plans to make a roadside stand

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i was wondering if any one may have plans to make a roadside stand to sell extra plants, fruits or veggies? or if you have one you use, if you have pics please post them!

i'm thinking of doing this for later this summer to help sell off my extra seedlings, plants and any extra produce from my garden. and i would really like to see if there are some features i should include with mine.

 

[chris09]

i was wondering if any one may have plans to make a roadside stand to sell extra plants, fruits or veggies? or if you have one you use, if you have pics please post them!

i'm thinking of doing this for later this summer to help sell off my extra seedlings, plants and any extra produce from my garden. and i would really like to see if there are some features i should include with mine.

Roadside stand plans -
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_o...ns/horticultural/marketing/Roadside+Stand.htm

Chris

 

[beavis]

Those plans are for a 28 foot by 24 foot roadside stand.

That seems huge to me.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

oops, i guess i should have said something more like a roadside cart! i really don't have the room on my front lawn for that big of a stand! thanks for the help Chris!

 

[beavis]

check this veggie cart out:

http://privilegeofparenting.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/vegetable-cart1.jpg

 

[digitS']

Ha! I read Chickie'sMoma's question as "plans for selling" at a roadside stand . . . rather than "building plans."

(I went back in a TEG search to Karanleaf's greenhouse and retailing plans for 2009 -- and couldn't find a thing. I guess she took that post off.)

Chickie'sMoma, Chris' building plan comes from the USDA. The land grant schools have them online. I didn't know about LSU but here is one 6' by 12' from NDSU: (CLICK)

Here is the parent directory:
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans

Under "Miscellaneous," you will find some of the most surprising building plans for the farm.

Steve

 

[journey11]

I would love to sell my extra produce and have thought about maybe just doing it right from home since I get good traffice through here. I'm hoping this year to grow some funky pumpkins, melons and some colorful Indian corn and maybe sell some of my strawberries too. Just as they're in season and stick a nice sign at the end of my road. Eventually I'll have enough honey to sell too! )

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i'm just across the street from an off ramp to our highway and the mornings and afternoons are quite busy with locals and some tourist traffic. (those that know about this particular exit!)

their used to be a gentleman about a mile or so further down the street from our house that would put out his produce at his stand. but i heard years ago he was badly hurt and had to slow down how much he was doing and now his stand sits by the side of his house in retirement.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

A long time ago my aunt and uncle had a very nice produce stand out along the road. They were open 6 days a week. On Fridays and Saturdays they had three teenagers come in to help with the crowds. It took all 5 people to handle the customers. During March through December they worked 16 hrs. a day. I worked there 2 days a week for about 6 years while I was in school - lots of hard work.

Their house was about 400 ft. behind the stand. At least three times a week they had people knocking on their doors at 7, 8, and 9 PM begging them to stop what ever they were doing and go out to sell them some veggies. When they refused and tried to explain that they had to go to bed early to start the harvest and get ready for the next day's business and tend the gardens the customers would get mad. Some customers would get so mad they would start cussing and make threats. The really crazy part was that most of the after-hours customers would say "I only need 4 ears of corn. Can't you open up for this little request?" or "I forgot about making diner tonight and I only need one tomato and one head of lettuce." Now if the customer wanted to buy $1,000 worth of produce it would be worth opening up at 8:0 PM but certainly not for a $1.89 sale.

Theft was a big problem. Vandalism was a big problem. In the winter time teenagers would break in and use the stand for lovers lane. Used condoms sprinkled on the floor. Broken wine and beer bottles. I remember at least twice Uncle Rodney had to go out and physically throw out people who decided to start living in the stand in the winter. Once they set it on fire trying to keep warm.

But the clincher was when Aunt Mildred was held up at gun point and after she gave the perps all of the days income they beat her with the pistol. She was out there cleaning up after a days work all by herself. Now this was about a mile west of I-75 in rural Ohio a few miles north of a sleepy little town of Wapakoneta. I think she was about 65 years old at the time. She spent three days in the hospital and 6 months recovering. This is supposed to be the heartland of the USA where people are honest and offer a helping hand to their neighbors. NOT!

Walmart moved into town and Uncle Rodney burned the stand down.

Are you ready for all of this? I would think twice.

 

[digitS']

"Smiles?"

My daughter is a recent college graduate. Altho' the quality of the school is not always equal to the quality of the education, she was fortunate to go to a good school.

She had always been "under-employed" because she was a student. Always worked too - from junior year in high school, on. Summers, she often had 2 jobs. She will do that again this summer - 2 jobs.

Teaching tennis is seasonal. Being under-employed looks almost permanent. So, she came up with an idea for opening a shop.

I told her the 1st thing she will need, is a banker. The 2nd thing she will need is a "safe" location. She says her shop can't be in a suburban strip mall - she will need to be where people congregate . . . I can't think of a single safe place for my young daughter.

Bankers? We hear about increased lending. I know an old guy who owns a farm and a farmhouse - free and clear. The farm generates a little income but all the land is contracted out. He has trouble getting around and decided he'd better move into town. Bankers wouldn't account for his farm income and he didn't (maybe, couldn't) sell his property. Took him 7 months to get a loan to buy a house.

What is a kid in her 20's going to do? She works part-time for a school now. You know? An evil, money-grubbing public worker . . . There's a real question whether she can continue because of cut-backs. Everyone is scrambling to try and protect her/his position. With no faculty tenure and the budget cuts, there's lots of stress on everyone. Altho' she is liked, she hates being there!

Safety . . . opportunity . . . getting on with life . . ?

David Murdock woke up the other day to a sore throat. Forbes says he is worth of $2.7 billion. This is the Murcock who owns Castle & Cooke. Grew up in Ohio and started out building houses in Arizona, went into agriculture, bought a majority share in Occidental Petroleum, took over Standard Fruit Company and that meant - Dole.

Castle and Cooke, haven't heard of them? They are only a part of Murdock's empire. The original Castle & Cooke were Christian missionaries to Hawaii and saw some opportunities to make a buck. Murdock's Dole Inc. is the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world, according to Hoover's.

David Murdock's sore throat? Oh, that inspired him to sink $500 million in a nutrition research institution in North Carolina. Eighty-two year old Murdock says he plans to live to be 125!

I'd like my daughter, who is not yet 25, to live and work in a safe neighborhood and have a steady job.

Steve