I've seen people do this. The one I've visited went with the honesty system where they had it all in a box with a list of the prices. I think they even had a scale next to the box. It seems to work for them because they've done it for a few years. I live outside of a big city, and he lives just off the highway. Gets a lot of traffic going by. He even puts a sign by the highway when he's got stuff for sale. Right now the sign says tomato plants are for sale.
I know of the same type of system going on in different neighborhoods, where someone who has the extra, places it out for others for a small price. In this day and time, I would expect more people failing that system, but you could watch it over during certain times of the day.

I am going to try a home stand this year. We live in a semi-rural area on a very busy road. A produce stand down the road closed a few years ago due to health reasons and another one people aren't too impressed with the quality sometimes, plus they don't grow their own. I HOPE to have a good variety of produce that I have grown "naturally" myself. Will do both manned and honor system. I know it will take time to build a following but I think it will work. As far as the economy goes, people still want fresh produce and have to eat.

i had nervous jitters too ,, when i started my produce stand ,, i was 33 and just wanted to make extra money , had always been in the landscaping business ,,, i figured i,ll start with one thing , tomatoes , mine has always been a self-serve stand , the first day i opened at 4 in the afternoon , i made 22 dollars by 8 o,clock , i had no idea how much to put out , its been 11 years now , i grow everything , but tomatoes ,are my big cash crop , go for it , people love the local produce man,[women]

Here is a link that might be useful: produce stand jitters

We have a narrow 50' wide x 112' deep city lot that conects our 4 acre county property.We only have a drive and a two car carport on the city property.We clean and pack under this carport for market.But people kept pulling in and asking if our veggies were for sell.Now all we do is sell under that carport.

there u go ,, homegrown produce is a winner ,kevin lifes a garden dig it

Here is a link that might be useful: see it works

I'm going to try it this year with asparagus, I have a lot of garlic I will take to the sell barn (Its an auction selling veggies,fruits people have surplus of). Then next year will be strawberries. I just think this would be a good cash crop to work. I dont want to dedicate much time, but wouldnt mind it during the early spring when these two are coming on.

I have a stand out front on mainly the honor system with a large 4 by 8 sign with removable letters. I would not be without my stand. We are zoned agriculture so I dont need no permits being out of any city limits. Our traffic flow averages about 130 vehicles an hour during 7am-8pm in the summer month,s. A decent day we can sell 100-150 dollars.
Its got a self serve system, but if I am available I am glad to wait on customers personally. You sell more by being there in person. (As far as theft it,s less than 5%) Mark.

obrionusa, where is the sale barn (auction) that you go to? I'm always looking for sources and outlets.

Marla

We are adding a stand this year. What I'm trying to figure out is how to keep the produce fresh on say a wagon, or under a tent all day long. Just a few hours at farmers markets can damage crops (wilt greens, make cucumbers limp, etc) - so having produce on display even longer has to make for a lot of waste. I was thinking I could always pick as needed, but I know many customers will not want to wait the few minutes it takes me to harvest what they want. I could keep things in coolers, but then the display is lacking.

I'm sure I can come up with some ideas, like placing produce in a bin, and place that bin in a larger, ice-filled bin. Thought I'd ask here if anyone has any great ways to display products that also help to keep them fresh. Thanks!

Hi, here is what I do.
Pick a shaded spot and open early in morning like 7 am.
1. pick greens around 6:30 and rinse with cold water hose till clean then shake good and bag in plastic t-bag (whole plants with rubber band around bottom and leave roots on. place roots down in bag. this way they will stay ok for a long time.
only put out a couple. when they sell add more.
2.cukes in shade do pretty good. if you pick and put out early they will cool with the air and dew.
3.tomatos are all set all day.
4. peppers put out early and well shaded they will be fine all day.
never over stock your stand or over-pick . pick fresh as needed.
if you can! always wait on people at your self serve stand. they will buy more with a little salesmanship. if you have something not shown offer to pick it fresh while they wait.
people love this.
the secret is too sell out by end of day so don,t pick to much until you feel out your avg. daily sales.
mark

I would pick, wash and refrigerate greens a day before sale and than put them in a cooler with ice packs wrapped in towels and signs making it clear the greens are in a cooler. Things like tomatoes, sweet corn, melons, etc., should be fine without refrigeration.

I got a reach in refrigerator for my store several years ago and will not go back to no fridge willingly-with it the produce lasts several days, not hours and the quality is much, much higher. I do a lot of berries and greens so the fridge saves me a lot of money.

I rent my farm land on a very busy junction but on the other side they let a guy rent with a big stand who buys and resells. Even still, in 2009 when I opened a little self-serve table on the other side of the property it sold pretty well. In 2010 I didn't have extra produce- maybe this year I will again.
I had a table or two (really heavy table) with a large beach umbrella over it. Later I put up my canopy from market but it broke from that. I had just a coffee can and no theft problems until fall when someone must have figured out no one was watching the table from the house there. I started losing money or produce. So I have been trying to find a nice simple lock box to nail to the table and haven't found anything. or a lock box on a pole would work. If I have extra produce this season I will try again to get a lockbox.
I sold tomatoes really well. I put a cooler under the table with beans and stuff and nothing ever sold out of that. I suggest making the prices really simple and even.

We sell at home and the farmers markets.
this way you can get the best of both worlds. Mark

Mark, how to you sell the tomatoes at home? I don't see a scale. Are the eggs left out? I've heard that they have to be kept refrigated. Vendors at our market keep them in
coolers and the ice has to be at the bottom, per Board of Health. The ice drippings may contaminate the eggs, per them.

Marla

Marla,i have a large fridge/freezer in the shed and a chest cooler i keep my eggs in.
the ones in picture were sold to a friend.
i sell all veggies by the quart basket and pint basket except melons and corn. corn i sell by the ear.green onions by the bunch
i refuse to buy a certified scale and pay every year to calibrate. my customers could care less about buying by the pound . they want their stuff fast and simple so they can get home to eat it.Mark

Mark, scale calibration and sealing should be free. At least it is in Ohio and Indiana

Some photos of our set up.

{{gwi:1042743}}

{{gwi:1042744}}

{{gwi:1042745}}

boulderbelt, that is an ideal store. i have a scale but not certified so i put my smaller stuff in baskets to sell. a quart of my tomatos weighs around 2 #. a quart of my green beans 1#. but i dont say you are buying by weight you are buying by container.mark

My first certified scale I spent $300, yes it was a sticker shock. But I've had it for 10 years now, and never have I needed a re-caliberation. My 2nd one I got off of ebay for $60-70. It's not near as strong, but it works. The 1st one uses 6D batteries, right off the shelf. One set usually lasts me for more than 1 season, but not quite 2 seasons. The 2nd one uses a rechargeable battery, that battery might last 1 6hr market, and of course, it goes out during the busy time of the market. We now use it with an extension cord.

I wouldn't leave either one alone without supervision, that's why I asked. Do you try to keep the tomatoes on the stand about the same size?

Boulderbelt, your store front is very close to what I would like to have.

Marla

That produce in pics. was just some stuff left over from the sat. farm market. i threw it in some containers and tried selling away from the road under my canopy from the market.that way i could relax and sit in the shed and have a cold one and try to sell the leftovers.
normally the stands are full out by the road during the weekdays but sat. afternoon is my fun time.

By Saturday after market, the only thing I can do, after getting some lunch, is napping. I believe only someone that does marketing has any idea how much work just doing the market is.

I have invited people to come help at the market, only 1-2 takers. Especially after they just watch us for an hr.

Marla

This youtube shows Jasmin and Lonnie's beautiful garden with all their artwork, their stand outside of their home, and their pay-box, which runs on the honor system. At first, they had some trouble with neighborhood kids taking money, so they created a better box. Otherwise, it has been working great for them, and when people don't have the right amount of money on them, they write IOUs or give more and come back later for more produce/flowers. It is great to see working! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMXm-AWofLU

Here is a link that might be useful: Honor System Front Yard Market

Just looked at the Utube Honor system. Really 4 bouquets per day?? Basically she walks around their yard that has very little 'yard' and mostly flowers that she can barely walk thru.

I've tried the honor system, no-one stole the many, just the veggies. If I had a stand the size that they have, I would be laughed out of town, and I'm in the country. Actually less than 12 feet of table loaded is too little and I would have to be stocking it hourly. And that's why I do the farmes market, 6 hrs per day, and I can rest, instead of working 12-15 hrs reloading my 'stand'.

I can't tell you how many cars go by between what times, but I do know that this a main country road between 1 town of 3,200 and 1 town of 67,400 where most of the jobs are. At least 1/4 of the small town travels down this road on the way to and from work.

Marla

I'd like to build a small produce stand that I can move down to the road a couple times a week and give away all my surplus to the neighbors. Itwould have to be small enough to tow with my tractor. Does anyone know where I might be able to find drawings to contruct one ? If you have one that is portable I would certaninly love to see a picture of it.

I've seen a farm wagon used, they added a top and sides that drop down. When the sides drop, the sides have a wooden lip at the bottom (so the produce doesn't drop), then they put boxes with the produce in the boxes.

Check out the cute vegie-mobile built by Eliot Coleman

Here is a link that might be useful: Vegie-mobile