Katey

I have also had many things either no grow well or not sell well. okra we have a market for but have yet to get a decent crop in 5 tries. I have tried putting them under plastic for warmth and irrigating but no matter what we get tepid results at best. Pity as there is a call for it.

Than I have had some prolific crops of things the public will not buy. When that happens we drop the item from the rotation. flowers fell into this catagory. had nice flowers but poor sales so decided not to continue cut flowers (but have a nice perrenial bed of flowers for our efforts which is very nice).

I find it takes trial and error and good record keeping to figure out this question

lucy

For otehr varieties I have been doing what others here suggest - trying new things, taking them to market and helping customers learn about them. The lemon cukes are very attractive so a lot of people ask about them and will buy one or two to try. The other thing that has been popular is an italian heirloom squash called Trombincino. Wierd shapes (quite phallic, some of them!), but attractive and lovely flavor, and all the seeds are at one end so you get a lot of seed-free flesh. Plant is also prolific and healthy. I get people coming back and asking for them specially.

Kevin

It’s amazing to watch people, young and old, gleefully snatching up tomatoes that taste like cardboard. Last year, one grower proudly displayed a sign about their Hanover tomatoes. Their customers just didn’t know that those tomatoes were nothing more than super hybrids bred for early & great production, disease & pest tolerance, no staking/pruning required, etc. without regard for flavor.

And then there's corn, a subject that should be covered in its own posting. The corn sold at the farmer markets here has a yucky sweet taste and a terrible texture. The shame is that their customers don't know better!

Then I find myself a good ways out in farm country. I stop at a roadside stand to check out the corn. The guy tells me it is Silver Queen. I'm delighted. Later that evening I find myself facing a juicy steak fresh from the grill and a nice looking ear of steamed corn on the cob. You guessed it, it wasn't Silver Queen and it was on par with the yucky stuff sold around here. I did get some good corn this year but I had to grow it myself and I don't have enough room to have fresh corn all season.

Below are answers to some of my questions to market growers:
Q: What variety of tomato is this?
A: It’s a red beefstake.

Q: What variety of green bean is this?
A: I don’t know.
There’s one grower that knows the variety of green bean that he is selling and he brags about them. He says that they sell them to a popular restaurant in the area. They’re called Tema.

Q: I’ve never seen a squash like this, what’s it called?
A: I forget the name but it is an old heirloom.
Later I find it at Johnny’s (www.johnnyseeds.com). It’s Zephyr, and it is not an heirloom.

They’re not all bad though and I do have a favorite one but she only sells tomatoes and fruits.

I wonder if this is the case in other large metropolitan areas? Hopefully others will let us know their experiences.

Paul