Varieties that will sell totally depends on the region. As others mentioned in your recent post on the CA taste testing, what seems to appeal to folks in one part of CA doesn't appeal in other parts of CA, much less in the NE or SE. Some folks have success selling the unusual colors, many can't give them away.

What sells down here are regional favorites. I get more requests for Arkansas Traveler, Rutgers, and Brandy Boy than all other varieties combined. Some will buy 1 Brandywine because "I heard of those" but will also buy 5 Rutgers and 5 AR Travelers at the same time. So you'll have to discover what would appeal to buyers in your area. I can't sell a cherry tomato variety down here for anything. Couldn't even give them away.

Search jrslick's many posts on his sales this past year in Kansas as he discusses what sold for him and several replies address the pricing - which is also a regional thing. For us it is 6-8" plants in 4" pots for $2.50, 10-12" plants in 1 gallon pots for $5.00. Prices in parts of CA would be much higher I suspect.

As to size, that was discussed in detail in the recent post linked below.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato plant size to sell

Californian, I was shopping at the big box stores today and I priced their 6 inch plants, all types were from $3.25 to $3.75 per plant, so I would think you would have to really explain that the tomato will not be like they buy at the grocery store, most of us new to gardening really don`t know what heirloom means, I didn`t until I started reading this website. I thought there were cherry tomatos slicing tomatos and roma tomatos, and that was it, I know that sounds very ignorant but I was and I think other people are to. Where would you sale them? At a farmers market? I would like to find somewhere besides even the local plant nursary as they are limited to their varities also. Good luck on your sales. :o) Deanna

Eyeofthewolf, That brings up a good point. Do most sellers have to educate customers as to what is supposed to taste good or grow good, or do most customers already know what they want? I was planning to advertise on Craigslist and the Recycler and PennySaver and sell the plants out of my backyard. I sold a few last year for $2.00 each, but now think I was charging way to low compared to what other places were charging for plants not nearly as nice as mine. The Fullerton Arboretum has an annual tomato sale billed as the biggest one west of the Mississippi and I couldn't believe people were paying $4.00 each for stunted plants three or four inches high that looked like they were suffering from salt or fertilizer burn in three inch pots.
Well I have 90 seedlings going right now and already potted up about 40 of them into 4 inch pots. I can now reuse my seed starting containers to start another batch of 40 seeds.

Last year, I found people didn't care as much about the specific name so much as the type: early, cherry, Roma, beefsteak. Yeah, there are always a couple of people who will only buy a "Brandywine" or "Early Girl" but if I tried to please everyone, I would need to order 200 packets of seeds!

One thing I plan to do this year is have samples on site - Delicious, Legend, Better Boy - for people to see. If my Goliath plants produce nicely, I may also sell those, as I have two packets of seeds that were sent as extras in packages.

Mike

californian,

Last year I sold tomato seedlings in front of my house on a Saturday. Between word-of-mouth and an ad on craigslist, I sold almost 200 plants in under four hours. I could have sold twice that as people kept coming all day. I charged $3 each or 4/$10 for a 8-10 inch plant in a 4" pot. The "exotics" went first (black, green, striped, etc.), followed by yellow/orange, then reds, then pinks were last. Few people asked for specific varieties, but many people were looking for unusual and colorful, as they have gotten used to seeing these types of tomatoes in farmer's markets and restaurants. They only specific requests that I got were a lot of people were looking for compact plants to grow in containers. I hope that was helpful.

If I was going to sell plants (and I'm thinking about it), I would spend a little time making color labels to put on the pots, with a picture, variety name, DTM, and "type" as wordwiz suggested...

I don't know where in CA you are, but if it's anything like the NYC metro area, you could probably sell a lot of heirlooms just fine if you hype the "gourmet heirloom" aspect... it's really trendy nowadays!

pictures sell.

4 inch cups are best for small producers.

Sungold
Camp Joy
Dr. Carolyn Pink
Black Cherry
Galina

Kellogg's Breakfast
Brandywine
Cuostralee
Paul Robeson
Cherokee Purple
Dr. Wyche

Opalka
Heidi

DarJones

I donate all my extras to Zonta, my service club, and we sell them in-house. I can sell as many hybrids as I can OPs. The fastest to sell are dwarf plants like Tiny Tim which can be grown in a windowsill container--not everyone lives in a house and so you need something for the Apt folks too, also DETs go faster than INDs simply because they're smaller plants and easier to care for--a lot of the Zontians are seniors and so they're mobility-impaired and need plants which require less work. I usually include several DET hybrids which have disease resistance simply because it can me an success for the gardener--also, the familiarity of the name is important, Celebrity and Rutgers will run out before Great White or Pink Floyd ;-)

With an El-Nino spring on its way, you might want to consider some disease resistant varieties also. Especially If you want to sell more plants in 2011.

With $3 /plants you cannot afford to educate people. Just make the best possible efforts to sell types that people already know them(big boy, big girl,,), plus some that are rare (color, shape..cherry, grape, yellow , stripe)
It would help to have pics and shortb decription put on a board, so people can educate themselves.
Just my views.

I agree with those who say that pictures sell. I know this holds true when I shop the seed catalogs. Unless I am specifically looking for that type of tomato, an entry without a picture generally doesn't get a second glance. I'd also do a short description (like the seed catalogs) extolling its virtures of taste, disease resistance etc.

Go for standards that everyone knows and some heirlooms with fun or colorful names that sound "heirloom". Without photos or education, the names are all people will have to go on and the name alone will have to sell the plant. Big Boy, Beefstake, Early Girl (descriptive), and names like "Amish", Cherokee Purple and Mortgage lifter with a small card in front of those plants with a short history of the name. Include a couple large tomatoes, a couple early ones, and maybe a grape and/or cherry. You could add sungold or Kellogs Breakfast for the adventerous.

Calif
I think in response to your statement:
"I am wondering if the average customer would even know what they were and that they could be potentially produce much tastier fruit then the run of the mill plants they could buy in the big box stores or garden centers"

I may have answered in another thread you posted on soggy pro-mix
The Fullerton Arboretum(city you live in) is supposed to sell approx 40,000 tomato plants over a 4 days sale sometime next month - all heirlooms 150+ varieties - I think you mentioned you had been there and the plants were not in good condition last time - well there is an opportunity to sell better plants and see what the consumer is buying

Dennis

Well, I decided to buy three 250 seed packs from Hazzard's Wholesale seeds anyway; Opalka, Marianna's Peace, and Cherokee Purple. Got here in only four days, which was faster than even Baker Creek which took five days. It is interesting that they include the germination rate on their packages, which ranged from 85% to 94%. Most seed packages I have seen don't include that information.
I think I will stick to my niche of mostly heirloom varieties. I'm not trying to be a full service seller of every variety. Just want to sell enough plants to pay for the cost of the plants I am going to plant in my own garden.

Cali
Cherokee Purple sells well here but the other 2 only so so - though Mariamma's Peace and Opalka are good they just haven't got a big following yet

I thought you had most of your garden plants(50 potted out and 50 more started) started from seed already - how many are you going to grow
are you going to buy plants too ??

Dennis

I just planted another 45 seeds today, 15 each of the varieties I mentioned in my previous post. I also planted another 30 old seeds, but I don't have much hope for them as only a few sprouted so far. I am just about maxed out on area under my lights and heat mat and oven, so I think maybe around 150 seedlings will be it until it gets warm enough to leave all of them outside all day and night. Whether I start a second batch of 150 seedlings will depend on whether I can sell most of what I started already. I am hoping that my seedlings get big enough to sell before the Fullerton Arboretum has its monster tomato and pepper sale. Looking on Craigslist I only see one seller so far selling tomato plants, but the number will most likely increase in March. My tallest seedlings are now about three inches tall, and it has been about four weeks since I planted the first ones. I have been giving them some potassium nitrate dissolved in rainwater, as it says on the Pro-Mix bag to start supplemental feeding as soon as the seedlings get their first set of true leaves as Pro-mix doesn't have any fertilizer in it. I believe someone posted Cal-nitro was a good fertilizer to use, maybe I'll go buy some.

When I lived in Southern California Cherokee Purple was very popular. People couldn't get enough of them!

My own thoughts: many, if not most casual tomato growers are looking for old time tomato taste, which usually also means red (or "reddish") and at least baseball size.

Californians are so lucky: they can purchase this old time flavor at any local farmers' market from June or July to mid November. Dang I miss that in the worst way! (I have been known to occasionally fly in for the day to go to the Santa Monica Wednesday Farmers' Market!)

Cali
That's cool - I planted 24 varieties (have 7 more trays to seed) in 50 cells Tuesday evening 5X10 in 1 1020 tray - 5 seeds per cell (dense method) All outside under patio cover on heat mats with dome cover - when it's cold as it has been this week I set the daytime for 70 degrees and at night warmer trying to maintain 75-85 degrees

yesterday and today over 4 dozen have sprouted so they will be comimg soon - will then transfer tray to light system 1 of 4 shelves each with 4 fl grow lights (outside also) - when the seedlings are about 1 month old I will pot out in square 3 1/2 pots and after 2-3 weeks start setting in sun a little each day - as close as we live to each other we should meet and trade some seeds - check out each other sytem
Dennis