Strolling leisurely through Costco’s aisles, something catches your eye: potted vegetable plants. After toying with the prospect of growing your own produce, it feels like the stars have aligned. Besides, you’ve been researching what to buy (and avoid) at Costco in spring 2025 — little did you know that you’d be swayed by the promise of home-grown cucumbers. Before you grab a bundle off the shelves, brush up on how to spot healthy plants.
Always look for evenly colored leaves and moderately damp — rather than boggy or bone-dry — soil. Similarly, avoid purchasing anything with dead leaves, a lopsided demeanor, or sneaky little weeds. Sure, Costco’s vegetable plants seem to be a good bargain, but they’re only worth the spend if they survive and thrive. Don’t just impulse buy — evaluate the quality of each plant.
As for Costco’s overall quality, while not every store stocks vegetable plants, of those that do, reviews are generally glowing. According to customer reports, Costco sells peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes (the latter are botanically considered fruits, but culinarily categorized as veggies). “If you know what you’re doing, they can be a bargain,” advised one Reddit user. Another raved about 12oz tomatoes, explaining that the shorter, denser plants produced the biggest results. Success is just a question of spotting healthy buys.
Can you still get good deals online?
Not everyone shops at Costco in person. In all honesty, it’s probably for the best, given how grocery stores utilize layout psychology to upsell customers. For instance, do you know why produce and flowers are placed in the front of the grocery store? It’s a classic act of customer manipulation; avoid all that psychological influence, and keep those purse strings tight. Don’t rule out buying vegetable plants through Costco’s website — check the reviews, and you’re good to click add to cart.
Unfortunately, though, there are still two caveats when taking the online route. Firstly, availability is unpredictable, with limited stock dependent on your selected warehouse. The result of this is a frequent difficulty finding vegetable plants on Costco’s website (although, as a sweetener, there are fruit bushes reliably listed). So, if you see a suitable vegetable plant online, snap it up. You’ve hit the jackpot. Secondly, purchasing plants “unseen” eliminates any chance of screening for poor-quality issues. Costco’s flexible policy includes a 100% satisfaction guarantee, but returning items feels like an unnecessary hassle. Plus, there’s the risk of plant damage in transit. It’s a gamble; customers can get good deals online, but shopping in person might be safer.
Unable to find a vegetable plant online? It might be worth shopping elsewhere or getting creative. Did you know you can regrow certain vegetables using leftovers? Just remember that regularly changing water is the step you should never skip when growing veggies from scraps.
Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and House Digest.
