Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

First, we don't pretend to be experts and we don't have experience with
growing or selling fruit, eggs, or the usual value added products like
honey or cheese. What we've learned is from the Internet and our first
season growing and selling in our new location east of Abq. We're on fixed
incomes so we needed to do well to even justify putting time and money into
it. So the previous summer we went to check out the farmers market in Santa
Fe, knowing it's supposed to be in the top ten across the U.S. 

And it is. We saw maybe 200 vendors, food ready to eat, music, tabling by
various organizations, the whole enchilada. We looked to see which were the
busiest growers. The busiest had tables loaded with a variety of common
vegetables, such as Scarlet Nantes carrots. Lesson #1. Some tables had one
or two kinds and few customers. Others had even less, or things few
customers would be interested in, and the vendors sat there like a bump on
a log. And people walked by them without stopping to look. Lesson #2. So we
took another look at what was selling. Some hybrids, some heirlooms, but
most of the growers we asked had no idea what variety they had, what kind
of carrot or tomato. Uh ... maybe some Early Girls or Celebrities .. Lesson
#3. 

>From all this it made sense for us to offer a good variety of the kinds
people want most, and to find a way to set our produce apart from others
with the same things. That's another story.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 12/1/2007 at 7:48 AM E. E. Mitchamore Jr wrote:

>When you read the following statement, you say "of course", but I think
>it's worth repeating.  It's very rare to see such concentrated wisdom in
>print.
>
>"..we need to sell to as many people as possible - almost
>everyone who stops at our table. We can't afford to just have one thing to
>sell and give up on everybody who's not there for that. To make our time
>worthwhile, we need something for everybody - far as that's reasonable. We
>focus on varieties that are bought most by home cooks, and those that are
>fairly easy for us to grow and harvest."
>
>Let's hear more on the business of market gardening.  I think it would
>help overcome some of the uncertainty that prevents people from taking the
>plunge.  From my research, I'd say there is plenty of guidance on growing,
>but precious little on growing for market.
>
>E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
>www.hillcountrynatives.biz
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: TradingPostPaul 
>  To: emitch@att.net ; livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org 
>  Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 9:43 PM
>  Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] New Farmers
>
>
>
>  We do have some trading with other vendors who have apple pie, goat
>cheese,
>  apples etc. But the point of going to market is cash income because we
>put
>  money and time into the growing and selling. Otherwise, whatever
>vegetables
>  we might want from them we grow ourselves and ours tastes better. 
>
>  Now about the specialization: bad idea. It's like this. We're going to
>  spend three hours (five counting travel and setup) at the nearest market
>  and spend gas money (plus another once a week market an hour away), so
in
>  that three hours we need to sell to as many people as possible - almost
>  everyone who stops at our table. We can't afford to just have one thing
>to
>  sell and give up on everybody who's not there for that. To make our time
>  worthwhile, we need something for everybody - far as that's reasonable.
>We
>  focus on varieties that are bought most by home cooks, and those that
are
>  fairly easy for us to grow and harvest. No labor intensive greens or
>cheap
>  radishes, turnips, or shell beans. So we had spectacularly good tomatoes
>  and carrots, plus red onions, garlic, summer and winter squash,
shallots,
>  golden beets, french melons, etc. That's our first season just learning
>the
>  ropes. 
>
>  We have friends there selling their honey and their raspberry products,
>but
>  they obviously can't sell to people wanting tomatoes or squash. They
have
>  good products, but we sell far more total. We have to. Now the indoor
>  winter market starting Nov., monthly, gets almost no customers. We went
>  anyway to support the market, and five other vendors. We only had half a
>  dozen customers show up, but still took in $54. Because we had some good
>  variety including the last of the tomatoes. Specialization is for
>insects. 
>
>  On feeding 20 - 30 people, let's do the math. If you're selling a good
>  variety to that number of people half the year, you may total a thousand
>  dollars or more from each. Multiply. Throw in a specialty crop or value
>  added items and the sky's the limit. Of course if you're only selling
>honey
>  or raspberry stuff you may get fifty from each throughout the season. 
>
>  This isn't glamorous or a get rich quick scheme; it just works. 
>
>  paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>
>  *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>
>
>
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