How to Organize a Garden Co-Op

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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A garden co-op allows you to pool resources with other members to buy produce or flowers at a volume discount. When you organize a co-op, you decide what to purchase, collect money from other members, place the order and organize the pickup of people's orders. While it's labor-intensive in the beginning, a garden co-op allows you to obtain fresh produce or plants at great prices.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Determine what kind of garden co-op you want to organize. You can concentrate on produce, flowers or a combination of both. Call local garden centers, produce and flower mail-order companies or farmer's markets to find out prices, availability and whether the suppliers accept bulk orders.

Step2

Select your source. Make your selection based not only on the best price, but on the availability and variety of the garden items you're ordering. Ensure that the garden center, mail-order company or farmer's market provides you with a listing of the available merchandise to distribute to co-op members, along with the prices you've negotiated for them.

Step3

Announce your co-op, and include details such as the source of the garden items, what types of produce or fruit are available, delivery dates, payment options and your contact information. Let your friends and family know of your intentions, and consider posting an advertisement in your local paper to entice further interest. You might also post signs in local restaurants and stores.

Step4

Pass out the list of available produce or flowers to garden co-op members, and issue a deadline for orders and payment.

Step5

Phone the source to make sure everything is still available at the price you agreed on. Place your co-op's order, determine a delivery or a pickup date and arrange for payment. Then call or email the garden co-op members with the cost of their individual orders.

Step6

Store the boxes of produce or fruit inside immediately so fragile items aren't damaged by extreme temperatures or other weather conditions.

Step7

Sort each garden co-op member's order into an individual box or bag, making sure the items are undamaged and that they look healthy. Place their order form on top of their produce or fruit so they can verify that they've received their entire order.

Step8

Notify garden co-op members that their orders are ready for pick up at the pre-established location, or make deliveries to members.

Tips & Warnings

When selecting a source for the produce or fruit you want to buy in your co-op, you must negotiate prices that are cheaper than those offered by local sources to entice people to join your co-op.
Ask your source to provide additional boxes or bags to make sorting individual orders easier.