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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] farm plan #3: organic transplants

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  • From: road's end farm <organic101 AT linkny.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] farm plan #3: organic transplants
  • Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:56:27 -0500


On Jan 10, 2006, at 8:31 PM, Strawberry Wine wrote:

There's about 6000 sq ft of greenhouse space here.  We're researching the viability of growing organic tranplants.  There are several CSA's and organic growers near us so the market is here (we'd also offer seedlings to retail customers--the greenhouses are located less than 1/2 mile from a major highway (easy access) and 5 miles from a major interstate) but first we'd have to get certified organic.  I need advice on this because i've been outta the loop for awhile.
 
Currently the houses are in use for annual transplants, most of which are not grown here.  What Joe's dad does grow is borderline organic already (though he's a very messy plantsman!!)  He's slowing down due to age so the greenhouse business as it's been conducted will slow down or go away unless we decide to take them over and do the organic transplants with them.  And to go organic will require a hu ge amount of time and effort because they are in severe need of cleaning up...they're workable, just need some long neglected maintenance.
 
Is there enough variety of organic seed out there to justify this transition??  Are organic transplants in enough demand for this to be an ongoing endeavor??  I don't want to go what we will have to go through to do this if it appears to be for a short-lived demand.
 

I'd suggest: 1) talk to the area organic growers and ask whether they would buy from you, and if so, how much and what varieties they would want 2) talk to organic certification agencies active in your area and ask what you would have to do to these particular greenhouses to make them certifiable (e.g. would you need to replace plastic? any other materials? and what materials would be acceptable for needed repairs -- you don't want to accidentally use some wood treatment they won't accept, for instance).

You might be able to get enough organic seed, depending on what you're growing. If you really can't get enough organic seed, you ought to be able to use conventional seed as long as it's untreated -- but again, talk to your certifier first.

If there's more than one agency certifying in your area, talk to all the possibilities; while everybody is now theoretically certifying to the same standard, forms and processes may vary, and you might find one easier to work with than another; also, fees might vary.

You mention "greenhouses" in the plural; you can probably certify just one greenhouse if you want, and leave the other(s) uncertified, at least for now; you could certify the other(s) later as your organic market builds. If you want to keep growing for your current market, you might find some of the ornamentals hard to do organically; at least that's the impression I get; but I don't really do greenhouse, just my own vegetable starts. That would also let you work out the (possibly literal) bugs of organic production on just one greenhouse to start. I have the impression, again, that organic production, while certainly possible in greenhouses, is harder than in open field. I haven't had any problem with my own starts; but that's very small scale, and almost entirely vegetables.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



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