The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides benefits to eligible low-income individuals and families to purchase food for a nutritionally adequate diet. These benefits are accessed through an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card at authorized retailers. While the program’s primary function is to support the purchase of groceries, the federal guidelines include specific exceptions to promote long-term food security. One lesser-known allowance is the ability to purchase items that will ultimately produce food for the household. This provision extends the usefulness of the EBT card into the garden.
Understanding SNAP Eligibility for Seeds and Plants
The use of SNAP benefits for gardening supplies is governed by the requirement that the purchase must be for items that produce food for human consumption. This means you can use your EBT card to buy seeds and plants intended to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs that your household will eat.
Eligible purchases include packets of vegetable seeds, herb seeds, and starter plants like tomato, pepper, or squash seedlings. The rule also covers food-producing roots, bushes, and bulbs, such as asparagus crowns, onion sets, and strawberry plants. Fruit-bearing trees and bushes, like apple or blueberry plants, also qualify because they are intended to produce food for the household.
Potted herbs, for example, are eligible because they can be used immediately in cooking and will continue to produce edible leaves. However, the plant must ultimately be food-producing, meaning a decorative potted flower or ornamental shrub would not be covered. This focus ensures that the benefit is used to increase the household’s supply of food.
Retail Locations That Accept EBT for Produce and Plants
The crucial factor in purchasing plants with EBT is that the transaction must occur at a store authorized to accept SNAP benefits. Any retailer that meets the USDA’s criteria for selling staple foods and is approved to process EBT payments can sell eligible seeds and food-producing plants. This includes major national retailers like Walmart and many large grocery store chains that feature seasonal garden centers.
While garden centers themselves may not always be SNAP-authorized, many big-box stores that sell groceries and have a garden section are set up to accept EBT for eligible items. The store’s system should be programmed to recognize the seeds and food-producing plants as approved purchases. If a store is an authorized SNAP retailer, the ability to purchase seeds or plants there is dependent on whether they stock those specific items.
Farmers’ markets and farm stands often participate in SNAP, and they are excellent places to find locally grown seedlings and seeds. To find these local options, the USDA provides a Farmers Market Search tool that allows users to filter by markets that accept SNAP/EBT payments. Some markets also participate in programs that double the value of EBT benefits when used to purchase fresh produce, making them a valuable resource.
Items and Purchases Not Covered by EBT/SNAP
Understanding the exclusions is important to avoid issues at the register. Any plant not intended to produce food is ineligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. This includes all ornamental plants, such as flowers, landscape shrubs, decorative trees, and houseplants. The primary purpose of the purchase must be for human consumption.
Furthermore, the benefits cannot be used to buy non-food gardening supplies, tools, or accessories necessary for cultivation. Items like gardening gloves, trowels, shovels, pots, and hoses are all considered ineligible non-food items. The exclusion also extends to materials that enrich the soil or protect the plants. Products such as potting soil, compost, fertilizer, peat moss, and pesticides cannot be purchased with an EBT card. This distinction ensures that the federal funds are focused on food procurement and production.