The world is a different place today than it was just seven days ago. There are many changes on the world stage that have major implications in our own backyard. No doubt you have seen the price of gas shoot up by thirty percent or more in the past week and fuel oil for our homes will be right behind.

Our suppliers are letting us know that fuel surcharges are back in place for the foreseeable future which will inturn effect the price of everything. We haven’t yet received pricing from our spring bedding plant growers, and I fear that with the increased fuel oil prices that bedding plants will be more expensive as well.

But one thing that hasn’t changed yet this year is the price of seeds. Right now seeds are the best way to fight inflation this year. As much as I would just love to sell tons of bedding plants this spring, I would rather see people save money this spring and still have the garden they always wanted. Right now you can get two packets of seeds for less than a gallon of gas.

Heck, your whole garden could be less than a tank of gas this spring. You already see what the price of groceries are right now, now factor in the high cost of transportation, trucker shortages and supply chain issues. Seeds come in pre-priced packages and are inflation proof for one year. It is the one way you can lock in 2021 prices this spring.

When these seeds were packaged back in September through December of last year, gas was a lot less, inflation was just starting to happen and because the seeds all come from within the United States, the supply chain issues were not a factor. Some of the other seed starting supplies may be in short supply but there is always a way to get around any shortages.

If one seed starting soil is hard to find, use what is available. If pots are hard to find, use milk cartons, soda bottles and egg cartons. We are not going to have as rough a time as the era of the Victory Gardens in World War II, but this spring will be challenging to say the least. We received our spring order of seeds back in early January and have done two re-orders since then.

Also pots and trays are in good supply right now but that is because most people don’t plan ahead and only buy these items right before they are going to use them. Now that we are in March, most people will be ready to start seeds as varieties like tomatoes and peppers take longer to germinate and most should be started by late March or early April. New L.E.D. grow bulbs are available too right now for supplying supplemental light while we still have shorter days.

Like other L.E.D.’s these bulbs use much less electricity to provide the same amount of light, but unlike other bulbs they produce the right color light for plant growth. Heat mats for seed trays have been around for a long time and are great if you don’t have the most ideal southern window to start your seeds in. Back in the day one year, I started most of my garden in the basement with grow lights and a heat mat, because that was the only place in the house that had enough bench space for six trays at once.

So find a spot in your house now and plan on getting some seeds to start this spring, even if you normally buy the starter plants. Grow green and save green this spring, you’ll need that extra savings so you can fill your gas tank to get to work.