Sorry, haven't posted much lately as I've been very busy pruning and now shipping cuttings.  I've had a few people comment favorably on my method of labeling cuttings that I've sold and thought I'd share this idea with others who may find it helpful.  I gave this a great deal of thought because of the large number of varieties and cuttings I was handling and needed to have something that was efficient.

First off, I assigned 184 varieties an item number of 0001 through 0184 in alphabetical order and these were put in 2.5 gallon slider plastic storage bags stored in 47 tubs in my walk-in cooler.  I then printed out sheets of labels using Avery 5167 return address labels.  These are then placed in envelopes in numerical order with tabs for increments for every 10 envelopes.  Retrieval of cuttings from the appropriate tub is made fairly easy by use of an inventory list telling me which tub each variety is stored in.  I usually retrieve one variety at a time and will wrap a cutting one or two times with Stretch-Tite food plastic wrap, then place the adhesive label on the plastic, and then wrap one more time.  I use Stretch-Title brand from Costco as Amazon sells a very handy dispenser designed for this plastic which avoids the hassles of tangles, cutting, etc. (also works to varying degrees for other brands).  If cuttings are being sent internationally, I first wrap the cutting with a piece of newspaper to absorb any excess moisture as this seems to reduce risk of mold.

I've found this to work out well and recipients have been able to easily identify the variety.  Much better than taking time for me to write the names and the recipient trying to figure out what I wrote.

Having received from Harvey, this works very well.  The only thing I saw from other sellers that I liked was actually writing the variety on the cutting itself.  I am very careful but I always worry that I will open two cuttings and forget which was which.  I just do one at a time to avoid this issue.

Nice technique, Harvey. Love your walk-in cooler! Thanks for the info. Im nowhere near the shipping cuttings stage but its good to know for future reference.

I have received 2 orders from Harvey(34 cuttings) and can attest to how fresh the cuttings are and I am sure due to the handling and method of collecting, wrapping and storing all cuttings. Good job Harvey and members need to visit his website and have a chance to purchase some very nice varieties at reasonable prices. I know several members have complained that some members will not sell directly and only sell on eBay at high prices, well here is your chance to buy at a set price. I purchased several Tree of Joy varieties from Harvey at a very reasonable price. Give the website a look and see for yourself.

Good job Harvey. You are at the top of the class. Keep up the good work.

Thanks Wayne and Jerry.  I had hoped to do this last year but just ran out of time.  This year I just gave up sleep and got some powerful battery-powered pruners to speed up pruning to give me the chance to put together the site.  I think my prices are "fair" and I could sell for higher prices on eBay but not in the volume I have very effectively.  I had a couple of people complain my prices were too low. :)

Harvey,

I received the cuttings i ordered from you and was very pleased with the timely delivery,size and quality of the cuttings.The labeling works for me and the price is very affordable! Thank you for a first class job.Well done.

Grant

Harvey you are the man!

Looking good Harvey, we appreciate all the hard work.

Thanks Harvey!

Harvey this is off topic a bit but in your orchard shown on your site, how far are your trees spaced?

[QUOTE=tennesseefig]Harvey this is off topic a bit but in your orchard shown on your site, how far are your trees spaced?[/QUOTE]

16' between rows and 12' between the trees within the row.  Seems to work okay so far, may install some cross-arms with wires 36" apart about 30-36" above the existing wire to support upright branches being damaged from winds, fruit weight, etc.

Great set up, Harvey.  So well organized! It makes shipping out your orders so much easier.

Cool method Harvey! As for the quality of your cuttings, I can say 100% that they are fresh and well worth the buy!  I was a repeat customer of yours last season,
-Isgrus2014

how tall are you trees Harvey? I know that you grow outdoors being in cali and all

[QUOTE=DevIsgro]how tall are you trees Harvey? I know that you grow outdoors being in cali and all[/QUOTE]

Most of my trees are trained on wires and get pruned down to 18" tall in winter.  Growth ranges from 4' to 10' during the growing season.  See my Facebook link for photos, etc.

Harvey, newish fighead here. Got the cuttings I ordered, all look very nice. Thx for the attention to detail. My question is, have you found or created a local market for your fig fruits?

The third order arrived today, almost the size of logs, great shipment, thanks Harvey. I am canceling my internet before I can make another order. Actually I can't wait until next year when you add some more varieties. I'm saving up!

[QUOTE=Esteban_McFig]Harvey, newish fighead here. Got the cuttings I ordered, all look very nice. Thx for the attention to detail. My question is, have you found or created a local market for your fig fruits?[/QUOTE]

Sorry, just noticed this question.  Not yet, still trying to figure out what I want to do about that, I feel I've already got way too much going on.  Our son is 18, maybe that will be something for him to do for a summer job. :)

Harvey I still don't know how you have time for all of this lol

Brian, for the last 2 months there has been little else I've done besides prune, wash, label, process orders, and ship fig cuttings.  Most days I'm working 12-18 hours.  My chestnut orchard needs mowing but it can wait another week or two.  I think this will slow down pretty soon.