The Poultry Keeper

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 469 Location: gwent

just wondered if anyone grows their own veg or plants,shrubs etc to sell them from their home?sort of like a garden center i guess? Smile

and if so do you make much from doing it if you don't mind me asking ?i am trying to think of a way of generating an income from home and I'm pretty good with plants and seeming we have just acquired some land thought maybe i could grow some things up there to sell as I'm going to be unable to go back to work just yet as i am about 8 weeks pregnant Think

.it just around my area they all seem to be keen gardeners so i thought it might be worth my while trying .after taking mojo's advice a while back thumbright

when i was intending to move house i up rooted my dahlia's and found a huge clump of tubers so separated them i gave loads to my neighbor and potted a load and also left a load in my garden we never moved in the end but at the same time every other plant i had i also split i had a bleeding heart and this has now sprouted in three different areas to my surprise Shocked

so I'm sure the dahlia will too but this made me think how easy it is to grow certain plants what do you think should i give it a go?

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6915 Location: isle of lewis

it sounds like a great idea ,it didn't make me any monet but i used to raise plants for a school sale in portsmouth,sweet corn was marketed as an arictectral plant , Wink

that will feed you hopefully as well used to sell them in little pots there was a house down the road from my daughters school ,think i spent a fortune in there ,you just used to post the money through the letter box if you didn't have any change i spent more Embarassed

carn't sell anything from here ducks have eatten everything the turkeys are worse Rolling Eyes

suz

Lisa · Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 4:34 pm Post subject:

If you can make some money out of something you like doing and are good at then go for it Razz

I don't know what "rules" there are for selling plants, except for something called "plant breeders rights". I've seen this on a few shrubs - basically I think its like copyright, and you can't propogate them (to sell) without a license. But it usually states quite clearly that they are covered by this...

Maybe you could do a bit of market research - see what people locally (if that is your market) might be interested in buying? Maybe try and find yourself a niche? Is it herbs? Unusual shrubs? Heritage veg? Or just a bit of everything as their local friendly supplier?

Plus if you're running it as a business you should be able to get things cheaper trade or wholesale...

Good luck if you decide to give it a go - do keep us posted! Very Happy

I think its a very interesting idea Rolling Eyes

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

I grew loads and loads of plants from seed a couple of years ago ~ I'm talking 100s of about 3 different types to fill up some of the garden. I grew them in small trays, then potted up to 1" cells each and then into 3" pots. My daughter was always saying I should send one of sons in law to the carboot with them ~ I think she was probably right, but I'm stubborn and wouldn't ask either of them to give up their free time. You can also sell plants from seed or cuttings on ebay ~ they can make some good prices on there.

I grew mine in the greenhouse ~ I had 3 lots of 4 shelf staging in there but it got too full so I bought a cheepy plastic one to harden them off in and then put them under the trees to finish off until I could summon up the energy or the daughters to plant them!

I would go for it.

Lisa · Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 5:57 pm Post subject:

Oh yes - eBay! I've bought some unusual herbs from eBay, and comfrey (bocking 14) - which is great for the garden, and roots amazingly easily...

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6915 Location: isle of lewis

lisa you can get comfry off ebay ,see you later you can guess where i'm going in a minute Wink

suz

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 469 Location: gwent

that's the only thing what rules are there surrounding selling plants will have to look into that one as the majority would be propagated ,i once visited a deer farm near trellech and they grew Christmas trees on the ground the deer grazed on as the deer would only eat the lower branches i assumed they would of cut them for the season.but in the long run we want to get goats on our ground but until we are able to do that I'm sure there must be something i can do to make a little income and use the ground i will ask a few neighbors see what they think any advice is welcome Very Happy

Sue B · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 361 Location: Lincolnshire

Try collecting your own seed and growing it on that way you are the plant breeder and you may come up with something special. Laughing

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 469 Location: gwent

will have to borrow some library books to find out how to collect some seeds i know how to propagate and stuff like that but not actually breeding plants is it hard to do? Confused

Sue B · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 361 Location: Lincolnshire

Its not hard at all as long as you don't mind what you get. Many named varieties of plants don't come true from seed especially things like aquilegia, Hebes, Hostas etc. Just let the plants do the birds and bees bit. Collect the seed in brown paper bags/envelopes on a dry day when it looks ripe and about to fall from the pods. Then store and sow in spring. Its even easier if you just let the plants seed around your garden then transplant and pot on the seedlings this is good for things like Hellebores and Aquilegia. Laughing

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 469 Location: gwent

think i may have a problem growing anything up there now i was up there the other day and saw a rabbit 4 times the size of my huge bunny!i think they would feast on the plants first it would be like Wallis and gromit the attack of the were rabbit!maybe if we ever get to live on site or maybe i can make some raised beds then we will try I'm short of time at the moment but will try at some point.thanks for the advice anyway Very Happy

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

You could make some fruit cage type things and grow things up there with those over them. Make them a good size ~ walk in would be best.

traditionalbritishfowlco · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 243 Location: lancashire

If I were you I'd go for herbs, sell the herbs and sell products made from them - something you could sell online, on a stall, over winter etc, through the lean times. Also, if your crop failed (got eaten?) you could, ahem, buy in the herbs you would've got to make your products and no one would be any the wiser Very Happy

soaps, creams, shampoos etc etc very popular these days...

mojo · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:33 pm Post subject:

just a thought........take lots of shrub cuttings plant in a tiny trench lines wide enough apart to weed between easy...shrubs generate more income than plants and are easy to raise.....best of luck.mojo

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 469 Location: gwent

mojo you hit the nail on the head i have sown lots of seeds for our own food veg the past couple of days but i am going to as we have loads of room start growing shrubs and hedging plants we have tone of sloe trees growing on our ground i am also going to start growing holly and lleylandii from cutting etc and pot them up so that they can be sold as hedging lots there is loads i can do and am really looking forward to getting started and seeing how this year goes with it all.thanks for all the advise Very Happy