Thanks!

well, what sorts of mistakes were you meaning? marketing, growing, planning?

I think that food safety issues are the place that you can make the worst mistakes. Improper storage, using manure on fields, washing tomatoes with cold water, these are the things that could kill your business and worse your customer!

At market, don't go in and under cut....it makes the established vendors mad and it will only win you those customers that don't value your hard work (the customers that the established vendors would rather weed out anyways)

At the farm-gate (if you are going that way) build the most attractive sales shed that you can afford. The market gardens that have come and gone in my area did not pay enough attention to this and they didn't last long. People want to have an 'experience' so give it to them, even if you think the folksy stuff is tacky - make your displays clean, clean, clean and fun!

Growing - don't rely on growing tips on the seed package. Every micro-climate is different. We are in a (US zone) 3 but successfully grow hot peppers and varieties of squash that need a longer season by using high tunnels, row cover, bio-degradable black mulch and starting indoors so we can get the timing right.

What province are you in?

I also found that, after jumping through several hoops to be legal, clean, and safe, that home-made treats outsell veggies 2 to 1. People do want that old-fashioned taste of sugar, not high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and preservatives. Good ol' chocolate chip, peanut butter, and sugar cookies sell out every week. Brownies and date-nut bars do not; and never, ever make treats from pre-packed boxes or mixes. Any leftovers should be given to your local doctor's office or food bank, not offered for sale again the next week. Don't offer treats that melt in the sun. Make sure you label everything with the ingredients because there are a lot of people with allergies, or have a handout that they can take with them, or read. I've found that labels with my farm name and phone numbers have garnered a lot of special requests during the week.

An attractive table means working at it all day to keep it tidy and condensed. Several different heights of displays look more inviting. Bring another table cloth just in case someone spills something or gums it up. Put small signs out with the prices because some people are afraid to ask. Don't sit in a chair when a customer comes up to your table. Great each person and smile a lot. Welcome them to the Market; invite conversation, then shut up. Some people will tell you their life's story but most just say something about the weather. Ask if they would like a sample but keep the covered tray out of general reach - or you'll spend your profit on the grazers who won't buy anything.

Stress that you are local, your stuff is not grown on a big commercial farm, and that everything is picked fresh within the week of sale, if it is true. I often pick or bake something in the very early morning of the Market day so I can say they are the freshest they can get.

Be honest and fair to keep your good name. Keep your money on your body (pockets or apron) and never show a big wad; separate it so you have change for a twenty to pull out. You might want to have business cards and handouts about your farm and offerings, or what is in season by month. I also note that mine is a small private farm, not open to the public, and that produce is seasonal. If you sell eggs, have pictures of your girls posted.

Treat yourself to lunch or dinner after Market ends. You deserve it.

Nancy

Some of my customers are the old "german, polish" ex-farmers as well as inner city families, new immigrants etc. that do look for value. I have the highest prices at my market. Sometimes they will tell me what another vendor is charging and I will tell them to go ahead and purchase from that vendor b/c we all need the business. 9 times out of 10 they will just get in line and buy from me anyways. So I do think there is the perception that quality comes with a higher price.

We will see though, what happens this year when economic times are tough. canuckistani, will have to also do some research about his own market location, culture and average price. Most markets in canada have strong regulations against undercutting and dumping so he may not have a choice about price.

But, then again, we are in Canada, maybe it is some sort of "socialist republic". But last time I checked farmers in the USA and here are generally not being paid enough for their hard work providing a basic human right ...food...

I try to stay with most of the other longer-timed vendors. I found that the newbies usually were either too high or too low on prices. If I find a newbie with a price really low, I suggest that they might raise their prices and tell them to check other vendors' prices. They usually raise their prices alittle. I also refer customers to those newbies, if I run out or don't have what the newbie has. Our market has a $25/fee daily for daily vendors, so everyone needs to be able to make that much or more.

Lo and behold, my sales have actually increased. I have also learned not to be the lowest priced seller, but I definitely don't try to be the highest either. Another thing I was surprised to learn- my sales increased as I raised my prices.

I've been at this fifteen years, and still have lots to learn. I do sell a fair amount from home, I have my yard set up with display gardens, and it really does help sales. Though I don't clear as much as I would selling at the farmer's market, I don't miss the loading/unloading...set-up/take-down...loading/unloading again, and the plants do better without all that jostling around.

Take pictures of your display/stand. Then look at them with a critical eye. Until you build up a clientèle you are going to rely on impulse buys so you need to attract/draw them in.

Let me say never undersell so that no one makes a profit from their labor. You can not survive on $2 an hour for your work. and you should not push down your friends who are in your same business down to nothing. You must learn to support your profession as worth some money. You must believe in your heart that a good farmer deserves to earn a living and survive in society. You do not deserve to live in poverty.

You hurt yourself and every other farmer in the world if you work for free. You help every other farmer and yourself when you demand and get reasonable prices for you work. But you must work at it and learn how to be successful. it takes time. love your job and you will be successful.

Like buying plug flats and pots by the case because they were cheaper by the case, instead of in batches of 10 for a lower initial investment and making do more with scavenged and reused. I bought 3 gallon pots to grow (prechilled) bulbs in, because I didn't know a local nursery sold bulb crates- cheap.

I bought a case of berry boxes online, and later learned that a relatively nearby Southern States (farm/garden supply) sold them individually. Again, I could have bought by the dozen as I needed them.

I didn't join Costco, where I could have saved a bundle on bulbs, bareroot plants, etc.

I was way undercapitalized anyway, but when I eventually gave in and went back to a day job, these mistakes probably accounted for extra hundreds of dollars of debt.