Paula
I just started wintersowing this past winter. I got carried away and planted 137 containers, almost all of them germinated. I had plants everywhere. After they out grew the containers I transplanted them into larger flower pots until I could get them in the ground. My co-workers were aware of my adventures and a few of them also tried it. And my neighbors would stop by and comment on the yard and the oh so many containers and suggested that I should start selling the plants. After I divided and planted what I wanted, I did sell them. Most of my coworkers bought plants, I sold them fairly inexpensively. I just typed up a list of what I had and let them be responsible for looking them up to see if they were interested (after all they were way cheaper then what they would pay at a greenhouse, and way healthier). And I did sell to my neighbors as well. I made enough to pay for most of the dirt that I bought to wintersow my own plants and a special plant I have been looking for in vain, echinacea green envy. So go for it and good luck, but be sure to use some of that money to buy that special plant that you have been dreaming of.

Kathy

Paula,I havent done this yet myself,but I am really thinking about doing it next year. Think about it like this,few nurseries,at least here,grow their own plants. So therefore, the plants get shipped a couple times before you buy them. Is this good for the plants? I am thinking this is why so many nursery bought plants failed for me,but my ws/underlights plants of the same kind are thriving! Another issue with the shipping is it causes the retailer to charge more to make up for the costs. So,you will be providing better plants,plants grown in your climate and you will be able to provide a better price. Sounds like a win/win to me,for you and the person buying from you! I say go for it! :)

Hi Paula,
I think you should really give it a try. I ws a bunch of plants, thinking that not many of them would make it (it was my first year and now I'm a believer) Well almost everything germinated and then I started transplanting things in my yard and the ones I could not fit were put in bigger pots. In July I had too many things sitting around and my husband started asking me if I was going to keep them all (he was eyeing the compost bin as he was asking me this) I hate to put healthy plants in the compost bin so I decided to post on craigslist. In one week I sold $150 dollars worth of plants!!!
I think offering your left over perennials and annuals that can be overwintered (like dahlias and such) will bring you in the best money.
Since I just wanted to get the plants to good homes, I sold most of mine for 2 or 3 dollars.
Well, that's my 2 cents.

Monica

I had a plant sale this past year. It was such a good experience that I will be doing it again.

I did try to sell some new wsn plants from this past winter, but found that the older plants went much faster. I had to divide a lot of plants (not winter sown), but a lot of plants which I sold were from winter sowings in the last few years. Some plants, such as Coreopsis Domino which I winter sowed a few years ago and reseeded nicely,had footings which were 1 foot in diameter, so they were split in 4. Other plants were just one year old Echinaceas with good footings.

I started potting up wayyyyyy early. Some plants were already in the holding bed in pots and simply had to be plucked out. :O)

Nothing was more than $3.00. There was a tag with color and name of the plant. There were three long sets of tables, one at $1.00, the second at $2.00, and the third at $3.00. On the tag was a colour - red for the dollar plants, green for the two dollar, and blue for the three dollar. This enabled my family to help out since they only had to look at the colour to determine the price.

The three dollar plants sold out in no time. They were in pots no less than 5.5 inches. Two dollar plants went well, and the $1.00 new winter sown plants barely went. I planted those back in a new bed which I intend to dig up again next spring and sell at $3.00 each since they will be much bigger.

From 9am to 11am I made $700.00.

I'm impressed! Many years ago, I remember potting up some babies, and taking them to work and trying to give them away. these weren't ws, but divisions of existing houseplants.

I've never wintersown, so I don't know how fast the plants grow. I wonder if it would help at all to have pics of your garden and be able to say these were ws last winter and the pics taken June 1 or July 1 to show how fast they grow after planting out.

Liz,

You can go for photos if you want, but I decided to make things nice and simple for me in every way possible, and like Kathy left it up to the individuals to look them up after tagging them.

I live on a dead end road and certainly didn't expect the result I got. Just did a bit of advertising through flyers posted at community mailboxes here and there and some local convenience stores along the way home.

Lots of these people had seen my gardens when passing by which was a big plus and commented on them. You never really know how much people notice your gardens until you do something like this. It's truly nice to hear. :O)

Ok I think I will try it this year and see how it goes. But it all depends on how much I over sow? Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it.

Paula

Holy moly tiffy! $700???? Wow! Not bad, not bad at all!

I sold some plants last year, and did okay. I advertised them as seedlings, though, and people seemed okay with that, although the larger plants did sell out more quickly.

I put out posts on craigslist and freecycle (well, freecycle has a for-sale counterpart here, don't know if they all do), and I think next year I may put an ad in the local paper.

I figure whatever I make helps offset the cost of seeds and potting mix, so anything is a help.

:)
Dee

You should definitely try!!! A lot of today's nurseries started out as little home grown ventures, who knows where you'll be at in a couple of years ;)

Dee,

I had a lot of people tell me I was selling at a price which was too low. A lady from the garden club said I was selling so low she might have problems at her plant sale. My response was that I'm not going to pot up plants and then not sell them. Figured I'd sell more if the price was right.

She had her sale a week later and I was there. She did lower her prices and came over and thanked me for the 'logic' in the lower price since she was going to sell out for the first time in five years of doing this and she was actually going to make more $$.

One thing which was requested by many were Buddleias. I told everyone I'd have some in 2009. This year's winter sown Buddleias are going in the holding beds as we speak, and there's lots! :O)

Nicole, did you do lots of perennials? Most of my WSown things were annuals. I did sell perennials, but they were mostly divisions, or plants that had been winter-sown the *previous* year and overwintered in my garage, so the plants were bigger. I figured the annuals, especially bedding-type plants, would sell okay on the smaller side, but with the perennials, folks would be looking for bigger plants.

:)
Dee

Dee,

I actually didn't offer annuals. It was all perennials, shrubs, and small trees such as Pee Gee Hydrangeas.