Market or Truck Farming: Gardening to Sell Extras

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Lesa: Wow ... $5 a POUND for berries?!?! Smiles: We're out in a rural subdivision, surrounded by lots of land and all kinds of critters. I heard about similar stories and dreaded the possibility of people dropping in at all hours. Being so far away from the suburbs would probably curtail that. Cat: sounds like a good idea, and we might look into possibly installing a second well.

About the e-mail:

Spoke last night with the lady who sent the e-mail. It's a co-op. Buyers and sellers pay $25 lifetime membership. The sellers (farmers, bakers, etc) tell the co-op what they have to sell 2 weeks down the road. The co-op sends an e-mail once a week to buyers, and buyers place their orders. The co-op sends a truck around (spans about 5 counties) to pick up from sellers, it's boxed up according to orders, and delivered to buyers.

Sellers are paid their normal price when it's picked up by the truck. NOT a discount.

They can buy by goat milk cheese because the actual co-op will buy the shares, making it legal in the state of Colorado.

By the looks of the website and order form, people not only sell produce (including from a farm in California during the winter) but also baked goods, soap, lotions, crocheted dish towels, and meat. Probably could sell other crafts. They are desparate for eggs right now, and fresh produce.

Hubby and I talked after he got home from work. Instead of setting up the shelves by the front door for a storefront, we're going to use the shelves and add a grow light to use that to grow during the winter. So I'm starting some radishes and greens. Maybe some green beans and pansies too.

This seems absolutely perfect for me. I'll have a pickup once a week, can package gourmet salads (greens, edible flowers, etc) the day before or day of pickup, eggs at my leisure, and bake the day or two before pickup. I'll make cheese 3 days in advance, package, and seal-a-meal it to keep it fresh.

When we have fresh produce from outside, I'll get Hubby and Kid to help pick night before pickup and will package day of.

I have 29 "month-old" chicks in the garage but about 5 are boys. Red star and black australorp: brown eggs. I have about 10 layers outside with another 9 who will be laying in another month but mostly bantams laying blue, green and creamy white eggs. I'm placing an order today for 15 easter egger chicks from mypetchicken so they'll be laying by mid-Spring. (I don't like white-egg breeds).

Now ... if I just knew what other farmers produce for sale in the summer so I can do different things. We use non-gmo heirloom seeds. Like my favorite tomato is a big orange slicer called "Kellogg's Breakfast", and our favorite bell peppers are mini reds.

All in all, this sounds like the best possible solution for my problem and a way to make enough to help pay down the mortgage and the medical costs for my kid. Our co-pay for his seizure meds PER MONTH is $842!!!

Okay, need to go make notes and devise a price list after I get my kid off to school. How exciting!

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[Jared77]

This is REALLY cool! I'm very excited for you!!!

One thing Id do would be to ask the owners of the co-op what's popular, what are they in demand of, what do they have a lot of, and when do the demands change for things? If I was the owner of the co-op I'd welcome that kind of email so I could help steer you to what we needed and keep our customers happy rather than have a bushels of the same stuff and lacking in other things.

This may help you plan a strategy for when to get things started, and maybe what not to grow too much of? Even something as simple as a light in the coop could help amp up production for you so your able to sell more eggs if they are in such demand.

Maybe you dabble in hydroponics to get some fresh veggies?

It may not hurt to try some new things too. Just having a different color can help you. For example the dark eggs from a Maran hen as well as blue and green from your EEs. What about orange, yellow, black, green, or striped tomatoes? What about Costoluto genovese? Or Chocolate or purple bell peppers? What about hot peppers? Flavored olive oils or vinegars? There are a ton of dried bean varieties that are eye catchers too. People usually like something thats a little out of the ordinary but still recognizable especially if its got great taste. Baker Creek has a TON of different varieties that will catch peoples eyes.

Can you include recipes? Or some info/history on the variety of tomato or something else your selling? Like tell a story about your goats, this soap came from ____ and she's a _______ who likes or is known around our place for ________. People want to feel connected about what they are buying, what they are using, or eating.

What about selling started plants? Or flowers both cut and potted?

These are all things I'd ask about. Don't be afraid to get creative or try something a little out of the ordinary. You'll learn what sells and what doesn't. Again I'm so happy you found this out what a perfect scenario for you!

As stated before please keep us posted!!!!

 

[catjac1975]

Wow Is all I can say to your family's roadside success! I met a family that put up jams and jellies at the road side on the honor system. It went well until someone cleaned them out one night. All that time and work stolen. There are a lot of wonderful people in the world and one thief can change things for ever.

You mentioned that you have 2 acres but you did not tell us if it's a busy subdivision or somewhat rural. If you have the right location a small front yard produce stand may work well for you. Or, like you have already done, a converted living room.

My wife and kids had a stand out near the road for many years. All through the '80s and early '90s. Until the state built a new road in the neighboring county and diverted the traffic away from our little road. Now we're lucky to see 10 cars a day go by. But that's a good thing.

I built the stand in 1978 and they had a good business going by 1980. They sold everything they could grow. Lettuce, cabbage, sprouts, potatoes, corn, radishes, cukes, beans, peas, squash, apples, peaches, pears, blackberries, bread, pies, cakes, cookies, and probably a dozen other things. My oldest son and oldest daughter paid their way 100% through Purdue University with the proceeds from the PlayStation Market. My wife purchased 2 new cars during the time we had the stand and every penny came from the little veggie stand. So, my point is, they can be very profitable if they are run right.

One thing that you want to think about is liabilities and family interruptions. As you know any time you do ANYTHING for a profit there are potential legal problems. Also the public can be so rude and inconsiderate that they can make your life miserable. Our drive way was 1600 ft. from the road to the house. Our produce shed was only 75 ft. from the road and we closed it down at around 6:00 PM every day. At least once a week someone would drive all the way to the house at 6:30 or 7:00 and knock on the door. We were usually in the middle of supper and they always wanted us to stop eating and go out to get them 2 or 3 ears of corn or 2 pounds of beans. Now it would have been an entirely different mater if they wanted 100 bushels of beans or 30 dozen ears of corn. I can remember my kids and my wife standing at the front door trying to explain that we were finished for the day but some of the customers would get mad anyway. They would spin their tires turning around and mess up the gravel driveway. Customers just loved to disturb family cook-outs and birthday parties. I ended up installing a big gate out near the road.

During the mid '90s the vandalism and the theft got too bad and we shut things down. I used a hay wagon and big wooden skids to drag the market stand back behind one of the barns. It's a tool shed now.

 

[bobm]

Hint... Please go to the sister site BackYardChickens.com and you will find quite a few chicken hatcheries ( advertisers) where one can order any type of chicken at quite a bit LESS IN PRICE than from a pet store type ( infalted price ) of business. ( order at least 25 or more instead of 15 for an even better price break)

 

[bobm]

I hope this idea helps you ... Since you are fairly close to a large populated area, there usually is a demand for specialty items that can be sold for a profit. After raising the so called dual purpose chickens for about a half century, I came across the CornishX chickens for meat a few years ago. These chickens are the most efficient feed to meat converters in all of chickendom. Being special crossbred bird, one has to purchase the chicks ( no fertile eggs are available) from a hatchery. They are ready to butcher in 6-8 weeks of age for about a 4-5+ lb carcass. Just read up on how to raise, feed, and care for them properly as they are not your everyday back yard chicken. There is an old Scottish proverb that one should consider ... "The eye of the master fattens the cattle"! After raising them for a few years to 8 weeks of age very successfuly, I started to raise them to only 42 days of age for a Game Hen which sells for a premium at stores and restaurants ( both male and female CornishX chicks) with a carcass weight of 2 lbs. on average. Each bird ( I raise 25 birds at a time) provides my wife and myself 2 meals each. The 42 day grow out cuts down on amount of feed as well as housing and labor for feeding and maintenance. This minimum and quick turn around equates to PROFIT . Since you are at a higher elevation, these birds may have more of a difficulty in getting enough oxygen to be raised to 8 weeks due to their very rapid growout rate. So I would consider to raise them to 42 days for a Game Hen size, which I think would be more profitable for you anyway. (Please read up on your state ( each state has it's own ) rules and regulations on butchering, packaging and marketing chickens first before you start on any venture [ if too restrictive, one can also sell the bird as "live" then provide a butchering as a service at NO cost] ). Good luck !

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

How much did you sell your 42 week 2 lb game hen for? I think there are already a couple farmers selling chicken at the co-op, plus I'd have to take them to be slaughtered which costs $3 per bird. I can't do it at home.

Besides the 25 month-old chicks in my garage, this morning I ordered 20 easter egger chicks from mypetchicken. First time I'd used them but McMurray won't resume shipping for another several weeks. This 20 I'll get Dec 11 or 12.

Sent an e-mail to co-op owner with price list of what I have available, the seeds I have to grow this summer, and asking what they were lacking last summer. What they need most. Perfect timing since I still have a few herb and other seeds to get. And I do usually order all my seeds from Baker Heirloom (www.rareseeds.com). I've used them for as long as I've gardened.

Adding a light to the outdoor chicken coop this weekend, and working on building 1 large 2-section chicken coop (jury-rigged, in our goat girls' pasture) to move our bantams and all eggers into in the Spring. Hope my silkie roo can handle 20+ girls!

 

[catjac1975]

I cannot imagine you could even break even with chickens.

 

[bobm]

I now raise as well as slaughter the CornishX chicks to 42 DAYS of age myself for our own consumption. If you have to pay $3.00 per bird to slaughter them, there is very little/ no chance for a profit. I wouldn't pay those high prices for chicks from a pet outfit. There are about a half dozen other hatcheries besides McMurry. Bantoms are the most inneficient converters of feed to eggs as they lay some of the fewest as well as the smallest eggs per year. However, the Orientals will buy these black skinned silky chickens at a premium price to make a soup that they claim has medicinal properties. If you hope to raise the resulting chicks as egg layers using your silky rooster on your layer hens... one will go backwards in egg production due to their now new genetics. I would purchase sex- linked layer chicks as producers of colored eggs as they are much more efficient in converting feed to eggs and will lay almost as many eggs as a commercial Leghorn hen. Also, another idea ...there is a lady just down the road from us that grows about a 1/4 acre of about 6 types of Lavender. She ( and 2 part time empoyees) makes all types of products ( such as drinks, soaps, perfumes, food flavorings, etc.) from them at her home as well as on the internet for about 10+/- years now and she makes a profit doing this. Good luck !

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

if you're thinking of doing the veggies starting early next spring or late into the fall you might want to look into some hoop houses to help keep the supply going. a good site if you're looking for info on doing some market gardening is www.johnnyseeds.com they have some good articles on how to do the high and low tunnel houses. they have some nice varieties of seeds and occasionally have some good deals, but their shipping is a little higher than i think it should be if all you're buying is seeds.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

We have bantams because some of our egg customers like the little eggs in with the bigger eggs, and the colors are beautiful. We sell "mixed colors, mixed sizes" dozens and 18-counts. The silkies always hatch at least 2 clutches a year each, and some of our crosses started doing the same. Plus we just like the silkies.

You all are right: we won't make a profit selling chickens as meat. Looked into it 3 years ago when we moved out here, but the numbers don't add up to profit. Selling eggs, however, does.

I've been waiting for hubby to make a hoop house for 2 years; guess I'll look into getting a pre-made. We would need low ones because we're on a ridge that gets wind gusts (all year round) up to 58 mph, and that's just an average. Also prone to microbursts (mini tornadoes): lost two chicken houses that way. Now we cement everything!

Thought about lavender. Will have to look into it a little more. Lavender flavor IS all the rage now.