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Among successful market farms, there is a trend toward diversification and away from specialization. As growers gain experience,
they tend to add new crops and markets and extend their seasons. They
find ways to maximize income from everything they grow and put all their
land to good use.

Many create entirely different but related businesses such as mushroom production or cheese making.

Diversification is nothing new, of course. “Don’t put all your eggs
in one basket” is one of the oldest proverbs in the English language. It
has always been a plain-spoken way of expressing the fact that
spreading risk across multiple endeavors provides greater security. The
proverb that originated in farming applies more than ever to farming.

And it’s especially pertinent on a market farm, where diversification
may be the key to survival. If one variety of your most important crop
fails, another might succeed. If you lose a crop to a late frost, you
could have a succession planting coming along right behind to save the
day. If economic problems reduce sales at your main market, you should
know where else you could sell the surplus.

Diversification can be applied across every facet of growing. Here’s a
list of some of the ways growers can diversify. Not all will apply to
your business, but they may stimulate some new ways of thinking about
your operation.

Diversity in Crop Choice

A
market farm by definition grows a wide variety of crops to sell
locally. Even so, there may be other crops you have not previously grown
that you could add to your mix.

When you look through the Johnny’s catalog, think about crops that
might fit well with your current production. For example, if you grow
salad mix for early spring sales, consider adding a high tunnel of
strawberries to sell at the same time?

Could you sell herb plants or vegetable plants? Could you have
hanging baskets or flowers or strawberries ready for Mother’s Day?

In summer, could you increase your production of non-perishable
produce such as shallots and onions? Could you extend your season in
fall with storage crops like winter squash, cabbage, and kohlrabi?

Diversity in Variety Selection

Everyone knows the weather is changing and you may find that the
varieties you have always grown just aren’t as reliable anymore. At Johnny’s Research Farm,
we see differences in how varieties respond to heat, cold, insect and
disease pressure, and other environmental factors. Johnny’s and other
vegetable breeders are continuously seeking to improve upon older
varieties. If you have experienced failures with a variety, we recommend
that you trial something new against your old favorites.

Diversity Across Time

Succession
cropping is an important component of diversification. You can have
several successions of a crop by planting several varieties with
different days to maturity. Or you can plant the same variety several
times, a few weeks apart. If one fails, you haven’t lost a lot of time
in trying to replace it. You can also diversify by extending the season
with the use of hoophouses, greenhouses, and low tunnels. Using season
extension structures also reduces risk by providing protection from bad
weather.

Geographic Diversity

Your farm may have several microclimates based on topography, or you
may have fields with different types of soil. You may be able to get an
early crop from a south-facing field, which warms earlier, or keep a
cool crop going longer by planting in a field that gets some afternoon
shade. You may be able to split production between two separate pieces
of land, such as at a farm in the country and a backyard in town. Some
growers rent land away from their home farms to take advantage of
specific growing conditions such as soil type or wind protection.

In the case of Community Supported Agriculture,
growers miles apart from one another often work together to spread risk
and provide greater selection to their members. One California CSA, for
example, has two farms supplying its products; one farm is in a foggy
coastal area and can grow cool-weather crops all summer but not tomatoes
and peppers; the other farm is farther inland in a hot, sunny area that
is great for heat-loving crops.

Marketing Diversity

Choosing what to grow and when to grow it depends entirely on where
you can sell it. If you have been limited by the seasonality of a market
such as a summer-only farmers market, you could open up new
possibilities for scheduling and crop selection by selling into
different markets. Many customers are eager to buy fresh, local food.
Among the possibilities: farmers markets, CSA, supermarkets, natural
food stores, roadside markets, Pick-Your-Own, home delivery services,
restaurants, colleges, corporate dining halls, hospitals, schools, and
wholesalers.

Enterprise Diversity

Growing and selling fresh produce is enough work for most people, yet
many farmers have ancillary enterprises to help the bottom line and,
often, to provide employment year-round for valuable workers. Some
examples include: farm stores; on-farm restaurants; on-farm wedding
venues; buying and reselling other farm products through CSA or delivery
services; freezing, drying, and canning food products; crafting
seasonal decorations; bread baking; soap making; mushroom growing; tree
farming; and cheese making.

Visit Johnny’s Selected Seeds for more free
information about growing produce, herbs, cover crops and flowers.

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Reprinted

from JSS Advantage November 2011