Plants for school summer fair

[emmy1978]

Me and Sarah and another gardening marmie are holding a plant stall for the school summer fair. We thought we'd keep it quite basic - toms, chillies and peppers, herbs - if they play the game, various bits like sunflowers, cosmos, marigolds, fuschias from cuttings, bay.
We also thought that we'd perhaps have some veg from the plots and get local grocer, asda and garden centre to donate some bedding or maybe cut flowers or lavender etc.
We wanted to have pumpkins too but we're now thinking they'll be too big by July really.
Can you think of anything else we could start now that would sell well and will be a nice little plant by 7th July? Or any other advice you think we need!! I know lots of you have done this sort of thing so be very grateful for any ideas.  8) 8) 8)

[emmy1978]

[emmy1978]

BTW - It's for school funds not for us.  :P

[Jeannine]

I would grow baby pumpkins, Jack be Little, make a pretty leaflet to go with them and give each plant a name " Adopt a Baby Pumpkin" Kids love it, they grow well .

Give growing tips etc and some background on the pumpkin, you can make them quite eye catching.

Most folks will have never heard of them anyway , we used to do this in Canada and we sold loads.

You have to make the little leaflet very pretty  and posh. We used to do the rhyme. Jack be Little, Jack be quick, Jack jumped over the candlestick. We had a picture of a pumpkin with a face jumping over the candle stick.

It is a lot more special to kids than just a pumpkin plant.

XX Jeannine

[emmy1978]

Ooooh Jeannine - that is an absolutely brilliant idea. Thank you x

[Jeannine]

Another fund rasier, not plants but someone in school might like the idea.

Recipes in a jar.

You mix all the non perishable ingredients in a jar, posh it up a bit and sell it. I will add it is no good if you are selling in a poor area.

There are a lot of books on this, try Amazon, I have about half a dozen.

Called Gifts in a Jar series.


I have

Bars and Brownies
Cocoas,Cappuccinos,Coffees and Teas
Holiday Fun
Muffins and Breads
Cookies
Soups
For Kids

I have sold loads of these at church bazaars, the soup ones go especially well and the cookies.

In the books are preprinted pretty labels and hand written recipes

eg.

Mocha Fireside Mix contains, powdered coffee creamer,drinking chocolate,instant coffee.sugar.cinnamon and nutmeg all blended together, then packed in a jar, instructions then are :

Tablespoon of drink mix, water plus optional whipped cream and chocolate shavings to garnish.

I cannot show the exact recipe as I am quoting from a copyrighted book.

With a pretty ribbon they are most attractive.

PM me if you need more ifo.

XX Jeannine

[nippie]

Jeannine, you are brilliant!
I spent this morning at a coffee morning/bazzar in aid of our local hospital.(I do voluntary work for the league of friends) Today I served approx 300 teas and coffees :o
I wish I had known of your ideas before, I could have pinched them, but I am storing them in the memory bank for next time. ;D

[Jeannine]

Might not be too late...Thompson and Morgan half price sale. SC4-15 baby pumpkins,tennis ball sized.I think it closes today or tomorrow so you will have to be quick.

Also check out Lil'Pump-ke-mon on the net a bit bigger but very eye catching and I can let you have some seeds of this one.

I don't think I have more than a couple of Jack be Littles left though.

How about a small pumpkin especially for pumpkin pie, I can give you seeds of this one and 2 great recipes.  Sorry that sound big headed bit I worked ages on these 2 and am proud of the,one is a ginger crust base with whipped cream and on e very nice smotth baked one. You could do a plant and a recipe all poshed up.

XX Jeannine

[sarah]

absojollylutely. great idea jeannine, we were thinking of large pumpkins but ditched the idea, but dinky pumpkins are a great idea,  especially if we personalise it a bit.  i love the idea of a little leaflet with info and recipe ideas.  oooo ginger crust and whipped cream.  i am going to see if i can find some little pumpkin seeds off ebay right now.  i love the recipe jars thats agreat idea for another day. any more ideas?

[emmy1978]

Isn't she fab? You are a blimmin star Jeannine. Great ideas and thanks for sharing!  :-*

[sarah]

yay full speed ahead, i have just bought twenty baby bear pumpkins off ebay. they grow 5 to 6 inches across about 1/2 a pound in weight.  they'll do. didnt have any jack be little but think they will be fine, should be easy enough to knock up a fancy baby bear booklet to go with each one and the kids can give them names. 

[Jeannine]

Hi Sarah, dare I say the word....Christmas.

If you haven't seen this one.

Small zippie bags with a few white mini marshmallows, a pretty label with a coloured picture of a snowman and the poem on the label

" So you have been naughty, so here's the scoop,
  All you're getting is Snowman Poop


Substitute chocolate covered raisins for the marshmallow and use same poem but for Reindeer instead of Snowman.

I have made and sold tons of these.

The soups are really good in the jars as the dried coloured pasta or mixed dried beans looks so pretty.

[emmy1978]

How do you type bouncing up and down clapping hands like a 5 year old?  :)
Jeannine I think you are some kind of evil genius without the evil. I love the poop thing and would buy for myself let alone the kids!! Thought I'd be getting plant suggestions but this is briller!!!  ;D

[sarah]

yeah. raindeer poo. i'm liking that. i can feel a stall coming on for the christmas fair Em. snowman poo. my boys would kill for it.  we could also do the recipe jars then.  think it might all be too much for my poor brain.  you know they are going to try and headhunt us for the pta if we not careful.

[emmy1978]

i'm going into hiding after doing this. It's quite nice though as i have always complained of the school often having a bit of a lack of imagination when it comes to fairs and stuff so money where my mouth is time i s'pose.  ::)

[Jeannine]

Been there done that,for years. I will see what I can find you in my books. I virtually stopped doing stuff like this when I came back to the UK and lost all my connections with groups etc. We used to do loads of this type of thing.

Some of the home made convenience foods sold well too,like stuffing mix,with chopped dried  fruits , apricots etc, just add water and optional  sausage meat or ham.

Different jams and jellies. I used to make a Red Hot Jalepeno  and a Grand Marnier Orange Jelly marmalade that people would order ahead year after year

You know I miss all of that  XX Jeannine

[sarah]

Grand Marnier Orange Jelly marmalade that people would order ahead year after year

now if i made some of that it would never get as far as the school. ;D. 
We are planning on selling some chilli plants  (including a handful of jalepano) and it might be nice to tie a little leaflet on each one with a recipe.

[Jeannine]

The one I make is very involved as I make the jalapeno juice in about 5 gallon amounts which I freeze prior to making the jelly. I can find you one which is easier at the weekend. XX Jeannine

[sarah]

thanks Jeannine you are a star. :)

[Linda Tal]

I'm right there with you Emmy & Sarah, I've just volunteered to do a plant stall at our school summer fair on 13th July  :)

I normally spend the afternoon of the summer fair stuck in the office counting all the money collected but I thought a plant stall would be a big hit, so I've got to try and do both now !

It's been great to see all the ideas you've come up with and Jeannine - you're a mine of information and ideas - I'm positively buzzing with enthusiasm  ;D ;D

Hope to see some more ideas on here that we can 'borrow'.

Linda x

[Linda Tal]

Emmy / Sarah,

Just thought I'd let you know that I put a 'wanted' on our local Freecycle for unwanted plants and I had 4 responses.  I collected about 100 small plants from another school who'd already had their plant fair and these were ones that were left over.

They need a good sort out and labelling  ::) but it's certainly given us a good start.

Linda.