How to Have a Successful Plant Sale

Spring is coming and for most gardeners the big headache is what to do with all those extra plants you’re going to divide to avoid that “over crowded” look.

There are so many in fact you have run out of space to plant new types you are anticipating adding this summer. You have participated in the neighborhood plant exchange and/or either given them to your neighbors or clandestinely dropped them off at their front door after darkness. The friends, too, have limited space and they in turn, forgetting your generous contribution in the first place, attempt to pawn them back off on you. As I see it, you have three choices: sell, toss, or dig up and quietly place by the road for pick up by some lucky sucker driving by.

With a little work it’s not difficult to earn $1,000 or more for three weekends, depending on the energy expended. In the Midwest most gardeners usually sell perennials around mid-May. I’ve sold plants at the end of April and even the middle of summer. Gardeners love plant sales especially when the plants are cheap—cheaper even than the big box store sells and definitely less expensive than up-scale garden retail places. And if you want to get rid of more plants than your neighbors who are also having sales because they are shameless copycats, then cut your prices. Most of the materials required can be found free or at low cost. They include perennials, of course. Those are free. You could buy extra pots, soil mixture, etc. or keep an eye open for pot throwaways on neighborhood garbage days and rescue from recycling bins. Advertising is essential but also need not be expensive. (See below for more on that) Not included in this plant-sale endeavor are knee pads, band-aids, and/or emergency visits to Intermediate Care. Good luck! Let's get started!

Here are some tips to get started:


1. Materials

   
Perennials: including herbs, woodland plants, grasses, hostas are all big sellers. The buyer may be either a novice needing some guidance or an expert who knows exactly what light/shade conditions are needed to make the plant grow in her garden. A combination of both sun and shade loving plants available nets more. (Tip: dig up at least two weeks before sale in order for plants to look healthy)

Soil Preparation: It is probably easier to buy and/or mix a combination of dirt, compost/peat, and sand but incorporating your own garden soil with added supplements works just as well. Packing the bottom of the pot with crushed leaves or shredded newspapers will save on soil.
 
Pots:  To make plants look uniform and pricing easier, a one-size pot (usually the same plastic size as local garden centers sell) is the best choice. There are several plant supply sites that sell these in bulk cheaply or there are local garden centers that actually encourage gardeners to come and pick up free pots as a  recycling effort. You can also buy cheap pots on E-bay and look on free stuff sites. 


2.  Price

My price has always stayed at $5.00 per plant no matter how rare the plant is. You probably don’t have many “rare” plants as they don’t spread as fast.  Obviously the rarest will sell quickest. There is some controversy about pricing by my fellow plant sellers who think their perennials are “gold.” They over price and guess what? they still have the plant at the end of the sale. Toward the end of the selling period when I only have a few plants left to sell or just get sick of selling, I usually offer deals; 2 for 1 because let’s face it, no way are you going to find somewhere to plant them back in your garden.

3.  Advertising
    
There isn’t any reason to buy expensive advertising in print media unless you want to.
    Craigslist: Check your locality. Search similar ads in the same category to make sure it’s in the right place.
    eBay: Has also started its own free classified listings per locale. Works the same as Craigslist.
    Signs: If not far off a busy thoroughfare, post signs with address and arrows directing people to sale.
    Social Media: Get the word out.

Final earnings depend on level of energy. One local seller made $12,000 one season! Not sure if she is still alive however.

Pros and Cons of having a plant sale.

Pros: Buyers rave about your garden.
Cons: Buyers bitch that they have so much of what you are selling because it grows like a weed that they will give you the same plant for free.

Pros:  Share tips and discuss plants that do well in deer and rabbit infested yards.
Cons: Buyer bends your ear and your patience for 45 minutes asking for free advice—in some cases even asks if you are willing to design his garden for free. Asks for a tour of the garden and then doesn’t even buy one lousy $5.00 plant. Really….

Pros: Buyers who ask if you’ll be having a plant sale next year?
Cons: Buyers who ask if the plants they buy will come up every year—they're perennials you know, but of course you just smile and say “yes dear.”