Thinking about next year

[wordwiz]

With apoligies to P. Dreadie!

Two schools of thought:
1) sell plants consumers want
2) sell plants you believe in

Normally, a capitalist pig would only consider Option 1. I'm no doubt a capitalist and this week, thanks to H1N1, I have felt like a pig.

But, I know what tomatoes taste great and have a large production in our climate. For instance, I've heard potential customers say they only buy Early Girls, but have never seen or tasted a Siletz or Legend. Others want Beefsteak but have not tasted or seen the beauty of a Delicious, nor even compared their production. Then there are those who think a Red Zebra is a safari animal that got too much sun! But for juice or eating fresh from the vine, it is hard to beat.

But, I have a plan - I'll have the tomatoes for people to see and taste.

Mike

 

[Pepperfreak]

Mike, I'd say if you got the room, go half and half. But above all else, have fun!

 

[AlabamaJack]

Mike...I found the same thing last year...I took 18 trays of plants in 3" containers to first monday this past april and sold about 100 at 4 bucks each...most of the people wanted jalapeno, serrano, and cayenne...so what I am going to do this coming year is start a full 72 cell tray of each of these...I, of course will still have the superhots...

explaining what each pepper is to the people takes up most of my time and then they don't buy...I will have printed labels with a write up about each pepper this coming year...

as far as tomatos go...I am not going to grow but about 10-12 plants for myself this coming year and will stick with the tried and true varieties for North Texas...(don't ask me to list them since I have to check with Texas A&M to see which ones grow the best)....

 

[POTAWIE]

I'm hoping to just sell eye catching ornamentals and only ones that I believe in. Most of my potential customers have probably never seen an ornamental chile so #2 for me

 

[wordwiz]

AJ,

My biggest sale day was at a Combo Car Show/Arts & Crafts fair where I was the only person selling plants. It seemed like most of the people knew me and took my word or were at least willing to try.

Plus, if I take a dozen or so tomatoes of each variety with me for show and tell, it has to make it easier to sell them!

BTW, how did your sales turn out for the year? Mine were not close to what I had hoped but that was due more to me losing too many mater plants because they were sale size in early April! Plus, I probably didn't sell more than about a dozen pepper plants - they simply are not big in Cincinnati.

I'm still mulling over exactly what to offer, besides the toms. I had decent luck with the Angel Trumpets and sold those for $10 each. Because of the interest my hibiscus plant garnered at the fair, and that I found a good source of seeds for the cultivar I want to grow, I'll raise those and promote them as a way to fool neighbors, teens and law enforcement officials into thinking you are growing an illegal herb.

If I can use part of the wall in the GH for space and I want to use a bit of my upstairs, I figure can grow about 576 plants, about half what I had growing at one time last year.

Mike