Sell (even) more veggies!

If this is “The Year of the Veggie, Part II” – and almost everyone we’ve talked to suggests it will be – you’ve been granted the golfer’s best friend: a mulligan. Even if you were late jumping on board the trend train in 2009, even if your local weather didn’t want to play along last spring, even if you had your best vegetable sales year in recent memory, a chance to recapture momentum on a gardening trend is a rare opportunity that you should take advantage of. Here are some suggestions, from a trio of those aforementioned industry folks.

1. Peanuts! Get your peanuts! Doug Cole, owner of D.S. Cole Growers in Louden, N.H., worked with John Henry Co. to create clever tags that draw attention to and tout the virtues of the peanut. “Sales were a little slow a few years ago, but they picked up recently with the veggie craze,” Cole said. He said he’s not sure how long the momentum will last but believes sales will continue to stay steady in 2010. www.dscolegrowers.com

2. Marry marigolds with vegetables. Tim Lamprey, owner of Harbor Garden Center in Salisbury, Mass., goes with this “old standby” when it comes to cross marketing vegetables. “Many of the organic magazines recommend the marigold to repel insects,” he said. “I have customers who claim that it works.” www.harborgardens.com

3. Basils + Sage = Customer Love. Doug Cole is enamored with the crossover possibilities – in displays and in gardens – of these two garden favorites. “These are plants that can be both ornamental and edible,” he said.

4. The virtual reality of improved edibles sales. Jeff Dinslage operates Nature Hills Nursery, an online-only business in Omaha, Neb., that sells plants and hard goods. He said 2009 sales “ticked up” thanks to a decision to expand the marketing of fruit trees, small fruits and vegetable-seed sales. If you operate a virtual store, you might consider this move: “We ran more shipping specials than ever before in an effort to maximize sales and to keep the sales steady,” he said. “We have continued the specials in 2010 and are projecting an increase [in sales].” www.naturehills.com

5. East meets West. Doug Cole suggests pairing Oriental cabbages such as pak choi (also known as bok choy) with pansies, asters and mums. “We’ve also done small quantities of Malabar spinach and a number of oriental vegetables to sell by themselves or in combinations in the fall,” he said.

While cross-merchandising ornamentals and veggies is by and large a great idea, there is one bugaboo of which you should be aware. Click here to find out more!