buying veg by the side of the road

toni_

Hiya, apologies if I've posted this in the wrong place but I need some advice please, we have a allotment and grow quite a bit of fruit and veg, more then enough for ourselves and as a stay at home mum at the moment I wanted to sell some to make a few extra £1's a week. We have spare new potatoes, rhubarb, courgettes and marrows at the moment but I have no idea what to price them up as, I also have lots of mange tout peas but they soon wilt outside in the sun so I don't know if its worth putting them out. I haven't seen anyone selling fruit or veg anywhere near us so I have no idea at prices. Also what else have you bought/sells well at the side of the roads? I was thinking of doing bedding plants next year.

So far I have-
new potatoes 3lb for £1.30
courgettes 20p each
marrows 60p each

hopefully we're soon have spare runner beans too. Thanks for any help

ash28

We live in Lincolnshire and see new potatoes for £1 for 3lb....I've seen them for less but £1 seems to be the most common.

I haven't noticed the prices of much else.....I normally go to a small farm shop just up the road.

nuttyp

Im in linconshire too, strawberry's are 80p a punnet, new pots are 40p a lb and mange trout is 60p a bag. there is also mixed salad leaves for 25p a bag.

I buy from them as they have an allotment for their children, so its all home grown.

lovefullshelves

I'm in the Norfolk fens and I've gotta roadside stall, I charge 50p for everything otherwise poeple tend to 'not have the change' or 'couldn't see the price'.
Potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, beans, kohl rabi, fruit, lettuce, broccoli, plants, cauli's, everything 50p!!
It doesn't seem to matter that people will pay 2 or 3 times the price in the supermarket, and I know my produce is probably a week fresher too!
Be warned not everyone is honest.
Even though I keep the pricing really simple most days I'm missing some money!
More a 'not very' honest(y) stall!
Though I have sometimes got notes saying people didn't have enough change! Good luck!

jackyann

I agree that you should keep the pricing as simple and "round" as you can.
If you want to bother, try putting your mange-touts on a damp cloth, and not in a plastic bag.
Pu them in piles and price "per pile" or "per handful" (!)
Good luck.

Tiffany_Aching

I'm also in Lincolnshire (right in the middle of the fens) and loads of people in the area sell their surplus fruit, veggies and eggs at the garden gate. Most people either make up a little stall with a roof, or have a table with a small gazebo over - this protects the produce from both the rain and shades them from the sun.

I also agree to keep the prices to a round 50p /£1. You would probably sell more courgettes at three for 50p, than at one for 20p - people just don't carry that much change on them and, unless you are on a busy road, most of your possible customers will be people passing by on the way to dropping the kids at school / walking the dog type thing - times when you don't usually think to carry change.

Do keep some used carrier bags next to your stall - people will be prepared to buy more if it is easier to carry.

Tiffany_Aching

Just to add - I see on your signature that you have hens. We find that eggs sell well at the gate. You cannot do this if you have over 50 birds, but otherwise having eggs at the gate will encourage people to look at the veggies. You just need to pop a date on the box when they should be used by (I use 3 weeks from laying, but DEFRA say 28 days).

We sell at 80p for 1/2 dozen, but some round here price theirs at £1. The only reason we are cheaper is because we have 12 girls and also keep quail so we get rather inundated with eggs!

glitterpuss

The lady over the road from us sells surplus veg, anything from 50p-£1 depending on what it is. Sweetcorn is the most expensive at £1.20 for 2 huge cobs, but does taste better than in shops.

Her eggs are £1 for 6, and has regulars that drive to her, not just locals in our village.

She's mostly around the house all day so doesn't put all her stock out at once, and replenishes it as and when necessary

The money is left in a screw top coffee jar, which protects against getting rainy bank notes.

Good luck with your new venture!!

toni_

thanks very much for all your advice and good tips we live on the main road through the village and also near a school so get lots of walkers and passes by in the car, I've sold the 4 bags of potatoes I put out today so that was a good start, and 1 courgette its just nice to get a little money back from the price of seeds. Going to put 3 courgettes together and sell them for 50p, occasionally we have spare eggs but we do give a lot away to family, need some more chickens I think

also we have a massive cooking apple tree and it looks like a really good year for it, how much would you pay for a carry bag of fallen cooking apples, 50p ok? thanks again

Funky_Bold_Ribena

Unless it says so in your agreement, it is actually against most allotment rules to sell produce grown on an allotment, and you could lose your plot...mainly because its not meant to be a business but a way of providing food for your family.

Tiffany_Aching

toni_ wrote: »

also we have a massive cooking apple tree and it looks like a really good year for it, how much would you pay for a carry bag of fallen cooking apples, 50p ok? thanks again

Have to be honest with you - and do keep in mind that it may be different in your area - but round here windfalls tend to be put out in a box with a note for people to help themselves, so I personally wouldn't pay 50p for a bag of windfall apples!

As for your family getting free eggs Barter for baby sitting! :rotfl: