r/gardening • u/FlashyCow1 • 6d ago
When to stopp for moving across the country
We are expecting to move within a 6-month period. I seem to have a developed addiction to gardening. I mean I can't seem to go to the hardware store without leaving with seeds or a new plant I have currently got 58 potted plants. We rent so all of my plants are in pots.
The plan with them right now is to put them on the end of the driveway when we move because they're going to be in a truck for so long.
I just wonder when is a good time to stop till we move with all of it. This is a mix between flowers herbs and a little bit of vegetables. Mostly perennials
Edit I'm going to take them to the cemetery and put them in the empty planters. I know our Cemetery has a rule about planting them in the ground so they are going in the empty planters.
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u/entirecontinetofasia 6d ago
imo it's a calculation between weight and space vs cost and time for starting over, and hassle for each. you could keep only your favorites and give away the rest, you could try to bring them all (in which case i would consider getting a backup watering system like an olla). you could take cuttings and seeds to start over.
hard to say without knowing more about where you're going and what you have. i would stop getting more plants, and instead focus on what you have.
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u/Feeling_Ad_5495 6d ago
I would stop now. Gives enough time to clean up and clear out anything you need to at leisurely pace, and evaluate whatever is left that you want to prioritize for a self move. I've had changes to moving dates, last minute location changes, housing wait-list, sight unseen move ins, 3 month scheduling delays getting my stuff back etc.
Especially going into winter. It's a good natural stopping point.
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u/Global_Fail_1943 6d ago
I moved thousands of pounds of plants across the country several times in my military service moves. In boxes packed tight with paper.
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u/4cupsofcoffee 6d ago
I'm not sure i understand, i had to read this a few times. When to stop what? stop buying plants?
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u/FlashyCow1 6d ago
Buying growing all of the above
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u/4cupsofcoffee 6d ago
Basically it's up to you on how much money you want to spend. If you can bring them with you, they'll cost more in shipping and packaging. If you're not bringing them with you, you can keep buying if it makes you happy as long as you're prepared to say goodbye to them all.
I would consider gifting some.
If you know what type of plants they are, you could label and possibly even sell them cheap.
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u/doublebagger45 6d ago
Four years ago, we moved from so cal to across the country. I tried bringing my potted garden with me. I didn’t know that most of my garden wouldn’t make it in a real winter. Lost a ton of plants.
I didn’t know that most of my garden is especially delicious to insects that I never knew existed across the country. Lost a ton of plants.
If I could go back and do it all over, I would have only taken the indoor plants and sold/given out everything else.
As for the drive, I kept all my plants at the front of the moving truck (right where the door opened) and opened it every time we stopped in order to give them some sun. All the plants made the five day move in the U-Haul. We put plastic down to keep the floor clean from the dirt and worms that crawled out.
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u/SunEnvironmental1751 6d ago
How long will they be in a truck? If it is only a couple days, then they will be fine. I’ve gotten plants in the mail before that are in the dark for a couple days and they are just fine.
You could put it on a local neighborhood app that you wish to give away your plants and I’m sure locals would love them rather than just placing them outside. Someone gave me three blueberry bushes and two blackberry bushes that they couldn’t take with them on a move because they saw my plants on my porch. I also had someone dump some sort of tropical houseplant on my apartment porch too this year that I rehomed, so I know local people would be happy to give them good homes.