We have a small farm and give one of our friends flowers to sell at a local farmer's market. Single bloom sunflowers and tall mixed color zinnias are very good sellers. The seeds are inexpensive and easy to grow. Bunches of fresh herbs also do well, especially basil.
Karyn

Radishes are always dependable, and generally make an attractive article for sale if the tops are kept nice. Grow several kinds to have a variety on display. These are also a very short season crop and can possibly be intergrown with something that will give a further product later.

George

Thanks, I will definitely keep these ideas in mind. Also, does anyone know of a quicker way to sell plants than to go set up at a farmers market, I'm not sure that I will have time to do that often.

Unless you have a vendors license you really should set up at something like a flea or farmers market. If you just set up a stand somewhere and you don't have a license the authorities can shut you down and fine you.

I have no idea if they still do it, but when I was a kid (many moons ago back in Toledo, Ohio), the kids from the 4-H Clubs all set up their stands inside one of the malls. There must have been 50-100 stands with different types of products for sale. Those kids really made out like bandits!

I have no idea if they still do that there or if they needed a license. It might be something your club could check in to.

Looks like you've received some good ideas of what to grow. Long-term, if you're planning on a project for 2008 for 4-H, why not try something different like starting little Bansai Trees from seed. They wouldn't be very big in a year's time, but big enough to sell for a couple of dollars probably. Obviously that would not work for this year, but something to think about starting soon for next year. It wouldn't have to be Bonsai, but some type of tree people like in your state. Maybe Colorado Blue Spruce?

Just some ideas,

Jeff

Ahh, that would have been awesome to start growing little trees! People would have really gone for that! It's a great idea, but it's my last year in 4-H. I'll pass on to my little brother =)

A local Mall sets aside space in the public area for non profits such as garden clubs to set up displays and sell plants. Check out your Malls and see if you can make a deal. Al

OK, are you wanting to sell "plants" or the "flower/vegetable from the plant"? If you have a an area where you can start seeds indoors and then sell the plants when your planting season starts, I think that would be the way to go. Go with things that you know people will buy in your area. I have a plant sale in the Spring and sell plants that I have started over the winter indoors. In my area tomatoes and peppers that cannot be found at the Box-type stores are big sellers for me. Then maybe a few herbs.

Is this something you have experience with (growing) or something you're just starting in? Growing plants from seed *can be* very inexpensive - just a couple of shop lights, you can use small plastic cups with holes punched in the bottom rather than investing in trays, and some packets of seeds.

Cheryl

What about potted, budded chrysanthemums? They root from cuttings ("pinchings") in the spring and are full-fledged plants by the end of July and usually fully budded. The thing is, all those pots take up a lot of room, you have to keep pinching them back, poting soil and pots cost money, and hauling pots around gets heavy. On the other hand, you can go to King's, invest in 3 different colors and as you pinch the mother plants, put every single pinching into a pot to make another plant...each one will root with literally no effort except not letting them dry out. You might get pots and poting soil loally as donations if you're allowed to solicit. Or maybe you could sort of get a youth/4-H discount if you ask.

By July they would be worth $3.00-9.00. The $9.00 one might have 3 pinchings in it and be in a 8" pot as opposed to a 6-inch pot. If you're a kid, have somebody help you choose the plants from King's. You could even write, call or emailKing's and see if they would give you a 4-H deal or help you choose which plants would be ready by end of July. You'll need something a little unusual and also "early" blooming -- this early blooming by Chrysanthemum standards. If you start now under lights, you could have a forest of Chrysanthemums. If you start later, in March, you would still have quite a lot.

Lime

I would suggest growing the short stem sunflowers. One plant would bring in a tidy little sum.
Shinny

I am a 4-H leader with a gardening club. Growing Profits is a great project. Our club does very well with special tomato plants that are good for our area. I would consider herbs, and salad greens and try to sell them to restaurants or caterers. Check in with a few restaurants to see what they would buy from you first. Basil is very easy to grow if your climate is hot enough and sells very well. It is most likely too late to plant garlic, but specialty sweet onions are good sellers. Flowers are good too - if you like to grow them. I have found that my 4-H club members do best with those things that they like the best. One of the boys loved "Dinasaur Kale" he sold out on every start that he raised just because of his enthusiasm. Many farmers markets will give discount to kids to encourage them to take part. My own kids sold raspberries for a few days from a card table in town. They soon had a solid list of customers to call and then they just telephoned and the customers came to our home. Satisfied customers also spread the word.
One of my 4-H boys who likes to build makes planter boxes from small tree branches and puts 3 4" pots in them. He sold them for $15 each.
Best wishes to you and have fun.

Hello,
I have to do this every year with my kids and I find all Zinnias do very well and so does Convulvolus. Both are easy to do and grow like a weed, plus both sell very well.