Growing for Market in partnership with Johnny’s Selected Seeds has created a library of expert information about growing and selling vegetables and flowers. Links in the article will take you to johnnyseeds.com. Subscribe to Growing for Market for more great ideas about growing and marketing! For more topics in the series, click on Market Farming […]
Record Keeping Key To Successful Farming Read More »
Loaded Bikes is a non-profit organization in Chicago that encourages the use of bicycles and trailers as an alternative to cars. Since 2009, Loaded Bikes has offered a CSA delivery service that starts at $8 a week. One of the founders, Margot Considine, says: “We provide the link between farms and customers who are unable
A different kind of home delivery service Read More »
Ever think about building your own tractor? Most farmers haven’t, but that could eventually change as word spreads about LifeTrac, an open source tractor that can be built for $4,000 in materials. LifeTrac (shown above) is the prototype machine from Open Source Ecology, a project started by Marcin Jakubowski in 2003. Jakubowski earned a
By Josh Volk Most of my experience comes from working on farms that are under 20 acres, but there are lots of folks I know who are working significantly more than that. In March I took a trip down to California, hoping to see a little sunshine after what has turned out to be an
California organic farms equipment is bigger, but not radically different Read More »
The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is an invasive species that is emerging as a serious problem. It is thought to have arrived on the East Coast from Asia and has been officially documented in 33 states. It has over 300 host species, causes tremendous damage, and so far, has no reliable methods of control,
New, devastating stink bug is spreading across the U.S. Read More »
Someone said recently the new federal food safety law was friendly toward small farmers, that if your annual sales are less than $500,000 you’re pretty much off the hook. Someone didn’t quite get the whole story. While it is true that the 89-page federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) “exempts” smaller farmers from some new
New food safety regs take market vendors in PA by surprise Read More »
Our workers are in college or a few years out. They live at the farm. When not working, they cook and house-keep cooperatively. This tribal experience — living where you work, working where you live — has many good effects. Although a temporary, seasonal grouping, they form a community more quickly than if everyone
Tribal: Benefits of living with young workers Read More »
By Pam Dawling Cucumbers are very easy to grow, apart from dealing with pests and diseases! My information files on cucumbers are 90% information about these challenges. Cucumber varietiesCucumbers can be divided into two basic types in several ways: • Slicers and picklers. Among slicers there are the standard American types (Open-pollinated Marketmore types and
Cucumbers: Easy except for the pests, diseases Read More »
Home delivery services of fresh produce are proliferating across the U.S. and Canada. These businesses run the gamut from corporate supermarkets to mom-and-pop entrepreneurs. Total sales are estimated at $200-300 million a year. Thanks to the popularity of local food, many produce delivery services are seeking to buy from growers. But is selling to
Home delivery: competitor or ally? Read More »
Growing for Market in partnership with Johnny’s Selected Seeds has created a library of expert information about growing and selling vegetables and flowers. Links in the article will take you to johnnyseeds.com. Subscribe to Growing for Market for more great ideas about growing and marketing! For more topics in the series, click on Market Farming
Attract Essential Pollinators To Your Garden Read More »
