This is what I have been selling things for. Spinach and Lettuce in 8 ounce bags, $4.00, Romaine heads, 3.50 each, onions (scallions sized) 6 for $1.00, Radishes 6-8 in a bunch for $1.00 it should be more, but I don't want to make change and I will never get rich selling radishes.

No idea on Rhubarb.

Jay

Leeks $1.00 each (they are small, large go for $1.50)
Pint of strawberries $4
spinach $8 a pound
lettuce $6 a pound
kale $6 a pound
Chard $6 a pound
radishes $1.50 a bunch (8 to 10 in a bunch)
Chives $1 a bunch
fresh herbs $1 for a small baggie
asparagus $5 a pound
Spring mix $8 a pound
Cukes $1 to $1.50 ea (specialty)
garlic $1 ea
Scallions $1 a bunch

I also do a CSA and sell a bag (share) of food for $25 to $33 per week (depending on type of share they buy)

You should price higher than grocery stores as your stuff is far fresher plus you are delivering. Don't under sell yourself, your produce is far better, price it that way. people are more than willing to pay for a piece of the farm, as it were.

I get $4 a lb for rhubarb.

Wow I'm definitely not charging as much. I will have to get a feel for people and see if I can get those kind of prices.

If you figure your actual expenses, plus your labor, you will need to be getting those prices. I started out with cheap prices and have figured out that I was WAY TOO cheap. You can always go down in price, but very hard to raise your prices.

Marla

You don't sell more when you lower your prices.

Yeah I was thinking that a gallon ziplock bag full of spinach for 3 dollars and the same for lettuce. I will definitely rethink that. Do all of you prewash the lettuce and spinach or pick or cut and bag as is?

i wash all greens and than bag into produce bags (if you are selling more than 50 bags of greens a week you should buy a couple of rolls of produce bags-they are A LOT cheaper than gallon zip lock bags (IIRC those run around 15� each, produce bags run around .5� each) and than refrigerate for several hours to several days before selling. The chilling makes a huge difference in quality

If you don't mind, take a look at this site.

OK, it is organic but their prices seem extremely high for wholesale prices. BTW, the prices change weekly.

Mike

Holy cow wordwiz, I can't believe people would spend that kind of money they could grow themselves much cheaper. I wonder if maybe I'm just lacking the confidence to ask higher prices because I wouldn't pay the same prices I would be asking. Where are you guys comparing your prices before you start asking a certain amount this early in the season before any farmers market has started opened? I sure appreciate all the advice and encouragement you guys are giving me.

I check the grocery store prices and then raise it higher, because I know my stuff is much fresher. I don't count sale prices, just the regular price. Then add at least 25% or more.

Yes, deciding on prices are the hardest part of marketing, IMO.

Marla

I was telling my wife about this post and she agreed with all of you about needing to raise my prices so obviously I'm too cheap, lol.

I'll follow pretty much what Marla does. I have both a Kroger and Discount Produce store and I'll check their prices and raise them to the nearest 25 or 50 cents higher price. Being picked that morning or the evening before has to mean much fresher than something that was picked a week ago and shipped across the country then stored in a warehouse.

Mike

You know, the more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards charging significantly higher prices on some stuff. Take Romaine lettuce. I can probably buy it for ~$1 per head at the produce store. So I am considering charging $2. Now, I am gabby and love to talk to customers, so I figure I can explain how that extra dollar is a good investment. How my freshly harvested lettuce has not sat around for a week or two, lost some of its crispness and nutrients. How spending a dollar more, about the cost of a cup of coffee, but being able to prepare a salad that diners will taste the difference, one that hasn't lost a significant amount of the nutrients of the veggie! If it isn't worth a dollar more, then yeah, I wouldn't blame buyers from price shopping!

I am not a salesperson, but I am a presenter and have a lot of experience in marketing. I learned a long time ago that "selling" a client, getting him/her to purchase something results in a bad taste, but giving a person reasons why they want something will bring huge rewards.

Mike

I work at a grocery store. So I check prices (like Marla said not sale or loss leader prices but regular prices) and also glance at other vendors. I tell ya though, I have a ton of price signs for each thing since I have changed prices a lot. And things change through the season to some extent. But the first year when I had way too much and no CSAs and only 1 market, I kept my prices too low and didn't sell well. Last year I raised my prices and will never regret it! It makes your stuff appear higher in value. The perception of value is mysterious. People think something is cheaper when it sometimes isn't and vice versa. (learn about that in the grocery store biz). So raising your perceived value can be done partly by raising prices.
We don't do scale prices here and so it is hard to compare with per pound prices.
Here is a weird one: people would rather buy 3 8oz tomatoes than a giant 2# tomato. They like to grow giant tomatoes but I can't sell them. When you start to catch stuff like that pricing becomes a little easier. Here's another one people will buy kohlrabi for 3 weeks and then stop- same with cabbage to some extent. And no matter what i mark hot peppers they will not sell before the main season of tomatoes. People only use them for salsa in the midwest, if they buy them at all.

This is a bunch of great information.

Some of my prices are 2x the grocery stores, but then again, I don't sell but present, as Mike was saying, and also educate. It's amazing how people don't know how to choose produce that is ripe, not over or under. My biggest responsibility is educating the consumer.

Marla

Mike,

I have been selling my big Romaine head for 3.50 each. They are over a 1 pound each. Most people are grabbing them up fast. They look and taste wonderful.

Jay

You would never get those high prices in southern California.
And the produce in our markets is overall fresher and in better condition that in other parts of the country, and I know because I have lived and worked all over the U.S. In California the produce guy would throw away stuff they would try to sell in the south eastern part of the U.S.

Jay,

I can savor prices like that! I have interplanted all my tomatoes, basil and peppers with lettuce and will do the same thing once my potatoes poke through the soil. I'm growing Parris Island, which is suppose to grow 10-12" tall. The packet says ~66 DTM, but I'm transplanting seedlings, so am hoping to cut that down to maybe 50 days. I transplanted 80 plants two weeks ago and despite the weather they are close to 3" tall. All in all, I should be able to grow maybe 300 heads at a time, more if I find different ground or can use what I have access to (long story!).

Mike

Remember we should make money at what we do. It is only fair. In my CSA end of season survey I asked the customers if they thought the farmer should make money selling produce. They all said yes but that they had never thought about it. People with 'normal' jobs make a lot more than us for a lot less work and we do something more important. I am lucky my husband would never garden and has a 'real' job with benefits and OT pay. Otherwise I would take home less than $3000 a year.

Interesting about CA. In the north farmers have to make a year's wage in less than 6 months.

Where are you selling so early jrslick? Is your farmers market open or are you just selling from your home? I tried advertising on craigslist but didn't have any takers.

I advertised on CL - one person wanted me to take pictures of all my plants to send him. Another one wanted all my banana trees but never showed up to buy them.

Not worth the hassle!

Mike

I have been selling at the Manhattan Farmers market on Saturdays and Wednesdays since April 23rd and the Clay Center Farmers Market since May 7th.

Mike, I am sure you won't be able to get that price later in the year. It is easy during the first of the year. I have no competition. If you want Romaine from the Farmers Market, you buy mine or go home empty handed. Nobody else has it. That is why I grow in high tunnels. Sure there is the added expense, but the payoffs can be great.

Jay

Would you be able to give me some info on what I need to do to be able to sell at the clay center market?

Sure, our market runs from May 7-Oct 29th on Saturday 8-11am. The market sets up on the west side of the Courthouse on 5th street between Court and Lincoln. There aren't reserved stalls, but everyone is respectful of each others "regular spots".

It cost $5 a day up to $25 for the season. We also have a Wednesday market in June and July on the East side of Dexter Park.

I am the market president.

Jay

My listing on Craigslist brought me 2 emails and 1 phone calls. Nothing back on the emails. The phone call wanted me to undercut a price given to them by a local greenhouse. They wanted 140 plants for less than $100. The greenhouse quoted that price for their flats, approximately 2-3" tall, planted in 1203s. My price for the 4" pots would have been $400, so of course, no sale. They were comparing apples with oranges.

I have sold 1 vehicle on CL, but that's all. My son has sold several things on CL.

I won't be wasting my time on CL except for announcing things.

Marla

Years ago when I used to sell at a small farmers market we would post these large posters near the entrance where the customers could check boxes to answer questions. There were never more than 5 questions and they changed every week. By the end of the season a lot of shopper info could be drawn from those answers. I don't remember the exact details but for the most part customers were expecting to pay between .50 and $1.50 more than grocery store prices depending on the time of year and quality.

You do need to know as much as possible about the produce being sold at the grocery stores in your area. Those vendors are setting the bar in the minds of your customers. It will be hard for them to see all that goes into your workday when they see the same product being sold for a lot less. Most of the people that come to a farmers market are expecting fresher goods and they want to spend their money on someone local but they also work hard for that money and won't spend it foolishly.

If you sell out quickly your prices are too low. If you hardly sell anything then either your prices are too high or someone else has a better deal going on. If you sell 75% or more of your stuff then you've priced things just right.

I heard somewhere that if you sold 90%, your prices and your supply was perfect. That was always my goal, never to sell out.

Marla

A small bundle of rhubarb probably 1/2# is 4.99 at the store right now! It should go down in the next couple weeks, but rhubarb and dill from the store are always high.

Well I had a catering business email me yesterday wanting to know what veggies I was selling and told me to call them today. I hope we are able to work something out but not sure what kind of restrictions I might face. I know a few of you sell to restaurants. Are there alot of hurdles to jump and do they only buy at real cheap prices?

In the past, restaurants have been my bread and butter. So far, there have been no complications in selling them anything. One has a garden on site and raises plenty themselves but supplement their stock from me. Restaurants are just another niche you can use to move your excess. Originally, what didn't sell at market was brought to them. They also bought thousands of squash blossoms last year. Where else could I sell that many blossoms? I plant with them in mind, putting in a couple acres of winter squash and pumpkins. These are simple to grow and store very well. They just call up, place an order, and I deliver. There is no hassle at all. For most things, like fruits,cherry or heirloom tomatoes, I charge full price. But when they order 300 lbs of butternuts or spaghetti squash, I cut them a break. Selling to caterers is a great idea!

Brook

I have been watching 3 of the markets I go to and two are smaller markets. A week ago most were selling 1 gal. of strawberries for $ 8 each. Some were 2 gallons for $ 14.

One vendor was selling quarts of big fancy berries for $ 4 each. They were selling well. And one lady who is certified organic wass getting $ 5.50 per quart and they were big and fancy! she was selling well. the last two told me that big fancy berries sell well at any time.

I sold my berries last year at $5/qt with no questions at my former market. I will probably be able to get only $4/qt or $2/pt for the strawberries this year at my new smaller markets. I was going try to price at $6/qt.

Marla

I quit selling quarts of berries about 12 years ago-they would not sell at any price and went with pints and watch my sales take off. I get $4 a pint (that would be $8 a quart) for ungraded strawberries that are a mix of large and small. they are grown organically and they generally sell out, especially this year as I have them from one of my hoop houses early and it looks like the June bearers are going to be weeks late and likely low quality due to bad growing conditions.

My customers are preferred the unsized berries, more 'home-grown'. and easier on me.

I'm running out of quarts and have decided not to buy more, just put them in pints.

Marla

I sell all my greens, feild washed,dried,and in 5 oz. bags for $3.50, and that is close to 6 a pound. But when I fiqure the time I spend washing and spining ,weighing,bagging. I make pennies on the hour.I do it to keep my summer cust. base from going some where else.

Back to Craig's list, I have placed several postings there this year. One was a list of all the heirloom tomatoes I was going to sell and let people pre-order. I got a few sales that way and the people who contacted me ended up taking my gardening classes too! I placed an ad recently for hot pepper plants since they are so hard to sell in MN and I accidentally started too many again this year. I had 3 people buy off that for a total of 32 plants and 3 tomato plants. One guy drove over an hour to come to my house for Bhut Jolokia. Another lady bought them for her husband's birthday. the third guy didn't get any of those since I was sold out, but he bought 20 others.
I placed an ad for chemical free edible flowers too for caterers and got 0 responses. I also put up a post for free manure and got a few responses but most were horse manure and I prefer cud chewer manure.
I will post ads for specific plants again next year too. People are willing to drive for what they want that no one else has. Am I the only person in MN with Bhut Jolokia plants for sale? hmm

Anyone sell kale raab or rapini? I'm trying to get an accurate price but can find no prices online or in any market reports. Going to scout out some other physical markets tomorrow and Fri, but does anyone have a price range to share?

Back to my prices on berries, I have been able to $5/qt. Only person questioned the price, (at that market last year, others were selling at $3 or less). When she mentioned that the price had really went up, another customer stated "Have you seen the gas prices since last year". She bought the berries.

Marla

Here is a great tool for pricing info from Maine. Scroll down to see a choice of reports by month, retail, wholesale and yearly average.

Here is a link that might be useful: mofga price reports

I sell broccoli raab for $4 a 1/2 pound bag and generally sell out.

Wow, good for you! The only other price I've seen has been 2.75#. I have no idea where that was and I think it was several years ago. I hope to get some additional input.
Thanks,
Martha

Any ideas on what to charge for regular broccoli? really coming on in this heat. Tomatoes too, will be picking my first sungolds in a day or 2.

Last year, my lowest price on regular sized tomatoes was $1.50/lb. Cherry-sized pints were going for $2.00 per
pint. I wouldn't go lower than that.

Broccoli was going from $1.50-$3.00 per bunch.

Marla

I was able to get $3 a quart for broccoli. I pick a lot of side shoots and stick them in a quart basket. I soak in salt water first and it helps them stay perky. Cherry tomatoes don't sell well for me so 2.50 per pint. I would do $3 if they sold better. After all they are $4 a pint at the store for organic.

Great thread! Thanks to Mike for the idea about interplanting greens between the potatoes and tomatoes. I did spinach early between my tomatoes, but I was wondering where to plant some summer mixed greens. Between the potatoes will be perfect. They'll provide some shade and moist ground between the hills, and I won't have to buy a row cover! Thanks!

I am planning to do greens around $8-10/lb for mixed medium salad greens and arrugula, selling in pre-measured bags of about 4oz. $2 bunch for herbs, $5 pint for raspberries. Cut flowers at $7, $12 and minis at $4. Flower prices include sales tax. We are synthetic chem and pesticide free (but not certified organic.)

P.S. Anybody have a good source for pint baskets? I'd love the wooden ones, but will settle on the green compressed paper ones for price if I have to (would love an undyed paper one brown/tan, but haven't seen that at all).

I'm lucky. We have an old couple that makes wooden baskets in the town where I work. They are cheap. I suppose eventually they will retire and then I will also need to know where to buy that stuff!
I love the 'squat' pecks and half bushels for market!

@ harvestingfilth We got our containers through Southern Container Corp...but now I can't find their website in my favorites. You might do a Google search...they were the cheapest when I priced them this winter.

As for the herbs, we've only been getting $1 for smaller bunches...most people around here (SE Kansas) hesitate to buy bigger bunches for $2, and would rather buy smaller quantities of things for less in general. Oregano and mint have both sold pretty well...not so much for others.

Since I grow a lot of Rhubarb ( 80+ plants ) I have tried selling it on KIJIJI .

Asking $ 1.00 per Kilo, ( stalkes only ) only 1 buyer.
Still have a couple 100 kilo's left .

I would like to try a farmers market, but being a one crop kinda vendor is a little risky, but definatly willing to try .

Ended up selling a couple Rhubarb plants for $ 10.00 each.

All this in Alberta, Canada