Now he tells me!

W

wordwiz

I drop a couple of papers off at a hardware store each week. Over the course of time, the manager and I have developed a good relationship - he bought a few plants from me last year and I do a decent amount of business with them.

Today, he said he has a business proposition for me - he would like to sell plants, especially tomatoes. It would be on a consignment type basis; give him X number of plants, collect Y dollars based on how many plants he sells.

The only problem, I did not see this coming, meaning I didn't start way more plants than I reasonably expect to sell, even though it will mean delivering them to several businesses and setting up a marketplace for a few days. But OTOH, if I can sell out without having to spend time and treasury, even though my net profit will be lower it will be a lot less work. Plus, it would set up a basis for next year. And even though this is only one store now, there are five in the chain - that could lead to maybe 1,000 plants next year.

Starting 1500 seedlings would be a bit of a challenge but still doable. I have another spare bedroom; I would just need to build tables in it and add lights.

This may be the straw that pushes me where I have been leaning - toward making growing my day job. Or at least creating a business plan for such. As my grandpa, a man who never said a cuss word that I or mom ever heard once told me, "Mike, it's time to have a bowel movement or get out of the outhouse!"

Mike
 
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I took him 106 plants today: Red Delicious, Better Boy, Legend, Beefsteak, Roma, Early Wonder, Red Stuffer and six Sweet Banana peppers. He sold six of them before I could carry them all in! The cost is $1 each, half what I normally sell them for.

Tomorrow I'll be at the fair grounds, Friday a yard sale and Saturday at a community's annual plant sale. I'm hoping to sell 150 plants (16 have been pre-ordered) which with luck is doable.

If the plant sales at the Hardware Store go well, I could easily sell them 1000 next year. This may be a fun year!

Mike
 
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Well, 1500 plants seems like quite a lot. Then again, I've never worked for a nursery.

Either way, you learned something new and have an exciting project ahead of you for next year. :)
 
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secretz said:
Well, 1500 plants seems like quite a lot. Then again, I've never worked for a nursery.

Either way, you learned something new and have an exciting project ahead of you for next year. :)
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I'm not a nursery! Just someone with a hobby who last year started selling plants to pay for a metal shed. I only have about 350 plants to sell this year - certainly not big or even medium time. But if I could sell 1500 plants next spring, that would provide me the funds to rent a quarter-acre of ground and raise maybe 2,000 plants. That should provide about 60,000 pounds of maters, giving me the funds to rent a building and buy the equipment to grow 1500 plants three times a year!

In time, I might even make a few dollars!

Mike
 
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Farmers markets. That seems to be where the money is. I have a friend that has a farm and grows veggies to sell at several markets in the D.C. area three days a week. He easily brings in 12-20k per weekend day during the summer.
 
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12K or 1.2K? Raking in $12,000 in a week is some serious business - like four grand a day. What does he sell? A "special" herb? Realistically, at a buck a pound for produce, that is still two tons of veggies a day. That would be some serious gardening!

Mike
 
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No...twelve thousand per day. Keep in mind that is in the Washington D.C. area and that is total of 3 different markets that he has produce at. He sells a variety of stuff, whatever is in season at the time. I don't think he even has a huge farm and leases most of the land he uses. I know tomatoes sell for $3.49 a pound and they sell no problem. My fiance works the markets during the summer for extra cash.
 
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Good grief Charlie Brown! $3.49 for a pound of maters? Freaking unbelievable! Around here, they go for about $1.69-$1.89.

But still, to me, this does not compute. At an average of $4.00 per pound of produce, he would still need to harvest 3,000 pounds each week. Unless he has some kind of a HUGE commercial operation, one that starts in March or earlier, there simply in no way this can happen.

I would be interested in learning what he sells and how many acres he grows it on, as well as what he plants when.

I know, I'm a skeptic, but I was a farmer for many years.

Mike
 
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wordwiz said:
Good grief Charlie Brown! $3.49 for a pound of maters? Freaking unbelievable! Around here, they go for about $1.69-$1.89.

But still, to me, this does not compute. At an average of $4.00 per pound of produce, he would still need to harvest 3,000 pounds each week. Unless he has some kind of a HUGE commercial operation, one that starts in March or earlier, there simply in no way this can happen.

I would be interested in learning what he sells and how many acres he grows it on, as well as what he plants when.

I know, I'm a skeptic, but I was a farmer for many years.

Mike
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Recalculate! He said 12K to 20K per day for 3 days each week. ;)
 
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I'll see what I can find out. I know the farm is maybe 100 acres but could be larger. Most of the land is leased. I don't think he has green houses to start early but I could be wrong. You also have to remember that he sells in the D.C. area which commands greater prices than most places. I would guess most larger cites with farmers markets are the same. My fiance worked at the markets last summer (will be working them some again this year) and she said that the lowest day they had was around 4.5k and the biggest day was 11k and that was just the market she was at. There are two others going on in other cities in MD and VA at the same times. They also sell stuff like honey and cut flowers which all sell like crazy.
 
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Had my first dale day of the year and a whopping two people showed up. Last year, probably a dozen did. But, all is not bad. I spent all my free time - and I had a bunch of it - constructing my drip irrigation system for the raised bed and removing rocks from the top of the soil. Last year, on the same day, I sold $54 worth of plants, this year, $70.

A yard sale tomorrow followed by, hopefully, a big community sale Saturday. I'll be in 7th Heaven if I can sell $200 between the two days - I'll be able to get my rotary tiller!

Time will tell!

Mike
 
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I used 3/4" PVC. Drilled holes through the sides every six inches. Since the bed is only 4' wide, I'll be able to suspend the lines a couple of inches above the dirt but below the bottom leaves of the plants. The supply line will be fed by up to two 55-gallon barrels sitting at least 16" above the line. That should give me plenty of pressure, at least when starting to water.

Hopefully, I'll get my tiller next week, till the bed and then actually install the pipes rather than just assembling them.

Mike
 
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nubster said:
Farmers markets. That seems to be where the money is. I have a friend that has a farm and grows veggies to sell at several markets in the D.C. area three days a week. He easily brings in 12-20k per weekend day during the summer.
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Wow thats alot of business. I would have to sell a Sh!t load of lumber to bring in that much on a weekend lol.
By the way all of your tomato prices are very fair to me considering the are $5 a lb here.
Gas is $5 a gallon, milk $7 half gallon so im used to the cost of living being expensive here thanks to our high import taxes.
 
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Kinda on/off topic. I thought about starting a couple hundred mater plants next year organically and slapping a couple signs up at either entrance to our community and around the area and seeing what happens. Would be fun. Nothing that I would loose a ton of money on if they didn't sale. Theres an older gentleman down the road from me that has about 500 plants in the ground. Thought about trying to strike up a deal with him and selling him his plants next year...although Id have to make a few changes to my grow area to accomodate 600 8" plants. Buying that many, he probably gets a heck of a deal on them. I know there is a hardware store a mile up the road from work here and they have the best looking plants around, and theyre only $0.34 a plant for veggies. Can't be much profit in that, great looking, short, stocky bushy plants...maters, peppers, all of em.
 
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Kroger - a big supermarket chain - sells six for $1.25. I can't compete with that and don't try to. Their plants in in those 36 cells per tray flats, mine are in 18 cell ones. Theirs are maybe three inches tall, mine are 8" or taller with thick stems. Their root ball is about the size of a marble, mine fill the 3" cell.

I have found no one cares about organic or not. Though mine are organically grown (because I love Tomato-tone and if I need to use an insecticide, Safer Soap and Neem Oil works) OH law does not allow me to call them organic. I would have to go through a couple of years of inspection, buy organic seeds, keep meticulous records.

Because I have a newspaper and decent marketing skills, I've been able to sell some varieties most people have not heard of: Legend or Silitz, Red Stuffer, Delicious, Florida 91, Red Zebra. But a majority of people want Beefsteak, Better Boy or a Cherry-type.

A suggestion that may help sell more plants if you decide to do it: if your city has a community garden, one where lots of people have a plot of ground - visit it this year and let them know you will be happy to supply plants next year. Ask them what variety and cultivars of plants they would like to have. Many people want plants besides toms - sweet or hot peppers, cabbage, basil or other herbs. If they want something like cucumbers, green beans, peas or such, tell them the truth - you can provide the seedlings but they are far better off direct sowing them.

These people tend to grow several plants - a typical space is 12x20' or larger. I sold over $100 worth of plants to one group this year and it was a last-minute thing. Had I known about them earlier and had more bell peppers and cherry toms, it could have been $400 in sales.

Mike
 
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Mike, I have a question for you. I have about 50 superhots ready to sell to my farmer's market guy who has a bunch of customers lined up for them. I was thinking of selling them to him for $2.50 and he in turn will sell them for $5 ea. Does that sound appropriate? They will be sold in 16oz cups and are anywhere between 4-6in tall. They are Naga Morich, Dorset Naga, Bhuts, Fatalii, Red 7-pot, Yellow 7-Pot, Scorpion, Caribbean Red, Red Savina, and Devil's Tongue. What do you think? I know I could probably get more selling them by myself, but I like the idea of dumping them all to someone else to worry about. I will basically pay for what raising all my plants has cost me for this year, and hopefully create a demand for 200-300 plants next year.
 
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