No longer limited to just seeds, many mail-order companies now ship nice transplants too. Mail-order sourcing is particularly convenient for folks pressed for time or limited by distance. It's also good for hard-to-find heirloom varieties. I did my shopping by browsing through nearly a dozen web sites of mail-order companies.
The size of transplants that I ordered varied from plug size to 4-inch pots. One thing that impressed me about my Internet shopping was the assortment and sizes available.
Compared to the cost of seeds or buying local transplants, most mail-order transplants are more expensive. Mine ranged from 85 cents to $4.50 each plus shipping, but you can't beat the ease of having plants delivered right to your door. In my area, most retail transplants range from 75 cents to $3.50 each for similar sizes.
I placed my orders on April 19, and my plants trickled in from April 22 to May 25. Of course, it is possible to order by mail from catalogs or call a toll-free number, but the Internet is faster.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when ordering plants:
1. Order early to be sure the specific varieties you want will be available.
2. Track your order. Most companies provide e-mail notification of a shipment. Both UPS and FedEx provided a tracking number, allowing me to check the status of my package.
3. Order as much as you can from a single company or two. I ordered from nine companies for the sake of testing and learning, but I don't recommend it. Shipping charges add up, and tracking becomes too much trouble.
4. Order the fastest method that is financially prudent. Some companies require a certain shipping method based on transit time to be sure that plants arrive fresh.
I purposely chose the longest transit time from one company just to see how plants would survive. The plants arrived dry, growing sideways and light in color from being in the dark too long.
Overnight to third-day delivery is ideal for transplants. Any longer than that and plants begin to lose quality.
5. Prepare your beds, hills and furrows ahead of time. Have a place ready to nurse your seedlings until you can get them in the ground.
6. Before shopping, read the shipping section of the web site. Some companies do not ship to a P.O. Box, and shipping of plants is prohibited to certain states.
7. Save shipping records to keep up with varieties that you plant versus having to jot it down or hold on to plant tags. Most plants came with tags, but a few had labels stuck to the pots, in which case I made my own label.
8. Find a neighbor to split the order. Some companies offer a significant discount for ordering multiples of the same plant.
9. Check Garden Watchdog at www.davesgarden.com/products/gwd, where gardeners post personal experiences with mail-order companies. It is best to stick with well-known or recommended companies. Keep new orders from an unknown source small.
CLICK HERE to download a full-size PDF listing our findings for the mail-order garden companies we tested.