Easy to grow plants for a school plant sale

[DarlingCoffee]

Hello, I’m hoping to get everyone’s expert help and advice. I’ve agreed to run a simple plant stall at our school summer fair. We would like to sell some plants to raise money for the school.

What would you recommend I grow that is quick and easy ready for a plant sale in June and also something that people would like to buy for a fairly small price? All suggestions welcome! Thank you

If you or someone you know has hardy geraniums in their gardens, dig up small roots and pot them on. They are so easy to grow on and bomb proof.
Also Hostas are a good bet.

Pessimistically you'd probably be better trying to get donations from garden centres etc, either plugs now to grow on yourself or surplus stock that will be ready on time. I can't think of much that would big enough from seed now from seed in time and be cost effective, maybe some tomatoes and salad leaves ready for people grow on themselves? Or if you can get plug plants of the usual bedding plants they might look quite impressive and 'garden ready' by the sale.

Nasturtiums?

Cosmos. Easy to grow and look lovely.

If you can find someone with a spider plant, it's likely to have babies hanging off it..... I could probably make 40 potted plants off my spider plant at the moment.

Put a plea out to parents, family & friends of the school to donate any surplus seedlings they have the day before your fair. You don't have to grow them all yourself.
We are doing this. I was very late starting anything myself so am hoping for lots of donations!

I would second the cosmos, especially for future sales (not sure if you will have time to grow it by seed for June). I run a charity plant stall outside my house and the only annual I sell is cosmos, as it's so popular. Splitting herbaceous perennials from people's gardens would be much easier and quicker to get good sized plants. You could also ask for spare tomato plants - people often grow too many from seed.

What about radishes, peas or carrots?
Or some herbs?

Any gardener will have surplus tomatoes etc at that time of year. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Could you post on a local Facebook page asking people to drop off donations?

Outdoor: tomatoes, coriander, mint, sweetcorn, chives, courgette.

Indoor: echeveria, aloes, spider plants, Ivy (putting in indoor category as my outdoor suggestions are edible) - the sort of starter foliage that most people look at the prices of on Waitrose Plants and Crocus and think 'Bloody Hell! It's only a Spider Plant!'

Have you grown from seed before?

Thank you everyone for your ideas and suggestions.

no, unless you mean casually sprinkling seed outside in my garden and hoping it grows.

I was also thinking maybe I could try growing wildflowers from a mix but I don’t know if this is being too adventurous.

I like the idea of herbs, what is easiest to grow? I have chive, rosemary and parsley plants already that I could try to take cuttings from

Radishes and carrots don't like being transplanted so I wouldn't risk those... The soft herbs might be good too, as PP days the stuff that's outrageously expensive for a small snipping of in the supermarket when you could just successional sow from seed (says she who is never on top of this 😂).
Not a great time of year for cuttings but agree people might be splitting perennials and have bits to offer as well if they're tidying up their beds.

I have done this for my local flower show as a fundraiser.

However, rather than growing from seed we bought little plug plants or seedlings (from garden centres or wholesalers who supply garden centres perhaps they would donate as it’s for the school?) pot them on keep them in my greenhouse looking after them till the sale.

Sometimes we would grow from seed but I’m quite far north and have we a very short growing season so I would have sown by now (it’s cold today!).

sunflowers

If you can find someone with a spider plant with lots of baby plants you could put those up quick.

Sunflowers! Plenty of seeds in a packet , plant one or two per pot.

Thank you. I especially love the sunflower idea!

We did this last year, tomatoes were the ones most requested and they're pretty quick. I've got lupins on the go for this years sale, seeds come up easily. People really appreciate a bit of gardening knowledge so know what you're selling, how to treat them and where to put them etc.

Find someone with a Gardeners World current (May) magazine. They have an offer of 36 plug plants of perennials for about £5 postage. Ask friends for spare plant pots. Grow them on, sell for two pounds each. As others have said ask gardening friends to split you off some plants from their gardens, ask for hardy geraniums, salvias, day lilies,dead nettle,black grass, crocosmia , all will split well and grow on to be decent plants by the time you want them, they are also quite desirable plants and will sell well. You might just have time to take cuttings from dahlias if they have come on better than mine (!)and get them established too. Remember to label everything, name of plant and colour is probably enough.

Yes, i was given babies 5 years ago and all my friends now have spider plants. They are great, propogate easily and are hardy x

Tomato plants are always popular or chilli plants from seed , it doesn't take any special skill to grow from seed .

Realistically, it's too late to start sowing seeds now to be sold as plants in June. I provide plants for a plant stall by dividing perennials from my garden in March and potting them up. However, it's also a bit late for doing that now.