Hi grass city, I'm posting to see if any of you have had experience with selling produce from any of your gardens. I am very familiar with gardens, my family farms and we always have a huge garden. well my grandpa can no longer garden so I figured I would make my own this summer and try making a nice living off it. me and my cousin are also going to start a shiitake mushroom farm, if anyone is familiar with it we might spore 500 logs this spring. I think I am going to build a stand to leave in our local town on some property my grandpa owns that gets plenty of traffic by it, just leave the shit out there and use the honor system for paying (it's a small town) plus if people need to steal small amounts of food I wouldn't care if they couldn't pay for it. so obviously at that stand it would be your mainstream produce (tomatoes,lettuce, peppers n shit) but I know of a few farmers markets in town and have heard of farmers making a LIVING selling at farmers markets. now I don't want to just sell the boring shit at farmers markets, I want to make my own niche. things like value added products, where you take produce and transform it into a different product (soap, chopped salads, chip shiitake mushrooms) my examples suck, but I hope you get what I am trying to say. maybe sell bundles pre bagged for smoothies, meals, or juicing. I am very interested in culinary and medicinal herbs, I think there are a lot of people at farmers markets that would try using these things to solve their ailments or to just stay healthy in general. I believe people are making a transition away from industrial farming and food. you may not have the same beliefs, but there are more and more people wanting local, organic food. the number of farmers aren't growing fast enough to accommodate these demands. I will be 20 this summer, and want to farm for a living. I have experience from gardening, hogs, cattle, hay, and field crops from the past 5 or 6 years of farming. if anyone has any advice from their experiences, or can suggest unique ideas or products that are popular at farmers markets I would greatly appreciate it. basically I want some original ideas thanks for reading! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I love the little farmer sales on the side of the road. Always fresh. If you have a dream go for it brother Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Get a truck and load it with fresh organic produce, That way you can travel to other farmers markets to sell your goods. Just remember to keep it 100% organic.
Speaking of herbs, you're totally right about the growing interest in medicinal and culinary ones. It can definitely attract whole new customers, offering them with info on its uses. Think lavender sachets, dried herb mixes for specific ailments, or even little starter herb gardens people can take home. As for your concerns about competition, don't sweat it. More farmers are more diverse offerings, which is awesome for everyone. Plus, your unique value-added approach will set you apart. Network with other vendors, collaborate, and learn from each other. The farmers market community can be super supportive. I have been exploring on how to have sustainable gardening in Sydney too. It has been really interesting and fun. I hope you find yours, too.