Market Farming

["Shelley Pasco" <whistle AT halcyon.com>]

1. I guess you mean how many do we decide on? We started with 15 the first
year, then went up to 30, then 50, this year we'll have 75. We haven't done
any advertising. The first year we wound up in an article in a small
community newspaper and it's just taken off from there. Word of mouth.

2. We start out by making a list of what people should get each week. Then
check the comparative value of supermarket and organic produce here. We
average it all together and end up with $300 for small shares and $450 for
large shares for 25 weeks.

3. No contract. We make sure everyone understands that we don't promise them
the moon. Things may fail and other things may go overboard. We just promise
them lots of food for their tables, and we plant lots of contingency crops.

4.We guarantee that they'll get variety. We don't guarantee quantity, and we
don't get specific. Once things are up and going, we make sure they get
something from all the departments: roots, greens, fruiting plants, onions.
We do farmers markets too, so we usually have lots of produce, we just keep
a good variety.  They usually don't get lots of the specialty stuff, like
artichokes and radicchio, that's for markets. But if there's enough, they'll
get a taste.

Shelley
Whistling Train Farm
Kent, WA

----------
>From: KWallie AT aol.com
>To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
>Subject: Information on subscription gardens, please?
>Date: Thu, Feb 3, 2000, 6:45 AM
>

> when i joined the list, it was at the tail-end of a discussion of
> subscription gardening..got me to thinking, and i think i would really like
> information..
>
> 1..how do you determine subscribers?
>
> 2..how do you go about pricing?
>
> 3..do you do a contract?
>
> 4..do you guarantee that subscribers get X pounds of produce each week, X
> number of varieties, or just they get a percentage of your weekly harvest?
>
> am really curious now, spoke with our county agent yesterday and now he is
> curious too...looking forward to lots of good information...katherine
>
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