My sales thread

W

wordwiz

I'll probably end up with egg on my face for starting this, but if I'm going to put in 10 hours a week (with more to come) taking care of my 1,000 plants, I might as well share my experiences - good or bad.

Last week in my paper I advertised some tomato plants for sale. Remember, this is southern OH and frost free is two months away. But I took the angle that these are cool weather plants that mature in less than 70 days and can be grown in a container, meaning it can be brought inside if the weather gets frigid (averages are High: 58°F, Low: 37°F) or covered if only a killing frost is forecast. I call them (Siletz is their real name) Flag Day tomatoes as they should be ripe by then.

I had 18 plants that are nice size (a foot or so tall, four or more sets of leaves) that I wanted to sell this week. As of today, only 12 have been taken which is a little disappointing, except: the dodo birds at the post office didn't deliver my paper until at least today. I really believe had everyone received the paper Wednesday or Thursday, I would have sold out this week. I have another 50 or so in the pipeline - should have about 17 per week.

Mike
 
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give yourself a break man you've got 18 and sold 12 thats good going for a start ( and an advantage that you use your own paper the advertise!)
no one knows you as a seller yet things will be slow to take off but as the word spreads you'll be overwhelmed, give yousself a break (if you want someone to berate you i'll do it!!! but at this point in time you are doing to good to be berated!!)
 
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But I'm expecting so much! I want to build my own 12x16' greenhouse, buy the two electric heaters, the air pumps, air stones and tubing. Plus install a watering system so next spring I can raise all my seedlings there!

On the plus side, I only need to sell 1038 more plants!

Mike
 
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That is great news 12 out of 18. Besides, I know that there are a lot of commercial green houses in your area that you are competing with. I think you are well on your way to your own greenhouse. Keep the faith...
 
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wordwiz said:
I had 18 plants that are nice size (a foot or so tall, four or more sets of leaves) that I wanted to sell this week.
Mike
Click to expand...

Ah, should have read this thread first.
I think I'm going to pot up mine, let them get bigger and more tempting, and get rid of my 4" containers. Start again with square pots next year.
 
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I think It's all about people being ready to think about planting. Here is was 70 yesterday afternoon and barely 40 this morning. One good warm weekend is all it will take. I would write an article for your paper about gardening.
 
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I got orders today for another 11 plants and the weather has really taken a turn for the worse. Next week, I plan on passing out flyers for my early toms. I have about 50 of them left and would (obviously!) love to sell them all. I have about 200 businesses to leave the flyers at; hopefully I can bring home victory in my teeth!

Mike
 
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I think CF is right about people starting to plant or think about planting...I had orders for 35 yesterday that will be delivered today...

Mike...what I have done (and it seems to be working) is I have a list of plants for sale...name, picture of fruit, description of fruit, number available, and price. It is very useful when talking to someone that knows very little about gardening...

yup, it is in an excel spreadsheet... :lol:
 
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AJ,

I have the list, description of the plant and price but not images. For peppers it includes the species, Scoville rating and days to maturity plus a general description of the plant and pepper size; for toms it includes whether they are determinate or indeterminate and average weight of the fruit. Flowers are mostly their size and color of blooms. With the exception of the flowers and Jolokia pepper, and maybe the Siletz tomato, the rest are all well known varieties that people will not need pictures of.

It is far from time to plant around here - still six weeks until Frost Free. The plants I'm selling now will have to be brought inside a few times and covered several nights so only people who can't wait for a ripe tomato are going to buy them.

With the exception of flowers, most nurseries won't have tomato or pepper plants available until about the third week of April; Mother's Day weekend is the first weekend of big sales.

Mike
 
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Week I - sold 16 plants and got an order for 10 more. Not disappointing at all, given the weather has turned bad and highs this Sunday may have trouble reaching 50. I plan on passing out about 100 flyers at businesses next Tuesday and Wednesday which hopefully will allow me to clear out the other 54 plants I have.

Mike
 
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thats good Mike...I hope you have a great year and reach your goal of "enough to get a greenhouse"...however, I warn you...you will spend more time futzing with the plants in the greenhouse than you do in your own home...at least I have found I do...

Carol...good luck with the flea market thingy...
 
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Mike how fabulous for you. We down south of you are expecting up to 6 inches of snow. When its gone its going to be spring and the plants will sell like hot cakes. You know what happens when they sell???? you have room to germinate more!
 
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AJ,

Two big ifs - if I get my Greenhouse and if the plant in the office window produces more than 20 pounds of tomatoes, I'm thinking about starting a hydroponics produce business, although on a very small scale. About 50 tomato and 8-10 basil plants, along with some lettuce and maybe a cucumber or two. The toms and basil I would sell to a local restaurant and grocer.

A decent tomato plant should produce at least 25 pounds of fruit, a real good one 40 pounds. Figuring three crops a year, that would be 6,000 pounds of maters.

My only problem would be I would have to build another GH to hold my seedlings next year!

Mike
 
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Mike, I remember seeing a show on SBS here in Aus called Vasili's Garden, where he went around to all his greek mates' yards. THIS LINK is to all the garden segments. I mention it, and hope it plays internationally, because some of these people have some great ideas about planting! I know the temps are different, etc, but the idea of a tomato vine up abouve your head, and other veggies below is quite interesting. It might help to solve your space issues.

Most of the gardens are in Melbourne, Australia, which gets frost but not snow, so dont know how that would relate to your part of the world.

Check it out, if nothing else, its entertaining.

RS
 
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RS,

Our weather ranges from normally -10 in winter to 100 in summer. Normals lows in winter are 23 degrees and highs in summer are 87. Frost Free is May 15 and except for the past couple of years, the first killing frost is usually the end of September.

It's not unusual to have a period of 15-20 days in January where the temps do not get above freezing and in summer a couple of weeks with highs in the mid to upper 90s. We usually have a blizzard once every five years and last year had hurricane force winds (that left me without electricity for six days - and I live in a very urban area!). CheezyDemon, who lives about 100 miles south has very similar weather except his temps are 3-5 degrees higher than Cincinnati's.

Mike
 
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