Market or Truck Farming: Gardening to Sell Extras

[Jared77]

MyKidLuvsGreenEgz, you are counting your friend's eggs before they hatch

Agreed!

First thing to realize is its not how much you can plant, its how much you can maintain. Sure you can plant an acre of berries but if your not equipped to handle an acre of berries how many is she getting within that acre? And how much are going to waste that she can't get to?
Something else to consider, if she's got all this, who's picking all of it? Is she doing a U pick? If not who's going to pick all those berries when they come in? What are her plans with the extras? Maybe you can offer to get them at a deeply discounted price when the seasons over and she has extras and turn those into jelly and jam to sell? Maybe some kind of bartering to get them? Or maybe you can pick whatever is left over when the season ends for free. Never hurts to ask.

Does she have a compost pile? Is she composting her goat berries? Everything from her coop? Is she mulching with these goodies? If you can grow a BETTER crop you'll get the sales at the co-op. People eat and shop with their eyes first. If you have a superior product you'll sell. Even if you don't have as much the quality is there. Id rather sell out and stay diverse than have a huge crop of one thing and have my season hinge on it.

As said by Digits think creatively. Left overs get turned into something else. We do strawberry, 2 different kinds of blueberry jam (a blueberry spiced honey jam and a blueberry/rhubarb) raspberry, rhubarb, and mixed berry jams. The mixed berry is frozen left overs from when we make the other flavors of jam as they come in. Good use for the left overs that don't make up enough for another whole batch.

Id offer cheese, soap, check local laws on selling goat milk shares. Here in Michigan its illegal to sell milk shares of a dairy cow. However goat shares are perfectly legal since there is no legislation either way on them. If the demand is there then maybe expand the herd.

Have you thought of trying to get someone to set up a hive or 2 on your property for a share of honey? Contact the local bee club in your area and mention that your looking at possibly offering up your property to set up a hive on. Explain what you have on your property and a beek would be a fool not to at least look at your place for a hive set up. It wouldn't cost you a penny, they maintain it, you get some honey, and you have them pollinating your crops which will increase your production.

Maybe sell started plants of varieties not available at your nursery if that's inline with the co-op rules.

Stay diverse, and focus on QUALITY. Quantity is important but quality is what will bring people to your table again and again. The more diverse you can be the more options you have to increase your income. From everything I've read that's how the 1/4 acre people do it.

 

[BackerBunch]

Maybe sell started plants of varieties not available at your nursery if that's inline with the co-op rules.

Stay diverse, and focus on QUALITY. Quantity is important but quality is what will bring people to your table again and again. The more diverse you can be the more options you have to increase your income. From everything I've read that's how the 1/4 acre people do it.

^^Yes, this.

Im sorry but Im not familiar with your growing zone. Are you able to grow peppers? One year DH & I had more Jalapeno peppers than we could use and can. We had a food dehydrator so we dried some and went out and bought a cheap coffee grinder at Walmart. We had some old spice bottles so when the peppers were dried, we grinded them to a powder and made Jalapeno pepper pepper out of them. Since then, weve made pepper out of a number of different peppers we grew. They really come in handy in the middle of winter when we cook something and want the flavor of a certain pepper. Next summer were going to try bell pepper. (We were going to do that this past summer but I tore a cartilage in my knee and then we had several days of 109 degree temps.) Maybe you could buy some shaker spice bottles and make some specialized pepper? I didnt do much searching but here is a website on bottles you can buy. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...P&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=32-211365326-2 (I hope this works). We also dried some cherry tomatoes that were oh so good. Maybe something else you could sale if your co-op will allow?

Are you handy with an (artist) paint brush? If so, buy some 2 or 3 terra cotta pots, paint something on them and plant some herbs that you cant find in stores in them. An herb I like to grow that I cant find in stores is Par-Cel. It looks like parsley but tastes like celery (seriously). They can be a bit tricky to harden off but once they are, they are a hardy little herb. Research different herbs you can sale in little handpainted pots. A single hole punch is inexpensive. So is a spool of thin ribbon. Type up something explaining what the herb is good for and/or how it could be used and attach it to the pot.

If youre thinking about making jam to sale, I have a recipe for Kraut Salad that even people who dont like sauerkraut like. If you give away free samples people might find out they like it. Ive never canned it before but it has vinegar in it so you might be able to can it in a hot bath. Ill be glad to give you the recipe if you think it might sale. Of course, you might want to try it out for yourself first.

 

[Smart Red]

tso who will notice my little 6-ounce containers of red, yellow or purple raspberries?

I have heard the one should NOT plant the reds and the blacks near each other. The reds include red and yellow. The blacks are black and purple.

Just something you might want to check into. I plan to have mine in separate parts of the property.

Love, Smart Red

 

[HotPepperQueen]

I sold my extra plants last year and made a killing on them- paid for all my seeds and planting soil and fertilizer. I also sell eggs and I make enough selling those to pay for chicken feed and that's about it. I don't think they will ever pay for their coop. I also sell meat birds but I have the option to butcher myself on my property. Last year I butchered 65- sold half and kept half which paid for my portion. I don't really charge that much either but I've been slowly working towards raising my prices on everything. If you can find the right price so you can actually make something off of it, I really like your idea. And you will make so many memories with your family- take lots of pictures!

 

[bobm]

The best thing that you can do in addition to actually doing hands on work to make money and write off most of your expenses and possibly your property taxes is to convert your enterize into a for profit farm. Do this ASAP this year . You will need to write a business plan, how you will advertise, keep meticulous records of all transactions including receipts, get a letterhead, and a business card, open a seperate checking/ savings account, a seperate telephone, hire an accountant that specializes in farming ( NOT any accountant since most of them just parrot what YOU provide them [ this may be costly since you will be the one paying an additional tax, penalties and interest]) , and take classes/ seminars that is designed to improve your enterprize. File a schedual "F" together with your income tax returns. To be considered a for profit business , one needs to make a profit 3 out of 5 years or one is considered to have a hobby and one's enterprise's expenses can't be written off on one's income tax return. Good luck !

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Thanks for all the responses. I still have a fever so my mind is fuzzy but I'll try to remember all I can comment on:

-Black raspberries ARE supposed to be away from other colors of raspberries and blackberries, including purple raspberries. According to Stark Brother's website: "Red, Gold and Purple Raspberries and Blackberries should not be planted within 75 to 100 feet of Black Raspberries."

-Gonna keep on keeping on. Stick with our plan. Ignore her and from now on keep my lip buttoned.

-Adding sprouts to our list: alfalfa, broccoli, radish, etc. Had already sprouted some radish and sold some to our regular cheese customers. This will help our marketing towards healthy and/or raw foodies.

-WANT THAT KRAUT salad recipe because I hate sauerkraut but would love to make it to sell it.

-Can't really do this as a for-profit farm yet. Need to wait a few years. Legalities I don't want to go into on an open forum. Good idea for later tho.

-I have SO MANY seeds that are almost expired or I've changed what I want to plant. Think I'll make those little newspaper pots, sprout and sell them. Great idea, selling seedlings of things nurseries, WallyWorld and Home Depot don't sell.

-Sure my "friend" doesn't mulch or fertilize with the chicken or goat poop. I'm thinking I'll keep that tidbit to myself. I, however, make sure our muck goes on the garden beds every fall, including berry patches, and other times of the year, it goes on the compost pile.

-I'm on the Colorado eastern plains, Zone 5b. Yes, we can grow peppers. I had already planned on growing cayenne peppers this year so I'll just put out a few extra plants, grow, dehydrate, powder, and sell the extra powder. Wonderful idea! Got me thinking that all the herbs I grow and will be adding to ... I can dehydrate them and sell in the winter! BTW, I am not handy with a paint brush.

-We are brainstorming to "think creatively" and diversify. We started this little 2-acre farmette to provide for ourselves and hopefully enough to pay off the mortgage. We're getting closer.

Think that's it for now. Going back to bed in hopes that I'll wake up tomorrow with no fever, sore throat or headache.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i hope you are feeling much better tomorrow. i certainly know how you've been feeling. i went through it a few days ago and it finally broke yesterday morning. now DH has it starting up.

 

[bobm]

I hope that you will be feeling much better soon. Another thing to consider is to purchase an errors and omissions insurance policy ( possibly as a rider on your home / farm insurance policy ) as anyone that may fall ill from any sale of your products would instantly sue which would be very costly .

 

[so lucky]

That's a great idea from bobm about the insurance rider. Also, if you haven't done so, don't tell your "friend" about TEG.

And I wanted to just say---I have known people who tend to steal ideas and run with them. They are all ears when you discuss your plans and dreams. Some times it works out for them; more often they let the idea slip by the wayside because it is too much work without enough profit.
Just look at "bigmart": They have been stealing artisans' and craftmen's ideas for years. They take an idea and get someone in another country to mass produce it cheaply. (or entice the artisan to work for pennies) It will sell to the masses, cease to be unique, and become humdrum after a few years. But the real artisans and craftsmen will continue to come up with the great ideas, and make their due profits for a while.
Hang in there.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Thank you. Yes, I'm generally feeling better now but can't get myself to eat. Went to health food store today to get some supplements so I can be healthy, even if no food appeals to me. Stress from my son's upcoming hospital stay and his increasing seizures, medical bills, his personality regression... blah blah blah ... never mind.

Good idea about the rider on our homeowner's insurance policy. Just sent an e-mail to our insurance agent asking her to look into it.

We're going to remain friends with this woman but I haven't told her about TEG, BYC or anything else. Keeping our ideas to ourselves, even tho we're scheduled to have dinner there this coming Friday. Will keep things flowing, and if she picks my brain, I'll conveniently get another headache! Or cry. I do that a lot!

Had an e-mail today ... she's looking for a provider of non-gmo and organic produce and meats for her autistic kid. Little bit of a step, but hoping things continue to pickup.

BTW... anyone know where I can get plants for certified non-gmo raspberries, blackberries, fruit and nut trees?

That could be another market I didn't really explore. May cost a tad bit more in the front end, but selling the produce will mean we can ask a little bit more per pound.