Market Farming Basics

If you're thinking about, or just getting started in direct marketing, welcome to the business! It's a great way to make a livelihood. Being a farmer means working out of doors, being your own boss, meeting challenges and surmounting them, caring for a piece of land, and, most of all, doing the important work of feeding people.

All over the United States and Canada, families are making a decent income from direct marketing of food and flowers. Their businesses range from the 1-acre market garden that provides extra income for retirement or college, to the 100-acre vegetable farm that supports several generations. Market farmers come from all walks of life -- from conventional farms, of course, but also from urban occupations with no farming experience.

Market gardening is also unique in that it doesn't take a lot to get started -- a few acres, some basic equipment, a love of growing things, an intellectual curiosity, and a genuine enjoyment of hard work.

The articles below were created in a collaboration between Growing for Market and Johnny's Selected Seeds to introduce you to some of the basic information you need to know to succeed as a market gardener.

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These articles have recently been added to Growing for Market Online

Heat tolerance in plants Jul 27, 2010: "Is it hot enough for you?"
You've probably heard that question more than a few times during the dog days of summer. If you're like most growers, your main concern is not for yourself (you can get out of the heat!) but for your crops. Most vegetables, even those we think of as heat-loving vegetables, don't do well when temperatures soar into the 90s and stay there. In this article, we'll focus on production, harvest and postharvest solutions to summer's heat.

Taking Care of Tomatoes Jul 1, 2010: If you’re like most growers, tomatoes are one of your most important crops, either because you make the most money from them or because your customers demand them. Such an essential crop deserves special treatment to enhance flavor, appearance, and yield. The best way to improve your tomatoes is to prune and train them. Here’s why.

Scouting for Pests and Diseases Jul 1, 2010: One of the fringe benefits of weeding is that while you are out there hoeing or hand pulling weeds, you can monitor crops for any signs of damage from pests or diseases.

Extend your selling season with storage vegetables Jun 9, 2010: Thanks to the local foods movement, many people want to buy locally grown vegetables long after the first frost, even after farmers markets close for the winter. In response, many market farmers are finding ways to sell produce throughout the winter. CSA winter shares, home delivery, and indoor winter markets are potential venues for cold-season sales.
Storage vegetables are an important component of winter marketing. More than a dozen types of vegetables can be held for 30 days or longer — some as long as six months — given appropriate conditions.

Reprinted from JSS Advantage November 2009.

Weed Control Stratagies Jun 1, 2010: Here are some sobering statistics as you begin the weeding season on your farm or market garden: A Minnesota study found that a square foot of soil, 6 inches deep, contained from 98 to 3,068 viable weed seeds. Many seeds remain viable for decades; Jimsonweed has a 90 percent germination rate after 40 years in the soil and field bindweed seeds are viable for more than 50 years. All those seeds are just sitting there, in what is known as the “weed seed bank,” waiting for favorable conditions that will allow them to germinate.

Update your market display Sep 1, 2009: An axiom of retail merchandising is that after September 1, it's autumn. It doesn't matter if the weather is still hot and leaves won't change color for another month. Nor does it matter that the start of autumn is officially three weeks away. Once the kids are back in school, and the days get noticeably shorter, people want to celebrate the change of seasons.

Keep Flowers from Wilting Aug 1, 2009: Cut flowers are prone to wilting in summer, especially when they're on display at a farmers market or farm stand on a hot day. And nobody wants to buy a bunch of wilted flowers. To prevent premature wilting, follow good harvest and post-harvest procedures. Here are the basics.

Food Safety and the Heat Aug 1, 2009: Pathogenic bacteria thrive in warm temperatures, so pay particular attention to food safety when harvesting, washing, packing, and storing produce in the summer. The guiding principle in food safety should be to prevent pathogens from getting onto your produce in the first place. A set of standards known as Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) is designed to do just that.

Shading Crops Aug 1, 2009: In hot climates around the world, vegetables and cut flowers are grown under shade cloth to reduce heat and light intensity, resulting in better quality and higher yields.

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