Prices for this year

Starlight · April 14, 2015

I am curious as to what you all are charging this year for your tomato and pepper plants, the size container and also what you are charging for fresh fruits?

The past couple of years we have had a chain store bring in thousands of tomato plants in 6 packs and sell them for 72 cent a 6 pack. That is 12 cent a tomato. These folks go home, re pot into a 3 or 4" container, bring out to market and sell for a buck a piece.

The plants are of a poor quality and are always mismarked. I call these hit and run vendors. They come in with cheap, weak plants for a week or two, sell hundreds of plants and then disappear.

The thing is folks buy them, and when they don't grow or get diseased they come looking to you for help or new plants and expect you to sell them your nice healthy plants that you have spent months growing for the same buck.

I am amazed that folks will pay so much for Bonnie plant, who now has tomatoes all on sale for two bucks this week at big box, but they expect you to sell them a quality plant for the same or less.

I don't like to be rude to anybody, cuz you never know what other customers are listening, but sometimes I get tired of explaining, I am not big box, I am not chem treated and I am not going to give you a plant for 50 cent.

I'd be interested in learning how you deal with these customers too. Some when you tell them sorry no can sell at 50 cent they will walk on. Others will stand there and argue with you that you way to high and they are not quiet about it either.

They seem to forget that we have to buy the seed, pay for shipping costs which are usually more than the cost of the seed, get seed starting mix, pots, soil, ferts, water, heat and everything else, and forget the time involved. They don't seem to want to hear that. They want you to give them the plants for almost free.

Now if I know there is somebody wanting plants to feed their family and they struggling big time. I will load them up for free and send them on their way.

There are several of us vendors who work together. We all sell plants, but we don't really compete against each other. We sell some things the same which is good, because if one of us runs out, we send to the other person, or if it something we don't carry we send to one in our circle of real growers who does.

What gets to us real growers is those customers that go spend their money with the hit and run folks and then come to us and say " I spent all money money with them, all I have left is this much will you take 50 cent for a plant.
Do any of you get those type of folks and if so what do you tell them?

And discounts? Do any of you give discounts? Folks round this area are always asking if I buy two or three will you give me a discount.

The funniest thing I had happen to me at market was the one year where a woman had bought a tomato plant, took it home, grew it, ate all the tomatoes, didn't save seed, didn't over winter the plant and came back the following year asking for a refund for her plant because it did not come back like a perennial plant.

April 14, 2015	#1
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	Prices for this year I am curious as to what you all are charging this year for your tomato and pepper plants, the size container and also what you are charging for fresh fruits? The past couple of years we have had a chain store bring in thousands of tomato plants in 6 packs and sell them for 72 cent a 6 pack. That is 12 cent a tomato. These folks go home, re pot into a 3 or 4" container, bring out to market and sell for a buck a piece. The plants are of a poor quality and are always mismarked. I call these hit and run vendors. They come in with cheap, weak plants for a week or two, sell hundreds of plants and then disappear. The thing is folks buy them, and when they don't grow or get diseased they come looking to you for help or new plants and expect you to sell them your nice healthy plants that you have spent months growing for the same buck. I am amazed that folks will pay so much for Bonnie plant, who now has tomatoes all on sale for two bucks this week at big box, but they expect you to sell them a quality plant for the same or less. I don't like to be rude to anybody, cuz you never know what other customers are listening, but sometimes I get tired of explaining, I am not big box, I am not chem treated and I am not going to give you a plant for 50 cent. I'd be interested in learning how you deal with these customers too. Some when you tell them sorry no can sell at 50 cent they will walk on. Others will stand there and argue with you that you way to high and they are not quiet about it either. They seem to forget that we have to buy the seed, pay for shipping costs which are usually more than the cost of the seed, get seed starting mix, pots, soil, ferts, water, heat and everything else, and forget the time involved. They don't seem to want to hear that. They want you to give them the plants for almost free. Now if I know there is somebody wanting plants to feed their family and they struggling big time. I will load them up for free and send them on their way. There are several of us vendors who work together. We all sell plants, but we don't really compete against each other. We sell some things the same which is good, because if one of us runs out, we send to the other person, or if it something we don't carry we send to one in our circle of real growers who does. What gets to us real growers is those customers that go spend their money with the hit and run folks and then come to us and say " I spent all money money with them, all I have left is this much will you take 50 cent for a plant. Do any of you get those type of folks and if so what do you tell them? And discounts? Do any of you give discounts? Folks round this area are always asking if I buy two or three will you give me a discount. The funniest thing I had happen to me at market was the one year where a woman had bought a tomato plant, took it home, grew it, ate all the tomatoes, didn't save seed, didn't over winter the plant and came back the following year asking for a refund for her plant because it did not come back like a perennial plant.