starting a back yard nursery

I read on some forum the link to someone who had rooted lots of plants & in the next spring would have a plant sale like a yard sale. I'd be interested in a forum with others who do this or just the link I had read before. Any one doing this? I'm more interested in affordable or reclaimed containers, where to get & tips on affordable potting soils & mixes.

Hi Becky! I used to work for a local landscaper and we would toss out pots by the thousands! Just call and ask... I'm sure the "haul" would be better in the spring when heavy planting is going on, but still worth a try...
Also, I just make my own out of newspaper. I have one of those "pot makers", but you can do the same thing using a small can I think. Amazing how many pots you can make on a winter's evening while watching TV :-)

also, just do a dg search for 'selling cuttings', and browse. Here's one thread you may have seen:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/806532/?hl=selling+cuttings

If you have a Lowes nearby, check with them often. They toss out the "dead plants" into the dumpster. My Lowes will let us raid the dumpster and get all the empty pots. Other people in town do it too, so I have to be quick or someone beats me to them. But you can get a big haul for just a little time.

I create my own soil. I get tons of free mulch from local tree trimmers. I mulch the paths thru my gardens; my entire yard is a botanical garden, so there are lots of paths. When the mulch biodegrades and it's time to replace it, I dig out this freshly made soil to use in new beds or raised beds and pots. And I add new mulch to the trails.

From freecycle, I got a nice, FREE rubbermaid compost bin which is sitting beside my potting table (from Craigslist - $20) and I keep my soil in it instead of using it as a composter. I got a good, big metal ice scoop from the Dollar store for a buck and use it for a soil scoop. So join your local freecycle/freesharing groups and Craigslist for cheap and free stuff.

I hear the farmer's market is a great place to sell plants. I've never done it myself; I sell most of mine on Ebay. I ship them bareroot so I get to keep my pots and soil. And I've found that people on Ebay will pay more than the locals. The locals also want me to ID their plants just from a description, design their gardens for free, and tell them how to cure a sick plant that they don't even know the name of. Selling locally was a real time-consuming hassle. A lot of times people would spend an hour or two here asking all sorts of questions not even related to my plants, and then they wouldn't even buy anything. It probably won't be a problem for you if you're just going to have one or two plant sales a year. But if you get very serious about it and want to make it a bit more profitable, you might try ebay.

When you do have your plant sale, don't forget to post it on Craigslist to draw in more people. There you can post up to four pictures too. Some people don't get the newspaper, but most people these days have internet and check out Craigslist daily.

Oh, also, did you know you could sell here at Daves in the Classifieds section? If you wanted to ship, that might be an option for you.

Good luck with your sale!!