I sell mints, marshmallow, rosemary and monarda in gallons and all the annual types in a variety of pots equal to half that (I use whatever I have on hand). I sell thyme and oregano in 3 inch pots and I sell garlic and shallots in 32oz 'big gulp' styrofoam cups.

This year I am offering the smallest strawberry pots I could find (maybe 12" tall and 5" wide, bought them for $7 each) filled with various Thymes and Chives for $25.

I sell a lot of 'Tea' herbs (Lemon Verbena, Chocolate Mint, Lemon Grass) as cuts, bundled together in a coffee cup. I would love to find small paper coffee cups for small plants and sell them in a four cup holder like you see at fast food places for drinks - but so far I haven't found them cheap enough.

And I do everything in small amounts because my current market isn't hopping just yet.

Thanks, trianglejohn, for your input. How well do your gallon pots sell? I'm thinking that not too many at my market would buy gallon-sized pots, even though this may be the best size for these plants. I think the 3-inch pots might be better sellers.

I love your strawberry pot idea. I'm going to have to look around for some, and see if I can get some for a good price. That's the type of thing I think would sell at my market.

Thanks so much!
Dee

Most of the herbs here at our markets are either sold in the 4 packs or in 3 inch pots early in the season. There is a lady that sells rosemary and lavender in 8-10 inch clay pots. I'm not sure exactly how many she sells a season though. There's a good market for basil.

Janet

I've switched markets this year so I have no idea how well anything will sell. Previously I sold at a large flea market that had a few farmer's market style vendors at it. One guy that sells plants only sells gallons and he seems to sell enough to keep coming back. I sold some but the bulk of my customers didn't want to carry it around with them and the market was huge - so I offered to keep sold items for them behind my table (this was a huge hit!)

I've been told that the farmer's market I will be selling at this year has fewer 'gardeners' coming to it so I will focus on cut herbs rather than live plants. At my old market most of my customers were non-English speaking immigrants and the bought stuff like mint or cilantro in medium sized pots to keep on their porch or windowsill to harvest leaves as needed, they never intended to actually plant it in the ground.

My problem is that I like to sell smaller plants (mostly seedlings and rooted cuttings), they are easier for me to haul in great numbers to the market and easier for me to grow in my less-than-perfect backyard (I don't have enough sunlight to finish a perennial). I aim for true gardeners as customers, I want repeat sales not impulse shoppers. But due to some volunteer work I do I have access to tons of free, new, black plastic gallon pots. So this year a lot of my stuff is going to market in these free pots even though the plants in them aren't mature. (I get potting mix for free also! so only the seed and time cost me).

Last year at the Flea market I sold as many gallon pots of mint as I could haul to the market. Mostly to the same family (they wanted to fill a flower bed with it!). They knew what it was and how to grow it, and they already had some, they just wanted more. That is why this year I intend to have all kinds of mint available, plus the smell works just as well as basil at luring customers to the booth.

Trianglejohn, I have somewhat similar situation to yours. There are not a lot of true gardeners at my market either, at least that I have seen, and that's why I'm thinking they would like the smaller pots - the whole windowsill and/or patio thing. And that's fine I guess for the single herbs. I'm still trying to think about a way to sell the mini-herb garden. I did some research on strawberry pots last night, but couldn't find much. (I actually found some beautiful herb pots, but no price was listed, so I'm afraid to ask, lol!) But I really like that idea, so I'm still looking.

Lucky you on your free pots and potting mix! Nice! Do you volunteer in some planting capacity?

Janet, by 4-packs, are you referring to the kind of 4-packs that annuals come in? That might be an idea for early season sales - unfortunately, my market doesn't start until July. That really puts a damper on plant sales in general. Most people buy the majority of their plants around Mother's Day in this neck of the woods.

Thanks guys!
Dee

Around here the smallest strawberry pots (red terra cotta) are $10 at the big box retailers but I found some at a large greenhouse way out in the country for $7. If mine sell well I intend to purchase quite a few more. Herbs like Thyme are easy to grow all winter long so they really fill out a pot. I would like to think up some other herb combo to use in them but small thyme plants seem to work out the best (even though Thyme tends to rot here, but you can usually keep the plants alive for a few years). I tailor the combinations towards Italian foods just to give it a theme. I would like to do tea herbs but most of them get so big it just wouldn't work and I doubt anyone will buy one of the bigger strawberry pots. Sales tend to weaken when the prices are over $20 at an open air market.

I am keeping my eyes open for one of the dark blue glazed strawberry pots. I have these variegated strawberry plants that would look stunning in a colored container - but most that I find are so expensive, I just don't think they will sell (and I charge a lot for the variegated strawberries also).

I once saw a small wire holder that held 4 small clay pots with a basket handle across the top - it was cute enough that I think folks would buy it, but I haven't found that picture and have no idea if it was home made or store bought.

I toy with the idea of growing herb collections in plastic bulb crates and "rent" them to folks through the summer (they return the crates when they are done harvesting the herbs). But they aren't pretty and I doubt enough people would buy into to it to make it profitable.

I volunteer and help out with a few public garden and gardening enterprises around town and they let me have the surplus. I can get a ton of free plants this way also - but mostly things that are hard for me to carry over til spring. I also host two big plant swaps a year and a seed swap in the winter which bring me all the cuttings I could ever want (plus it gives me an insight into what types of plants people really like to grow).

Dee,
yes. The 4 packs annuals come in. Our market starts the last weekend in April so that's not a problem. Besides, basil in a pot down here by July could be two feet tall and a foot and a half wide. Carting those puppies back and forth could eat up your profit in a heartbeat.

Janet

I sell my herbs in 4" pots for $3. I try to recycle the pots if I can because to buy them new I have to pay about $.25 but it is important to me that my products look nice so I only recycle them if they are clean and not cracked. I have found like John mentioned that mint is hugely popular. I would say that mint and basil account for 85% of my business so for me selling an 'herb garden' may not be that popular. I have grown lots of herb in pots for my own personal use and can tell you that they will outgrow their space quickly. But, to sell them at the market I would but no more than three plants in four inch pots into a 12 inch container and as you mentioned tell them that will need to be potted up or planted in the ground in about two months. An inexpensive way to dress up the pot is to tie a raffia bow around the rim and I would also include a stick in tag with the names of the herbs because you'd be surprised how many people have no clue. Theresa.

One way I have used to get gallon pots is put a sign that I will give them 5 cents or 10 cents credit per can. This works well because people usually have some at home and they feel good about being paid something for them. Also it gets you a new happy customer.....

Well, I've decided to sell the majority of my herbs in 3 or 4 inch pots, and then I will sell a few four-packs. It's kind of late in the season by the time our market gets going to sell these, but I'll give it a shot. I also think I'll keep an eye out for one or two decorative pots and try selling at least one herb garden. I may even just get an oval planter and put three individual pots in it if I can't find a suitable planter to actually plant in.

I figure I'll try a few different approaches and see what flies.

Thank you all for your suggestions an input. It has really been very helpful.

:)
Dee

If you put the word out that you'll take pots from people you will be taking home pots and plant cells every market day. People who are gardeners love to know that those things are recycled by someone that will use them. People at work know I use them and in the spring and early summer nearly every Monday morning I come in to find a bag of pots sitting beside my desk. Now if someone would just bring in bags of good potting soil.....

Janet

LOL, Janet, wouldn't it be great to come in to work and find a bag of potting soil on your desk?! Actually, I don't really have a shortage of pots, as my co-workers and family do exactly that - they are always saving pots for me. (I've got them saving milk jugs and containers for my winter-sowing too, so there's always something waiting for me at work!)

It's the fancier, decorative pots that will be harder to find - or should I say, harder to find for a cheap-, er, ah reasonable price! I've seen some beautiful herb pots out there, but the price is a little too steep for my purposes.

Thanks!
Dee