Beth - there are a thousand answers to your questions. It all depends on what and how much you want to grow. I might purchase various items from twenty or more different places in a season depending on availability of variety/item and price.

For example: certain seeds are only available from certain sources. I buy planters when they are on sale or even at the occasional yard sale. If I only want one plant of a perennial flower, I try for a local garden mart so there is no shipping.

Suggest you write for a few catalogs in the early Fall. You can eventually shop on line even, but it is easier to compare prices and descriptions from the hard copies. Check out the frugal forum for recycling ideas, etc.

With Garlic After buying your first seed (which is expensive)you can save your own seed each year after. We started small ordering a few pounds . Now we plant several hundred pounds and harvest over a 1000. With garlic ,saving your own seed is the only way.

With other seed we plant we find it more economical just to buy. We don't have the space to keep all of our open polinated veggies far enough apart or the extra time it takes to have proper seed care & collection.

Here is where we order most of our vegetable seed and they have reasonable prices

Here is a link that might be useful: Harvest Moon

call chesmore seed and ask for a catalog. Good prices and they have many common OP varieties. some supplies. They deal mainly with small farms, not retail. They havea variety listing online but no prices, you have to call for a price list.
800-383-0865

Here is a link that might be useful: Chesmore

I am interested in getting potting soil at wholesale....any suggestions?

Just make your own potting soil, not only will you save on cost, but you will know what is in it. Mix equal parts peat moss, compost, and perlite. If you buy these in bulk you will have potting soil for years.

Becky