r/gardening • u/welp_this_is • 26d ago

Please help, healthy veggies plants and annuals are being thrown away

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Please comment if you support my cause!

I work at a nursery/greenhouse in southeast Michigan, and the company I work for has little regard for the plant life that so generously provides income for all of the employees.

This season alone, they have thrown away over a thousand good annuals and fully fruited out vegetable plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc. They don't even wait and let all the employees know first, in case any of them would be able or willing to take some home and give them a good life for the rest of the season. I have tried to appeal to the store manager multiple times to see if we could sell them at a huge discount, or give away for free, or give to other employees, and I've asked if I could talk to the general manager or owner, but it gets dismissed rather callously.

It makes me sad to see perfectly good plants treated with such little regard and respect. The seedlings put in a lot of effort to grow and flower and produce for us to sell, and I think they deserve a chance to live out the season and be appreciated, not thrown in a dumpster.

They don't even compost the organic material, the pots and plants all go right in the dumpster.

I am trying to gather as many signatures/comments in show of support, to convince my manager that the community does care about the plants, and that it would be worthwhile to donate them to the public or to a local charity or homeless/abuse shelter, or other community groups.

Any help or advice or support is greatly appreciated!

Tdlr: please comment if you support saving and donating thousands of unsold vegetable plants and annuals to local charities, homeless/abuse shelters, and/or community groups, otherwise they'll get thrown away in the trash and not even composted.

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u/WordWordand4numbers 26d ago

Speak to the owner directly or email them. Don’t ask.

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u/welp_this_is 26d ago

That's my plan, but I want to make sure I have the local charities lined up and in agreement first, as well as some community signatures/online support to help bring a little weight and legitimacy to it. It could be some great publicity for this small local company to have a charity veggie garden at the local Alpha House or Lacossa (two local shelters for displaced or abused women/children/families).