Paying children to work in your nursery.

Regarding how to pay your homeschool workers when you haven't even started making a profit yourself yet.

Can you afford to buy pizza and soda?  Think of it like a moving day when you ask friends to help you load your uHaul truck all day long on a Saturday.  You treat them to pizza and endless beverages.  This would really only work for a single long day's worth of work – but if you prep for it you could get an assembly line going that is remarkably productive and each person only needs to know their own part well.  That's how my kids and I pack and ship plants so efficiently.  Assembly lines!  My sister raises meat chickens by the hundreds and twice and year she calls anyone and everyone who can to come help do the slaughtering and butchering.  Again, assembly lines!  She feeds us, we have fun, we take pictures and post 'em on facebook, but that's it.   No money needed.  Sometimes she and her family come here and help us fell trees, cut them into rounds, and split and stack wood all day long on a Saturday to help us get ready for winter (we have an outdoor woodburning furnace that heats our house and our hot water),  Again we just feed them and try to have fun while we work. Oh, and it's not just family either, we do the same with many of our friends as well.  

However if the employment is on-going you may need to pull out your wallet.  First ask the children's parent what they would suggest in the way of wages.  My dad has paid my kids to work for him in the past and each child had their own hourly wage rate based on a system my dad and I worked out together.  Even the 4 year olds got a handful of quarters in payment for fetching and carrying for us out in the hot sun.  (I got so many moneys mama!).  Kids have a very short window for effectively encouraging good behavior, so I suggest that you have lots of cash/coins onhand BEFORE the work day so you can pay them on the spot everyday that they work for you.  Getting paid by check a week later, feels to them, like they did all that work for nothing.  So, pay immediately and in cash!  The closer the reward is to the job done, the more likely they are to repeat the desired behavior.  Also, my older daughters often request to be paid via paypal, since they each have student paypal accts with debit cards which give them instant access to their funds.

If the children are family members then it counts as a family "farm" business according to the IRS.  Which means you can pay them up to I think $1200 in a single calendar year without having to file a 1099 form for each child.  You can still deduct it as a business expense on your own taxes though.  Might want to check with a tax preparer to get the official gross wages limit in case my number is wrong.

Homeschooled kids as nursery workers (part 2)

How to find other homeschoolers?  Hmm..  Ask someone you are already good friends with, if THEY know anyone who homeschools.  Ask your pastor, pastor's wife, or asst. pastor to point you toward those in your current church who homeschool and if they could introduce you.  

I'm very protective of my children and if someone wanted to hire/apprentice my children in the manner I described above, it would probably have to be by word of mouth with an introduction by someone I know who can vouch for that person.

True story:

My parents have friends who are also getting on in years and frequently have long stays in the hospital or back at home recuperating and barely able to function.  They'd heard my parents talking about their grandkids and asked if one of them might be willing to come and do some maintenance house cleaning jobs once a week for about an hour.  My mom called me and asked me what I thought.  I discussed it with my husband and then with my two oldest daughters to see what THEY thought.  None of us had any problems with it, so using my mom again we arranged to share phone numbers and work out the details.  The first time my daughters went over there to work, my mom accompanied them and introduced them face to face.  

One of our policies when I loan out my children (babysitting, house cleaning, or whatever) is that they will always go in groups of two whenever possible.  Jesus sent his disciples out by twos so that's what we do.  We believe it will help protect them from being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people and also keep them accountable for their behavior knowing that their sister/brother is watching.  I trust my children!  Trust them a lot!   But I don't trust other people and have no idea what stumbling blocks may come along.  So when one falls the other can pick them up.  Or in our case, the other can answer the cellphone so the one driving will keep their eyes on the road!

Using homeschooled kids as nursery workers.

Many people who run nurseries discover that they all have a similar dilemma.  It's a lot of menial labor.  Simple motions repeated over and over, often out in the hot sun.  So what's a busy nursery owner's main lament?  They can't find reliable seasonal help.  Even when a fair wage is offered, most people don't want to work.  And they especially don't want to work hard.  Teenagers and college students do not have the same work ethics that their parents had growing up.  They work slowly, they use their cellphones to text frequently, and they often just don't come back after day one.  So what to do?  My answer:

Do you know any homeschooling children? While I would hate to stereotype, most of the children we know that homeschool have excellent work ethics, especially if they come from a larger than average sized family.  Such children are usually expected to take responsibility for more jobs and chores than other children might be.  If you phrase your offer in the form of "a paid internship in the nursery business" you will likely get many interested parents who will at least consider it.  If at all possible try to get 2 siblings at the same time.  Better accountability for everyone should something go south.   You might even get the homeschool Mom as one of your employees if she's looking for stay-at-home business training, which almost all stay at home moms ARE.  I brainstormed a list of stay at home occupations here, one day when I just felt like making a list.

I know this may not be much help, but with my large family of homeschool kids I have lots of helpers. I have 4 teenagers,  3 pre-teens, and 3 preschoolers.  They are hard workers and generally we aim to have a good time while we work.  Some jobs are just hard sweaty jobs that are no fun, but if at all possible we try to keep it fun.  We play the radio while sticking cuttings.  Sometimes work in an air conditioned room in the barn.  Drink soda pop (not typically allowed) and never assign someone to work alone.  They always have a "buddy" of some kind to chat with or fetch things.  The preschoolers love pulling the wagon for us, bringing cold drinks, and being messengers.  My husband or I almost always work alongside them or nearby when we do.  We have planned stopping points so they have short-term goals to aim for (3 more trays and then we'll go inside and cool off for a bit).  Many times the ending prize of the day is swimming pool time.  Those who stayed inside and didn't work as hard do not get to go.  Often my husband and/or I will get in with them (hey, we're hot and sweaty too!). 

We do not allow cell phones or ipods while working unless there is a special request.  My weed-whacking daughter is allowed to listen to her music while she works on the weeds.  She does about 3 hours of weed whacking for me each Monday.  OH, on that topic, we have a Ryobi battery-powered weed-whacker that I just love!  We have about 6 lithium rechargeable batteries for it (as well as a slew of other Ryobi power tools).  It only runs for about 15 minutes per battery with constant use, but the effort to use it is WAY less than those gas-powered ones.  I was never able to handle the vibrations and the weight of the gas-powered ones, but this one is great for little ole me.  Yes, I do product recommendations too.  Here's my review of the Ryobi weed eater.

My kids are given 20 minutes of free-time on the computer everyday, they also have one chance per day to request a 20 minute chore/job which will earn them an extra 20 minutes on the computer.   This is where I use them for boring maintenace jobs like: rearranging trays and pots, pre-filling trays with potting mix, pulling weeds and such, as well as many indoor jobs. On other days, like a full work day on Saturday my husband might tell the kids "If we get all the things done on this list by such-and-such time then I will take everyone out to Taco Bell for dinner."

Another thing I've done is that I made some little FLAGS out of shishkebab skewers and folded over duct tape.  Mine are made with white duct tape and have black X's written in the center of the flag with a nursery marker.  I will go out into the nursery and stick the flags into the pots or trays that need attention, so that later they can go out and do "flag jobs" for me.  This is assuming that you've already trained them in HOW you want such jobs to be done.  It's also imperative to you go inspect their completed work as soon possible after it's done and give them feedback ASAP as well.  For example: "You did a good job moving the hoses and reconnecting them, but when you put those one galllon pots away you didn't stack any of them.  Go back and stack them this time."

Well, maybe this won't help as many of you as I had hoped.  Perhaps it will at least apply to those of you who have children or grandchildren near by?

Work from home ideas besides this nursery?

Make Money from Home Ideas:

1. Re-sell on etsy. Buy from garage sales - markup and sell online.
2. Babysit someone's dog(s) while they travel or are hospitalized.
3. Rent out an extra room in your house.
4. Cater lunchbox meals for your spouse's co-workers.
5. Establish a well-visited blog and then sell ad space.
6. Tutor children in schoolwork (math usually)
7. Direct sales: avon, melaleuca, home decor, scentsy, discovery toys, etc
8.  Give massages, with training of course.
9. Become a live answering service for a local office
10. Give lessons:  musical instruments, cooking, sign language, dancing, voice, etc
11. Medical transcription
12. Be the webmaster/designer for a few small companies
13. Repair computers
14. Do dress alterations for a Formal/Bridal Store
15. Sell your own craft or sewing on etsy
16. Photography: portrait sessions, wedding, home birth...
17. Babysit another child along with your own
18. Write e-books and sell digital copies online
19. Sell your stuff on craigslist
20. Get broken things, fix 'em, and then re-sell them (cars, clothing, etc)
21.  Sell produce and/or baked goods at your local farmer's market.
22.  Buy things in large quantities and re-sell them in smaller ones at a greater price per each.
23.  Selling your farm produce: eggs, milk, cheese, butter etc
24.  Specialty cake decorating
25.  Specialty hair styling: for weddings and proms
26.  Clean a church once a week in the evening.
27.  Clip coupons and sell them on ebay.
28.  Sell split firewood.
29.  Clean apartments between renters.
30.  Provide washing and ironing services.
31.  Do pet grooming.
32.  Provide specialized equipment that you already have for others to rent.   Small or large, from sergers to backhoes.
33.   Rent out extra space on your property for: horse use, hay growing, car lot sales.
34.   Do tax preparation for others.
35.   Propagate and sell plants.
36.   Sell your photos online.  You are paid per download.
37.  Make and sell gift baskets.
38.  Mow grass, weed eat, clean gutters, general yard work for others.
39.  Purchase and maintain a soda/snack vending machine or two.

How long does it take from cutting to sell-date?

Depends mostly on the plant type.  Some are very fast growers and could be ready to sell as a liner in less than a year.  Forsythia and willow-type trees are the fastest I know of.  Others root slowly and grow slowly, so may take a couple years to fill out a pot.  Evergreens like: arborvitae, hollies, and boxwoods are very slow growers.  

Regular pruning of the fast growers down to just above a "v" branching (leave at least one pair of leaves above each side of the "v") will also give your bushes a more multi-branched, fuller look by the end of that first year as well.  Also, everytime you re-pot your plant you will also lose some grow-time as they do a sort of re-set each time their roots are disturbed - so keep that in mind too.  I stick my cuttings in potting mix in 2.5 inch cups (instead of 100% sand in a sandbed) right from the beginning just for that reason.

Decide which type(s) of plant you want and then research online for that plant's preferences.  Willows like LOTS of water.  Japanese Red Maples die very easily from overwatering.  Butterfly bushes like direct sun all day long.  Hostas prefer shade.  Some plants prefer heavier soils, some lighter with lots of drainage.  Some have specific acidity requirements and will yellow and die without it (hollies and blueberries for example).  You cannot possibly be an expert in ALL plant types but learn all you can about the type you are currently working with and add new types as the years go by.

Even MORE ways to kill lots of plants at one time.

After reading Mike McGroarty's post called "53 ways to kill a lot of plants at one time" (see Backyardgrowers.com)  I decided that the topic needed a bit of expanding so here is my continuation:

Even MORE ways to kill a lot of plants at one time:

-Overwatered a drought-loving plant and watched the beautiful furry leaves rot away (lamb's ear)

-Oriented my growbed North/South and didn't realize that the sun was shining on the cuttings nearly all day except for a couple of hours around 1pm-2pm.  The leaves curled up, burned the edges and most died.

-Took cuttings and then got lazy and decided to stick them later.  Added a bit of water to the bag, shook it up, poured out the extra water, tied it up and threw it in the frig without looking at it very closely.  A puddle formed at the bottom of the bag.  Three days later when I finally got around to it, discovered that the puddle had turned several of my cuttings into gooey-ness.  

-Started seedlings inside and then didn't give them enough light.  The grew long and thready and then just layed down and died.

-Didn't wait long enough for cuttings to root.  Threw 'em all out.  Then learned from my mom that those particular plants take longer to root than the others I was accustomed to.

-After potting up new plants, I decided I would add labels to the pots tomorrow.  I didn't get to it the next day, or the next…. finally admitted that I could no longer tell which was which –  argh.

-Started my new seedlings out just fine, but then failed to water them two days in row.  They dried up and died.

-Planted my new tree according to the usual advice: dig a hole twice as big as the root ball… etc.  I failed to take into account that my soil is very hard and claylike.  My tree drowned in a bathtub of clay that water could not drain out of.

-Pre-soaked my seeds and then forgot about them for a week.  Swollen and gross.  And dead.

-Used a sharpie marker to write on my venetian blind tags.  A very short time later I could no longer see what I had written.

-Used a proper nursery marker designed to not fade with UV exposure.  However, I wrote them on old, used blind segments that had not been washed and the ink did not penetrate enough to be permanent.

-Didn't pull the weeds when they were small.  In just a short time they took over the pot and the roots were all intertwined with my plant.

-Failed to notice a kink in my garden hose and assumed that my timer was taking care of the watering for me.  In this case, my patch of grass seed that had just sprouted dried up and died.

-Watered the red Japanese maples too late in the morning, the sun shone on the water droplets and burned white spots on the leaves of many of them.  Hard to sell an ugly leafed tree.

Well that's enough for now.  Please tell me I'm not he only one to have made these stupid mistakes.   In hindsight, I can see that many of my losses were just plain due to my procrastination.

Commonly mispronounced plant names.

I've used the online botanical pronunciation helper quite a lot in order to know the correct way to pronounce the plants that I happen to be selling.  

Found here:

http://www.finegardening.com/p…..latin.aspx

HOWEVER, as I meet other people and we talk about various plants it invariably occurs that one of us will mention a plant name and the other will look puzzled and say "Uh, I dunno what that is."  Sometimes its because a plant name is very commonly pronounced incorrectly and I didnt recognize it.  Like Clematis.  Apparently its supposed to be pronounced KLEM-a-tiss and not like  klem-AT-tiss.  Cotoneaster is another one. Kuh-TONY-aster.  Sure looks like Cotton Easter and most likely that is what I will hear from the majority of laymen.  So, I need to know what plant names are usually called, even if it's wrong.  At the same time I need to know the proper way to say the names so that I don't sound like a doofus when I am talking to big nursery owners in my area.

Does that make sense?  When someone says "Do you have any la-ROPE-uh?"  I don't lose a sale because I wasn't familiar with that version of pronouncing Liriope.  Pronounced luh-RYE-oh-pee.

Maybe you seasoned sellers already know all these things, but I don't.  Someone asked my daughter about a plant called "WIGGLE-uh."  Uh… What is that?!  Apparently its a common pronunciation of Weigela.

I realize it could require a lifetime to achieve such a feat, and I can't please everyone- but I press on nonetheless.

How we package our plants for shipping.

For those who are curious, here is the process we use to prepare our plants for shipping:

1. First we gently shake off the loose potting mix to reduce shipping costs.

2.  After 10 plants have been prepared, the roots are layed upon a bed of moist shredded newspaper and gently rolled up.

3.  We double check to make sure that ALL of the roots are contained within the moist newspaper ball.

4.  We then enclose the roots of each bundle in a small plastic bag tied off with twine.

5. Each bundle receives a label showing the common name and the botanical name of the plants in the bundle.

6.  Next we wrap each plant bundle with large sheets of dry newspaper to protect the foliage from damage during transportation.

7.  The bundle is then placed in a brand new packing box and cushioned with dry shredded paper to prevent the bundle(s) from shifting within the box.

And that's how we do it at Paige Plants Nursery.