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$19.50 for a basil plant? That's an outrageous price!

I was going to say the same thing, edmf. For that price it better make itself into fresh pesto for me. This is a huge ripoff. Do people not leave their houses anymore in your world? $24.50 with shipping when you can go to Trader Joe's and get one yourself for $3.50?

indeed. the cost of a plant a cab or even *gasp!* public transportation would surely be less than $20...

Maybe the fine folks at Bloomscape will chime in and let us know what makes their plants worth the cash...

I'd love to comment. I hope this helps...

Compared to a Trader Joe's plant, there is a big price difference, but there are some big plant differences too. Ours come in a 7" pot and have 4 plants in each one. They are grown pretty large, so you are immediately receiving enough basil to actually use right away. Each plant also comes with moisture retaining gel in the soil to reduce the amount of time you have to spend watering them. To keep it simple, we include a packet of slow release fertilizer with the plant.

We wanted to sell a plant that could be placed in a fire escape but still produce enough basil for a decent amount of use. And it's delivered.

Never mind the prices - $37.50 for a Boston Fern? - I thought you guys always preached buying local.

Hi Martybird,

Thanks for commenting.

Indeed, we do support buying local, and we practice what we "preach" as much as possible, although we do try not to be too "preachy."

That said, there are always exceptions. Bloomscape seems like a great way to give the gift of a plant (which is how we ended up with the basil on our fire escape) so we wanted to share it with readers. One could argue that tending a plant is the ultimate in buying local: you only go so far as your garden to "buy" your herbs. Not everyone has access to a locally sprouted and raised basil plant. And unless you are buying your bunches of basil at your local farmers' market, check the label on the next bunch of basil you buy: it probably traveled a fair distance to get to you.

We will continue to spend the majority of our time and energy on the local stuff, but now and then there's a nice opportunity for a diversion. Our path isn't always perfectly straight.

This site has been talking local for a long some time now. But please don't misunderstand me. I have no problem buying basil at the market. But how could some mysterious 'moisture retaining gel in the soil' and $24.50 in cash, be any better than dirt seed water time if you are encouraging fresh herb gardens on fire escapes?

holy crap that's expensive! I hope it's a big plant for that price. I can get bedding plant sized herb plants for less than $3 at my local fruiterie.

This strikes me as a paid ad disquised as an entry. Thats the only way a post about a $19.50 basil plant makes any sense.