Selling Garden Produce

moneysavinmonkey

Just starting the first year of my very own vegetable garden, i've also got a small patch for cut flowers. Realistically i'm probably going to end up with gluts and famines until i get the hang of it all so I'm just wondering what i'm going to do with any surpluses.

I only know a few people in the area but I guess I could get to know my neighbours quicker if i start handing out flowers/veg! Other options I thought of was selling produce (but not sure how or if this is allowed) or donating to a local soup kitchen.

What do you all do? - i'm sure you moneysavers don't let anything go to waste!

Davesnave

You could join your local WI Market (that's the Market, not the part of the WI that does talks on crochet & flower arranging - sorry, my prejudices are showing!) Even blokes can be members these days, and I was one for a while till my wife & I became more established. In the earlier days we also did car boot sales with plants.

If you live in a rural area, you'll probably get away with garden gate sales. I've not seen anyone do that in town though.

Perhaps you and your neighbours could arrange to swap veg to save everyone growing identical things?

mary43

My Mum used to grow surplus tomatos and 'sold' them to her neighbours - it gave her enough to get plants the following year........suppose she shouldn''t have done really but it started off as her offering them for free but neighbours insisting the had something for them.

We're limited to what we can grow so it has to be in containers but if we do get any extras to what we would want we normally give them away and often get given different stuff from other growers.

I've seen a lot of people at boot fairs will surplus garden stuff, sometimes flower plants, sometimes veg or tomato plants.

Lotus-eater

If its your first year, don't count your chickens etc...

No, sorry, I'm sure you will do fine with gluts of everything
Be nosey and find out who else grows food, give it to them or direct neighbours, or family (if they would appreciate it). To those who grow food, you will get stuff back and a friend, to the immediate neighbours, you will hopefully get friends and someone to water your tomatoes when you go away

If you've got more than that, then a table at your gate might do it, depends on where you live and the quality of the local wildlife (teenagers)

ps Don't forget freezing!!!!!!

V_Chic_Chick

There can't be anything illegal about selling fruit / veg . . .

I occasionally give gluts away to neighbours, which softens them up for asking them to look after our chickens whilst we are away

mary43

I can't see anything 'illegal' about selling it but Mum always was a bit hush hush about it and the other year one of our market tradesman, who sold plants, complained to the council about the school boot fair having stallholders selling plants...................boot fair and market were the same day. As a result the boot fair was cancelled the following year though they were allowed to hold it on Sundays. All rather silly really as by then the market trader had retired and there was no one on the market selling plants.

Suzy_M

For anyone thinking of selling their garden produce the following might be useful.

Take care of Number One first - Store and freeze as much as you think you'll need until your next crop.

Selling to friends and neighbours should be OK but selling at markets could lead to all sorts of problems with regulations (especially as mentioned if a business trader wants to get nasty).

Take produce in "straight from the garden conditon" (unshelled peas, leave tops on carrots etc.) Don't wash anything - just shake soil off or very lightly brush or wipe. - If you do anything at all to it you are straying into "food processor" terrritory and you could get hit by food safety regulations.

Sell your produce by the bag (bag up before you go) - If you start selling by weight you are in Trading Standards territory - Just tell people the approximate weight is ......

We've sold surplus garden produce when doing a car boot anyway, and it seems to fly off the table - especially anything out of the ordinary. Day before price the produce in the local supermarket and ask about half. - I still can't believe the price of rhubarb (most of ours goes on the compost heap) and as for imported Spanish blackberries :eek: (and you can only sell cultivated ones not the ones growing wild).

If you've got a regular surplus WI markets are no more - they became Country Markets -
http://www.country-markets.co.uk/

ALIBOBSY

I'm a newbie grower myself, but I was intending to make lots of stews/pasta sauces etc and freeze them for future use
My sister has thrown some veggies in pots as well, plus inspired my dad to get back into veggies(always had a veggie plot when we were young). So will do some swapsies.
Should have seen his face light up when I gave him 6 strawberry plants from Lidl, mind you he insisted on giving me the £1.49 and DD will probably strip his plants every time she visits lol.
ali x