Tips for selling plants?

huntsman · November 30, 2009

I will trade at a Farmers' Market this weekend for the first time.

Whilst I have no fruit for sale as yet, I do have around 35 Cherry tom plants, each of which is 2' tall, in grow bags. Most of them have fruit ripening and I have staked each one.

Would you transport them dry and water at the market, or water before you leave?

Any tricks / tips you can offer on presentation? Spraying the leaves, perhaps? That kind of thing...

Any suggestions are welcome as always!

Wi-sunflower · November 30, 2009

Unless you KNOW for an absolute certainty that you can get suficent water on site, I would water thoroughly at home. We have to load our trucks the nite before since we leave for the market around 3:30 AM. We always water till things drip right before we load.

IF the weather is rather hot we will leave the back door of the truck open a bit and park in the shade so they don't over heat.

If you can have a pic of the variety that always helps sell them too. But with the size you are talking about, and fruit on them, you should do well with them.

One question -- how is this timing compared to normal planting for your area ?

If these are large plants, early for your area, they will probably fly out of there.

Good luck,
Carol

Blueaussi · November 30, 2009

Around here plants that already have fruit would go quickly. As Carol said, have pictures of mature fruit to show, and be willing to chat with folks about what you like about this variety.

dice · December 1, 2009

Worth's tips on selling at outdoor markets:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...8577#post78577

huntsman · December 1, 2009

Thanks, folks!

Carol, I am red faced to admit that I have no idea when folk would have bushes comparable to mine for size, but I started about eight weeks before final frost in a heated shed, so I doubt anyone will compete for size.

Sadly (or maybe not...) no one is selling any heirlooms, and the only four tomato sellers have all bought them from the same farm. (Nassty stuff, but all that is available)

I imagine this will be a labour of love, with very few sales until them folks is eddicated!

I will start with the cherry toms, and have flyers which I will give away, and hopefully, over time, I will build a following. (or the toms will!) Once these plants are gone, I plan to sell only the fruit, and only the bigger, tastier varieties, as a lack of space prevents too much variety.

Blue, I probably know less about toms than they do!

I shall be on TVille 24/7 this week..!

Thanks dice - off to that link now..

Wi-sunflower · December 1, 2009

Yes sometimes educating the people about things is the biggest hurdle.

But it does sound like your plants will be ahead of the norm. No matter how "dumb", there will always be people that want that "first" tomato and therefore a market for big plants.

Carol

Wi-sunflower · December 1, 2009

I just read the first page of that thread and most of it is right on even tho it's 2 years old.

The comment about knowing your varieties is very important too. If you haven't grown them before, read as much as you can about them so you can tell people about them, but be honest and tell them that they are new-to-you.

About the only thing I would say is that in the 2 years since that thread was started many people have become more informed about heirlooms. At least in some areas of the country.

I'm doing the opposite of 1 of the suggestions -- have a simple / small number of varieties. I had over 140 varieties last spring. But I sell at a fairly competitive market with plenty of plant growers. My variety is my draw. But it does sometimes confuse the newbies.

That thread also mentioned that cherries are the best sellers and I would agree. While I only take 1 flat of any variety each week, I will often take an extra flat of Sun Sugar and Sweet Million because I will sell out of them most weeks. Families with children will almost always add at least 1 cherry plant to their mix.

While where Worth is they may not like the odd sounding varieties, in my area many of the Russian varieties go over very well. DH always seems to have 1 or 2 that he just likes the story and "pushes" at the market. Paul Robeson is one of his current varieties. Many people don't know or remember who Paul Robeson was, but when you tell them he sang "Old Man River" in the movies, most everyone remembers that. Most have seen him in those film clip type shows even if they haven't seen the whole movie. Then you say that the Russians were so impressed with his talent that they named the tomato after him, that gets them.

Something you might mention if people bring it up is the disease factor. There have been plenty of uninformed "garden writer" articles that say heirlooms are more disease prone. The truth is they are NOT necessarily so. The problem is that it is very expensive to have a variety tested for disease resistance. Because no 1 company would be able to have an exclusive on the seed, no one is willing to pay for the testing. You could point out that in a bad year like we had here in the NE this year, even the best supposedly resistant varieties didn't do any better than the heirlooms.

Enough for now,
Carol

huntsman · December 1, 2009

Never enough, Carol - thanks a mil!

I will have the added fun of dealing in a foreign language this weekend, as I will be in the heart of the 'Afrikaans' language culture, Pretoria. Oh Yay.

Wi-sunflower · December 1, 2009

Well hopefully you have at least a rudamentary knowledge of Afrikaans.

In 08 I had a similar problem. I messed up on a nit-picky rule at my main market and so wasn't allowed to sell plants there for a year. To sell something I had to go to a flea market we used to sell at years ago.

Over the years that market changed greatly and now it's probably 60-70% Hispanic. If you don't know at least some Spanish you are at a big disadvantage there now. My Spanish is really bad but better than nothing and I can usually get by. It was an interesting season to say the best about it.

Carol

huntsman · December 4, 2009

My Afrikaans is actually not bad at all, but I'm new to growing so to tranlate virgin information will be a challenge! As you indicate though, it's adapt or fail and people usually appreciate you making an effort to communicate in their own language.

Well, I have 45 Cherry Tom bushes and 12 astd pepper plants of about 20 - 40'' in height ready for tomorrow's sally forth!

I have to be there at 04h45, so the alarm will be set for 03h15 as the venue is around 60km away...

I'm particularly looking forward to loading the watered bushes before the sparrows wake! (NOT!)

I'm not expecting miracles, but after a lifetime in sales will certainly nail down every penny available! My guess is that regardless of how many bushes we sell, we simply can't carry sufficient to make a decent profit, and it's the fruit that will have to pay the mortgage, once we start to harvest...

Thank heavens we have so few restrictions here. Unlike your market, Carol, we are welcome to slice and dice, and people are actually cooking, frying and boiling on site. Once I get fruit to harvest, I will definitely be using that 'free tasting' avenue, that we all know leads to more sales.

I'll post any feedback that might be useful after the market.

Wi-sunflower · December 4, 2009

You are right about people appreciate you at least trying to communicate in their language. Even if all you know are the "polite" words. My Spanish is horrible, but I can get by in simple sentances. Spanglish is more what I speak. That's bad Spanish mixed liberaly with English when I can't remember the word I want. But I also know just a little bit of Arabic and Russian and you would be surprised at the smiles I get after a sale when I say "thank-you" in their language.

OK, save yourself some time and headaches and load the plants the evening before while it's still a bit light. That way you aren't as likely to break those large plants in the dark.

I know what you mean about transport room. I have a 16 ft box truck with a lift gate on the back. We have 6 nice racks on wheels that we put the plants on and plenty of other not as nice racks to fill the truck. Sounds like a lot of room but it really isn't with all the varieties I sell.

Several years ago I calculated how much I could put in the truck in various sized containers. At the time we were growing a lot in gallon pots. But I couldn't get anywhere near as much $$s in the truck as gallons as I could in 4 inch pots. There is also the possibility of selling more of those smaller less expensive plants than the great big plants.

Last year the price of diesel here about doubled and it was costing me $100 - 120 / week just for the trips to market. I planted in slightly smaller pots that year rather than raising my prices. The reason is I'm also competing with growers that are coming from only 1/3 the distance so don't have all the fuel expenses as I do. The customers don't care about that, just your quality.

Now we do a bit more of a mix of sizes. More BIG plants early and really late. More of the small plants thru the main planting season. The big plants early is obvious. Late is for those that have procrastinated but still want a garden but think maybe they are too late. The big plants help them catch up.

Good luck,
Carol

huntsman · December 5, 2009

This here greenhorn is exhausted!

Up at 03h30 to pack the vehicle (only read your suggestion now, Carol!) and arrived at 05h20, which was at least 45 mins too late for a good spot, according to the organiser.

The 3 and a half hours sped by, despite our selling very little and we were soon packing up again! Market closes at 09h00...

One Serrano Pepper plant 14" sold at U$8, and we sold 2 x Cherry tomato plants 25" at U$4 each, so the day cost us U$28 after stall fees, fuel, etc.

However our first Farmers' Market is behind us, and we have certainly learned from the experience. Now that we have completed our first day, the stall cost drops from U$40 per day to just U$12 in future. We sold 5% of what we took and started chatting about heirlooms that we will have available in the future.

All in all? Well worth the effort, with an eye fixed firmly on the future.

That's a superb van, and the idea of shelving on wheels is just great, too. Even my own humble efforts would have appreciated some form of automation, or mechanised assistance!

Wi-sunflower · December 6, 2009

with an eye fixed firmly on the future.

I'm glad you think so.

I forgot to tell you that a newbie seller at any market often gets the "cold shoulder" until he's known by the customers. Customers often have their favorite vendor even when another vendor may have sthe same thing at a better price. The only exception I've seen is when the newbie has something in demand that no one else has.

It also sounds like maybe you aren't on the peak selling time for plants. If you are early, then that's great. We always have 2 or 3 early markets where we do more talking and handing out of flyers than selling. If by some chance you are late in the season, then it might be tough going for this year til you have the fruit to sell.

That market has some strange hours too. Ending by 9 AM and only 3 hours. Hardly worth the time to get all set up.

At my market I have to leave early because I have to be there before 6 AM and it's a 2 hour drive for me. I usually try to get there by 5:30 so I have more unloaded and set up by the time the "dailies" are allowed in. (I have a seasonal stand) Then the market runs til 2 PM, tho often vendors are leaving by noon as they will be "sold out".

Hubby's Sat market runs from 7:30 to 11 AM. A bit short in time but only 5 miles from home. Over the years it has become a really good market too, even tho the hours are short.

I guess people in your area must be used to getting up a lot earlier than folks here in the states. At least on a Sat, people here like to sleep in.

As far as my truck and the carts go, my original carts were the "wire shelve" types you find in restaurants a lot. Some are also in office supply stores too. Some of the plastic fit together types can also be fitted with wheels. Or if you or a friend are handy with a welder, you can build something simple with angle iron. I've seen all kinds of home built stuff at my market. Stuff built to fit the persons vehicle.

While my truck has a lift gate that helps a lot, one of our older trucks didn't. We built a ramp out of 3 2x4s. You put 1 flat and then nail the other 2 on the sides upright. Get then a length that makes pushing them up and down not too hard. You need 2 of them and if you can add a metal plate on the end that hooks into a slot in the truck it helps but isn't totally necessary.

Years ago before we had the racks when we had only about 50 tomato varieties and 80 hot peppers it would take 4 of us over 2 hours to get set up. Our boards on the shelves in the truck became our shelves at the stand. Sorting the varieties was also a big part of the problem.

Now with the racks, the plants are where they belong from the start. It take the 2 of us about 20 minutes to get the stuff out of the truck and all in place at the stand. While the new racks cost $200 each, it was well worth the price in time and labor savings.

Until you are better established and have more varieties tho, look for whatever type of shelf you can to help you out.

Carol

huntsman · December 8, 2009

with an eye fixed firmly on the future.

I'm glad you think so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

I forgot to tell you that a newbie seller at any market often gets the "cold shoulder" until he's known by the customers. Customers often have their favorite vendor even when another vendor may have sthe same thing at a better price. The only exception I've seen is when the newbie has something in demand that no one else has.

Good point - more reason to behave 'correctly', I'm sure.

It also sounds like maybe you aren't on the peak selling time for plants. If you are early, then that's great. We always have 2 or 3 early markets where we do more talking and handing out of flyers than selling. If by some chance you are late in the season, then it might be tough going for this year til you have the fruit to sell.

I think that the 'Early Bird' rush is negated over here by the fact that we have tomatoes in the shop 365 days of the year. What we do not have is an heirloom tomato...at least in any of the supermarkets, and some people have already shown interest in these.

It would be nice to put together a single page fact sheet about heirlooms in general, to hand out each week and thus create my own market, but my knowledge is still a little sketchy. (That's changing, mind!)

That market has some strange hours too. Ending by 9 AM and only 3 hours. Hardly worth the time to get all set up.

Yeah, particularly with the distance involved. Not ideal...

At my market I have to leave early because I have to be there before 6 AM and it's a 2 hour drive for me. I usually try to get there by 5:30 so I have more unloaded and set up by the time the "dailies" are allowed in. (I have a seasonal stand) Then the market runs til 2 PM, tho often vendors are leaving by noon as they will be "sold out".

Hubby's Sat market runs from 7:30 to 11 AM. A bit short in time but only 5 miles from home. Over the years it has become a really good market too, even tho the hours are short.

I guess people in your area must be used to getting up a lot earlier than folks here in the states. At least on a Sat, people here like to sleep in.

I guess. It was packed by 06h30...

As far as my truck and the carts go, my original carts were the "wire shelve" types you find in restaurants a lot. Some are also in office supply stores too. Some of the plastic fit together types can also be fitted with wheels. Or if you or a friend are handy with a welder, you can build something simple with angle iron. I've seen all kinds of home built stuff at my market. Stuff built to fit the persons vehicle.

While my truck has a lift gate that helps a lot, one of our older trucks didn't. We built a ramp out of 3 2x4s. You put 1 flat and then nail the other 2 on the sides upright. Get then a length that makes pushing them up and down not too hard. You need 2 of them and if you can add a metal plate on the end that hooks into a slot in the truck it helps but isn't totally necessary.

Years ago before we had the racks when we had only about 50 tomato varieties and 80 hot peppers it would take 4 of us over 2 hours to get set up. Our boards on the shelves in the truck became our shelves at the stand. Sorting the varieties was also a big part of the problem.

Yeah, too much time spent on preparing and too little on selling, eh?

Now with the racks, the plants are where they belong from the start. It take the 2 of us about 20 minutes to get the stuff out of the truck and all in place at the stand. While the new racks cost $200 each, it was well worth the price in time and labor savings.

Until you are better established and have more varieties tho, look for whatever type of shelf you can to help you out.

That's the tricky bit! LOL! My eyes and my wallet and not in alignment!

Carol

huntsman · December 21, 2009

Ok, from feedback I have received, this particular market - and I suspect most are the same - does expect and reward reliability with regard to commitment.

Each of the three days I have traded have shown an improvement, and for the first time we had a customer actually come looking for us this weekend.

Hopping from site to site (or worse still, from market to market) is not the way to go if you want to be taken seriously. The people start to recognise you, and then start to expect you and provided you have a decent product, that's where the fun starts.

Biggest sellers are ornamental peppers, provided they are carrying fruit, and Cherry tomatos, though I did sell my first heirloom this weekend.

Berkeley Tie-Dye...yay!

November 30, 2009	#1
huntsman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa - GrowZone 9 Posts: 595	Tips for selling plants? I will trade at a Farmers' Market this weekend for the first time. Whilst I have no fruit for sale as yet, I do have around 35 Cherry tom plants, each of which is 2' tall, in grow bags. Most of them have fruit ripening and I have staked each one. Would you transport them dry and water at the market, or water before you leave? Any tricks / tips you can offer on presentation? Spraying the leaves, perhaps? That kind of thing... Any suggestions are welcome as always!

December 1, 2009	#4
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Worth's tips on selling at outdoor markets: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...8577#post78577 __________________ -- alias

December 5, 2009	#12
huntsman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa - GrowZone 9 Posts: 595	This here greenhorn is exhausted! Up at 03h30 to pack the vehicle (only read your suggestion now, Carol!) and arrived at 05h20, which was at least 45 mins too late for a good spot, according to the organiser. The 3 and a half hours sped by, despite our selling very little and we were soon packing up again! Market closes at 09h00... One Serrano Pepper plant 14" sold at U$8, and we sold 2 x Cherry tomato plants 25" at U$4 each, so the day cost us U$28 after stall fees, fuel, etc. However our first Farmers' Market is behind us, and we have certainly learned from the experience. Now that we have completed our first day, the stall cost drops from U$40 per day to just U$12 in future. We sold 5% of what we took and started chatting about heirlooms that we will have available in the future. All in all? Well worth the effort, with an eye fixed firmly on the future. That's a superb van, and the idea of shelving on wheels is just great, too. Even my own humble efforts would have appreciated some form of automation, or mechanised assistance! Last edited by huntsman; December 5, 2009 at 07:50 AM.

November 30, 2009	#2
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	Unless you KNOW for an absolute certainty that you can get suficent water on site, I would water thoroughly at home. We have to load our trucks the nite before since we leave for the market around 3:30 AM. We always water till things drip right before we load. IF the weather is rather hot we will leave the back door of the truck open a bit and park in the shade so they don't over heat. If you can have a pic of the variety that always helps sell them too. But with the size you are talking about, and fruit on them, you should do well with them. One question -- how is this timing compared to normal planting for your area ? If these are large plants, early for your area, they will probably fly out of there. Good luck, Carol

November 30, 2009	#3
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	Around here plants that already have fruit would go quickly. As Carol said, have pictures of mature fruit to show, and be willing to chat with folks about what you like about this variety.

December 4, 2009	#10
huntsman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa - GrowZone 9 Posts: 595	My Afrikaans is actually not bad at all, but I'm new to growing so to tranlate virgin information will be a challenge! As you indicate though, it's adapt or fail and people usually appreciate you making an effort to communicate in their own language. Well, I have 45 Cherry Tom bushes and 12 astd pepper plants of about 20 - 40'' in height ready for tomorrow's sally forth! I have to be there at 04h45, so the alarm will be set for 03h15 as the venue is around 60km away... I'm particularly looking forward to loading the watered bushes before the sparrows wake! (NOT!) I'm not expecting miracles, but after a lifetime in sales will certainly nail down every penny available! My guess is that regardless of how many bushes we sell, we simply can't carry sufficient to make a decent profit, and it's the fruit that will have to pay the mortgage, once we start to harvest... Thank heavens we have so few restrictions here. Unlike your market, Carol, we are welcome to slice and dice, and people are actually cooking, frying and boiling on site. Once I get fruit to harvest, I will definitely be using that 'free tasting' avenue, that we all know leads to more sales. I'll post any feedback that might be useful after the market.

December 6, 2009	#13
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	with an eye fixed firmly on the future. I'm glad you think so. I forgot to tell you that a newbie seller at any market often gets the "cold shoulder" until he's known by the customers. Customers often have their favorite vendor even when another vendor may have sthe same thing at a better price. The only exception I've seen is when the newbie has something in demand that no one else has. It also sounds like maybe you aren't on the peak selling time for plants. If you are early, then that's great. We always have 2 or 3 early markets where we do more talking and handing out of flyers than selling. If by some chance you are late in the season, then it might be tough going for this year til you have the fruit to sell. That market has some strange hours too. Ending by 9 AM and only 3 hours. Hardly worth the time to get all set up. At my market I have to leave early because I have to be there before 6 AM and it's a 2 hour drive for me. I usually try to get there by 5:30 so I have more unloaded and set up by the time the "dailies" are allowed in. (I have a seasonal stand) Then the market runs til 2 PM, tho often vendors are leaving by noon as they will be "sold out". Hubby's Sat market runs from 7:30 to 11 AM. A bit short in time but only 5 miles from home. Over the years it has become a really good market too, even tho the hours are short. I guess people in your area must be used to getting up a lot earlier than folks here in the states. At least on a Sat, people here like to sleep in. As far as my truck and the carts go, my original carts were the "wire shelve" types you find in restaurants a lot. Some are also in office supply stores too. Some of the plastic fit together types can also be fitted with wheels. Or if you or a friend are handy with a welder, you can build something simple with angle iron. I've seen all kinds of home built stuff at my market. Stuff built to fit the persons vehicle. While my truck has a lift gate that helps a lot, one of our older trucks didn't. We built a ramp out of 3 2x4s. You put 1 flat and then nail the other 2 on the sides upright. Get then a length that makes pushing them up and down not too hard. You need 2 of them and if you can add a metal plate on the end that hooks into a slot in the truck it helps but isn't totally necessary. Years ago before we had the racks when we had only about 50 tomato varieties and 80 hot peppers it would take 4 of us over 2 hours to get set up. Our boards on the shelves in the truck became our shelves at the stand. Sorting the varieties was also a big part of the problem. Now with the racks, the plants are where they belong from the start. It take the 2 of us about 20 minutes to get the stuff out of the truck and all in place at the stand. While the new racks cost $200 each, it was well worth the price in time and labor savings. Until you are better established and have more varieties tho, look for whatever type of shelf you can to help you out. Carol

December 21, 2009	#15
huntsman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa - GrowZone 9 Posts: 595	Ok, from feedback I have received, this particular market - and I suspect most are the same - does expect and reward reliability with regard to commitment. Each of the three days I have traded have shown an improvement, and for the first time we had a customer actually come looking for us this weekend. Hopping from site to site (or worse still, from market to market) is not the way to go if you want to be taken seriously. The people start to recognise you, and then start to expect you and provided you have a decent product, that's where the fun starts. Biggest sellers are ornamental peppers, provided they are carrying fruit, and Cherry tomatos, though I did sell my first heirloom this weekend. Berkeley Tie-Dye...yay!