April 29, 2017 | #256 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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I know my prices are low, but here is a pic of my competition, six big plants for $1.50. The pic came from the market's facebook page, so I don't even know the vendor. I wish them all the best. I have tried to sell 25 cent plants like that before, but there's no money in it at all. My plants are cheap, but still almost ten times more expensive than the competition. I could see that vendor from my space. I had a lot more customers, and I'm sure did better on the day, despite being 10x more expensive.
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April 30, 2017 | #257 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Alaska Zone 3/4
Posts: 1,857
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Your plants are 10X better-looking too!
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April 30, 2017 | #258 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10
Posts: 9,283
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Cole, You are offering what no one else is,very rare varieties. We do a once per year sale to benefit our community garden. We sell our very beautiful 6 week old plants in 3.5" pots, $3 each or 10 for $25. Almost everyone buys in multiples of 10. Because of the quality if the plants, plus the rarity of the varieties, we have such a following that we come very close to selling out and our competition sells 1 gallon potted larger plants at 2 for $5. They usually have left overs. We only have this sale one weekend per year, but last year the garden made over $1700.00 that weekend.
The point of this post is that they know your things and the quality of what they will be able to grow, so they know where your real value is, that is why they continue to buy from you. I bet you get comments like they bought from someone else last year and they didn't do very well. |
April 30, 2017 | #259 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,794
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Even without the interesting varieties, your plants are a way better value than those skinny stems with a tiny root ball. Anyone who has grown a tomato knows what a difference it makes to have more of the work done for you up front! A nice sturdy plant with good roots on it.
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April 30, 2017 | #260 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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Quote:
I don't think your prices are too low. You have to get what the market will bare in your location. I can't get 3.00 a cell pack for any tomato but I go the homedepot or lowes 5 miles from me and they are 4.99 a single plant.
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carolyn k |
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April 30, 2017 | #261 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro
Posts: 1,910
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It's a compliment the competition has to go so low.
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April 30, 2017 | #262 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
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The competitions plants are over crowded.
Way too spindly and big for a six pack. Worth |
May 1, 2017 | #263 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Joplin MO
Posts: 1,398
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I would definitely buy your plants over the others Cole. Not only healthier plants but much better selection. You have done well in educating the customers and I doubt they would shop anywhere else. Kudos!
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May 1, 2017 | #264 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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Thanks, guys. I have enjoyed a lot of repeat customers from previous years. Many of them just hand me some money and tell me to pick out their plants for them. It's nice to be trusted like that.
The competitor pic I posted - I don't seem to remember a table full of tomato plants in their spot last year, or any year previous. I may have an imitator. It happens a lot at market. I was the first one up there selling cherry tomatoes in mixed colors - now almost everyone has that product. I don't get mad about things like that at all - imitation is flattery, as the expression goes, so it's a compliment. When I was a stock trader, I met other traders who were much more successful than me. Some guys would pull in $10-15k on a good day. So, just sit next to that guy, buy what he buys, and you'll make easy money, right? The funny thing was, that never worked. Trying to copy someone makes you always be a step behind. In trading, that small difference magnified over many transactions in a day was the difference between making thousands and losing thousands. That's one of the lessons I learned in trading - to go my own way and not try to imitate anyone else. It's not an effective strategy. |
May 6, 2017 | #265 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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It was a good day at market. We finally had nice weather. I brought peppers for the first time this year. The tomato plant business is starting to wind down. People who are motivated enough to buy plants at the market are usually eager to set them out early. Several of my tomato plant customers from last week came back to buy peppers this week.
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May 6, 2017 | #266 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Santa Maria California
Posts: 1,014
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Quote:
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May 8, 2017 | #267 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Pulaski County, Arkansas
Posts: 1,239
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Looking good in the land of Lincoln.
What kind of peppers do you have? |
May 8, 2017 | #268 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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I wonder if anyone will realize the only indeterminate in that group of tomatoes is the Better Boy... (which isn't better).
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carolyn k |
May 8, 2017 | #269 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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Thanks guys. I had Ajvarski Sweet and Troyka, and some OP bells. For hots, I had Big Sun Hab, White Hab, Naga Viper, Fatali, and Cherry Moon.
I remember a pair of customers who were a daughter and her older mother, who did not speak English. I think they were Indian. I had a translated conversation that went something like: "Is this Naga Viper pepper going to be hot enough for me?" me: It once held the title of World's Hottest. "ok, I would like one, please." |
May 12, 2017 | #270 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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I went to the community garden in my town this week to give them some plants, about 80 or so that had gotten too big and fallen over in their pots. I was walking around the place looking at it, and an older gentleman walked up to me to say hello. Apparently he was one of the garden's organizers. The first thing he said as he walked up to me, gesturing at their beds of mostly various greens, was "All of this food is free. You can pick whatever you like."
"Thanks, man, but I am actually here to give you some plants." He was happy to get the plants. I was happy that the person I picked out to donate to tried to donate to me first. |
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