A Colorful Market Table - Page 35

BigVanVader · February 12, 2018

I use the Sheet pots as well, best value overall. I cut mine with apart with a box cutter before market.

Cole_Robbie · March 24, 2018

Last fall, my market decided to open a week early for 2018. Today was the day. It was the most miserably sad market that I can remember...cold and rainy...and hardly even any vendors. much less customers. There is a winter market in town that was open for their last week this morning. It's also inside out of the weather. Obviously most vendors and customers went there instead.

Having said all that, I had a great morning. I sold most of what I brought. I know I did more business than anyone else up there, which is a very rare thing, given that I am a one-man show and other vendors are large families. No one else had live plants. One vendor had some cut spinach, otherwise there was nothing green there. Our weather has been cold, and it is very early in the season.

I had microdwarf tomato plants (a dfollet variety). Tasmanian Chocolate, Sol Guld, and Agatha are the larger tomato plants...next to the saddest-looking basil I have ever brought to market. Most of it sold though. If you have the only basil, you also also have the best basil, no matter what it looks like. The container greens are a mescalin mix, endives, rainbow chard, kale, and Ethiopian Blue Mustard (from Fred Hempel)

It's awful early to have a colorful market table, but at least I had a green one.

clkeiper · March 24, 2018

well done. it is hard to get early anything for a market. It take s alot of planning.

Al@NC · March 24, 2018

Did you keep prices the same or raise them slightly? Since you were the only one there with live plants

...

Al

Cole_Robbie · March 24, 2018

Thanks, Carolyn.

And nah, my prices are always reasonable. My grandpa always said at market, "I didn't grow all this stuff to put it back on the truck and take it home. I brought it here to sell it." I've never seen fewer customers than what we had today.

I had $2 on the tomato plants and $4 on the greens. I still took a few pots home. Some of what I sold needed to find a home soon, plus it is nice to make space in the greenhouse.

Al@NC · March 24, 2018

Consistent prices probably leads to more repeat customers as well..

Al

bower · March 24, 2018

It all looks great Cole! Even the basils look good as far as I'm concerned!

I'm glad you sold some of the potted greens... will be interested to see how they do with a normal or 'good' market day.

Always the case that customer numbers and sales are down when the market gets rained out.

As if farming wasn't enough of a weather gamble...

BigVanVader · March 24, 2018

Plants look great Cole. Better than my stuff. Been much colder than normal this year.

FourOaks · March 24, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Plants look great Cole. Better than my stuff. Been much colder than normal this year.

I feel your pain brother. Its been miserable.

Cole your stuff looks great. I just finished up transplanting all my basil myself. I mass sowed then transplanted to 1204 packs. I will NEVER make that mistake again.

Cole_Robbie · March 24, 2018

Thank you for the compliments. I know my fellow market growers can appreciate complaints about the weather.

My market normally has a level of competition that is just brutal, which I spent years being on the receiving end of. These people are the All-Stars of gardening. I have a huge amount of respect for their abilities, which is why I enjoy the short time in the spring when I seem to have a slight edge. In 2-3 months, their stands will look like the produce section of the grocery store.

About the basil, I never transplant, only direct-sow. Emily is the variety you want for container sales. Buy a bulk bag of it, and you will thank me. It lasts longer in the container, and has a shorter node length, making attractive plants. It is delicious, too, as well as aromatic. I've never planting Genovese in a container again.

clkeiper · March 25, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

...

And nah, my prices are always reasonable. My grandpa always said at market, "I didn't grow all this stuff to put it back on the truck and take it home. I brought it here to sell it." I've never seen fewer customers than what we had today.

...

that is exactly what I think... I brought it to sell it........ but neither am I going to give it away at the end of the market. I don't like to take things home but I also want a little bit left for the stragglers to see I do have something still to sell.. or at least get them to my table to talk to them and see if there is anything they are looking for and I will try to bring it next week or stop at my roadside stand to see what else I have. I can't bring it all.

FourOaks · March 25, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

About the basil, I never transplant, only direct-sow. Emily is the variety you want for container sales. Buy a bulk bag of it, and you will thank me. It lasts longer in the container, and has a shorter node length, making attractive plants. It is delicious, too, as well as aromatic. I've never planting Genovese in a container again.

Believe me, its the first and last time. I did quite the variety though. Genovese, Dark Opal, Lemon, Cinnamon, and Globe. I did both mass sow and 512 plugs. I transplanted into 1204 packs. I have around 20 flats. I lost count.

Time to direct sow now.

Cole_Robbie · March 31, 2018

My attempt at a colorful table today was cutting branches of forsythia, and what I think are red quince and a honey locust thorn tree. It was a great conversation piece for a dull day, product-wise. There are three bundles in the bucket. I didn't expect to sell them, but three different women were all so flattering in their compliments that I sold them each a bundle for a dollar. Two of them were some of my last customers of the day, so it worked out perfectly.

clkeiper · March 31, 2018

good grief. I am sooo jealous! we don't even have crocus blooming yet. great job though!

bower · March 31, 2018

Those are gorgeous, Cole! I see you have the perennial spring flowers covered.

My mom has Forsythia but it never looks quite that lavish. our spring weather is pretty brutal. Did you know you can root it in water easily? She's always finding roots on the bottom of those cut flowers. You can get a good price for potted up shrubs, if you root some!.

March 24, 2018	#513
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	well done. it is hard to get early anything for a market. It take s alot of planning. __________________ carolyn k

March 31, 2018	#524
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	good grief. I am sooo jealous! we don't even have crocus blooming yet. great job though! __________________ carolyn k

February 12, 2018	#511
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I use the Sheet pots as well, best value overall. I cut mine with apart with a box cutter before market.

March 24, 2018	#514
Al@NC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Vernon, BC Posts: 720	Did you keep prices the same or raise them slightly? Since you were the only one there with live plants ... Al

March 24, 2018	#515
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Thanks, Carolyn. And nah, my prices are always reasonable. My grandpa always said at market, "I didn't grow all this stuff to put it back on the truck and take it home. I brought it here to sell it." I've never seen fewer customers than what we had today. I had $2 on the tomato plants and $4 on the greens. I still took a few pots home. Some of what I sold needed to find a home soon, plus it is nice to make space in the greenhouse.

March 24, 2018	#516
Al@NC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Vernon, BC Posts: 720	Consistent prices probably leads to more repeat customers as well.. Al

March 24, 2018	#517
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	It all looks great Cole! Even the basils look good as far as I'm concerned! I'm glad you sold some of the potted greens... will be interested to see how they do with a normal or 'good' market day. Always the case that customer numbers and sales are down when the market gets rained out. As if farming wasn't enough of a weather gamble...

March 24, 2018	#518
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Plants look great Cole. Better than my stuff. Been much colder than normal this year.

March 24, 2018	#520
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Thank you for the compliments. I know my fellow market growers can appreciate complaints about the weather. My market normally has a level of competition that is just brutal, which I spent years being on the receiving end of. These people are the All-Stars of gardening. I have a huge amount of respect for their abilities, which is why I enjoy the short time in the spring when I seem to have a slight edge. In 2-3 months, their stands will look like the produce section of the grocery store. About the basil, I never transplant, only direct-sow. Emily is the variety you want for container sales. Buy a bulk bag of it, and you will thank me. It lasts longer in the container, and has a shorter node length, making attractive plants. It is delicious, too, as well as aromatic. I've never planting Genovese in a container again.

March 31, 2018	#525
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Those are gorgeous, Cole! I see you have the perennial spring flowers covered. My mom has Forsythia but it never looks quite that lavish. our spring weather is pretty brutal. Did you know you can root it in water easily? She's always finding roots on the bottom of those cut flowers. You can get a good price for potted up shrubs, if you root some!.