Sales really drop off when the weather is hot (for me). The shoppers don't really want to work outside in the heat and the plants are hard to keep pretty while baking on a parking lot pavement. My two biggest obstacles are hauling plants (they always get banged up during transport) and dealing with the heat (water isn't easily available where I set up).

It all depends on the shoppers you attract, but from my experience people really seem to like that the plants are grown by you and that you know something about them. They always talk about my plants looking so much healthier than the big store's but I don't think that's accurate (but I always agree with them!). My backyard isn't perfect, I have trouble growing out small plants into large plants (not enough sunshine). So I sell a lot of rooted cuttings and seedlings - they're easy and sell well for me.

Don't believe everything you read about marketing. The rules of business are constantly changing. You need to place your products within eyesight of your customers and establish yourself as a reliable business. Someone that they can count on - they may not buy from you today but they like knowing who you are, where you are and what you sell. People will always prefer to spend money with someone they know (or feel like they know).

First you have to master producing a product, then you start selling that product, after you've established yourself and develop a steady stream of customers you can play around with pricing and alternative products to expand your business. You're not in business if you aren't selling! And remember that growing plants and selling plants are two completely different things. You don't make money growing plants - you make money selling plants.

So nice to hear about other people doing what I do !! John your advice was very informative, thankyou.

I sell plants from my home, I grow them all from seed that I have collected from the surrounding bushland. So they are all Australian native plants. I have a sign out the front, and over the past 6 months or so people have been calling in and buying.

I have about 400 plants ready to sell, and about 10 trays of seeds,in various stages of germination.

I put all my plants in tubepots, 40 to a tray, I water them all by immersion.

I find watering the biggest chore, as it is summer here now and rather hot, so everyday they need attention. I have all the plants in a large tray, with a plug hole, so I fill up the tray with water and let them sit in the water, then drain it away.

My innitial purchases where for pots and tray, I got them for about $150 and people that buy the plants usually bring the pots back, so I can re-use them. My potting mix, I get from a wholesale nursery, who grows the same sort of plants, I usually barter for the potting mix, so I dont have to outlay money for that.

I make enough money to cover costs, but not pay myself.

I guess it would be good to have some sort of plan, about what I want to achieve, as I am sure I could do more marketing.

John, I had a laugh where you said "dont believe everything you read about marketing"....I recently got this huge book out of the libary about marketing....needless to say, its a big topic!

I would be happy to chat further about selling plants, I am keen to hear what other people do.

All the best to you
Popi

I get people to bring pots back, cause I say I will give them a free plant. Works most of the time. Then they might buy more plants.

I live on acres, so I have a site near the front of the property, I have a sign saying I am there at certain times, and I make sure I am hanging around. I have plenty to do, with mowing and gardening.

Yes I do think I could sell more at markets, I guess I am a bit lazy...I want people to come to me. I know I could do more to market the plants.

I have been doing this, selling for about 2 years. I have been growing my own plants for about 6 years. I have horticultural training, which makes it all a bit easier.

I am thinking of growing herbs as well.

I think what you are doing is great..keep it up. I have found that you must have faith in yourself, and just do it. At least it keeps you healthy, and you get to talk to people, and that is very rewarding.

It is something you have to work at every day, to check on the plants.

I find moving them around, very hard work, so that is another reason why I have not gone to markets.

Hedwig, how do you set up your plants at markets, on a table ??

Popi

Now in this area many garden shops are going out of business and the nurseries out in the country are also suffering because gasoline is so expensive and people are just not going to drive out to the country to shop every weekend like they did a few years ago. If this trend continues I think I will be better able to make a living from plants simply because there won't be too many places open anymore. Survival of the fitest.

I sell at a flea market - but its a HUGE flea market with up to 19,000 people on good summer weekends. At one time it was the largest antique market on the east coast of the US. It has now slowed down and it's mostly a carnival and junk dealer type of place. There are still a lot of antiques being sold, and sold for lots of money, but those customers don't really walk around the whole market to see what other people are selling and they aren't there to buy plants. Anyway the reason I chose to sell here instead of the nice State Farmer's Market is that the flea market has few rules (I'm not a farmer, I live in the city), more customers, fewer plant vendors (up to 30 at the farmer's market), lots of security, large convenient bathrooms, food vendors, I can bring my dog with me (forbidden at the farmer's market) and it opens at 9am instead of 5am (this is important when you work all week!).

I think my customers like that my plants look home grown and NOT like the plants you see everywhere else. I use paper coffee cups and styrofoam cups instead of plastic pots. I like the large 32 oz styrofoam cups for fast growing things because I know plenty of people buy plants and then forget to plant them - this way they won't stress the plant out too much if they forget to plant it. I also like the fact that I can buy the 32 oz cups for around 4cents per cup from a big supply warehouse down the street from my house. I can also punch as many holes in the cup as I need with a sharp stick - cactus type plants get lots of holes, water lily plants get none. I can also write the names right on the cup if I need to. I don't like the non-environmentally friendliness of styrofoam but until I find something better it is what I am sticking with. I really think the customers like the homegrown look of it.

My yard is less than 2 acres and is mostly forest. I have the only sunny corner devoted to my vegetables and herbs. Off to the side of that I have two bedroom sized spots where I grow cuttings and seedlings in part sun. Like I've said before it is hard to make a full grown mature plant without full sun so I try to sell them young. People that know about gardening seem to like buying baby plants rather than full sized mature specimens. It seems to me that a customer might buy a $6 gallon perennial from me but they only buy one or two - the same customer will come back on another weekend and buy 20, $1 seedlings. So on one hand it looks like the larger plants are bringing in more money but they actually aren't. I spend far less time producing seedlings and rooted cuttings than I do a mature plant - I have to grow a lot of gallons to get a few that look good enough to ask $6 for! People with large professional greenhouses can produce a lot of $6 gallons but I can't.

I see customers buying lots of bedding plants in the spring and maybe some hanging baskets but they only buy this stuff ONCE and thats it for the year. I need customers that buy plants every weekend in order for me to stay in business. So the seedlings and rooted cuttings always attract the true gardeners - the people that know a bit about plants and know what they are looking for (which can make it hard to please them) but they buy plants every time they come to the market. And that is money in the bank.

I have most of my plants on a plant stand, which is like a tray, that I can add water to when necessary, this allows me to water all the plants at one time, and to let them sit in the water. This allows the potting mix to become saturated from the bottom. This is called capilliary watering. I find it to be most effective.

Herbs...by that I mean cullinary herbs, like rosemary, mint, parsley and anything really. I have started by putting some rosemary cuttings in water on my kitchen window sill, with some basil. I am hoping they will grow roots and then I will pot them up.

My potting mix..you asked why a competitor would sell it to me...we work together, and help each other out. He is wholesale, and I am basically retail, so we dont overlap. He is big, I am just a hobby, so no competition really.

My pots I bought from wholesale guy, but you could get them from a horticultural supply company, do a google search. Or even a big hardware store, maybe they would order you some in.

I like to have a good quality potting mix...most of the cheap brands are aweful. At least get one with Australian stardard symbol on the bag. If you have a good mix, you will have good plants.

Have you actually been to a market yet ?

John....I like your idea about the polystyrofoam cups, but as you say they are bad for evironment. Have you heard of paper cups that they make out of some sort of vegetable matter..this is supposed to be a substitute for foam. I think they make paper plates out of it.

I also think you point about producing smaller plants is more cost effective...thats a good point. Holding onto plants for a few seasons whilst they get bigger, is time consuming.

Petrol (gas) is much more expensive in Australia, we pay $1.25 a litre, whereas, I heard the other day you pay 70c a litre. I think there are about 4 litres in a gallon.

I am happy to get emails. I keep forgetting where this posting is on garden web, its a maze to find it!

Popi

I'm wanting to sell perennials that reproduce in my perennial garden. Shasta Daisy, Artemesia, mints, coneflowers, etc. Last year, I dug up some, put them in a pot and kept them watered. They didn't do well. Should I be digging them up when they are real small? Should I place them in the shade until they get happy in their pots, or what. I should be able to do this, but my few atempts have failed. The plants looked unhappy. I think, maybe, I tried to pot too large of a plant. I would love any instructions you guys could give me. I hate to just treat these plants like weeds and throw them away when I see them selling at the nurseries in the area. Thanks-misstwiggley

People like buying their garden plants from home growers but they can get picky about selection. So I wouldn't knock yourself out trying to meet the demand. Just harvest divisions when it is convenient for you and set them off to the side til they recover. Sell whatever you have ready. On the plus side you will always have gift plants ready to go when you need something special to give someone with a garden.

I only work in my garden about 15 hours a week (less in the winter) and I can fill my truck with divisions and seedlings in the spring time (it is a small toyota truck).

And like I've said before - people shopping my booth at the flea market are constantly saying my plants look so much healthier than other places when they look like ratty, poorly handled, neglected plantlets to me. They must only shop the big box retailers, and on a bad day. I do have some things that look great, but not everything I bring is in peak condition.

Perhaps you could try popping a few seeds into your pots. Easy herbs, like parsley, or mint, oregano. They would go well with your tomatoes, out the front.

Popi