Our Growing Practices
Cross Country Nurseries is a family-owned, sustainable nursery in rural Hunterdon County, New Jersey. We've been in the live plant business since 1997, and our plants are grown right here. This is how we do it.
Grown from Seed, Here
We raise our plants from seed in our own greenhouses. From March through May we have over 200,000 plants growing, spread amongst 800 different varieties.
Growing plants from seed is notoriously difficult. Forget about all that early-spring planning and growing seedlings in your basement or spare corner, and let us do the hard work for you!
Non-GMO Seed
Our plants are non-GMO, and we have signed the Safe Seed Pledge. We specialize in seed and plant diversity and growing vigorous, healthy plants.
Pest Control
We use beneficial insects primarily for pest control.
This is also why we ask that plants never be brought back to the nursery once they leave. Returned plants risk the introduction of pests to our indoor growing space.
Building the Soil
Our field is dedicated to peppers, and we add a large amount of new organic material every year. See our transplanting instructions for how to do the same in your garden.
Feeding
We highly recommend fish emulsion and seaweed. You can find them with our fertilizers. See How to Fertilize for the schedule we like to follow.
Keeping Track of 800 Varieties
We use RFID plant tags and track closely what's planted vs. what's sold. We also plan for loss against forecasted demand: 25% in the seed stage, and 10% after transplanting.
To be blunt: plants live, plants die. When the loss on a variety is more than we planned for, we may need to make a substitute. We really try to minimize them.
What You Receive
Ready-to-plant plants grown in 3 inch pots, averaging 6-8 inches tall
Grown and shipped directly from Stockton, New Jersey to anywhere in the lower 48 states
Healthy, strong, and true to name. That's our guarantee
We want your garden to be successful as much as you do. Questions about how we grow? Contact us.
