my 6 year old is selling seedlings!

kerns125 · May 13, 2023

Last year, I had a bunch of extra seedlings left after choosing the ones I wanted to plant and giving a few away, so I put out an email to my neighborhood listserve and invited people to come grab the extras for free from my front porch. I said, “if you want to leave a few bucks in the mailbox to help cover materials, that would be great, but not necessary and feel free to take them for free.” Well we ended up with like $30 or $40 in cash stuffed in our mailbox, which my then-5-year-old thought was amazing. So we told him this year he could sell seedlings in lieu of the traditional lemonade stand and keep the profits.

Well, it has been a lot of work for Mom and Dad because we transplanted way more sprouts than we would in a normal year (I am the tomato fiend and my husband is a pepper enthusiast), but it has been fun for all involved. Our son is charging $5 per plant (and we took pre-orders at 3 plants for $10) and he already made $330 in 4 hours 2 weeks ago… we are selling again today and tomorrow and then will probably compost the remaining plants. Everyone in the neighborhood thought it was an awesome idea. He is also learning about net profits (we made him pay back about $100 of up front costs for potting soil, pots, Sun Gold seeds, etc.). Just thought other parents of young kids might be interested in something like this!

Happy gardening -
Jen Kerns

kurt · May 14, 2023

How many hours did he pay mom and dad for labor.Best good news all morning for me.

ddsack · May 14, 2023

What a great idea! Real money, real work experience and a little economic theory boot. Now just add a little hard labor in the garden, digging and weeding if you dare let him loose!

JRinPA · May 24, 2023

A six year old's first tax return, that will be fun.

It is funny to me how some people will pay $5 for a plant from a kid but act like $5 for a six pack is too much to pay an adult raising kids. (Would you take $4?)

May 13, 2023	#1
kerns125 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: 22301 Posts: 92	my 6 year old is selling seedlings! Last year, I had a bunch of extra seedlings left after choosing the ones I wanted to plant and giving a few away, so I put out an email to my neighborhood listserve and invited people to come grab the extras for free from my front porch. I said, “if you want to leave a few bucks in the mailbox to help cover materials, that would be great, but not necessary and feel free to take them for free.” Well we ended up with like $30 or $40 in cash stuffed in our mailbox, which my then-5-year-old thought was amazing. So we told him this year he could sell seedlings in lieu of the traditional lemonade stand and keep the profits. Well, it has been a lot of work for Mom and Dad because we transplanted way more sprouts than we would in a normal year (I am the tomato fiend and my husband is a pepper enthusiast), but it has been fun for all involved. Our son is charging $5 per plant (and we took pre-orders at 3 plants for $10) and he already made $330 in 4 hours 2 weeks ago… we are selling again today and tomorrow and then will probably compost the remaining plants. Everyone in the neighborhood thought it was an awesome idea. He is also learning about net profits (we made him pay back about $100 of up front costs for potting soil, pots, Sun Gold seeds, etc.). Just thought other parents of young kids might be interested in something like this! Happy gardening - Jen Kerns

May 14, 2023	#2
kurt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl. Posts: 2,491	How many hours did he pay mom and dad for labor.Best good news all morning for me. __________________ KURT

May 14, 2023	#3
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,220	What a great idea! Real money, real work experience and a little economic theory boot. Now just add a little hard labor in the garden, digging and weeding if you dare let him loose! __________________ Dee **************

May 24, 2023	#4
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 963	A six year old's first tax return, that will be fun. It is funny to me how some people will pay $5 for a plant from a kid but act like $5 for a six pack is too much to pay an adult raising kids. (Would you take $4?)