By Sandie Shores

Want to make more money selling herbs plants? In the February 2004 issue of Growing for Market I discussed selling potted herb transplants during the spring farmers’ market season. Without a doubt these spring sales will provide the most income from herb plant sales. However, by understanding the lifestyles of your customers you can anticipate their needs and desires. This allows you to plan (and plant) ahead to best serve their needs, not only in the spring but all season long.

Container herb gardens
Many of your spring shoppers will be city dwellers living in condos or apartments who lack space for an in-ground garden. They want their herb gardens in the spring and you should be the one to offer them the convenience of herb gardens in containers. Catering to these patio gardeners will increase your profits substantially.
We use all sorts of large containers to grow basil as well as a mix of herbs: table top planters, window boxes, large tubs (10 to 25 gallon sizes) and square patio containers-anything that is large enough to grow deep rooted herbs. We sell “basil gardens” with a mix of basil types, “Italian herb gardens” and many others. You can plant a mix of perennial and annual herbs in large containers. Be sure to label each plant with a plant tag.
Many people want a very full container overflowing with herbs-perhaps they have seen these in a glossy magazine. It is important to tell them that yes, these are attractive but crowding the herbs this way will result in less yields. One way to make the large container herb gardens look “cute” without overcrowding is to plant some creeping thyme around the edge of the container. Place the root ball in the soil at an angle so the foliage cascades over the edge of the pot.
All of our patio container plants are only offered for sale when the herbs, or other plants, are large enough to make a nice presentation. It is difficult for most people to visualize what they will look like fully grown. It will be the rare and knowledgeable patio gardener who will purchase these gardens when they are immature.
You may ask ”How is my customer supposed to get these large container gardens to their car? Enter the “Herbmobile”! We acquired some metal children’s wagons, painted them green and used vinyl letters on the side with our business name. These are so popular at our market that other vendors borrow them for their customers to use! These metal wagons make a lot of noise rolling around the market aisles and turn quite a few heads. What good advertising! Our customers love these “Herbmobiles” as do we for we don’t have to leave our booth to carry a very heavy load to the parking lot.

Never enough basil!
In the spring we sell thousands of small basil plants for transplanting. However, it is the compact sweet basil in 1-gallon nursery cans that is a real gold mine for us. The regular or Genovese basil plants don’t do as well in containers as the compact type. Regular sweet basil grows taller, has a deeper root system and a longer stem length between leaf clusters. They soon outgrow the container and become unsightly.
Our 1-gallon container basil plants are started early so we can bring “ready to eat” large plants on opening market day. We sell these all season long at $5.00 per plant and sell hundreds of these during an entire market season. Obviously, it is important to make succession plantings every few weeks in order to keep a continuous supply available.
We start the spring selling these in regular black nursery cans but by mid summer we start bringing the basil in decorative standard pots (6 to 10 inch sizes). Our customers will be bringing these into the house for their winter use and want more attractive containers.
For the true basil lovers we pot 4 compact basils plants in 3-gallon nursery cans. We never seem to have enough of these! Many of our customers have learned to come to the farm to buy them knowing that we will run out. These 3-gallon pots are space consumers and we, like most of you, have limited greenhouse space in the spring.

More container edibles
There are other edible plants that do well in containers and these will add much to your patio garden sales. Compact pepper plants in 1-gallon or larger containers have been big sellers for us. We grow 10 different types, some hot and some not, and all are sold by the end of the season. Most are classified as tender perennials and will do well indoors over the winter – a real plus for your customers. Compact peppers are only offered for sale when they have at least a few ripe peppers on them.
The colorful vine Red Malabar spinach (Basella rubra) always sell well for us. We pot a single plant in a 3-gallon container with a new tomato hoop installed for the vine to crawl around. We grow a few ourselves in order to bring leaves for sampling.
Edible flower containers sell well, not only to the gourmet cook but also to those who want some colorful flowers. Try planting a mix of nasturtiums and pansies for edible flowers all season.
We have been growing and selling delicious Alpine strawberry plants for years to the delight of our customers. They are sold in small pots for transplanting as well as in 4 and 6-packs in the spring. We sell them in 4 and 6 pocket clay strawberry jars and hanging baskets (the kind with holes in the sides). Wait until there are ripe strawberries on the plants before bringing them to the market and watch them sell!
Compact tomatoes are a popular item for us, especially with the addition of a compact basil plant in the same container. We’ve had good luck with several varieties including Totem, Patio Hybrid and Window Box Roma. We offer a few in small pots in early spring for transplanting. Most of them are planted in 3-gallon size containers and staked. Although the seed catalogs may announce that these varieties need no staking we have found that transporting them can cause them to fall over or the stems to break. This, of course, results in a loss of money. Again, we wait until the tomatoes have ripe fruit before bringing them to the market.

Changing seasons,focus
By mid-summer our customer’s focus begins to change to growing plants indoors during the winter months. This is the time to begin bringing plants that they “just have to have” to provide comfort, herbal flavor and greenery during the long winter months (at least here in Minnesota).
In the spring we transplant some of the perennial herbs into decorative containers and some in 4-inch square pots. Those in the 4-inch pots are offered in mid summer for planting outdoors. We educate our customers that this is the perfect time to plant these herbs in their gardens because they need time to develop good root systems before going dormant for the winter months.
A few weeks before our average first frost date (mid- September) we set up our “Winter Windowsill Herbs” area. This is filled with mature herbs in attractive pots with information sheets about caring for herbs indoors and in low light conditions.
Those herbs in decorative pots are big, beautiful and begging our customers to take them home for their winter pleasure. We also sell scented geraniums (see below), Goodwin Creek lavender (a compact lavender that grows well in containers) and large rosemary plants. The biggest seller is the compact basil mentioned previously. Herb gardens in window boxes are offered for sale at this time. These window boxes meant for indoor growing should be sold with the water catching tray.
Large rosemary plants are a most popular item in the fall. For those of us in northern climates rosemary will not usually survive severe winters so it must be brought indoors.
Rosemary can be fussy to over winter during the indoor heating season so it is wise to educate your customers how they can best help their plants survive during this time. They will do best in a cool room – temperature is more important than light for indoor rosemary – and in a spot by themselves. Contrary to often-repeated advice rosemary (and the other perennial herbs) in large pots require frequent watering and fertilizing during the winter.

Marketing and display
We have a portable wooden signpost that directs customers into our stall. This sign is placed in the aisle and is a perfect place to highlight some eye-catching plants. Plants are placed around the base and this helps to prevent inattentive shoppers from tripping on the base. Plants are placed on the flat wooden top at eye level. The top is lined with some rubberized matting to help prevent the plants from slipping.
Make the most of Mothers day by attaching a bow and a “Happy Mothers Day” gift tag on your container herb gardens and watch your profits rise!
We have a very popular “Cat’s Corner” where we cater to the many cat owner customers. Surrounding the Cat’s Corner sign are pots of cat grass, catnip and bags of dried catnip.
Starting in mid summer we devote one table to scented geraniums. A sign urges customers to “Rub a Leaf-Take a Whiff” and explains that these are plants grown for the fragrant foliage rather than their flowers. Recipes for cooking with these aromatic plants are there and free for the taking.
There are many varieties of scented geraniums and most have difficulty surviving indoors during our Minnesota heating season. We offer only a few varieties that we know from experience will do well indoors. This helps to avoid disappointed customers.

Sharing information
Be sure to educate your customer regarding the care of container grown herbs. For good growth container grown herbs should be fertilized every 2 to 3 weeks, especially during periods of rapid growth. Container grown basil should be fed a tomato type fertilizer since basil requires the extra magnesium that these contain.
Almost all of our larger potted herbs and other edible plants come with an information and care sheet. These describe the plants characteristics, sometimes a photo and give instructions for caring for their plants. We print these on the computer using a postcard program so there are 4 to a sheet. These are taped onto each container and although our stall sometimes looks a bit cluttered; these serve as an extra salesperson. I can honestly say that these information sheets have increased our sales dramatically.
Container herb gardens can be planted with both perennial and annual herbs. Share tips with your customer for caring for these mixed containers at the end of the season, especially in cold winter climates. After the first frost the annuals can be gently pulled out of the soil. The container, if it has good soil depth (2 feet or more) can be overwintered outdoors if the sides are protected with bags of leaves or other dense mulch. Smaller containers can be stored in a garage to provide dormancy but it is important to make sure these do not dry out.
Don’t hesitate to ask your customers how you can best serve their needs. Ask them what plants they would like that you don’t grow. You’ll be surprised by how many will share their thoughts and desires. What would be a better win-win situation?

The next article will focus on maximizing your profits selling herbs, value added products and utilizing marketing and display techniques.

Sandie Shores is the author of Growing and Selling Fresh-Cut Herbs and Cooking with The Herb Ladies!”. The revised edition of Growing and Selling Fresh-Cut Herbs was just published by Ball Publishing. It is available from GFM for $34.95 plus $4 shipping and handling. (PO Box 3747, Lawrence, KS 66047; 800-307-8949; www.growingformarket.com) Sandie and her partner in Herb’s Herbs sell chemical-free herbs, plants and vegetables at the Rochester (MN) Downtown Farmers’ Market. Visit Sandie’s web site at www.freshcutherbs.com.