Can you buy seeds and plants with CalFresh EBT? Need store recommendations

Yes! This is actually one of the best uses of CalFresh benefits that most people don't know about. You can absolutely purchase seeds and plants that produce food with your EBT card. The USDA specifically allows this as they're considered food-producing investments. Look for vegetable seedlings, herb plants, fruit plants, and seed packets at places like Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and many grocery stores. Just make sure what you're buying will produce edible food - so no ornamental plants or flowers unless they're edible.

i tried to buy seeds at safeway last summer and the cashier looked at me like i was crazy lol but it worked! the register let it go through on ebt food. just don't expect the employees to always know the rules

got my first garden going last year with ebt! walmart has the best prices tbh. just don't try to use CASH benefits for it, only the FOOD part of ebt works for plants/seeds.

I've been gardening with my CalFresh benefits for 3 years now! It's one of the best-kept secrets of the program. Here are some specific places I've successfully used EBT for seeds and plants in Sacramento: - The Walmart Supercenter on Florin Road has a good garden section in spring/summer - Save Mart usually carries some vegetable seedlings that are EBT eligible - Home Depot accepts EBT for food-producing plants - Raley's sometimes has herbs and vegetable starts Farmer's markets that accept EBT are amazing options too - many vendors sell seedlings in spring, and some markets have Match programs where they double your EBT dollars for produce and plants!

can u use the cash part of ebt to buy dirt and pots and stuff like that too? or just the plants? this is my first year with benefits and i dont wanna mess up

I tried to buy seeds at my local grocery store last year and the manager told me it wasn't allowed. I was so embarrassed I just put them back and left. Now I'm reading this thread and finding out he was WRONG? This is the problem with these benefits - nobody knows the actual rules, not even the people who work at the stores! It's humiliating to have to argue about what you can buy when there's a line of people behind you.

wait can you use ebt cash for like pots and soil and stuff or just the food part for seeds? im confuseddd

A lot of confusion in this thread! Let me clarify the official USDA rules: 1. CalFresh (the food portion of EBT) CAN be used to purchase seeds and plants that produce food for human consumption 2. This includes vegetable plants, herb plants, fruit trees, berry bushes, and seed packets 3. You CANNOT use either CalFresh or CalWORKs cash benefits to purchase: - Soil - Fertilizer - Pots or containers - Garden tools - Non-food producing plants If a store accepts EBT and sells eligible seeds/plants, they MUST allow you to purchase them with your food benefits. If a cashier refuses, politely ask for a manager and reference the USDA SNAP retailer policy. Hope this helps clear up the confusion!

Hey everyone, just wanted to share something that helped me when I was having trouble reaching someone at CalFresh about my benefits and had questions about what's covered. I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that gets you through to a real person at the county office without waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. I used it when I had questions about my SAR7 and what purchases were allowed, and they connected me to someone who could actually help right away. Just thought I'd mention it since it seems like a lot of us have trouble getting clear answers sometimes.

yall should definitely try growing food if u can!! i started with just some tomato plants and basil on my tiny apartment balcony and it was actually sooo much cheaper than buying them at the store. now i grow like 6 different veggies and save at least $50 a month on groceries during the summer

I want to mention something important that hasn't been covered yet - timing your purchases. Most stores only stock vegetable seedlings and a good selection of seeds in spring (March-May). If you wait until summer, the selection is much more limited. Garden centers at places like Home Depot might have them longer, but grocery stores typically only stock them seasonally. If you're planning to use your CalFresh benefits for gardening, I'd recommend planning ahead and purchasing your seeds/plants during spring when the selection is best. You can also look into indoor gardening options (like herbs on a windowsill) that can be started any time of year. For the Sacramento area specifically, this is the perfect time to start seedlings for summer vegetables!

Just wanted to add for anyone who's hesitant about trying this - I was super nervous my first time buying seeds with EBT because I thought people would judge me or the cashier would make a scene. But honestly, most cashiers don't even blink an eye! The register system automatically recognizes eligible items, so if it goes through, you're good to go. I've been doing container gardening on my fire escape for two years now and it's saved me so much money on fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes. Even if you kill a few plants while learning (like I did lol), it's still way cheaper than buying organic produce at the store. Don't let fear stop you from trying something that could really help stretch your food budget!

This thread has been super helpful! I'm also in the Sacramento area and had no idea about this benefit. For anyone else who's hesitant about the checkout process, I'd suggest starting small - maybe just grab a packet of lettuce seeds or a small basil plant on your next grocery trip to test it out. That way if there are any issues, it's not a big purchase. I'm definitely going to hit up that Walmart on Florin Road this weekend to see what they have available. Has anyone tried growing anything that did surprisingly well in containers? I'm thinking about starting with herbs since they seem pretty forgiving for beginners.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been struggling to make my CalFresh benefits stretch each month and never knew about the seeds and plants option. This could be a game changer for me. I have a small patio that gets decent morning sun, so I'm thinking of starting with some cherry tomatoes and maybe lettuce since those seem to be mentioned as beginner-friendly. Does anyone know if there are any community gardens in Sacramento that might offer classes or help for people just starting out? I'm worried about wasting money on plants that I might accidentally kill while I'm learning. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's really encouraging to see how much money people are saving!