Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - [Livingontheland] Sell Your Produce at the Farmers' Market

livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Sell Your Produce at the Farmers' Market
  • Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:20:19 -0600


Had to pass this one on! Do check out their website also ...

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
------------------------------------------

Sell Your Produce at the Farmers' Market
A guide from backyard garden or farm to the market
http://www.urbanharvest.org/programs/market/sellproduce.htm

Imagine this scenario: you have a garden and at the moment you have more
produce than you can reasonably eat or easily give away. What can you do?
Why, you can pile your extra produce into your car, appear with it at the
Bayou City Farmers’ Market, and sell it to eager buyers for cash. True,
you may not get rich this way, but you will end up with some extra money
and have a good time in the bargain. Our customers are hungry for what you
have: high quality homegrown fresh produce. Don’t let your hard work go
to waste; share the fruits of your labor with eaters who will appreciate
it. You might even find that you enjoy spending time at the market, taking
the air while you chat up the customers and your fellow vendors.

Just how does this work? you may be asking. Just what exactly do I need to
do? Ah, you’re in luck. I’m going to tell you.

1. Figure out what you’ve got to sell. It can be practically any fresh
fruit, vegetable, or herb, but it needs to be absolutely fresh. Wilted or
tired stuff won’t sell.

2. Call or email the market manager (that’s me, Jacquie Miller) to
announce your intention to come sell. This step enables me to make sure we
have enough table space for you. If you don’t call, you can still come
sell. If you call but something happens and you can’t make it, I’ll be
okay with it. But really, I work best when I have some idea of what to
expect.

3. Pick it, clean it, bundle or bunch it, and keep it fresh until the next
market. We have markets on Wednesday afternoons (4 pm till 7 pm) and
Saturday mornings (8 am till noon). Keep your units (bunches, bags, etc.)
to a consumer-friendly size and give some thought to the most attractive
way to display them. Give buyers every chance to see how beautiful your
produce is; bring some baskets or tubs to put the vegetables in that will
show them off to their best advantage.

4. Label and price your produce clearly. You can put labels on bags
(“flat leaf parsley, $1”) or bring a sign that lists everything. If you
can specify the variety, so much the better. Patrons of farmers’ markets
want to know that kind of thing. Also bring pictures of your garden if you
have any handy; they are a good sales tool. Paste them on a piece of paper
and put them in a plastic sheet protector that you can tape to the front
edge of the table, or get an acrylic sign holder from an office supply
store.

5. Collect some basic change, at least enough to get the day started. A
separate envelope, fanny pack, or wallet is useful for this. Mainly you
need some ones, maybe a couple of fives, maybe some quarters, depending on
your prices. You will be collecting your own money and making your own
change, but if you need more change it’s generally easy to get it from
other vendors. You’ll need a pen too, and maybe some tape to stick your
signs up with. Also bring some plastic shopping bags for your customers to
carry their purchases in.

6. Pack your produce up to put in the car, giving some thought to how to
keep it fresh for the duration of the market. Ice chests are good for this
purpose.

7. Head to the market site, 3000 Richmond, aiming to arrive at least half
an hour before the market opens. So be there by 3:30 pm on Wednesday
afternoon or by 7:30 am on Saturday morning. The market manager (me again)
will direct you to the area of the market known as the “Gardener’s
Corner.” You may need to help set up the tables, put on the tablecloths,
put up the banner or the tent, or in some other way help set up. You will,
in cooperation with the other gardeners who have showed up to sell, agree
on an equitable division of table space.

8. Ask the market manager for a gardener’s inventory sheet. (You can
download one ahead of time; this will save you time when you get to the
market.) Fill it out with your name and list what you have brought to sell
and the prices. You will record your sales on this sheet and turn it in at
the end of the market. If you are unsure about what prices to charge for
things, you can wait until you get to the market and see what others are
charging. Also, your fellow gardeners may have useful advice.

9. Set up your produce on your portion of the table, taking care to see
that your display is attractive and shows off your produce to its best
advantage. Make sure that your signs are clearly visible, with name “
baby carrots” and price “$2/bunch”. Set your inventory sheet and pen
on the table behind your display so that you can record your sales as you
make them.

10. When the market opens, stand with your produce and talk to passers-by
about what you have. If someone slows down or takes a second look, take
that as an invitation to start a conversation. “I grew those carrots
myself!” Tell people about how you like to cook them, or how your
grandmother cooked them, or what varieties are your favorite. Tell them
about your garden, what else is coming on, what problems you ran into and
how you solved them. Take pride in your produce and enjoy the
conversations. Make suggestions. “My carrots are so sweet they can just
be steamed and served plain, but they would go great with some of the mint
that my neighbor here grew himself, chopped and sprinkled on top, with a
little butter.” People come to a farmers’ market for the personal
interactions as much as anything; stay on your feet and talk to them! Maybe
you’ll find someone who wants to learn gardening and you can talk them
into volunteering at a community garden. Maybe you’ll send them home with
the carrots that will turn their kid into a fiend for carrots. However it
goes, you’re sure to have a good time.

11. Ask your neighbor to mind your stuff for a few minutes so you can walk
around and enjoy the rest of the market. Check out the other vendors and
see what they’ve brought, how they’ve priced it, and how they display
it.

12. Even if you’ve sold everything you brought, stick around until the
end of market so you can help with the tear-down. Everything that we put
out for the market (tents, tables, signs, banners, etc. etc.) has to be
packed up and put away. Next time, bring more stuff to sell! Turn in your
inventory sheet to the market manager (we need it for our records), stick
your money in your pocket (it’s all yours to keep or use as you please)
and head home with a satisfied smile.

Jacquie Miller
Market Manager
Bayou City Farmers' Market
a project of Urban Harvest






  • [Livingontheland] Sell Your Produce at the Farmers' Market, TradingPostPaul, 07/30/2007

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page