Plant Sales Procedures | stchasmastergarden

Plant Sales

Plant Sales are held in the spring of the year. Master gardeners divide their natives and perennials, plant seeds, harvest seeds, dig up corms, tubers and bulbs for sale to the community at reasonable prices. The events held on a Saturday morning, also include gardening ideas and tours of the Demonstration Gardens located on the UM Extension campus. Proceeds raised by the sales are used to support and expand the Demonstration Gardens.

Procedures:

Dates for the Spring and Fall plant sale are established 18 months in advance and the room reserved.

Advertising committee members revise flyers and send out news releases to local newspapers, garden newsprints, garden clubs and garden websites. Revised flyers are emailed to Master Gardeners to pass out to family and friends as well as any contacts they have within the community. Possible contacts could also include real estate sales offices in new subdivisions, community calendars, markets, etc

Directional signs appear on local roads a week before the event. (St. Peters must be notified so signs will not be taken down)

Products:

Master Gardeners work hard planting seeds, taking cutting, dividing, perennials, native, corms and bulbs all in readiness of the plant sale. This is an opportunity for all Master Gardeners to show to the community our knowledge and enjoyment of gardening. To date more than enough plant varieties have been donated for sale. Master gardeners report which plants, how many and specifics of their donation (water, light and type) to Carol Grote about a month before the sale. Carol emails members a spreadsheet to input this information. When returned, Carol generates professional plant labels with all this information for the purchaser.

Day before the Sale:

Committee chairs have obtained lists of volunteers as workers for the sale. Docents, money collectors, and sales associates have all been garnished from previous meetings or email volunteer recruitment. A layout of the room has also been decided and tables are set up early on the Friday before the sale. Painters’ plastic covers all tables for easy clean up. Section signs are placed. Workers on Friday night intake flats of plants from members label each plant if not already done and place these in appropriate sections. Sheets of blank labels are necessary for those surprises. When everything is set up, workers retire for the night.

Before the sale:

Workers arrive about 1 hour early for a cup of coffee and to become familiar with what plants are in their area and how the flow will work for customers. Doors open immediately at 9 to smiles and lots of boxes for customers to make their selections.

During the sale:

Master Gardeners serve as docents in the demonstration gardens.
Two to three MG’s man the busy "Ask the Master Gardener" table where questions are answered, material is distributed and references are given about local clubs and classes of interest.
Other demonstration centers have appeared at different sales including, establishing beehives, honey for sale, use of herbs, color in container gardening for all four seasons.
Raffle: Garden items are usually gathered and displayed then tickets are sold for a chance to win this raffle item as another way to build the clubs coffers. Five gallon buckets of garden tools and materials, a beautiful handcrafted gourd and patio pot arrangements designed by Master Gardeners are some of the raffle items used.
Another Master Gardener who greets visitors keeps a count of community visitors.

After the Sale

Money is counted, organized for deposit the following business day. Credit card receipts are gathered for input (Pat Lang)
Members stay after the sale to clean kitchen area, put up tables, chairs and sweep the floor area.
Left over plants are sent out for sale by any willing members, given to specific garden leads or dug into the holding beds for the following sale.
Signs or other reusable items are returned to the shed. Tear down is usually complete within an hour.

Online Advertising

Once the project leader announces a date, add our event to online gardening calendar of events, and send an email invitation on the ‘contact us’ page of groups who may be interested in gardening. Add to Events calendar for St. Peters and St. Charles local events posting in yahoo.com and charter.net

Many of these websites require online registration and to fill in their forms.

Id = stcharlesmg

Password=plantsale

If they require an email address use = muexthortline@yahoo.com

magazines

http://www.hortmag.com/contactus/

http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/how-to/articles/events.aspx

http://www.weekendgardener.net/garden-clubs-events.htm#post

http://www.countryliving.com/outdoor/expert-gardening-tips-and-advice/

http://www.countrysidemag.com/

http://www.gardengatemag.com/

http://www.southernliving.com/southern/gardens/0,13232,,00.html

http://www.ahs.org/events/flower_home_garden_shows.htm

http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/main/contactus.php?page=index

http://www.weekendgardener.net/garden-clubs-events.htm

Saint Charles Suburban Journal – send an email request to Dennis Miller dmiller@yourjournal.com to add to the St Charles County Suburban Journal Calendar of events. List all pertinent information and links to your event.

Road Trips - Invite them to a road trip for our plant sale and garden tour. Work with tourist and visitors bureau to add links for other events, restaurants, maps.

http://www.savvygardener.com/Calendar/

Societies

http://www.clematis.org/

http://amerfernsoc.org/

http://www.daylilies.org/AHSconv.html#R11meet

http://www.ahs.org/events/index.htm

http://www.stlouishosta.org/

http://www.irises.org/ais618.htm

http://www.gardenheights.com/links.html

http://calendar.gardenweb.com/

http://www.garden.org/eventCalendar/

http://www.all-americaselections.org/NGB.asp

http://www.grownative.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.contactus

http://www.butterflyhouse.org/events/calofevents.aspx

http://www.mlna.org/events-consumers.htm

http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/MDCLibrary/MDCLibrary2.aspx?NodeID=167

http://parks.missouri.org/calendar.htm

http://www.publicgardens.org/Custom/GardenSearch.aspx

http://latour.missouri.com/

http://www.stcharlescountycalendar.com/

http://access.outreach.missouri.edu/uoecalendar/default.asp?Office_ID=98

http://www.greatriverroad.com/stcharles/countyevents.htm

http://www.stcharlesart.org/

http://access.outreach.missouri.edu/uoecalendar/default.asp?month=5&year=2008&Office_ID=98&Region_ID=&style=grid

http://www.stcharlesrealtors.com/education/calendar.html?td=2008-9-5&day=15&section_uid=

http://www.historicstcharles.com/visitors.aspx

Learn about pet friendly plants - area humane societies http://www.stcharleshumanesociety.org/html/current_events.html

Grow pet friendly gardens and landscapes. Choose non-toxic plants http://ahners.com/Poisonous_Plants.html to protect our fury friends.

Learn the physical and mental advantages of gardening - all links to hospitals, clinics http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/adams/2002/gardening_for_good_health.htm

http://www.lut.ac.uk/service/publicity/news-releases/2005/38_thrive.html

http://alamedagarden.blogspot.com/2008/03/building-good-bones-in-garden.html

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/articles/misc/exercise.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/painter/2007-04-15-seeds-of-healing_N.htm

http://extension.unh.edu/news/new11604.htm

Local Gyms, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig...check yellow pages for local weight loss centers = http://gardening.about.com/od/allergiesarthritis/a/Garden_Fitness.htm

Learn how to garden with disabilities - disabilities and veterens = https://www.dav.org/?gclid=CJSVguez3pcCFRIMDQodeEG-Cg

We love our veterens...See how gardening can be of benefit to you. Join in the fun at the 2009 Plant Sale and Garden tour. Check out this article to learn how you can make gardening a part of your lifestyle http://pnwmg.org/mgdisabilities.html

Gardening is for everyone, all things are possible. Learn more about gardening with disabilities http://extension.unh.edu/resources/representation/Resource000470_Rep492.pdf

Learn about plants that do best in zone 5b

Learn about edible gardens

Learn about fruit orchards

Learn about native plants http://www.grownative.org/

Learn about rain gardens

Learn about butterfly gardening

Learn about hummingbird gardening

Learn about plants that attract birds http://www.wildbird.com/content/nbs.index

Learn about culinary herbs

Learn about composting

Learn about vegetable gardening