not complyApr 4, 2024
@snarkysteff Who the crap is out here purity testing GARDENS?
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 4, 2024

@TheJen Some goof on Bluesky. They got muted. They MEAN well, but they are inadvertently shitting on people for using seedlings at all by constantly saying it's foolish to pay $4 for 6 plants when you can get 80 seeds.

Well, sure, but I have a 5x15 balcony and time is of the essence, and I'm not growing seeds in a 600 square-foot apartment with shitty winter light, thanks!

Show threadTheJen will not complyApr 4, 2024
@snarkysteff Yeah no kidding. Well, that was ridiculous. Lol. Enjoy your baby plants. :)
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 4, 2024
@TheJen hahah. thank you! /rant off
Show threadMennoApr 4, 2024

Really? No shit, Sherlock. Thanks for pointing that out, You can do math.😉

Why buy bread if you can make it yourself? Why buy grains if you can grow them yourself? Why buy salt, if you can walk to the sea and pick it up for free?
Etc etc.
Whatever dude.
Happy for you, @snarkysteff, that you are growing your own food, even if it doesn't feed your family.
@TheJen

Show threadyteticApr 4, 2024
@snarkysteff @Kikadee also when you buy seedlings you’re supporting the workers who produce them, generally more or less local to you, and keeping the knowledge of how to do that, at scale, alive in your larger community. Everyone should have *the opportunity* to raise from seed if they want to, but not the ob.
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 4, 2024
@ytetic @Kikadee YES. EXACTLY!
Show threadKikadeeApr 4, 2024
@ytetic @snarkysteff Also, Canadian Tire doesn’t sell cannabis seedlings lol!!
Show threadKikadeeApr 4, 2024
@ytetic @snarkysteff by which I mean to say—that’s when people resort to seeds!
Show threadBrian DegenhardtApr 4, 2024

@snarkysteff my serial planting of starts has resulted in so many volunteer plants! A few strawberry starts grew to fill the whole bed. Potatoes pop up everywhere no matter how much I dig. Same with chives, parsley, tomatoes. And don't even get me started on perennials. Rhubarb, asparagus, raspberries are all expanding their territory. I've got three volunteer plum trees.

I'm also late to plant again this year so it's off to buy more starts!

Show threadrivetsApr 4, 2024
@bmdhacks @snarkysteff You need to be careful with those random potatoes, they can carry diseases. You really need to scour the beds when you howk them.
Show thread@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNoteApr 5, 2024
@bmdhacks @snarkysteff Half of pop’s asperagus beds were volunteers. He lived out in the country so no neighbors to fret about and when ever an asperagus volunteer picked a new home he just made it a mini plot. It always cracked me up when ever I visited but man he grew amazing stuff.
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 5, 2024
@Pineywoozle @bmdhacks apparently it can take 10 years to get a harvest from asparagus so that was a long time in the making!
Show thread@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNoteApr 5, 2024
@snarkysteff @bmdhacks Yeah, asparagus is a chore to start. He was tickled with every volunteer patch.
Show threadBrian DegenhardtApr 5, 2024
@Pineywoozle @snarkysteff I have a rhubarb bush growing in the middle of my lawn like that. Aforementioned laziness has prevented me from transplanting it.
Show thread@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNoteApr 5, 2024
@bmdhacks @snarkysteff lol his wasn’t laziness. Rhubarb is beyond easy to transplant. Asperagus is a giant pain to transplant and often not successful . 😜 Rhubarb has max18” roots… asperagus roots can get to 15’
Show threadLudoApr 4, 2024
@snarkysteff omg yes! Every year I buy beautiful, healthy, sweet pea seedlings grown lovingly by my local garden centre who have the facilities and time and expertise to do so. They kick the shit out of the leggy, light-starved little creatures I used to grow from seed.
Show threadJayApr 4, 2024
@snarkysteff
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 4, 2024
@WhiteCatTamer Perfect!
Show threadrspApr 4, 2024
@snarkysteff I see a lot of plants being sold at the wrong time. My neighbor planted a lot of lettuce plants ($$$) in Texas in May (already 90 degrees). They died. Growers are making bookoos of money selling plants that have a 90% chance of dying.
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 4, 2024
@rspfau Yeah, people need to know when they can grow stuff and when they can't.
Show threadguyjantic has moved!Apr 4, 2024
@snarkysteff And if you have friends who are gardeners, just see what happens if you ask them for some grown-ass plants or cuttings or seedlings or whatever. You will be awash in amazing opportunities.
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 4, 2024
@guyjantic I did that with tomatoes! Traded bread. :)
Show threadJon voted, against fascism obvApr 4, 2024
@snarkysteff That’s just silly. I used to start my own seeds; I have the equipment and knowledge, and I used to enjoy it . But now I have four kids and four animals and too little space and time, and am only putting out single-digit numbers of plants. It makes much more sense to pay one of the nice folks at the farmers market to start the seeds for me. (And also, for most crops, to grow the food for me; but if is nice to have tomatoes and herbs in the backyard.).
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 4, 2024
@Jonricha Yeah, I think these must be people with big yards or something. I'm not going broke if I drop $50 on seedlings for my patio. I run a side business, cook everything from scratch, am losing weight, etc. I got bigger fires than fucking around with seeds!
Show threadJon voted, against fascism obvApr 5, 2024
@snarkysteff Right? And I get the big yards thing. I used to plant my whole yard to veggies, and the cost of starts would’ve been prohibitive. But now I just pay the nice young folks at the market to grow most of my veggies, plant a little patch of maters for fun, and I take care of other shit.
Show threadJoby (chaotic good)Apr 4, 2024
@snarkysteff this advice can be generalized to almost everything, and I am here for it.
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 5, 2024
@joby right? Sourdough, etc.
Show threadbigiainApr 4, 2024

@snarkysteff “These "plant seeds, not seedlings" people are HARMING the grow-your-own-food culture.”

I bet those assholes don’t even refine their own aluminum before they start building their new car…

Show threadUgh (“ugh”)Apr 6, 2024
@bigiain @snarkysteff To say nothing about their shortcuts on the mining end
Show threadbigiainApr 6, 2024
@migriverat @snarkysteff They probably don’t even instantiate a new universe for the project. If you’re gonna do things from scratch…
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 6, 2024
@bigiain @migriverat ugh. Let’s all just order some Domino’s and call it a day. This is hard.
Show threadpinkdrunkenelephantsApr 5, 2024
@snarkysteff It's better for beginners to learn from seedlings anyway.
Show threadUnclePJApr 5, 2024

@snarkysteff

Absolutely! Grow however your circumstances and/or skill levels dictate.

I started with a serious brown thumb. That was primarily a lack of experience/knowledge. This was probably 20+ years ago. I couldn’t have brought a seed to life, much less done so in a way that fostered a healthy and diverse productive garden.

Play around with stuff that’s your speed and don’t let anyone make you feel less for that.

Show threadUrsidinoj/The BjornsdottirsApr 5, 2024

@snarkysteff The plant that produced the seeds which I'm starting to get my next batch of shishito peppers is a nursery start.

Planting seedlings is the easiest way to get enough seeds to plant next year if you're a novice gardener.

The two practices aren't opposed to each other, at all, and anyone making them out thus is either easily led or just wants to keep people out of gardening.

Show threadSteffani CameronApr 5, 2024
@ellenor2000 yeeeeees! :)
Show threadUrsidinoj/The BjornsdottirsApr 5, 2024
@snarkysteff of interest is that I think there are specific seeds that are easier and more difficult for novices. Legumes and maize, for instance, are much easier to get out of soil than capsicum or solanum spp. or allium spp. from seed. May the gods and angels help the novice gardener whose headline gardening project is onions from seed.
Show threadsortiusApr 5, 2024

@snarkysteff honestly, if you can afford to buy seedlings, go for it.

I'm never going to look down on someone for having a hobby that's literally creating life, and potentially food. If they want to spend money on it, it's better than spending money on golf clubs or burning fuel to "just go for a drive"

Show threadSteveApr 5, 2024
@snarkysteff @sortius I have a combination. Of my food plants, my chilli’s are from seed, coriander and mint are from seedlings, and my citrus trees are grafted dwarf varieties which would have taken several years to get to their current stage of development if I’d done it from seed
Show threadsortiusApr 5, 2024
@lilstevie @snarkysteff chillies are probably one of the few that I'd say buying isn't worth it. I've accidentally dropped chillies while barbecuing and had plants pop up 😆
Show threadSteveApr 5, 2024
@sortius @snarkysteff haha yeah, but he ones I’m growing came from a bag of chillies I liked, just cut one open and threw the seeds in the ground
Show threadsortiusApr 5, 2024

@lilstevie yeh, they're good like that. It's almost impossible to sterilise them for food, so just open them up and away you go.

Plus, they're true to seed, so you won't get feral tasting fruit

Show threadDeb has moved! (see profile) 🇨🇦Apr 6, 2024
@snarkysteff seedlings are especially important in northern climes, where the growing season is shorter 👍
Show threadSteffani CameronApr 6, 2024
@deborahh yeah — I’m in Victoria and even here it makes a huge difference. I lived in the Yukon for a year though, so I can imagine.
Show threadDeb has moved! (see profile) 🇨🇦Apr 6, 2024
@snarkysteff I valiantly tried growing from seed in Montreal. It was a fool's game though. Especially for annuals!
Edit: typo
Show threadSir Osis of Liver 🇨🇦 🇲🇽Apr 6, 2024

@snarkysteff

Online there's almost always someone with a "Why dontcha..". Very rarely is it productive.

I had a large garden for years before moving to a condo, and been around gardens since I helped Mum plant as a 5 year old.

But with a short growing season, some things were just more successful from seedlings.

I couldn't imagine looking down on anyone doing one over the other.