Brighten up your space with these plants for five bucks now at Trader Joe’s (limited) for Halloween (2025) DIA DE LOS MUERTOS – Day of the Dead inspired design.
Pretty cute, huh?
Seen @ Trader Joe’s : BLOOMING MINI SKULL PLANTS, $5. For Halloween
20 Oct 2025 Leave a comment
in All Natural, DIY, Fall Season, fresh, General, Health & Beauty, Mexican, New, News, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: #Halloween, healthy, no preservatives, plants, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian
Trader Joe’s has VENUS FLY TRAP plants!
11 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in All Natural, DIY, fresh, General, Home Goods, New, News, organic, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, review, seasonal, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: healthy, no preservatives, Not Vegetarian, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes
“Good for chomping flies and taking names” ! $5.99. Looked super healthy too. I guess they’ve been eating well?
Great science / nature project for the kids?!
Trader Joe’s MINI CAN FOLIAGE PLANTS
08 Sep 2025 2 Comments
in fresh, Home Goods, plants, Prices, Products, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update Tags: #instagram, #plantlife, #plants, #traderjoefinds, #traderjoes, fall, foliage, healthy, no preservatives, plants, product, Products, review, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free
Trader Joe’s say this about these “mini can foliage plants” that have come out for Fall now :
“Here, designs from some of our favorite canned products ever to grace our grocery shelves, including items from both the past and present, have been re-imagined as holders for a variety of beautiful, (and, we mention with appreciation, quite low-maintenance) tropical plants.”
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/mini-can-foliage-082987
These new Trader Joe’s plants in cans, seem to gotten a lot of attention all over Social Media. I am going to bet that almost every dorm room now has one of these in them! Granted these are cute because they are not not in a little pot, but in Trader Joe’s cans, with labels for actual TJ’s products like the canned corn.
So yes, I totally get these look cute and kind of cool and OK, I like the recycling take added to design philosophy. Frankly though I have a feeling they are not actually in recycled cans, I think they were produced just for this use. I know that that tomato paste comes in a very skinny little can, not this size can, which is way bigger which leads me to assume these cans were made just for this purpose.
Frankly though I had a few reservations when I saw them at my local (NYC) Trader Joe’s.
First, the price?! Whaaaaa?! 4.99!? Five bucks for one of these just seemed a little steep when I saw them. When I search their website I saw a few kinds of plant varieties. But at my TJ’s (UWS NYC) there were only these one kind a fern species. The ones I saw appeared to be not in great shape, at all. The ones I saw looked like they would die in about a week after you took them home. They were already dying.
I would not buy the ones I saw (the ferns) again which are not even shown as you can see in the top picture I got right off TJ’s website which shows other plants – which all look robust. And better varieties of plants some worth five bucks.
I did see healthy plants for that exact same $4.99. Those looked way healthier and more robust looking plants Also labeled “mini foliage in pot”. Those will last if you take care of them. Not sure if those ferns could be rescued.
This guy on Instagram got much luckier to find good little cans of plants that had more of the varieties as they are shown on TJ’s website. Perhaps you will in your area.
Still as cute as you think the (frankly over priced) plants in those little metal labeled cans are, in general those plants will live longer if you eventually re-pot them into a bigger pot with hopefully some drainage holes at the bottom (or at the very least be careful not to over or under water these) If you find more robust varieties in these cans, you might get lucky.
(update: a reader Commented below that depending on the exact plant variety you find, it might be well worth $5 – but repot them)
By the way, these looked very healthy!! Some has been feeding them flies?
Seen at Trader Joe’s: MUM PLANTS (chrysanthemums)
25 Jul 2025 Leave a comment
in All Natural, Asian, frozen, Health & Beauty, Home Goods, New, News, organic, Pantry, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, review, seasonal, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: chrysanthemums, healthy, live, mums, no preservatives, plants, pot, Products, Trader Joes, vegetarian
I got one of these lovely yellow live Mums live potten plant for my wife yesterday. They looked super healthy. These cost only five bucks, not a bad deal at all.
Mums are pretty hardy. If indoors, they need a good window that gets some good sun for about 6 hours. Keep them a bit moist.
Trader Joe’s Chrysanthemum Plants $4.99 (summer 2025)
PLANT CARE: Caring for mums (chrysanthemums) involves providing them with proper sunlight, water, and soil conditions, as well as occasional fertilization and deadheading. Mums are generally low-maintenance but thrive with a few key care practices. Mums need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day to bloom well. Choose a location that receives ample sunlight, whether in the garden or on a patio. For potted mums, ensure they get enough light, but avoid intense midday sun which can fade blooms. Watering: Mums prefer moist but not waterlogged soil. Water regularly, especially during dry spells, ensuring the soil is kept moist but not soggy. Potted mums may need more frequent watering than those in the ground. Deadheading: Remove spent blooms (deadheading) to encourage more flowering and keep the plant looking tidy. Simply pinch or cut off the faded flower heads.
Trader Joe’s UMAMI MUSHROOM SEASONING
23 Jul 2025 1 Comment
in All Natural, Asian, fresh, General, jar, News, Pantry, pasta, pescatarian, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, seafood, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: blend, Cooking, dinner, Food, healthy, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, seasoning, spices, Trader Joes, umami, vegan gluten free
“Have you heard about umami? You’ve most certainly tasted it, even if you’ve never heard the word. Umami is the word used to describe the fifth taste – in addition to sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Taken from Japanese, the word translates to ‘pleasant savory taste’, and really, it’s just that. And it’s really just something you’re going to want to put on everything. To create this Umami Seasoning Blend, we began with kosher salt, and used a flavor base of porcini and white button mushrooms – earthy mushroom flavor really is the cornerstone of umami, which is why we named it Mushroom & Company. The ingredient list also includes onion, mustard seed, red & black pepper, and thyme… If you follow an eating plan like we do, also known as Anything and Everything, Trader Joe’s Mushroom & Company Multipurpose Umami Seasoning Blend will elevate the flavors of Anything and Everything, a sprinkle at a time” – Trader Joe’s
I’ve read some discussions on Reddit where people wonder if this seasoning actually “does anything”. Trust me, it does. Trader Joe’s Mushroom & Company Multipurpose Seasoning Blend is useful. It contains two kinds of mushrooms, porcini and button, along with other seasonings. Mushrooms contain glutamates. Glutamates give food that “umami” taste.
Sometimes when I’m making something and it just tastes a little flat, and I don’t know what to add to make it taste better, I frequently turn and try adding a bit of this seasoning (aka Magic Mushroom Powder) and it usually does just the trick of making things just taste better. Seriously you won’t know until you’ve tried this magic powder. For just one little instance where I use this really useful is ground turkey. I add this seasoning to ground turkey to improve it’s bland flavor, for example making turkey burgers. They are vastly improved with the Umami seasoning. Or chicken, fish, veggies, tofu, eggs or frankly anything for that matter.
As this blend does contains some salt, you want to use a little less salt than you normally might add, Use this and correct the seasoning to see if any additional salt is needed. However I don’t find this seasoning blend to be a salt bomb, it’s got a lot of other ingredients. I’ve even come up with using this seasoning to create a little veggie broth in a pinch.
I would buy this again.
Trader Joe’s Mushroom & Company Multipurpose Seasoning Blend, $2.99 (2 oz)
Trader Joe’s Sunflower Plant: Bring Sunshine Indoors with this Budget-Friendly Option
16 Jul 2024 1 Comment
in All Natural, fresh, General, Home Goods, New, News, organic, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, review, seasonal, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Affordable, Decor, Decoration, goods, Home, no preservatives, plants, product, Products, Rave, Trader Joes
Trader Joe’s is selling these potted sunflower plants for $4.99 each (Summer ’24)
I think these are so cool looking, don’t you?
They will really brighten up a room.
After I saw them at the entrance to my Trader Joe’s, I just could not resist.
I picked up one and then actually went and got another to give to my neighbor. She thought this might be a special mini variety that will stay fairly small. I’ve seen sunflower plants grow to be 6 feet tall or more. But this size is perfect for any room or entrance way. We will see if it grows into a monster but if it stays in fairly small pots will probably stay fairly small.
The nice thing about this living plant over the cut sunflowers I’ve also seen at Trader Joe’s is as this should stay around for longer than the cut sunflowers, which I think probably look best for about four or five days.
There are a number of buds below the flower that may flower themselves in time. I will probably re-pot this in a week or two as its very root bound.
I may update this with another picture in future as more buds open up and if it gets more flowers. Here are some tips on growing i found…
https://mygardyn.com/grow-sunflowers/
UPDATE: The plant looked healthy and for a few weeks but after about a month it doesn’t look great anymore. Oh well! I confess I didn’t replant it, which might have helped it last longer.
Trader Joe’s ORGANIC BASIL PLANTS (fresh basil all year!)
08 May 2024 2 Comments
in All Natural, Blog, DIY, fresh, General, Home Goods, News, organic, Pantry, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, seasonal, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Food, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, Trader Joes
Being able to pick a few leaves of basil whenever you want some is a pleasure. The smell you get from fresh basil is amazing, say ripped up on top of your plate of pasta. Yum. So once or twice a year if I see it, I buy a new pot of ORGANIC BASIL at Trader Joe’s. They sell the big pots for $3.99, a pretty good deal. You can get a smaller pot of herbs for even less ($2.49)
There are lots of plants in the container, at least a dozen if not more. So sure you can just take this pot home, put it on a sunny window sill and pick off some leaves when you want them. But the reality is if you leave it as it is, the plants will last maybe a few months.
You need to re-pot it, if you want it to thrive. I’ve learned the hard way that the trick with these herb containers you buy at the supermarket is, if you want them to really flourish, you have to take them out and re-pot them. You heard me. You need to get your hands in some dirt!
Why bother? Well basil grows quite easily and pretty fast. Each one of those little plants will grow and grow and each one sends out lots of roots. If you just just leave all of those plants together in the orginal pot they will get way too crowded, and the roots will kind of strangle each other. Become “root bound”. Maybe after two or three months the plants will start to look worse and worse as they all fight each other to survive in that limited space. Therefore with these, the best thing to do is when you get the plant home is take it out of the pot. Break them up (gently) and replant them in a number of pots. I save old pots for this to re-use.
You gently separate the roots, very carefully with your fingers and get one or two or three plants max in a bunch and re-pot them. To really see How To just search YouTube where you will find lots of instructional videos on How To re-pot a basil plant. Of course you will need a few pots and dirt to do this but its worth the effort as the plants will live a lot longer. And you will get lots more basil as a result. A dollar store is good place to find soil and pots cheap.
I wish as well as this Italian basil that Trader Joe’s also carried THAI BASIL too. Never see that there. But they do have other herbs like rosemary, oregano, mint….
Trader Joe’s Plants: RUBBER PLANT (Ficus)
04 Mar 2024 Leave a comment
in All Natural, Asian, DIY, fresh, Home Goods, New, News, plants, Prices, Rave, review, Staple, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: healthy, House, no preservatives, plant, plants, Products, review, Trader Joes
I like rubber plants. I had a nice one that lasted about 20+ years. However finally that one started to weaken and eventually die. I’ve been thinking of replacing it for a few months.
Lo and behold I saw this rubber plant at Trader Joe’s yesterday. It looked really healthy to me. Very robust with new growth on the way.
So I decided it was time to replace my late rubber plant I had for so long and missed.
TJ’s had nice healthy looking rubber plants for $11.99. I was not dirt cheap but elsewhere I would see comparable rubber plants for at least $20 if not more, so I decided to take it home.
These make good houseplants that are easy to take care of and don’t even need a ton of light, so are a good choice for many.
HOW TO CARE for a rubber plant aka ficus elastica
Seen at Trader Joe’s: JUMBO MONSTERA PLANTS
09 Aug 2023 Leave a comment
in All Natural, fresh, General, Home Goods, New, News, organic, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: gardening, Home, plants
JUMBO MONSTERA – (NYC Bway & 72nd 8/9/23) I gave them a really close look. These “Monstera Deliciosa” plants looked super healthy and robust with lots of new growth. Different stores may get different items so check your store. These plants were $12.99. A pretty good price for these highly sought after Monstera’s which everyone wanted to during Covid. I’m pretty sure if you repot these asap, you will get a lot of growth. Monstera care tips in the link below…
Seen At Trader Joe’s: DAFFODILS IN WOOD BOX
07 Apr 2023 Leave a comment
in All Natural, fresh, General, Home Goods, New, News, organic, Pantry, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Home, plant, plants, Products, Trader Joes
For Easter. My neighbor saw and got this nice wooden planter box full of daffodils at Trader Joe’s last week. They were about $12 and look really healthy. They may not be in stock for long, still I just thought I’d show them in case you are lucky and see them.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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