Hello, growers, and happy spring! By now, every region of the U.S. and Canada is bustling with some sort of growing activity – sowing, transplanting, weeding, watering, mulching, harvesting. We know many of you are at maximum capacity for retail plant starts in your propagation spaces, so this final issue in our Crop Talk series is dedicated to how you can market your plant starts for the biggest revenue bump. Read on for inspiration and ideas. If you’ve got it, flaunt it. If you’re swimming in plant starts, don’t hold back on putting them out when market comes around. Bust out that extra bench for some tiered displays, and make sure your overall display hits on the cornucopia effect – abundance is aesthetically pleasing, so the lusher, the better. Just remember to keep them well hydrated, especially if your display location gets direct sun during the day. You want to get them looking nice, and keep them looking nice so they fly off the tables. Pair your plants based on culinary tastes. Do some of the work for your customers – get creative with your pairings, and make signage to match for ideal marketing. Your plant start customers are going to be interested in the best possible end result (read: the best flavor), so design your selections to have a culinary appeal. Some popular groupings include salsa starts (tomato, hot pepper, onion); caprese starts (tomatoes and basil); kitchen herb starts (thyme, sage, parsley, oregano); and ratatouille starts (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini). Build trays with several varieties of each, create a descriptive sign, and talk them up with your customers so they know what to expect. Make personal recommendations. Your customers will have the best chance of success if they start with the right plants for their needs. At your farmers market or roadside stand, consider dedicating one person to the cash register, and one to customer engagement so shoppers can get personal recommendations from a knowledgeable source. Communicating to your customers goes a long way in positively marketing yourself and your farm business. If you’re successful, later in the season when they’re seeking more fresh produce than their own garden produces, they’ll gravitate towards you to complement their garden’s offerings. Plan for some shrinkage. Even the best laid plans end up with some miscalculations. If some of your plant starts get overly mature and no longer suit your high standards for charging full price, allow yourself to let them go to the compost pile. Letting go of plants you took the time to propagate might make you cringe a little at first, but you’ll be rewarded in curb appeal and repeat customers when you always display your best seedlings. You’ll build a positive brand for your farm business, and simultaneously build trust with your customer base. Happy growing!