Sounds like a good idea to me. If they're already hardened off (sounds like they are), put up a big sign reading "Ready to Plant Delicious Heirloom Tomatoes -- Grow 'Em Like Grandma Did!" I'd also include fact sheets about each of them, whether they're determinate or indeterminate, staking/supporting them, color, shape (those heirlooms can be UGLY sometimes!) when to plant them out, proper soil, how to save their seeds, IOW, everything you'd want to know and expect about an unknown tomato plant if you were a novice.

I think you could sell them for $2-$3 each. A suggestion: why don't you call some local plant nurseries and see if they'll give you 16 used gallon-sized plant containers. If not, you can probably buy them very cheap if they have any to spare. Your outlay would be compensated by your profit! I think your plants would have more sales appeal if they were in pots rather than cups or soda bottles.

I dunno Anney, cups and soda bottles may give them that "Homey look". ":^)

I sold quite a few over the back fence and to places that I go last year without trying. I have planted way to many for the past several years. I have given a lot away this year, but not tried to sell any.

Depending on the affluence of the neighborhood you are in, people might snap them up at $3.50 each. I have thought about potting up an extra hundred or so, but that would take a bit of time, cups and potting mix. Have thought about running a note on Freecycle saying hard to find Heirloom tomato plants, but have not done that either. It is getting close to borderline as far as planting time here where I live, and

It is nice to meet people & talk plants & make a little scratch at the same time. In fact, it is by far the best part of doing what you want to do.
A couple of other things: Do you want to get rid of them or only sell at a certain price? The plants I have extras of and put out on the street are free. I used to have one dollar sales....free is easier.
Providing written info can take some time to prepare, but people appreciate it and if you're charging a couple of bucks, they probably expect it. Do you mind spending the time?
Repotting into different containers takes time and effort and soil. Got all three? Will the roots bind the soil before the sale?
Lastly, I can look at a tomato transplant and see if it is past its optimum plant out date. You can see plants like this at nurseries, drug stores, etc. I personally would not feel right selling leggy or crummy-looking plants at a premium price. Mine would have to be a real value.
I just present these viewpoints for your perusal. They may not apply to your temperament or operation. Good luck. Have fun.

Bill P.

Well, "homey" is a good look for heirlooms, but if I were a buyer, I'd suspect the plants were rootbound in cups or soda bottle containers since I wouldn't know how long they've been there! If I had a choice, I'd buy one growing in a roomier nursery pot. And BTW, I grow all my seedlings myself in 16 oz. styrofoam cups, so my concern is not about their health but rather what a potential buyer might think.

Anyway, the seedling container is a personal choice that has nothing to do with how good the tomatoes will be when they're grown out and producing!

I'd be interested to see how it goes, too.

I've done it, and plan on doing it again this year. Never sold heirlooms before, but I think they will be especially popular due to the 'newness' factor. Sounds funny, I know- heirlooms are new?- but here, you just don't really get anything fancy or different at the nurseries. It's all just 'tomato'.
I'd never even heard of heirlooms/OPs, that whole thing till this year. And for all the effort you put in, don't be afraid to charge what you think they'd be worth. I think $3 is cheap, but it depends on the size, and what's available in your area.
And if you have a freecycle network in your area, that's a great place to get pots. I'll even admit that on recycling days, I bike around and fish them out of the boxes in my neighborhood. When people are doing their gardens up, they generally don't need or want the pots, and are more than happy to give them away.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your opinions. I'm not really trying to make a buck here. It would be nice to recoop some of the money I have spent on soil though. I'm not worried so much about my time since I like playing with the plants anyway.

I can honestly say that after having given my toms a shot of fish fert. last Friday, my plants look comparable to the ones you see in the store if not a little better. They are hardened off and I noticed today that my one German Johnson plant even has blooms on it.

I wanted to use the soda bottles not only to save my one gallon pots but also because I can control the depths the roots get planted better.

I think I'm going to go for the homegrown look because that is what they are and whatever doesn't get sold I will take to the senior center or somewhere with a sign "free to a good home." I've babied these guys too far for them to go to the compost heap.

Oh, and I've already taken the time to make up a nice flyer people can take with them if they want. It gives the name of the variety they just purchased. Some growing tips. A few website addresses to visit and a disclaimer that this is just a hobby. It was fun creating the flyer.

I was thinking $3.00 for the soda bottle ones and maybe a dollar or $1.50 for the 16 oz. cups. I checked the roots on everyone a little while ago. No potbound ones as of yet. A few will need to go up a size though by next weekend.

Like I said, this is all a hobby. I'm not looking to make a ton of money or anything. I just want to keep healthy plants from being wasted and maybe get back some of my soil money.

Hi Michelle,

I'm your neighbor who grew the many seedlings with my 5 year old daughter. We ended up with probably 70 extra cups with 2-4 plants per cup (after giving them to teachers, neighbors, family and friends). One afternoon my daughter was bugging me to have a lemonade stand and it wasn't even hot out. So I suggested that she have a plant stand instead and sell our extra seedlings. We made some signs and she sat on our very slow neighborhood street waiting for customers. She sold them for $1 each. She made $22 and we still have lots of plants. We even left it out one afternoon with an "honor system" and had a couple customers that way. You know how the weather has been here, so she hasn't had much opportunity to man the tomato stand!

I say go for it! Everyone we met was excited to have a great tomato plant and thrilled to have something a little unique.

Good luck!

Hey, whatcha got left? Maybe we'll come and buy a few! ;)

Amy in Chesapeake, VA

I tried to sell some extras this year by posting online, but so far no one has contacted me about them. I have already given many away and met up with nice gardeners from surrounding towns who have brought me swap plants etc. A lady who came by today is going to make sauce for me. I will probably offer the last of the plants on freecycle. But it is really nice to get an exchange going with other gardeners, because many want to give you something you don't already have. One man gives me wood ashes from his pellet stove, and I can sure make use of that. I prefer this type of relationship to asking cash for the plants. Plus I feel I am promoting heirloom growing.

I gave mine away, about 20+ tomatoes of various types. I just laid them out in a long line along the sidewalk with a sign propped up on the front yard advertising them for free in English and Spanish. They disappeared two at a time and were gone by nightfall. I thought about trying to sell them, but it would have taken up too much of MY time for the amount I would get. I just wanted to make sure they got homes, and that I didn't have to water them the next day.

I have been starting my stuff from seed for a few years now and alot of my friends (SP?) get my extras. This Sunday I took a box of about 12 to church with a sheet containing a brief explanation on each one. They didn't last long. I also bartered a few for a few pounds of fresh asparagus with a friend who grows it. What a treat that was for supper last night! People have mentioned I should be selling them as they are not your usual suspects so to speak. I figure I will establish my reputation first. But I WOULD like to get some of my pots back!

Hi Michelle,

We meet again! I was the one asking about finding Heirloom tomatoes on Long Island. I did plant my Mortgage Lifters today. They look a little "wimpy" compared to my other plants but I think they will be fine (but my other plants were in the ground last week and were bigger to begin with).

I think you will do great selling the plants. I have yard sales regularly and most anything decent sells and I know if I came across a sale that was offering heirlooms (I go to yard sales, too) that I would jump at the opportunity to buy an unusual plant and it wouldnÂt even matter to me how it was potted. And even though IÂve run out of planting space, I would put it in a big pot. Nothing is too much trouble to have a special tomato!

A sign is definitely a "must do" because otherwise, people will think they are ordinary tomatoes. Definitely mention "Hard To Find". Around here, small Heirloom plants run about $6.00 apiece (if you can find them), so anything less than that would be a good price. I would think about half of that (or a little less, perhaps $2.50 each or three for $6.00) for a yard sale.

A couple of years ago, I was overrun with eggplantÂthe fruit, not the plantÂand I sold them for $1.00 each at a yard sale. People were so happy to have them, I think especially since I put on my sign "I do not use insecticides".

Whatever you decide to do, IÂm sure it will be fun! Have a good sale and a happy summer! Genie

Hi Amy! Wow! 70 extra! Okay you win in over seeding! lol I'm glad to hear your daughter is having such a positive first time experience with your tomatoes. Gives me hope for my own;) I have about 6 Brandywines, of course those are the ones that aren't supposed to do well in this area, we shall see. Arkansas Traveler, Boxcar Willie, German Johnson, Money Maker and Mortgage Lifter. All look good except for my Arkansas Trav. They look a little puny but I'm going to repot them with some different soil and see what happens. How has your stuff faired this wicked weather we had this past weekend? All my in ground toms save one came through with no problems. Of course the one that didn't make it was the only one of that variety I had! Bonnie's Best was the variety. The toms in cups were snug and protected in a rubbermaid container. I'm glad that weather is behind us though...rosebuds strewn all over the place, downed irises and bachelor buttons that look like a huge cat rolled in them. sigh The joys of gardening!

Raisemybeds, I wish I could find someone with a horse to work something out in trade. Oh well. I do plan on sharing any of my success with a lady that let me cart off her bags of leaves this past fall and maybe with my local coffee shop. They put out their UCG for people to come and take away and I do. Of course these noble thoughts of sharing only happen if I have a successful crop. I'm only asking for cash to help perpetuate my habit ;) I will take any unsold plants to my sons high school and put up a sign, "free to a good home." They are definitely getting to the point where they need to get in the ground soon.

Doof, I don't think my development gets enough outside traffic for your method of finding homes to work. I don't even have a sidewalk.....

Triple, I hear you on wanting your pots back. My giving a plant away to a neighbor looks like a glad container commercial. "You can have the plant but I want the container back..." as I reluctantly let go. I'm just kidding. Well, sorta. I only do that with friends and neighbors I know well. The rest get to keep the pots. Guess it doesn't pay to know me too well huh?

Thanks Msgenie for your encouraging words! Heirlooms are not impossible to find around here but an interesting assortment is. I have a huge bag of various sized gourds that I'm going to try to sell too. I love growing gourds but I'm not artistic at all. If they sell well then I'll be able to enjoy growing them even more. I'm glad to hear your Mortgage Lifter plants are doing so well. I, of all people, know what it's like to want a particular plant and then have a hard time finding it. It happens to me every year!

Thanks everyone for your encouraging words. I am actually getting rather excited about the whole thing!

Michelle

I sell my "extra" seedlings at the FM. My plants are potted up to 4" peat pots and put all the retail plants around here to shame! Last year I got $3.50 EA, this year I may have to bump it up to $4 EA. This pays for my habbit, I mean hobby!!!

We sell plants every year at our garage sale. Several years ago we sold extra volunteer herbs that came up. My wife potted some "thyme", which we later discovered was only a weed. We were so embarrassed and resolved that if anyone brought them back, we would give them double there money.

For the last 4 years, I have had my teenage daughter sell my extra plants the Weds. or Thurs. before Memorial Day weekend. (Memorial Day is our traditional tomato planting time for our area.) We put a sign out several days before "Hard To Find, Heirloom Tomato Plants. Sale Weds. May 24th, 4-6 PM Only. $2 per plant or 3 for $5." And of course we haggle with larger quantity purchases.

Last year I also listed it on Craig's List. (Be sure to include the varieties.) We sold almost every plant and made well over $100. The rest I took down to the local community garden the next day and gave them away.

To put it in perspective, I live on a busy rural two lane state road and our area is inundated with newbies trying to assimilate into the country life. Hence I have a great location and market segment. I just wished I had more time....