Dealing with discouragement

[mythreesons290322]

MMD~ I’m in love with all you have growing! Living in the south opens so many doors to what you can grow and having two growing seasons is my dream.

I grow the echinacea but my medicinal one died..lI love love love Cheyenne sprit echinacea it’s colors are just so beautiful..I saved the seed from them last year and I’m experimenting germinating them by the paper towel method..I’m excited to say that so far over 50 seeds have germinated with more germinating every few days.

I grow almost all my vegetable,herbs and some flowers from seed. I never knew until a few years ago that I was gifted like my mother to be able to grow all kinds of plants.

I bought feverfew seeds, purple echinacea that I just planted in soil and the paper towel method and some of those seeds germinated..I’m seriously concidering starting a little nursery and sell my plants in front of my house.

 

[Britesea]

I think you are onto a good idea to sell your plants. Very few people start their own plants from seed- either they don't have a good spot to do it, or they procrastinate until it's too late to start them. Look around at what the nurseries in your area are selling and try new varieties that might do well in your area-- something no one else has for sale. You might also consider making up some medicinals and such that you could also sell... things like deodorant, sunburn ointment, hand or lip balms and first aid salve. Maybe some teas and tinctures as well. The jars and bottles will be another expense though, so you might have to wait on that.

I have found that I can pick up used transplant pots- 2" all the way up to 6"- for very cheap at some nurseries. I just wash them out and rinse with a bit of bleach water to kill any pathogens and reuse them. You could maybe do the same and save some money, as the pots and the soil are the two biggest expenses in what you are proposing to do.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

We're hoping to be able to do farmer's markets in a few years. I found out this week that the man in who lived here 20+ years ago used to grow all kinds of things and had a route he'd drive to sell it all.

Right now, we're looking at feeding ourselves, and reclaiming the land, trees, and grapevines. But there's soooo much potential!

 

[CrealCritter]

I lived in the south 15 years in North Carolina. Too many bugs, to hot and dry to grow much of anything to speak of really. I had to use drip irrigation because when red clay dries out it is very difficult to get it moist again.

 

[CrealCritter]

Oh and I forgot... Too many people and too many rules also. I'm happy now that my closest neighbor is with in shouting distance if he's listening real hard. And I don't have the mayor ringing the doorbell telling me I'm violating city ordinances all the time. Yep... Life is good now.

 

[Beekissed]

Medicinal is elderberry, catmint,catnip,bee Balm,lavender,borage,st John’s wart,valarian,oregano,sage,rose hips,comfrey,raspberry & blackberry leaves.

Don't forget your sour cherry...medicinal as well. You know how much I pay for a qt of tart cherry juice at Wally World?? Almost $6! It's a great anti-inflammatory for arthritis pain and it also lowers uric acid levels for gout. It's made a huge difference in both of those problems for me.

I have three sons too!

 

[CrealCritter]

I think you are onto a good idea to sell your plants. Very few people start their own plants from seed- either they don't have a good spot to do it, or they procrastinate until it's too late to start them. Look around at what the nurseries in your area are selling and try new varieties that might do well in your area-- something no one else has for sale. You might also consider making up some medicinals and such that you could also sell... things like deodorant, sunburn ointment, hand or lip balms and first aid salve. Maybe some teas and tinctures as well. The jars and bottles will be another expense though, so you might have to wait on that.

I have found that I can pick up used transplant pots- 2" all the way up to 6"- for very cheap at some nurseries. I just wash them out and rinse with a bit of bleach water to kill any pathogens and reuse them. You could maybe do the same and save some money, as the pots and the soil are the two biggest expenses in what you are proposing to do.

I did that one year with tomato seedlings
But they were volunteers that sprouted in the garden from the previous year. I had thousands of seedlings. I just.pulled up a dozen at a time rolled them up in new papper and soaked them in a bucket of water. I sold quite a few bundles for $1.00 each - once the word got out. I still have folks stop by in the spring asking if if have tomato seedlings.

Here is what the volunteer tomato patch looked like in May along with a few volunteer sugar baby water melons also.

Then again in a few weeks later in June and this was after selling off a bunch.

Tomatoes are so easy to grow it's almost to easy.

 

[Britesea]

maybe they are easy for you. Where I live tomatoes are more an art than a science, or perhaps it's an act of hope and faith. You can get frost and even snow in any month of the year, so you never know if your plants will make it.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

They grow like weeds here too - but the stinkin' stink bugs can decimate your crop to the point that you don't get a single one....

 

[Beekissed]

Yep...easy is relative to your climate and soils, not to mention your pest numbers.