Display is an important part of selling at farmers’ markets. The best displays are those that do three things:

• catch the customer’s eye from a distance and pull him or her to your stand;
• make your produce look fresh and beautiful;
• help the customer understand what’s for sale, how much it costs, and how to purchase it.

To achieve those three goals, you should aim for a display that is consistent, clean, and orderly. Don’t use old cardboard boxes, plastic harvest tubs or buckets, or mismatched containers. Don’t throw your produce out on a table, or in dirty wooden boxes. Here are some ideas for more appropriate display containers for produce and cut flowers, along with contact information for the suppliers that sell them.

Produce display
The classic wood bushel basket is still a good look for farmers’ markets. You can purchase them very inexpensively, and they are available in several sizes to accommodate different types of produce. Bushel baskets and their smaller cousins should be raised up a few inches in the back so that they tilt toward the customer, and they should be kept full so the customer doesn’t have to reach in to her elbow to pick up an item. That’s why it’s helpful to buy several sizes – as your supplies diminish, you can transfer to smaller containers so that you continue to have the appearance of abundance. There’s something about a little pile of produce in a big basket that is very unappealing to customers; those last few items will sell better if they’re in a small basket. Wood baskets can be purchased in all natural, or natural with hoops of red and green. Many growers also use wooden berry baskets to display pints or quarts of items that they either can’t weigh, for lack of a scale, or that would seem too expensive if priced by the pound. Fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and hot peppers are often sold in pints or quarts for convenience and better prices. Although the baskets are displayed at the farmer’s stand, the produce can sometimes be transferred to a bag when the purchase is made, as long as the item won’t be crushed. With that system, a carton of wooden berry boxes can last all season. Another type of container that is popular for produce display is the synthetic rectangular basket. These look like natural woven baskets, but they’re actually made of plastic fibers, so they are waterproof. Many sizes are available; a typical one is 12 inches wide by 18 inches long by 4 inches deep. They are wonderful for displaying greens, lettuces, and herbs, because you can mist those items to keep them fresh without getting a sodden basket. You can also find many natural baskets at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby; watch for sales, as baskets are often reduced to half price or less. Go for a consistent look, choosing one style or material that you can obtain in several sizes. If you want customers to bag their own produce, you need to provide bags and bag stands. Bags can be purchased from several of the mail-order suppliers listed below, but you may find that you save shipping costs by buying them from a local grocer. Both the natural foods store and the Food 4 Less produce managers have been willing to sell us rolls of bags at their cost. It never hurts to ask. You can also purchase biodegradable cellophane bags.

Flower display
If you want your flowers to convey the appearance of high quality, you must display them professionally. Old icing or pickle buckets will work if you’ve cleaned off the labels and glue, but you can go a step up and purchase floral display buckets at very inexpensive prices. The wide-mouth 2.5 gallon buckets work best for mixed bouquets. Single stems or very tall bouquets require larger buckets with narrow openings. Most bucket suppliers want to sell by the pallet load, which may be several thousand buckets, depending on size. Those listed below will sell in smaller quantities, but it may still be more than the beginning grower needs. In that case, scout the discount stores and dollar stores for other buckets. Try to buy them all the same color and shape – you want the buckets to fade into the background, not to be a focal point of your flower display. Another option is to use galvanized or painted flower cans, for the European look. Because they are tall and narrow, you can’t fit a lot of mixed bouquets in them, but they are good for single stems or small bunches of tall flowers. You can also buy the small size for about $3.50 each when you buy a case, and just make bouquets directly into those and price the bouquets to recoup the can cost, plus some. Finally, you may want to use sleeves on flowers to keep the bunches separated, prevent damage by browsing customers, and protect the flowers as the customer carries them home. Sleeves are available in a huge number of sizes, colors, and materials. Farmers’ market growers often prefer the perforated materials to prevent the flowers from heating up too much. If they are to be marketed inside, the clear BOPP material is usually preferred. You can usually find bouquet sleeves at floral wholesalers, or you can mail order them from several manufacturers. Although the cost of high-quality display containers may seem a bit forbidding at first, remember that they will last for years and will help you maximize sales and win long-term customers.

Suppliers:

• Fruit Growers Package Company sells wooden baskets and strawberry quarts. 616-657-5165; www.basketfactory.cc
• Rockford Package Supply has a full line of baskets, bags, bottles and other display items. 800-444-7225; www.rockfordPACK.com
• Putnam Plastics has many types of produce packaging supplies. 800-457-3099; www.putnamfarm.com
• Monte Packaging has a full line of display and harvest containers including boxes. 800-653-2807; http://montepkg.com
• Hubert Company is a full-line supermarket equipment and supply company. They sell the synthetic produce and bread baskets, as well as display fixtures, clamshells, bags, and just about every other kind of supermarket supply. 800-543-7374; www.hubert.com
  Display Specialties Inc. sells a wide range of store display items, including produce baskets, wooden crates, floral buckets and racks. 800-545-9362; www.displayspecialties.com
• PAK-CEL sells biodegradable cellophane bags often used for packaging salad mix and herbs. 800-635-2247.
• A-Roo sells floral buckets in quantities of 100 and bouquet sleeves in quantities as low as 500. Ask for Rita for small-volume orders. 830-372-4770; www.a-roo.com
• Flowersleeves.com is a web site for flower sleeves.
• Buquet Supply sells galvanized and painted flower cans. 817-535-6928.