According to Simplify Plants, depending on the variety you can expect to spend anywhere from $6 to $150 for a single plant, or $23 per plant on average.
And according to the National Gardening Association, a well-maintained garden can yield an average of $600 worth of vegetables over the course of a growing season.
So getting free plants can really save money and let you enjoy your hobby without any worries.
There are the best ways how to get free plants:
| Platform | How to? | Supply |
|---|---|---|
| Blossm | Browse free listings or swap | Plants, cuttings, seeds |
| Nextdoor | Browse free listings, add posts, host swap event | Plants, cuttings, seeds |
| Gumtree | Browse free listings | Plants, cuttings, seeds |
| Browse posts, participate in conversations, ad posts | Plants, cuttings, seeds | |
| Facebook Marketplace | Browse free listings | Plants, cuttings, seeds |
| Facebook Groups | Browse free listings or swap | Plants, cuttings, seeds |
| Craigslist | Browse free listings | Plants, cuttings, seeds |
| Freecycle | Browse free listings | Plants, cuttings, seeds |
| Propagating | Grow roots or divide plants | Plants, cuttings |
| National Wildlife Federation | Fill out request form | Trees |
| Arbour Day Membership | Donate, select trees | Trees |
Ways to Get Free Plants
Blossm
The Blossm has revolutionized the world of gardening by connecting plant enthusiasts, enabling them to share, trade, or give away various plants while also connecting plant lovers allowing them to share tips, ask questions and participate in discussions.
To find free plants on Blossom:
Browse “Swap” listings
Set the market filter “Exchanges” category to “Swap” to see available free plants that can be exchanged if you have anything from the seller’s wishlist. To check the wishlist just visit the sellers profile and check the type of plants listed:
If you have anything from the wishlist you are willing to trade just drop a message to Blossm user and arrange the details.
Browse “Free” listings
Finding offers from plant lovers who have plant excess or cuttings is another option to get free plants. Set the market filter “Exchanges” category to “Free” to see available free plant listings, when you find what you like – send a message to the user and arrange pickup or delivery.
Using Blossm can let you get a number of free plants constantly, but keep in mind that plant delivery isn’t free and starts from $10. To avoid paying shipping fees:
- Filter listing offers to your local area only
- Contact the seller and ask if you can pick up the plant from their house or at the agreed location
Blossm also has an app available to download on App Store and Google Play.
Nextdoor
Nextdoor has over 69 million members across 290,000 active neighborhoods and 2021 data revealed that one in three American households were Nextdoor users.
To get free plants on NextDoor you have a few options:
- Post a message explaining you are looking for free plants
- Browse free listings in the NextDoor marketplace
The best thing about Nextdoor is that you can build a relationship and trust with your neighbors and create opportunities to share free plants, cuttings, and seeds constantly.
Gumtree
Gumtree had 9.2 million users in 2022 and according to its users, it is easy and safe to use.
It is similar to Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, and people recommend it when looking for ways to get free plants.
Gumtree works the same as other marketplace websites – you can browse listings and contact people to discuss pickup details. Set your location and search results distance to avoid paying for delivery.
It has great ratings and 71% of people would recommend it to a friend.
| Platform | Rating | Reviews / downloads |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 3.8 | 6,973 reviews |
| App Store | 4.7 | 1K ratings |
| Google Play | 3.7 | 5M downloads |
According to the 2022 Global Statshot Report Reddit has 50 million daily active users worldwide and 18 percent of US adults say they are Reddit users.
By joining groups, such as Trade plants, seeds, and cuttings! which has 61.1k members you can get free plants easily.
The group is used to trade, so most of the users have a list of wanted plants or seeds they are willing to trade for – so check comments or contact the user directly if you have an offer.
You will see filters on the right sidebar – click on “Trade USA” to filter relevant posts. Also, you can add a post telling you are looking for free plants or cuttings, there are high chances someone will contact you.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook is the most used social network in the world, with the most traffic (22.31%) coming from the US. In addition, 1 billion people use Facebook Marketplace each month.
It is no wonder this is one of the best ways to find free plants – everything from outdoor flowers, and trees to indoor plants, cuttings, and seeds.
| Location | Total listings | Indoor plants | Outdoor plants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waverly Gables, Ohio | 34 | 15 | 19 |
| Seattle, Washington | 36 | 21 | 15 |
| Los Angeles, California | 41 | 26 | 15 |
Facebook Groups
Getting free plants from Facebook Groups is a great way to add greenery to your home or garden without spending money. For example, Free plants and seeds for humanity and Free/Trade plants.
There are a few ways you can search for Facebook groups:
- Facebook search bar
- Facebook recommendations
- Browse groups
- Ask friends
- Facebook group directories
One of the easiest ways to get free plants is to join various Facebook Groups and communities in your local area. Such groups contain passionate plant lovers and are willing to help and share their knowledge and share or giveaway free plants
For example, the Free plants and seeds for humanity group have 47.8K members. This group is mainly focused on trading seeds, plant cuttings.
Here are examples of posts on Free plants and seeds for humanity group:
| Plant | Type | Post |
|---|---|---|
| Seeds | Request | Looking for various seeds |
| Succulent plant | Trade | Succulent trade to pumpkin seeds |
| Papaya seeds | Giveaway | Giving away free seeds |
| Seeds | Request | Looking for vegetable seeds |
| Seeds | Giveaway | Giving away various seeds |
| Seeds | Giveaway | 29 types of vegetable seeds |
Another group you can join is Free/Trade Plants – it has 23.7K members and is mainly used for trading or giving away plants.
These are examples of posts on the Free/Trade Plants group:
| Type | Plant type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Request | Pink princess philodendron | South Jersey |
| Trade | Various outdoor plants | Ohio |
| Trade | Over 100 indoor plants | Ohio |
| Request | Monstera aurea cutting | Looking for vegetable seeds |
| Giveaway | Paperwhite daffodils | Tennessee |
Craigslist
According to 2023 October statistics, Craigslist ranked 58th of the most visited websites in the United States with 212.84 million users!
Availability highly depends on your location and season, but on Craigslist you can find anything from succulents to trees.
To find free plants on Craigslist make sure to check upon listings constantly, and keep in mind that free items move quickly, so respond immediately if you come across plants that you want.
If there are scarce free listings with the keyword “free plants” you can try searching for “free dig” as most people do not know the name of the plant. This is more relevant to outdoor plants.
Another tip Craigslist users suggest is to check plants for bugs, and plant diseases and keep them away from your old greenery until you make sure they are safe.
Freecycle
Freecycle is a nonprofit movement of people who are giving and getting stuff for free in their local areas. The platform has over 10 million members and operates in over 5000 towns.
Freecycle is recommended for people looking for free plants along with sites like Facebook and Nextdoor, For example, one of the Freecycle users got 10 enormous ceramic glazed plant pots, a number of garden plants, tomatoes, and an entire glass greenhouse – all totally for free.
Also, Freecycle has an app available on App Store and Google Play.
Propagating
Propagating is breeding specimens of a plant from the parent stock. Using this method, you can create new plants genetically identical to the original in anywhere from 1 week to 5 months.
Steps to propagate plants:
- Cuttings – depending on the plant type you can cut leaves, cut an offshoot of the plant that has roots, or split the plant into separate divisions by dividing the roots.
- Rooting – after cutting your plant you should root offspring in a clear jar of water. This can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. Keep jars out of direct sunlight, and check if there is enough water occasionally.
- Potting – once the roots of cuttings are visible and the strong plant is ready for potting. Make sure there is enough space for roots to develop in a new pot.
The best plants to grow from cuttings include:
| Plant name | Propagate | Roots appear | New leaves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrowhead vine | Water or soil | In 1-2 weeks | In 4 weeks |
| Corn plant (Dracaena) | Fill a pot with water and place it in indirect sunlight. | About 8 weeks | 4-6 weeks |
| Monstera | Water or soil | 2-3 weeks | 4-6 weeks |
| String of pearls | Water | 3-4 weeks | A few weeks |
| Swedish ivy | Water | 1-2 weeks | The duration varies |
| ZZ plant | Water | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Philodendron | Soil or Water | 1-2 weeks | 4-5 months |
| Pothos | Water | 3-8 weeks | 4-5 months |
| Rubber tree | Water | 2-4 weeks | 2-4 weeks |
National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation provides free or subsidized native tree seedlings to individuals, often students, that will plant the trees and care for them at home.
Over the last decade, the Federation and its partners planted more than 500,000 native trees.
To participate in the program you need to fill out a request form and wait to be contacted. Make sure to check out the website and fill out the form by the end of the year (starting from October) as the request piles up and the event closes pretty soon.
Arbour Day Membership
Arbor Day is a special day dedicated to planting and caring for trees, promoting their importance, and encouraging people to plant and care for them. If you want to get free plants from Arbor Day membership:
- Become a member of the Arbor Day Foundation.
- Choose your free plants from a selection. You can select up to 10 free trees, shrubs, or plants.
The plants available include; fast-growing trees, fruit, flowering, and evergreen trees.
To get free plants you need to select a donation that starts from $10, then you can choose from the provided list (may vary by region), for example:
| Option | Type | Quantity | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option A | Flowering trees | 10 | Eastern redbuds, flowering dogwoods |
| Option B | White pine trees | 10 | White pine |
| Option C | Trees mix | 10 | Sugar maple, white pine, red oak |
Delivery time and method depend on the season. For instance, spring shipping takes a couple of weeks or months and the company makes these shipments between February 26 and May 30.
Fall shipping on the other hand occurs between November 1 and December 10. The company ships these trees using USPS bulk rate, USPS ground, or priority based on the weight and the size of your order.
Other Ways to Get Free Plants
Offer Digging Services
You can offer free digging or garden weeding services in exchange for free plants or seeds. You can offer such services on Nextdoor or Craigslist
Gardening or Horticulture Clubs
Join a gardening or horticulture club to get free plants and share knowledge and tips with like-minded individuals. By attending meetings you can organize plant swap parties, and share cuttings, and seeds.
Host a Plant/Seed Swap
To host a plant or seed swap add a post on your Facebook wall, any local groups you joined or the NextDoor community, and gather your friends and neighbors. This can be a great occasion to build relationships and get a free plant!
FAQs
What types of plants can I get for free?
The types of plants you can get for free depend on your location and the available resources. Common examples include houseplants, succulents, vegetable plants or seeds, and various outdoor plants such as trees or bushes.
Are there any risks associated with getting free plants?
Some risks are associated with getting free plants, such as introducing pests or diseases to your existing plants. Inspect any plants before you bring them into your home or garden and quarantine them for a week just to make sure. Also, make sure you know what is given away as some are poisonous plants for house pets or even humans.
