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canuckistani

Cost of growing on one acre?

canuckistani
15 years ago

Just trying to get an idea of how much it might cost to grow, using organic methods, one acre worth of vegetables. I'm planning on growing heirloom tomatoes, muskmelons, gourmet greens, cucumbers, squash. Assuming I don't have to purchase any large equipment, what might be a realistic amount I might need to spend from april-oct on seed, fertilizer, row covers and mulch etc. I'm in Zone 5 btw.

Any input would be appreciated.

Comments (5)

  • gringojay
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Try to figure out how much each of the different "organic" vegetables you want to plant. Old adage of number of seeds to plant is: "one for the bird, one for the bug & one for the farmer."
    If you focus on tomatoes plan on feeding extra calcium & delivering enough water to them. Have some way to trellis/cage the indeterminates sprawl or go
    with determinates you can simply tie to stakes (or let lie on ground).
    With vine crops be prepared to battle more quickly devastating insect attacks & plan on pest controls, as well as fungal problems. Melon fruits ripening on wet ground will need a buffer barrier or may rot.
    Greens mean frequent freshening with water & quite commonly biological aphid predators.
    Your acre cultivation style will determine what equipment you need in view of
    your physical capability. If you've an "iron" constitution all preparation can be done with a long handled 2 sided pick (one side pointed & other broad adz). You neglect to describe if rows, mounds, raised beds, basins or if will be somehow irrigated.
    Mulch can be any "litter" & if you haul it over with a vehicle add on gas cost. You might collect cardboard/newspaper easier & cheaper.
    Fertilization is not same for different crops , nor their stages & salesmen will
    spin your head with products. A compost (&/or vermicompost) aerobic extraction "tea" might get you through your growing initiation - you can buy
    the raw material until produce your own.
    A manual back pack "pump" sprayer will be useful & cheaper than motorized,
    if somewhat tiring.
    Ground/row covers for an acre is unprofitable & you'd need to prioritize based on what decide to actually grow. Seedlings started early anywhere "indoors" will give you a jump when soil temperatures in region acceptable. Prolong your growing season by planning sequence of cool weather crops & don't fight with fragile ones late on.
    Hoop PVC & plastic grow "tunnels" , down the line, would let you cheat the elements. Greenhouse theory is: for every $1 invested return is $1.5.
    Harvest processing is not without cost & the more fragile produce needs
    careful handling. An acre will put out a tremendous amount of bio-mass
    for 1 person's kitchen to deal with & a series of big plunge tubs is useful to buy. Greens can be dried off by spinning & a porous pillow case full swung around is a centrifuge.
    Cool storage prior to sale is important for some crops if you can't do everything on market morning. Initially plan on minimal amounts of highly
    perishables to keep cooling investment outlay sane - home made ice in a cooler can be fiddled with to stretch out conservation.
    Transport to market is a factor if your wheels limit what amount you can carry. This means fragile crop's packing space requirements & more robust vegetables are going to be a trade off.
    Workman labor is another cost & mechanization is way to avoid relying on
    help. Your available time,physical ability & start up capital may be limited so
    plan sensiblly.

  • canuckistani
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Excellent and sage advice GringoJay...greatly appreciated.

    I plan on using rows and/or mounds, irrigation will be provided via drip for the water intensive crops.

    I was hoping to fertilize with compost, meal and mineral dust tilled into the soil at the beginning of the season, foliar sprays and manure side dressing for heavy feeders. I'm pretty fit but would rent a rototiller for a day to do the tilling.

    Mulch would be straw (how much would I need for one acre?) and/or cardboard (I could pick that up for free).

    Do you have any suggestion for the most inexpensive and not too labour intensive option for trellising squash vines?

    What would you recommend for crops...the safest options for beginners?

  • gardener1908
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    How do you use cardboard for mulching? Also, where do you get it for free?

  • gringojay
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I open the cardboard box at it's seams, lay it flat directly on top of the ground (weeds too); then I cut a square "hole" in the cardboard. For row crops I try to overlap the cardboard to keep the weeds from getting any sun all along the row (my paths get nothing because I have limited cardboard available).
    I put my transplantable seedlings into the cut open hole & also direct seed certain vegetables in their own hole.
    If you have drip irrigation set things up so the water is discharged at the hole; otherwise, do your watering so the open hole gets most of it.
    For the cardboard: try to find what is being discarded near you

  • negirl
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My favorite trellis is wire fencing attached to T-posts with zip cords. I think the stuff I use is concrete reinforcing wire, the stuff with the big square holes. not necessarily the least expensive, but twine is a pain. put your drip lines under your mulch, not on top. I don't know what your soil is like, but try growing beets. fresh beets with tops are not widly available in stores and people love them. you can cut some of the baby tops for salad mix, then bunch your thinnings in may for greens, then sell baby beets, then green tops beets, and when the tops get eaten or ugly, sell bulk beets for pickling. Just keep them well watered so they don't get bitter. You can do a spring and a fall crop also. some of my other best sellers are hakuri turnips, leeks, sweet onions, and sugar snap peas. try to find something that is not already at your market or is in short suppy. I wash all my stuff in my yard on a picnic table and in a utility tub with a hose, then pack into rubermaid containers or I put the really perisable stuff (greens, peas)in my spare, used fridge overnight. I spent about $4,000 last year including a major investment in drip irrigation and all my marketing costs. lets see, I don't get around to mulching everything, but it is easy to put 5-6 bales of hay on a 100' by 4' bed, which is how I am laid out.

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