2022 Plant Sale Updates

Plant Sale Location

• A small group visited Holy Childhood recently. We confirmed the areas that we will be able to use and the number of tables that will be available. There will be one entrance available for our customers to enter the main hall. The check-out area will be located in the long hallway in the classroom wing of the building, which will lead to the exit.

• We have a general plan for the layout and signage in the main hall and stage area for plants, 40 hanging baskets, etc. Non-plant items will be displayed in the area where customers will wait to enter the check-out area. Kay will try to find a mentor group to take responsibility for assembling signs for the tables.

• There will be check-out space for 10 cashiers (4 – credit card payments only; 6 – cash/check payments only) and 10 tally volunteers for the first shift. A greeter will be stationed at the entrance to the hallway to direct customers to available cashiers in order to save time.

• Darren suggested setting up an “Ask a Master Gardener” table at the Plant Sale. The committee agreed that is a good idea and we decided it should be located outside near the exit door.

• We will have four carts available so volunteers can help customers with large orders.

Parking

• We are working on a plan for ~50 cars to park in the parking lot. This will require many volunteers and good signage so our customers are not confused about available space, where to go, etc.

• Kay suggested parking volunteers at the top of the hill near the entrance to the parking lot should have a sign that says "Parking Lot Full” on one side and “Proceed Slowly” on the other.

• Nanette suggested saving 3-4 parking spaces on Pascal near the entrance to the parking lot for customers with large orders to drive up to get their plants.

• In addition, Darren contacted the City of St Paul and submitted an application to use 660 feet of permit parking on Pascal Street (from Midway Parkway to Frankson Avenue) and on the Midway Parking frontage road (from Pascal Street to Bison Avenue on the south side of the church).

Hoop House

• Cees Duijndam postponed setting up the hoop house at the Barn due to weather. A number of people volunteered to help with the set-up, which is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 2.

• There was a discussion about opening/closing the hoop house each day between May 12-18 and monitoring the plants. Kay will try to find a mentor group to take responsibility.

Plant Inventory/Sources

• Mary and Cheryl will pick up 600+ natives from Minnesota Native Landscape in Otsego on Wednesday, May 11. The plants will be repotted that afternoon and placed in the hoop house until they are transported to Holy Childhood on Wednesday, May 18.

• Linda and Mary are working on prices of the plants that will be included in the sale. Prices will be designated by colored tape on each pot. Linda is creating a color-coded tally sheet that the tally volunteers can complete for customers to give to the cashiers.

• Plant deliveries are scheduled as follows during set-up week:

• Tuesday, May 17 – Green Earth Growers (member pre-sale and plants for the sale); RCMG volunteers who started plants.

• Wednesday, May 18 – Natives will be transported from the hoop house; Ed Shinbach will deliver donations from Ramsey County Corrections; RCMG volunteers who started plants.

• Thursday, May 19 – K2 Flowers and Edibles order will be picked up and delivered to Holy Childhood; tomatoes will be picked up from Joe and Jennifer’s home and delivered to Holy Childhood (SUG will be created to get volunteers to help with this); RCMG volunteers who started plants.

Marketing

• The postcards are ready and Stacy showed the committee a sample. They look great! Stacy will get stamps and request reimbursement.

• Nanette gave an update on advertising, including Northern Gardener, Nextdoor, Facebook and Instagram.

• RCMG members are encouraged to print the Plant Sale flyer (ABOVE) and post it at their neighborhood coffee shops, stores, libraries, community centers, etc.

• Stacy said Mindy wrote a nice article about garden journaling, which is a great highlight for the journals that will be sold at the sale. The article is available on the RCMG website.

NEW—Hoop House

• Cees Duijndam joined the meeting and he has agreed to take responsibility for setting up the hoop house at the Barn.

• There was a discussion of logistics for setting up and monitoring the hoop house, including creating a SUG to recruit volunteers for set-up in mid-April and daily monitoring, anchoring the house, security, getting pallets to keep the plants off the ground and access to water.

Plant Sale Budget

• The $250 Thrivent card has been used to purchase potting soil and garden pens.

• The Thrivent grant funds in the amount of approximately $209 will be deposited into the RCMG account.

• The balance in the Plant Sale budget is approximately $200.

Plant Inventory/Sources

• Brianna did a plant inventory and currently we are scheduled to have 3,862 plants, plus approximately 1,000 from volunteers.

• Brianna will follow up with plant start volunteers to see how many plants we can expect so she can update the inventory.

• The native plants will be picked up and repotted on Wednesday, May 11. They will be held in the hoop house until they are transferred to Holy Childhood for the Plant Sale.

Marketing

• Nanette said members of the committee went to the Barn to do an inventory and there are a lot of signs available. She said we will need hooks to hang the banners.

• Stacy created a QR code for the event so it brings people to our page so they can RSVP and add the event to their calendar.

• Nanette said a flyer is being created so members can print it and post it at their local coffee shops, stores, etc. Information on the Plant Sale is in Northern Gardener and it will also be shared on Nextdoor.

• Stacy said the committee is also using Facebook and Instagram to advertise the sale. She shared the animated posts that the committee has created and two of the ads will be posted per week. They are very creative and the committee loved them! RCMG members will be encouraged to share the posts.

Other Business

• Kristine talked to a manager at Lowe’s about directing our customers to recycle their pots at Lowe’s. She learned that they place all of the returned pots on pallets and wrap them in cellophane, but the manager doesn’t know what happens to them. A decision was made not to drop off pots at Lowe’s. Brianna asked Darren if the Ramsey County recycling locations would be a good alternative place to recycle pots.

• Joe and Jennifer rented two community garden plots in South St. Paul and they are supplying plants for tomato seed trials. Brianna suggested they should talk to Jeanne Buck to recruit volunteers to assist with the tomato seed trials. Judie said the first Barn Garden meeting is on April 11.

• Brianna gave an update on the idea of giving a packet of seed trial seeds as a thank you gift to Plant Sale customers who take a short survey. She did some research and learned that Minnesota has a law where it is technically illegal to give away seeds whether money is exchanged or not. She said some states are asking legislators to change the definition so it would not include sharing or distributing seeds between people. She suggested that after the sale RCMG could work on getting the seed law changed to be in compliance with the Department of Agriculture policy. Kris said Gene retired as a lobbyist and would know how to approach this issue.

• A group of committee members will visit Holy Childhood to determine plans for parking, displaying plants, checkout process, etc.

Plant Sale Budget

• Brianna reviewed the budget spreadsheet she created to track Plant Sale expenses. The last update shows projected expenses of $7,628.89, which is $28.89 over budget. She noted expense estimates include $370 for potting soil; $463 for Mar/Com expenses; and $450 for 90 books written by RCMG Dawn Pape. We have to pay Dawn $5.00 for each book sold, so the $450 is an estimate based on selling all of the books.

• Additional expenses not reflected on the spreadsheet include waterproof labels and $58 for a carton pots.

• The committee discussed Brianna’s suggestion about RCMG being more environmentally responsible by switching from plastic to peat pots or other types of biodegradeable pots for the native plants. Cost may be a factor. Kristine, Stacy and Tiffa will test different brands of compostable pots to determine how to proceed in the future. Kristine will check with Lowe’s to ask if we can post signs in the Plant Sale checkout area directing our customers to drop off their pots at Lowe’s.

Plant Inventory/Sources

• Mary reported that WCMG has asked RCMG to place a joint order from Carlin’s. The connection to WCMG is good for our organization and a decision was made to budget $250 for the joint order.

• Brianna created a SUG for growers and babysitters for flats. Each flat is 9x22.

• Stacy has started houseplants, but she didn’t sign up on the SUG because she doesn’t know if they will be good enough for the sale. Brianna said members should sign up and bring what they are able to grow because this year customers will be shopping in person and they can decide whether or not they want to buy an item.

• The committee discussed what to do with plants that are left after the sale. Ideas included Habitat for Humanity, Garden Mentor Program, Gardens for Good, Barn Garden donations, Ramsey County Nursing Home, Holy Childhood Church and possibly members.

Additional Sale Items

• Brianna will order 40 Garden Journals, three 12-packs of waterproof pens and 2 ounce bags of Irish Eyes Dwarf Sunflowers and Gold Rush Yellow Wax Beans (Seed Trial winners).

• The seeds will be repackaged by RCMG volunteers at an event at the Barn and given as a thank you gift to Plant Sale customers who take a short survey. Possible questions: How did you find out about the sale? Would you like to receive the RCMG newsletter? Did we have what you were looking for? What would you like to see at the sale that was not available this year? Seeds, bulbs, etc.? Mary will work on the survey and the Mar/Com Committee will send her some marketing questions to include.

• We will not sell bulbs and plant stakes this year. Kristine will continue doing research on bulbs and contact wholesalers for the 2023 sale.

Marketing

• Nanette is traveling so Stacy reported on the work of the Mar/Com Committee. She said Mindy is doing phenomenal work on the RCMG Facebook page.

• Stacy showed the animated posts and they look great! The announcement was approved by the committee.

• The committee will start sending out press releases in mid-March to publications with long lead times. Nanette will create an event post so people can add the Plant Sale to their calendars.

• The committee will conduct an inventory of current signage to determine what is needed. Mary said there are signs at the Barn.

• Brianna said $463 has been budgeted for Mar/Com expenses and she asked if more funds will be needed.

Other Business

• Joe will apply for a $250 Thrivent Action Team Grant and will designate the RCMG Plant Sale as the project. In addition, Joe will designate the RCMG Plant Sale as the recipient of his 2022 Thrivent Choice donation in the amount of $209.

• Brianna was given approval to send SUGs for writing plant labels, sorting/packing seeds and transplanting natives.

• Jennifer said she and Joe put together a proposed list of tomatoes to be started and they can mail seeds to interested growers. Brianna will contact the members who volunteered to see if they need seeds.

Plant Sale Budget

• Brianna created a budget spreadsheet to track Plant Sale expenses. The last update was done February 10 and we have $909.98 left.

• Remaining items to be covered out of the balance include soil and possibly additional herbs and pots.

Plant Inventory/Sources

• Brianna compared the inventory of plants from the 2021 Plant Sale with the 2022 Plant Sale to date – 1,500 vs. 1,800 so far. She noted the only category that is lower is herbs by about half. Linda said we could double our herb order from Green Earth Growers. The committee liked the idea of selling combo pots of herbs for salsa, etc.

• Mary reported that they don’t plan to get plants from the Ramsey County Correctional Facility this year and they haven’t decided what, if anything, will be ordered from Carlin’s.

• Members who have been successful growers in the past will be contacted to see if they are willing to share some of the plants they are growing.

• After Jennifer’s class on seed starting on Saturday, February 26 at 10 a.m., she plans to ask if anyone wants to babysit plants for a few weeks before the sale. In addition to the training, Joe plans to visit new tomato growers and to do hands-on training at their homes.

• Joe and Jennifer are planning to grow 1,000 tomato plants for this year’s sale – 50 varieties with 20 plants of each. They are also growing peppers.

• Joe gave an update on labels. He is using waterproof labels on the pots. A larger version of each label will be put in a pot to show customers what plants are in that section. Mary said there are about 30 sign holders in the storage area by the Diagnostic Clinic. They will hold signs upright without sticking a sign to the wall. Darren suggested going through the plant sale supplies in the Barn and Diagnostic Clinic. Mary and Cheryl offered to help do an inventory of the available plant sale supplies.

• Linda said the order from Green Earth Growers will be delivered to Holy Childhood on Tuesday, May 17. Other vendors will deliver orders to the Barn. Darren said the hoop house will be up and delivery times can be scheduled when people will be there.

Additional Sale Items

• Brianna will check on the availability and cost of the Extension book “The Best Plants for 30 Tough Sites”. Kris will continue checking on plant stakes and waterproof markers. We will sell gloves for $5.00 per pair.

• Mindy checked on garden journals and found a Gardener’s Log Book. The committee agreed that she place an order for the minimum amount.

• The committee discussed buying bulbs in bulk and repackaging them in packs for sale. Kris will research types of bulbs, prices, etc. before the committee decides what to do. (NOTE: After the meeting, Darren learned HCMG isn’t selling bulbs this year.)

• Brianna suggested purchasing and repackaging seeds to give customers free seed trial packs compliments of RCMG. Interns could use a measuring spoon vs. counting seeds and this would give them another way to get volunteer hours. Brianna will check prices to see if it makes sense.

Marketing

• Nanette reported that Stacy is creating a poster, postcard and Instagram and Facebook posts that are animated to attract more attention. She said signage is available through the University and we might be able to get "Pollinator Cafe" and other signs. Our sale is on the Northern Gardener website and Nanette hopes it will also be in their catalog. Someone on the Marketing team is going through the PR list to see if there are any other places we want to advertise. They also plan to share information about the Plant Sale through NextDoor and Facebook posts will include photos of various plants that will be available so we can encourage people to come to the Plant Sale.

• Nanette said the team is also working on literature to distribute to customers at the Plant Sale related to hardening off, watering wisely and jumping worms. They are also updating the bookmarks. Brianna said a RCMG information sheet will also be included with every order.

Plant Sale Budget

• Cheryl reported that Amy Davis said the Board has earmarked $7,600 for total expenses for the 2022 Plant Sale. If we think we will spend more than that, we have to let Amy know so it can be included in the final budget before it’s approved by RCMG members at the February 15 meeting.

Plant Inventory/Sources

• Brianna reported that HCMG offered RCMG an opportunity to add to an order of Minnesota Proven Winners from Glacial Ridge. Mary and Linda reviewed the available plants and ordered 25 flats for the RCMG Plant Sale. Three of the flats will be at the checkout location during the sale so customers can purchase a plant to donate to public housing residents

• There was a discussion about growing plants from seeds vs. ordering plants. Mary suggested asking growers with past success to grow plants for the sale or order them. Brianna said it may be an opportunity for new growers. The committee decided some plants can be grown by experienced growers and new growers with training and hands-on support.

• Jennifer will present a lecture on seed starting on Saturday, February 26 at 10 a.m. In addition to the training, Joe would like to visit tomato growers and to do hands-on training at their homes.

• Jennifer said we sold 830 tomato plants last year. We need more for this year’s sale.

• Mary said Simba is going to start native seeds. She has also proposed a $1,000 order of native plants from Minnesota Native Landscape.

• Mary ordered 20 sun and 20 shade hanging baskets from Katie Knott, who provided the hanging baskets for the 2021 sale.

• Mary and Linda also plan to order hostas, herbs and bedding plants from Green Earth Growers and vegetables (possibly from Ramsey County Corrections).

• Committee members suggested other vendors as sources for plants, including Rush Creek Growers, Wagner’s, Bachman’s and Carlin’s. Linda noted that it’s important that we get the plants from wholesale sources.

• Joe and Jennifer bought day lilies to sell at the sale and will take back any that don’t sell.

• Brianna suggested growing peppers, chard, eggplant, onions, potatoes, lettuce, kale and kohlrabi. Joe will also check on sweet potatoes.

Additional Sale Items (Crafts/Other Creative Ideas)

• To save time at the meeting, Cheryl sent the following summary of her conversation with Marge Sagstetter, Chair of the Washington County Master Gardener Volunteer Program (WCMG) Craft Sale: The theme of the WCMG Craft Sale is "Where Nature and Creativity Meet Sustainability", focusing on the ideas of reduce, reuse and recycle. They promote recycling and many of the crafts are made from repurposed items. WCMG received a large donation of estate jewelry, so they sold most of it at the 2021 sale consistent with the theme.

• WCMG had not been funded since 2006 and they needed money, so Marge proposed the craft sale. They made $3,500-4,000 on the first private sale, so they decided to try a public craft sale and made about $6,000 in Fall 2016. In 2021, WCMG had a total profit of $13,000 generated from an on-going informal sale and the November sale. Marge emphasized they have very low costs since members donate most of the items they make. The sale has been a way for WCMG to build an internal community and provide an introduction of WCMG to the broader community - fundraising is a bonus. Marge said they have learned about the many talents members have - including photography, quilting, knitting, making food products (salsa, jelly, jam, etc.) and woodworking - and members get together regularly in small groups to make their crafts during the gardening off-season. The November sale coincides with the opening of deer hunting and WCMG works on publicity with another local organization that has a sale the same day.

• Marge said many years ago WCMG asked members to clean out their garages and the donated items were included in the plant sale. They got a lot of stuff that didn't sell well, so they have not combined plants and other items at one sale since then.

• However, the 2022 WCMG Plant Sale Committee plans to include plants and craft items in the sale on Sunday, May 22, in addition to information booths on jumping worms, buckthorn, etc. Marge said the sale is being advertised as an "event" and not a plant sale. She is concerned that selling crafts will distract from the plants and she's worried about having enough space and volunteers.

Supplies

• There was a discussion about supplies that will be needed, including pots and soil. Joe and Jennifer will order soil using Joe’s Veteran’s discount and have it delivered directly to their home.

Hoop House

• Darren said the hoop house will be an experiment and a learning process this year. It will be set up in March and Brianna said we can get volunteers to help move plants into the hoop house to harden off in the latter half of April.

• Joe expressed concerns about security and vandalism and also change of temperatures. Jennifer asked if the sun can shine on plants in hoop house. There is a reduction of sunlight going through plastic. Nanette said the plants will have to be pulled out each day and put back into the hoop house overnight.

• Jennifer suggested asking members to babysit tomato plants for the last three weeks before the sale. Brianna suggested calling the request “Adopt-a-Flat” – responsibility for making sure plants get water and sun and are hardened off.

• There will be further conversation about the hoop house at the next meeting.

Post-Meeting Update

• Cheryl talked to Marge Sagstetter from WCMG Craft Sale about the earlier suggestion to do an online pre-sale for a limited variety of non-plant items (Extension books, gloves, garden tags, etc.) These items would be ordered and paid for online in advance and people would pick up their orders on the day of the plant sale. Other than gloves, none of the items would be available for sale in person. Marge felt that would be a good experiment for RCMG to try.

• After talking with Marge, Cheryl believes that having an extensive variety of items at a separate in-person craft sale would require a significant amount of time and planning. This may be a volunteer opportunity for an interested group of our members to plan/execute

Plant Sale Location

• Cheryl contacted Mary Madigan at Holy Childhood to see if the space is available for our 2022 plant sale, but she hasn’t responded yet.

• Nanette said the date and location will be needed to advertise the plant sale in local magazines. She will check on the deadline dates so Cheryl can work with Mary Madigan to confirm whether or not we can hold the sale at Holy Childhood.

Plant Inventory/Sources

• Linda is reviewing the list of plants available from Green Earth Growers (GEG) for the member pre-sale and plant sale. She plans to send the plant order form to RCMG and WCMG members around January 1, 2022 and master gardener orders and the plant sale order will be submitted by the end of January. Nanette asked if it would be possible for master gardeners to submit their GEG orders through our online store. Brianna and Nanette will follow up with the Web team.

• Since houseplants sold well at the 2021 sale, Brianna will create a SignUp Genius for members to volunteer to start houseplants at home for the 2022 sale.

• In response to a question from Darren, Mary and Linda said there wasn’t a catalog for previous plant sales. Nanette said if we have a list available online, customers can print a list of the plants they want to buy. Stacy suggested this could also be an educational opportunity to use the email list through the website to send updated information to our customers.

Additional Sale Items (Crafts/Other Creative Ideas)

• Mary and Nanette reported on the WCMG Craft Sale, which was held on November 6. The sale was very well organized, including many signs with helpful information about the items being sold, plants, background on things like bee's wax, gourds, etc. They sold packets of seeds which included a photo and information. There were also tips on how to attract birds and how important milkweed is to the survival of monarch butterflies.

• There was further discussion about things to sell in addition to plants. Mindy is still looking for kneepads using photos taken by master gardeners. Stacy suggested checking with someone on Etsy about doing a special order.

• There was discussion about selling seed packets and Darren stated although there isn’t a lot of monetary value in selling seeds, there is educational value. Brianna will check and recommend seeds we can package and sell, including Seed Trial seeds and best performers.

• There was further discussion about packaging plants with a theme, i.e. a garden layout package including seeds and the customer can pick out tomatoes from our inventory; salsa pot; pots to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, etc.

• Brianna said some members are working on ideas for kids who visit Farmers Markets with their parents and we might be able to use some of those ideas.

• Mindy asked if RCMG has considered doing a silent auction and suggested 32 Auctions.

Next Steps

• Cheryl will follow up with Mary at Holy Childhood to find out if the facility is available for the 2022 plant sale.

• Darren is going to set up a meeting of representatives from the metro master gardener programs to discuss plant sale ideas, best practices, etc.

• Joe and Jennifer will check with a friend who makes birdhouses, etc. on availability, pricing, etc.

• Mindy will check into availability/cost of photo kneepads.

Post-Meeting Updates

• Mary Madigan responded that Holy Childhood is available on May 14 and 21. She will check with the parish leaders to get approval of our request.

• Nanette learned that the deadline dates for Northern Gardener Magazine are January 1 (March/April issue) and March 1 (May/ June issue). She would like to advertise the plant sale in the March/April issue and just needs a date and location.

• If we hold the sale at Holy Childhood, Nanette suggested creating a SignUp Genius to get some volunteers to clean up the gardens around the church and school so they look nice for the sale. If the temperatures aren’t warm enough to clean up the gardens before the sale, we can make it an educational moment by putting up signs on the importance of waiting to clean up the gardens. Then we can ask for volunteers to clean up the gardens after the sale as a thank you to the community.

• Linda and Mary met and narrowed down the list of plants from Green Earth Growers to offer for the member pre-sale and to order for resale at the plant sale. They also talked about ordering hanging baskets and hostas. They plan to review the Glacial Ridge catalog and plants offered by other vendors.

• Linda and Mary plan to develop a budget for purchasing plants for resale at the 2022 sale. Cheryl sent a request to Amy Davis for a summary of how much was spent on plants for resale at the 2021 sale, including the amount spent on providing supplies to the members who grew plants for the sale.

• Brianna contacted the Web team about the possibility of using our Wix store for the RCMG and WCMG member plant orders. She said the goal is for only the people with a link to the pre-sale page (which will include a list of available plants from Green Earth Growers, quantity per flat, and/or pot size) to indicate the quantity desired, get a total, and submit a credit card payment online using our Wix store. The purchases would happen in mid-January 2022 and she asked if this is possible given the timeline. If not, we will put together a different plan for the orders.

• Brianna created a SignUp Genius for members to volunteer to start houseplants for the sale. This will be sent out in early December and again in January if we need more volunteers.