Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

There are some general guides for markets, attached.

After our first season, I have a few lessons of my own to add. They may
seem obvious, but you'd be surprised at the mistakes growers make. 

You can't sell what you don't grow. Obvious? Yes, but some still show up
with very little to sell, and they sit there like a bump on a log. Plant
like no tomorrow.

Grow what people want - not always what you want. If it's hard to grow in
your area, good. Find out how. You'll be the only one selling it. Nobody
else had squash, squash bugs ruined them. But we had them, bugs and all,
and they kept producing till frost. Healthy soil. We tried turnips but
nobody wanted turnips, should have planted more Scarlet Nantes in their
place and we wouldn't have run out.

Be nice to other growers and trade with them. They can help. 

You need a wide variety to sell enough to make it worth the time. If all
you have is potatoes and onions, you can't sell to anyone looking for
tomatoes and carrots. It's logical; the more variety you have, the better
your chances of having something for everyone. The number of customers that
pass by is usually limited, so you need to sell to at least every other
person who stops to see what you have. 

Charge at least what the others are. You have to pay yourself for your time
there and your time growing. It's worth more than 50 cents an hour, but
some don't even realize they aren't breaking even. 

Have fun and chit chat with people. Don't make work out of it. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 11/18/2007 at 10:12 AM E. E. Mitchamore Jr wrote:

>Re: [Livingontheland] Farmers' Market DisappointmentI guess that's what I
>expected - a focus on farmers and their produce.  Although all of the
>booths did display a name, there was little "marketing" of their
>philosophy - no attempt to draw people in.  Has it matured enough that
>they have all the business they need?
>
>I didn't mention a small weekly seasonal market that I go to
>semi-regularly (it's "only" a half-hour away).  It is a friendly, homey
>place with lots of neighborly conversation.  Maybe that's what I expected,
>only larger.
>

Attachment: Farmers%20Market%20tips_LM.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document

Attachment: Vendor_tips.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document