Plants for sale

[betula]

and me looking after them.

I have started to volunteer in an old house of a local worthy.now long gone.Was expecting just to do reception type duties but it has turned out better than that.They have lots of plants for sale to help maintain the house but they were all a bit weedy and sad so I have taken that bit over.

Spent a nice morning looking after the plants and they now look as if someone may buy them.

No budget for new plants so that is the difficult bit...........now asking people for cuttings and there extras from when they are potting up there seedlings.

If only you all lived local to me ........... ;D

May need some advice on prices,what would you charge for say a tomato or corgette plant???

[betula]

[manicscousers]

we sold  our tomatoes etc for 50p per plant last plant sale, you might get away with more now, the big boys seem to  ;D

[saddad]

I'm a 50p fan too but 75 may be more realistic...  :-X

[manicscousers]

just saved messing about with change, plus, it depends on the size of the plant..just been asked for 10 moneymaker plants, couldn't persuade him to have anything interesting  ???
might be able to send you some cuttings later on, betula, is it an on-going thing?

[Digeroo]

Our local garden centre charge 1.49 for a tomato plant and they are miniscule.

[Mrs Gumboot]

Think it depends entirely on your visitor base. At a small charity run garden I volunteered in a few years back they managed to shift masses of plants, priced anything from £1.50 to £7 depending on the plants. Admittedly they're selling flowering rather edible plants. We have a massive amount of people through our doors at work but hardly manage to sell anything, both in terms of plants and produce. Difference is simply that the small garden attracts gardeners where we attract lots of mums with kids who aren't much interested in plants or spending money on anything other than ice cream! If you have keen gardeners coming you can probably get away with a bit more, both in terms of range and price.

It's certainly worth giving it a try for this season and just see how it goes. If it looks like things are walking away, then you can possibly get away with putting the prices up a bit.

[betula]

Thanks Manics..........it is an ongoing thing  ;D

I am going to do a load today ..................I will keep as many as I can house and the rest will go on sale.

Think I will try 75p and see what happens.

It is a worthy cause as these wonderful old houses are our heritage
and it costs a fortune to keep them going   ;D

Thanks for the support everyone and wish me luck. :)

[antipodes]

If you and others are willing to plant things from seed, really veg plants have a great return on investment. Get seeds cheap, from Alan Romans for example, the varieties pare not so fancy but that's not what you care about, Thinking that a seed packet at about 80p could well give 20 plants, worth other 10 pounds...
Just a thought.
Don't forget about herbs etc which always do well, basil, parsley etc, and might even be cheaper than in the supermarket produce sections! So they could sell well.

[greenhousegirl]

Hello Betula where abouts are you ?

[Mortality]

If you and others are willing to plant things from seed, really veg plants have a great return on investment. Get seeds cheap, from Alan Romans for example, the varieties pare not so fancy but that's not what you care about, Thinking that a seed packet at about 80p could well give 20 plants, worth other 10 pounds...
Just a thought.
Don't forget about herbs etc which always do well, basil, parsley etc, and might even be cheaper than in the supermarket produce sections! So they could sell well.

I remember seeing a Basil plant (about 5 inchest tall) in Tesco not long ago for £1, I was tempted until I remembered I was already growing it  ;D

[theothermarg]

 :D :D :D :D I do things like that
marg

[GodfreyRob]

If its to be more than a one-off you need to factor in seed trays/plant pots/compost and even a few pence for a lollypop stick label. Unless you can get hold of all the above for free they are actually quite expensive when bought in small quantities. Don't sell them so cheap that you are not making anything at the end of it to give to the upkeep of the house or whatever.

Our local garden centre sells their flower/veg plants from £1.99 upwards (even the smallest).
Is a tomato plant more use/value than a loaf of bread or a pint of lager? 
Its hard to have a meaningfull yardstick but people pay £7 for a packet of fags that they smoke in a day!

Don't undersell your plants (or your efforts).

[Vortex]

If you're keen to try growing your own I have a surplus of Turks Turban, pumpkin (unkown supermarket variety), and buttercup(squash) seeds. I might also be able to find you some heritage bean seeds (french and runner). Send me a PM if interested.

For pots try your local free cycle, just remember to wash them in Jeyes Fluid or Armillatox before using them. I get virtually all my pots this way; the others are recycled vending machine cups from work.

[greenhousegirl]

Hi

Just tried to reply to your PM.  It was returned failed, maybe your inbox is full or some thing not sure, anyway.

Just to say I was thinking I could have given you some plants if you were local but I am up in West Yorkshire, so probably not viable.

Good luck with it anyway

Jane

[betula]

Thanks everybody for offers of seeds and stuff.

You are a great lot  :)