Did you know you can buy garden seeds with food stamps?
Did you know that you can buy garden seeds for edible plants with food stamp / Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits?
Here’s the explanation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service site:
Foods for the household to eat, such as:
- Breads and cereals;
- Fruits and vegetables;
- Meats, fish and poultry; and
- Dairy products.
Seeds and plants which produce food for the household to eat.
If this is something you’d like to consider doing, the seed packets are in the area stores. Just remember to buy those seeds at stores that accept food stamps. Meijer in Monroe, Mich., is one of those stores, for example, and here’s the garden seed display I saw there this morning.
Here’s my grocery database for Monroe County, Mich., and my database notes include the food stamp information. If you live elsewhere, do a zip code search at the USDA site to find participating retailers.
This post has 5 comments
March 16th, 2012
Remember, too, it says seeds AND plants which produce food. Blueberry bushes, peach trees, grape vines, etc. produce food–and they give you food year after year.
April 6th, 2012
I use EBT to furnish seeds & plants for my garden. I have found that bulbs (as for garlic & onions) and roots (like for asparagus) are NOT covered. Also, I have run into store employees who did not know that you can buy plants & seeds with EBT food stamps. Some have tried to outright refuse to even check me out. STAND YOUR GROUND! It is allowed and any store that accepts EBT food stamps can (and MUST) ring up your plant & seed order and allow you to pay with your card.
April 6th, 2012
Alicia C., where in the regulations did you find the information about bulbs and roots? I haven’t been able to find the exceptions to “seeds and plants” you’ve run across.
I don’t understand, especially, how a garlic or onion bulb doesn’t qualify as food. You could eat one immediately, without planting it, unless it has been doused with some chemicals.
The asparagus root is certainly a plant that can be used as food eventually; it’ll just take a while to grow big enough-but usually in less time than an apple or nut tree would.
April 6th, 2012
There are also many freebie seed sharing programs out there! Call your extension service, library, etc to inquire.
HTH
April 6th, 2012
Local readers: I don’t remember seeing a seed-sharing event notice for Monroe MI – but I would certainly post it if such an announcement came to the newspaper.
I do post the perennial swaps.