Discuss your tips, tricks and experiences growing and selling vegetables, fruits, flowers, plants and herbs.
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
March 25, 2012 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Dallas Texas
Posts: 29
|
Where to order pots
Im growing some tomatoes for a farmer's market and the owner wants them in a 6 inch pot. Does anyone know of a good online store to buy from?
|
March 25, 2012 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NW Indiana
Posts: 1,150
|
I like greenhousemegastore.com. They have a good selection and I've found their prices and service to be excellent.
|
March 25, 2012 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 100
|
Also try novoselenterprises.com - free shipping on >$75, and good discounts (including 20% off $200 or more). Their service is fast and the staff is helpful if you need to call and ask questions about their products.
I buy their 3.5" deep square pots for my tomatoes. The year I bought 6" pots and potted up tomatoes from the 3.5" pots, I saw no difference in plant size or health (I ran out of the 6" pots, so had plants of the same age in both size pots to compare). Now I stick with the 3.5"s which cost less and use less potting mix. |
March 27, 2012 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Dallas Texas
Posts: 29
|
Thanks for the advice. I also have another question. The owner of the store said that he wants plants that have a thick stalk and lots of blooms and even small fruits on them. To get a thick stalk does that depend on the variety or how deep you pot them up or both?
|
March 28, 2012 | #5 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Rock Hill, SC
Posts: 5,346
|
Quote:
If he wants the seedlings to have a thick stalk like Bonnie's transplants, then you will need to grow the seedlings like they do, in 40-50 degrees and with frequent application of growth inhibitor chemicals. You can use an oscillating fan to make the stems on your tomato transplants a bit thicker, but you'll never be able to reproduce the "Wal-Mart/Lowe's/Home-Depot" type thick stems without growth inhibitors. This is from someone who used to work at Bonnie's.
__________________
[SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I] |
|
March 28, 2012 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Kansas CIty
Posts: 560
|
To stay on topic...I second the vote for greenhouse megastore.com for prices, variety, and service.
On to the other topic...I agree with Feldon...flowering plants = bad news for gardeners. I spend a lot of time every year convincing customers that it's a bad idea to buy a flowering plant or one with fruit on it. I tell them they want root growth in May...top growth and flowering in June and ripe fruit in July until it frosts. A lot of people also balk at the sight of my 4-8 inch, stubby tomato plants I sell, but when they put them in the garden and have earlier fruit set, longer harvests and a healthier plant all year long, they understand that there's more to successful tomato gardening than just buying a big plant and getting a handful of so-so tomatoes off of it. I could make a LOT more money in the short term by selling bigger plants at a premium price, but I want my customers to be successful and come back year after year...more money in the long run.
__________________
Kansas City, Missouri Zone 5b/6a |
March 28, 2012 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Dallas Texas
Posts: 29
|
I totally agree with both of you about plants already having blooms and fruits on them. I would buy ones without them but Im not the owner of the store and when I brought my plants for him to see he said that he could not sell them that way because they dont stand out. I also forgot to mention that he wants mostly container varieties. Just out of curiosity are growth inhibitors expensive and hard to use or is it something that anyone could buy and use?
Last edited by jlwalke12; March 28, 2012 at 10:12 PM. Reason: Forgot to include a question |
March 28, 2012 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5
Posts: 931
|
jlw, if I were you, I'd stand by my principles and take my business elsewhere. Even to Craigslist or a grocery store or church parking lot.
But that's me. j |
March 28, 2012 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Dallas Texas
Posts: 29
|
Your right I will probably have to go somewhere else unless I can convince him to buy what I already have.
|
March 29, 2012 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5
Posts: 931
|
jl, don't feel that you have to convince him. I was in business for myself for many years. Anyone like the person you are describing was not worth doing business with. Trust me. Do not try to convince him. Be proud of your product, not apologetic. Tell him that you no longer need his demands. You won't cheapen your product for him, because you won't feel right about it.
Oooops, but that's me, again! j |
March 30, 2012 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
|
For someone like that, you could grow dwarf tomato plants and start them
earlier (so that they will be taller when he gets them). Thick stems and interesting looking leaves are built in to the dwarf phenotype. Here is a good picture of one: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7Jm1o_ioyp...warfTomato.jpg
__________________
-- alias |
March 30, 2012 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Rock Hill, SC
Posts: 5,346
|
I just curious how successful this nursery owner has been when he's competing with with Calloway's of which there are 17 locations in the greater Dallas / Ft Worth area and they don't do this nonsense of trying to sell plants with flowers and fruit already on them, unless it's Patio in a 2 gallon pot.
__________________
[SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I] |
March 30, 2012 | #13 |
SETTFest™ Coordinator
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 214
|
I've been buy from Morton's
http://www.mortonproducts.com/page.cfm/1278 |
April 2, 2012 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Dallas Texas
Posts: 29
|
First of all it's not a nursery its a farmer's market and they only sell a few plants compared to produce and stuff like that. So there not competing with Colloway's very much and they only buy from the locals. I like what you guys said about dwarfs in 2 gal, pots. I might give it a try.
|
April 2, 2012 | #15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 212
|
|
|
|