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  • From: Liannan88 AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Hoes & Other Stuff
  • Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 00:03:47 EDT

Greetings all!
I'm a small market farmer in the Decatur, TX area & this is my second year growing on a larger scale than in my backyard.  I have about 2 acres under production right now, with another 2 possible after I see how this year goes with watering (unlike the rest of you, we've had a severe drought this spring!).

Re: garden tools:  I use a small JD tractor with Tiller attachment to do the ground-breaking, a front-tine tiller between 5 ft tractor bands for weed control, & an Earthway seeder for SOME of the planting.  I have found that, for me, everything else is best done by hand.  There seems to be a myth that mechanization makes everything easier, & I have found that this just isn't always the case.  My favorite garden tools are a pair of old Rollerblade kneepads (sturdy plastic cup with strap-on velcro elastic) & a long vinyl ground-cover, 2 ft wide, that I've fashioned out of long vinyl tablecloths, cut lengthwise & sewn together.  I have some knee & hip problems & I find that just getting down on the ground & staying there is the easiest way to do my gardening.  I pull most weeds by hand & time my weeding with thinning, pest control, & picking, so that while I'm on the ground anyway, I get more done!  Plus, there's something to be said for getting that "up close & personal" with your crop & your soil - you learn things you wouldn't otherwise.  And it does NOT take anymore time than doing it with a hoe!

Re: Having a partner to start a small farm operation with:  I'd advise against it.  Instead, I would start small & only do as much as you (& willing members of your family!) can take care of alone.  One acre farmed very intensively is worth 5 farmed haphazardly!  Also, it is difficult, if not impossible, to farm a larger acreage without resorting to chemical fertilizers & pesticides.  Soil amendments & pest control takes time, even when using cover crops & organic methods.  It is important to see what you are capable of before you bring others into the fold.  Not to mention how much you will learn the first year.  I made the mistake this year of bringing a neighbor into my enterprise (the enterprise being the "selling" part), only to find that he isn't the slightest bit interested in the gardening part, only in making money.  He wants me to think for him, his family to do the work for him, & me to cart his wares to the market for him.  Market farming is something that has to make your heart sing, or it will become a drudge, & if you have someone on your team that doesn't absolutely love it or that has different ideas concerning farming or marketing, you will soon despise them!

Also, when you go to the market, remember that there are other side enterprises that you may become interested in as you visit there weekly & begin to get a feel for what your customers want.  In my case, some of those things include offering baked & canned goods, vegetable bedding plants, fresh herbs, & fresh eggs & chicken.  It is important (for the first year) anyway, to pace yourself a little & find out what your opportunities may be before spending every waking minute producing huge quantities of a product that you may have to unload cheaply because you have too much of.

Maridian Carlton
Clementine's Agro Products
Bridgeport, Texas


  • [Market-farming] Hoes & Other Stuff, Liannan88, 06/19/2003

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