Passing on your spare tomato plants...

I figured this was better off in here rather than Grow your Own since it isn't a growing question.

Assuming you have been sensible and sown a few extra tomato seeds, how easy do you find it to pass on the extras that you don't need when it is time for final planting out?

The situation I am in is that I want two plants myself and a couple of my neighbours have asked for a couple of plants as well. Having promised them plants in advance I of course have to sow a few extra seeds "just in case". This will (hopefully) leave me with some lovely little plants that have no official home.

I am intending to offer them up on my local Freecycle group but then thought... there are 18 seeds in the packet. Do I abandon the spares or do I plant them all anyway and try to hand them out? Apart from the final pots, it will not cost me anything. I could include a page with details of the variety and the seed saving advice. Who knows - someone may really like them and decide to grow their own next season.

I just don't want to be in the position of taking mine, handing out the ones to the neighbours and then being left with a long line of perfect young plants... destined for the compost bin!

How easy do you find it getting rid of your spares?

I won't be asking any money for them so I was wondering how easy they would be to pass on on Freecycle.

A sign would not be useful I am afraid as we are pretty rural so the only folks passing our property would be the local dog walkers anyway.

I have the choice of doing just a few spares and leaving the last ten seeds or doing all of them and having the risk of having to do the Long Walk to the compost with ten perfectly healthy plants that I can't use. I know they are not pets but...

Ah - a charity shop - that was something I had not considered as an alternative home for them. Almost unbelievably we don't have one in our village but the local Butcher/Baker does double as "village message board". I can go have a chat with them. If they are free anyway, they almost certainly won't say no to taking them.

I agree with Sunshineband.  Charity shops are always grateful for any plants.   If you have too many tomatoes at the end of the season, I am sure they will take those as well.  Anything fresh and edible always goes out like, well   ---   hot cakes.    Mrs Bouquet

Last year I ended up with around 200 tomato plants,don’t ask ! I always give friends etc plenty, I take some to sewing club,freely given out, some go to WI & I ask for a small amount of money that goes to funds, some go to the trading store at the garden club, some get given away at the allotments. But last year after all that I still had loads so I advertised them on Facebook market place & sold a load & recouped a bit of my expenses,seeds, compost etc. I was really surprised how many people bought them.
There’s also church fetes etc or even carboot sales if you wanted to go down that route