Market Farming

["Hook Family" <guldann AT ix.netcom.com>]

Welcome Bill,  My husband is also a teacher and we have been farming (CSA)
for going on 5 years.  He teaches biology and environmental science and from
what I've heard he weaves the farm into teaching quite often :).  I think
your idea of 5-10 is great for the first year.  We had 10 CSA members our
first year, we are up to about 40-45 now.  I do caution one thing whether
you have 1 or 10 customers treat it professionally, not like a hobby.  Yes
we know you have outside income, but all us farmers need a professional
image.  What I mean is, have set picking hours, have set price per lb and
make it fair don't give the stuff away, you said they are upper income (give
the extra away to charity if there is surplus).  Be friendly but firm stick
to your hours and prices.  I caution this because my first year I didn't
have set hours and while it worked ok it would never work with 40 members.
Now think about what products you should have.  Remember your customers are
picking themselves what would they think was fun and relatively easy to
pick?
Suggestion, tomatoes, peppers, beans (pole could be good don't have to
bend), how about fresh soybeans they are grown like reg. beans but they
ripen all at once the best way to pick it to yank the whole plant up or cut
it at the soil line then sell it as is the customer gets to pull the beans
off.  They are boiled for about 8 min salted and eaten (just the peas not
the pod), I suppose the list goes on.  Also no reason they couldn't pick
lettuce, cabbage broccoli.  Remember you will need to have signs about where
to pick, where to walk, what not to pick, you will most likely need to give
some instructions. People tend to pull beans and the whole plant bends :).
How about fruit, of course won't be ready this year, strawberries,
blueberries, raspberries, even peaches.
Herbs and flowers cut your own would be great.  Some annual herbs that are
fairly easy to grow: basil, dill, cilantro.  Some perenials, sage, chives,
thyme.
Flowers are my most favorite.  If you have a green thumb for veggies you
will do fine with flowers.  In the Johnnys catalogue some flowers are labled
easy (icon of abc) also note they label for cutting as well.  Start with a
few of those, zinnias, cosmos, bachelor buttons (in your climate these could
probably be planted soon, early spring in New England), cleome, rudbeckia I
grew Indian Summer they bloom late the first year but lived through the
winter and bloomed early the second year they are large Blacked Eyed Susans
very beautiful.  An interesting salvia Marble Arch Mix its a good filler
flower, actually its the leaves that turn color, easy to grow and it self
seeds, snap dragons bloom sort of late but pretty (may be too hot where you
are?), calendula grows easy and self seeds, a must Sunflowers Johnnys has a
million of them.  Note the ones that say they are pollenless these are good
for cuts.  I like them all and never really notice that some get pollen on
the table but some of my customers did notice.  Then pick one or two that
are good for cutting that aren't necessarily easy and experiment.  For
example in the catalogue it lists scabiosa as easy for me not and heliotrope
as a poor germinator so a little difficult for me not ah fun.

How to advertise?  Flyers in their mailboxes?  Once you get rolling and your
10 customers realize how great your stuff tastes you most likely won't have
trouble getting more customers the following years. We advertised our sec
year could not believe the response, we literally expected 2 calls got about
50, signed up about 30.  We now have our farm listed in appropriate places,
CSA list on line, NOFA publication (dues are paid), another online location
for which dues were paid (local farm or), and our Maple Syrup operation also
listed online dues as well to Mass Maple org.  but no official paid
advertising.  I get quit a few calls/emails because of above but alot from
friends of past customers.
Its such an unknow the first year, I still think about how we felt.  I sort
of feel we've got it under control now, barely :), if only the weather would
cooperate.
Best of luck to you, Beth
> snipped message
> A big challenge at this time is how to get organized with planting layout
> and scheduling.  I would like to advertise an exclusive(5-10 customers)
> small pick-your-own to near-by upper-income families for this, my first
year.
>
> Wish I already had things growing under lights, but this weekend I plan to
> get seeds down. [I live in NC(7A)]. Have plotted out and labeled beds and
> will take soil samples this weekend, which will be sent to NC Soils Lab.
>
> I am doing a lot of reading, plan to join a few organizations, visit local
> markets and farms etc.....
>
> Please feel free to comment on this "under construction" web site. It
shows
> where I am headed, I think.
> http://www.mindspring.com/~brmurphy/ShamrockGardens/
>