|
|
Post by mountains gardener on Mar 9, 2015 7:29:51 GMT 10
This is a summary what I learned on my first market. The market was very quiet and there was not much traffic. Despite this it is the ideal market for me. I had to drive twice as plants do not stack and it's only 5 minutes away. So I will go on with this market, but make some advertisement on my own. I took $100 home which is not much but OK for the first market. What I learned:
1. Herbs do sell, people love herbs,
2. I need to make signs for each kind of herb which are big enough to read from a distance of say 2 meters, and if it is medicinal I have tow write 2 main applications underneath,
3. I need more variety,
4. berry bushes do sell very well,
5. strangely I did not sell very well my 3 different thymes, and I sold none of my plants called niebita (there is not much information about this Italian plant, and very strangely I sold apple mint (I thought no one would ever buy an apple mint),
6. Many people prefer taking the smaller cheaper sized pots rather than the bigger ones of the same plant.
7. the colour code system for the prices is really very good.
8. I wonder how to grow yarrow that it looks good in a pot, it is such a useful plant, that everyone should have it.
9. I had to talk a lot about my herbs.
|
|
|
|
Post by gardenlarder on Mar 9, 2015 18:42:41 GMT 10
Well done.
At one market I go to there is one lady who turns up in a station wagon that we dub 'The Tardis'. It is amazing how many plants she can fit in there, watching her take out all the plants never gets old or less surprising. In the back she has made a wooden shelf so she can fit two layers. Might be something for you to think about.
|
|
|
|
Post by mountains gardener on Mar 9, 2015 21:10:26 GMT 10
Well I drive a normal car smaller than a station wagon, but what I will do next is to get these deeper poly boxes from the greengrocer, most plants will be lower than that and I can stack. On the other hand I really can drive twice, it is 2 km that is the thing. I think of putting an add in the paper and make some hang outs at the local coop, actually help them a bit advertising the market as such because the whole thing is for charity and the people who run it have an awesome spirit.
|
|
coppice
New Member
Posts: 20
Your Nursery: Stacked Stones Retreat
Elevation: 600 ft + or -
Climate Zone: Zone 6-A, SE-OH USA
|
Post by coppice on Mar 12, 2015 6:02:45 GMT 10
How did medicinal (herbs) do for you? Like? like St Johnswort, valerian, goldenseal, ginseng, skullcap, bearberry?
|
|
|
|
Post by mountains gardener on Mar 16, 2015 17:35:13 GMT 10
Unfortunately, I do not have so many medicinal herbs, I am building up however. St John's wort is a declared weed here, unfortunately. Many culinary herbs are medicinal too (sage, thyme..). I sold quite some solidagos which are not common here for $10 each, because they are kind to your kidneys (why have so many people problems with the kidneys??)
I have some valerians grown from seed, but they are not ready to sell. Goldenseal, ginseng and bearberry seems to be very difficult for me - I would love to plant them, I have an american ginseng though. I have a problem with chilling our winters are not cold enough i must use the fridge and I had mixed results only. I reckon many of these seeds sold are not fresh anymore.
I plan to write under each herb two or three main applications, in the size you can read that from 2 meters apart.
|
|
|
|
Post by mountains gardener on Mar 16, 2015 21:07:06 GMT 10
With medicinal plants you need a description, but then you must be careful with health claims. As most people don't know what the herb is for you will never sell much without a informative tag or you are good at talking, but then are you liable for the stuff you tell?
My yarrow does not look great in pots, I must propagate them differently, maybe only root cuttings without anything growing so that everything which comes is nice new and very green. Yarrow is so easy but it is a plant every gardener should have for the many uses.
|
|
coppice
New Member
Posts: 20
Your Nursery: Stacked Stones Retreat
Elevation: 600 ft + or -
Climate Zone: Zone 6-A, SE-OH USA
|
Post by coppice on Mar 31, 2015 18:30:24 GMT 10
You might have the climate for mahuang?
|
|
|
|
Post by mountains gardener on Mar 31, 2015 21:36:12 GMT 10
I tried it, will try once again but it is a desert plant and we are not exactly a desert, cool misty and mountains!
I try to get ashitaba seeds, but they are expensive. Tried it twice and all the seedlings were eaten or disappeared... possums or slugs or I don't know.
There is a long list of must-have plants.
|
|
