What do you charge for what you sell?

I know the prices will vary from state to state and town to town but i think it would be fun to see what you are getting for your product.

So if you could tell how much you get for what amount.

Yes I admit I am working on setting my own prices but like I said This info could help new and old.

Come on lets have some fun!!!!

but here's What I charged for my last market of the year

winter squash $1.50LB
sweet potatoes $1.50LB
carrots $1.50LB
Tomatoes (heirloom) $5 quart/$4 pint
Red maters $4quart/$3pint
Cherry Tomatoe $2 1/2 pt
Spring Mix $3.50 6ozs
Kale $2.5 1/2 LB
Pac Choi $2.5 3/4 pound
Cilantro $1.75 2 oz bag
arugula $3.5 4oz bag
popcorn $2 1/2 pound
Black beans (drie4d) $2 1/2 pound
rutabaga $1 pound
Pears $1.00LB
Potatoe $1 pound
Turnips $2 bunch
Galia melons $2 to $6ea
Broccoli $1.50 pint
garlic Powder $3 oz
garlic $1 ea
Strawberries $3.50 pint
Bright Light s Chard $2.50 1/2 pound
sweet pepper $4.00 pound
Zucchini $3.50 pound
green beans $3 pound

Lucy

We pull BIG money for our first squash, but a couple weeks later we lower our prices. Same with tomatoes.

I try to keep our prices comparable to the regular prices at a local organic high-end market. Heirlooms or very unusal items are more, and common things everyone has are lower.

Our CSA is 25 a week for 12-15 lbs...

"The Grassroots OPX is a weekly update featuring retail prices for local, sustainably raised, heirloom and organic produce and products from producer-only farmers' markets around the country. We run it every week of the market season, starting May 1 and ending some time around Thanksgiving. "

Basil: $2.75 for 2 oz. bag, $5.00/ quarter lb & $18.00/lb.
Heirloom tomatoes, $3.00/lb.
tomatillos, $3.00/ quart
Rhubarb (a BIG seller) $2.50/lb.

Don't sell many peppers, we have several vendors w/ roasters & once they show up, all pepper business goes their way.

Baby squash, mixed varieties $5.00/lb
Baby eggpaplant, mixed colors, $3.00/lb
Beets & turnips $1.50 - $2.50, depending on where we are in the season
Raspberries $2.75/ pint
Easter egg radishes, $ 1.50/bunch
Salad mix $8.00/ lb; $2.50/quarter lb.

Herb Plants in 2 1/2" pots, $2.50 each - can almost always do at least 1 flat of basil/ market, about 6 flats of herbs overall.

Gal. Perennials, incluing rhubarb & raspberries $8.00 ea.
Mixed herb gardens, $10.00 - $30.00 depending on size & varieties

Flowers for drying: Bouquets of flowers that dry well: $4.00 ea. 3/$10.00

Dried flower bouquest: $4.00 -$8.00

Dried herb wreaths, $20.00 - $40.00 depending on size.

Those are my biggest sellers - from time to time I'll do other things, but the above accounts for probably 85% of our sales.

I can't sell by the pound but sometimes bag in standard weights, estimate...

Salad mix (6 oz) $3.
Jerusalem artichokes (.5 lb) $2.
Hot peppers 4 for a $1.
Beans (.5 lb) $2.
Grapefruit 75 cents each
Turnips $2 bunch
Joi Choi $1.50 each
Kale (.5 lb) $2-$3.
Swiss Chard $2 bunch
8-ball zucchini 75 cents each
Tomatoes mixed lb bag $3.
Zucchetta (a great seller and prolific) @ $1.50 a lb
Figs $4. a pint
Basil $1.50-$2.
Shallots (.5 lb) $2.50
Cucumbers .75 each
Sweet potatoes .50-$1 each
Pomegranates $3. each

Thats some of what i sell. Of course prices vary . Last year was a great season for us so prices were cheap.

I was also told I could never get that kind of price for my produce. I am glad I did not listened to the naysayers and instead became the price setter at this market. Instead of being laughed off the lot I educated people about the superior qualities of fresh local produce over the stuff in the grocery store. In other words, I used marketing to get the price I felt was deserved and soon other farmers, including the old timers were following suit and making more money themselves.

Bkyleh, you might just surprise yourself if you did ask for a fair price for your heirloom

Most of my income comes from baking and selling dayliles.

Janet

The trick is to have customers that care about this. Around here most of the farmers markets are not for those seeking a bargain but for those who want fresh produce and a connection to the grower. There is a desire to preserve farming and farmers because, in our area, there is so much threat from development that not supporting local farmers something that can have immediate consequences. In areas that are still more rural that issue doesn't seem as pressing to some consumers because there is plenty of open space. It is made harder when some of the other vendors don't charge a price that would command a "living wage" for the farmer. There is probably a customer base in every area who believe in freshness and giving a farmer a fair price but these people can be hard to find.

Mike, as for the restaurants, they will expect a discount from the retail price. If you're selling your tomatoes at $3 at the Farmers' Market, then $2.50 is a very good price to get from the restaurant. The benefit of a reliable outlet for your crop is marked. I also would think long and hard before raising the price within the same market year, especially in the first year.

A point to remember. Often when restaurants buy heirlooms or specialty produce, they're buying for the "WOW!" factor. They aren't buying three pounds of beefsteak, they're buying single tomato slices that will cover a hamburger. They aren't buying Big Rainbow for its taste in spaghetti sauce, but for the visual effect of the bi-color slices on a plate. They're buying a particular tomato because "This is the tomato raised by Italian chefs in the sunny hills of Tuscany for a thousand years to make their traditional sauce." What they won't buy is inferior produce, bad service, or bad faith.

And even though they compete, they also share certain information. A reputation as a straight shooter with a quality product will stand you in good stead.

Ray

I have sugar smap peas and baby beets ready to sell to restaurants and am trying to figure out fair pricing.

Rhubarb @$2.50/lb.
green onions $1.25/ bunch
flowering chive bunches @ $1.25/bunch
catnip at $2.50/ bunch
basil @ $2.50/ 2 oz bag.
broccoli raab (to restaurants) $2.75/lb
baby white turnips w/ nice greens $2.75/lb
eater egg radishes w/ nice greens $1.35/ bunch
med. leaf arugula, .5lb for $2.75

that's about it for now.

The biggest flop for us this year has been edible flowers. Tried selling them for $1.50 in small treat bags with 20 or so blooms. People would almost gasp "Oh how beautiful! Edible flowers...that is so nice." But we were lucky to sell one or two bags, so I stopped taking them. I am still trying to figure out how to package and market them better...

Patty

For the gourds, I've found direct selling to crafters works better than trying to sell to the general public. If you check craft shows, shops, etc., to get contacts, you might do better with them. You can also custom grow the gourds, i.e., suspend the vines so you get very straight necks or twist them so you get odder shapes, for a particular customer.

To sell gourds to the public, seeds seem to work better. Showing the gourd tempts them to 'grow it myself so I can sell it to you'. If you dry the gourds yourself to sell to crafter clients, you can remove the seeds, which they don't usually want anyway, and sell the seeds separately.

Ray

slicing and plum tomatoes- $2 #
Heirloom tomatoes $3 #
eggplants (different colors)- $3 # (or $2 for black, $1.50 for striped, $1 for white)
french filet beans- $4 for 3/4# bag
blue lake beans- $2 for 1# bag
salad mix- $3 for 1/3# bag
beets (red and striped)- $3 for 6 (large or baby are same price)
Sweet peppers- $3 #, or 2 for $1.50 for large, 4 for $1 for baby yellows
Green peppers - 2 for $1
Charentais melons $3
Swiss Chard $2 (big) bunch
Sugar Snaps $4 #
Zucchini and Summer Squash- 2 for $1

med. cukes 3 for 1.00 ----- 2 for 1.00
pickles 1.00 qt. ----- 1.50 qt.

gr. pepper med. 3 for 1.00 ----- 2 for 1.00
lg. .50 ea. ---- .75 ea.
green beans
& yellow beans 1.00 qt. ---- 1.50 qt.

leaf lettuces 1.00 a bag(1#) ----- 2.00 a bag(1#)
spinach 1.00 a bag(1#) ---- 2.00 a bag(1#)

radish .50 a bunch ---- .75 a bunch

beets 1.00-bunch of 5-6-- 1.50-bunch 0f 5-6
green onion .50 a bunch --- .75 a bunch

my stand is in a rural area on a paved road with medium traffic flow close to a town of 1200.
my market consists of tourists by a lake mainly from the detroit area.

Tomatoes $3.00/LB
Squash $1.89/LB
bag of lettuce $3.50/6 oz.
Kale, chard $2.50/bunch
okra $4.00/LB
cantalope $4.00/each
basil $2.00 bunch

Negirl, I'm wondering what you put in your bouquets. I'm thinking about taking flowers this year....what are your best sellers? Thanks and good luck getting ready for growing!

Zucchini and Yellow Squash- .75 or .50 depending on size
Cucumbers- .75 each
Pickling Cucumbers- 3 or 4 for $1.00 or $1.50
Beets- 3 or 4 for $2.00
Bell Peppers- 2 for $1.00 all colors
Hot Peppers- $1.00 for just under a quart size
Green and Yellow Beans $2.00 quart
Peas- around $2.50 size varied
Grape Tomatoes- $2.50 quart
Heirloom tomatoes- $2.50 about 4 tomatoes in a quart
Scallions- $1.00 about 5 in a bunch
Radishes- $1.00 a bunch
Corn- $5.00 a dozen
Basil- $1.00 a bunch size depended on how much we had each week to cut
Pears- container of I think about 4 depending on size $2.50
Zucchini Bread and Pear Nut Bread- $2.50 small loaves
Zucchini Bread and Pear Nut Bread- .50 muffins
Apple Pie- $10.00
Pumpkin Pie- do not remember how much but it was cheaper than the apple pie, and A LOT easier and quicker to make.

So the container pricing worked much better for tomatoes, peppers, zucs, cucs, eggplant but it takes more time and room on the table than putting them in a big cute basket.

Yes prices have changed a bunch over the years.