Why choose plants for your enterprise?
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There are vast numbers of plants, both edible and decorative, that can be grown from seed within the school year.
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It is cheap and relatively easy to grow a lot of plants from seed within the school year.
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Your school may already have plants on site which could be propagated to make new plants for free.
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Your school may already hold events which could be used to host a plant sale.
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Students can grow the plants and organise the marketing and publicity for the sale, as well as sell the plants and handle the money on the big day.
Things to consider before starting a growing enterprise project
Planning is crucial for growing to sell, making a profit and holding a successful event.
Which plants should you grow to make the most profit?
The facilities you have will determine which plants you can grow. You could sell surplus crops from the school garden, such as tomatoes, pumpkins, salads, herbs and strawberry plants, or grow flowers to sell in bouquets. You may also consider purchasing plug plants. They are more expensive than seed but eliminate the need for fiddly jobs such as seed sowing and pricking out.
Where and when are you planning to sell plants?
Will you be selling to pupils and parents in the playground, staff within school or external companies? Will you be selling plants on a specific date to coincide with Sports Day or a winter or summer fair? Consider when you wish to start and end the project and research the timing of sowings, flowering, fruiting or harvests of specific plants to make sure you have enough time to grow the plants to the desired size for selling.
How much money do you hope to raise?
This will affect the number of plants you grow and how you price and publicise the sale. You will need to think about what is feasible in a garden of your size. Consider holding other fundraising projects to reach your target amount.
Keeping track of your fundraising
For useful ideas about fundraising visit: Raising money using your school garden