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jake_l

Small Crops for Small Profit

jake_l
14 years ago

I am a young gardener, but am looking to sell a little bit of my crops, either on roadside stands or at farmer markets.

What I grow are listed below

Tomatoes

Blueberries

Raspberries

Blackberries

Strawberries

Cranberries

Redberries

Grapes

and lots and lots of herbs.

I know good tomatoes can be sold, but how about the rest?

Comments (13)

  • gardener1908
    14 years ago

    Berries are always good sellers. So are tomatoes, so I would say you have a good selection.

  • grannymarsh
    14 years ago

    All the berries you listed (except the redberries) are snatched right up at my markets. I recently paid $4.00 for a HALF pint in the supermarket. Hey, it's Christmas and we wanted them AND we wanted them grown in the USA.
    Don't underprice them, try to find a fair market price. And make real sure the berries are in top-notch shape or you won't have repeat customers. Perhaps you will do some research on harvesting, storing & transporting them until market time ? In my experience, blackberries and raspberries get moldy fast in the heat of summer.
    I don't know what redberries are?
    One other thing to try is to sell them to local restaurants.

  • myfamilysfarm
    14 years ago

    I've sold everything you have listed except cranberries and redberries. Unless the redberries are red raspberries. All sell well. When I bring my wild black raspberries into the market we get between $4-$5 per pint. I don't have half-pints available to me. My berries sell out very quickly. Strawberries this year went for $3-5 per quart.

  • jake_l
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Red Raspberries I meant.

    What are some good listing prices for berries by the pint? quart?

    Also, will my herbs sell good? I grow
    Basil
    Cilantro
    Italian Parsely
    Oregano
    Sage
    Thyme
    Tarragon
    Dill
    Bronze/Common Fennel

  • myfamilysfarm
    14 years ago

    In my market, your herbs would sell well, as plants and cut.

    Each market will have different prices, so what we can tell you may not be accurate for you. Plus you will need to establish yourself to get premium prices.

    What I do, in my farmer's market, is to set everything up, excluding prices. I usually have a few minutes between set-up time and when the customers start to arrive. I check out my competition's prices and quality, and then I match their prices or alittle higher. I know I have a premium product and my customers are willing to pay alittle more for my product. I NEVER match the price with someone else's product if their product looks like inferior product.

    I sell berries by the pints, all but strawberries, and last year got $4/pint and $3/pint at the lowest. If anyone complains, I asked them "do you want to pick them?" Usually they will pay what I ask. Or if they want a quantity I usually reduce the pint price by 50 cents per pint if they want more than 6 pints.

    My strawberries last year went for $4 at the lowest and $5 at the highest. Others were pricing between $3 and $5 per quart.

    I don't sell herbs, but another vendor was selling 4" pots of herb for $4 per pot or 3/$10. Now all he does is herb plants. His advertisement year before last stated that he grows 10,000 plants per year.

  • herbgardener
    14 years ago

    I sold 4" pots and fresh cut. Both sold very well. I gave up on selling parsley, dill & cilantro because it is so cheap to buy at the supermarket and it heads out quickly. Agree with grannymarsh - try a local restaurant. They love the fresh herbs. Would also suggest rosemary.

  • boulderbelt
    14 years ago

    You do realize on the fruits that you will have to wait 1 to 5 years before you get a crop.

    Herbs are not a big money maker for me. I grow cilantro (which you will need to reseed every 7 to 10 days all season long), several kinds of basil, Italian parsley, French tarragon, oregano, winter savory, dill, sage, thyme and rosemary. I sell a lot of basil for $1 an ounce and I sell some of the rest at $2 a bag (under 1/2 ounce for most things. I grow herbs because I use them myself and it is easy enough to grow enough to sell. I also dry the herbs for winter and spring sales.

    Herbs make up no more than 3% of my sales. Strawberries and raspberries make up about 20% of my sales

    Tomatoes so flood the market that this year I am cutting back by about 50%. Will likely put out only 200 to 300 plants. I like growing heirlooms but it is the red orbs that sell so most of the plants will be red beefsteak types.

  • myfamilysfarm
    14 years ago

    I have planted strawberries in the fall and was able to pick the following spring crop. Of course, not as much as I will the next season, but 200 quarts off of 400 plants at least paid for the plants with alittle extra. BTW, the fall planted plants set several runners, averaging 10-15 runners. My 400 plants might every likely be 1200 plants to pick this spring. Oh my aching back.

  • timmylaz
    14 years ago

    My 2 cents on herbs. They add to the mix.
    I'm a chef by trade and grow lots of herbs both for myself and to sell...typically at the market I attend the herbs simply accent the rest of the offerings and then go back home or given to a craft vendor to enjoy that week. Being a chef, I am amazed that the herbs don't sell!! Is this cliche...when I meet people and tell them I'm a chef 9 out of 10 will mention a TV cooking show that they LOVE and tell me I must love that show too! I love to cook and garden and think that TV is not so much for me so I don't know any of these shows. But...if everybody is watching these chefs cooking with herbs then why do the same 9 out of 10 have no clue as to how to use them?? Hey, love the herbs man. Most are good beneficial attractors and companions.

  • tommyk
    14 years ago

    Selling herb plants may be more profitable than selling just the herb. We do lots of basils and sell them, depending on size, anywhere from $1-$3/plant. Rosemary & lavenders are big sellings. We get $5/plant. Another newer herb is Stevia, the natural sweetener, very popular in Japan. We get $3/plant.

  • sabaway
    14 years ago

    Tommy K - do you start your stevia from seeds or from plugs? Also, do you start in a greenhouse or direct sow?

  • tommyk
    14 years ago

    We start Stevia and all our plants from seeds. Stevia seeds are very expensive, we've bought them from Johnny's & Fedco with Fedco having the best deal. We have professional-grade grow lights that we use for germination and for starting out. Once plants are big enough they move to our attached greenhouse on our house, then when the weather stabilizes to free-standing hoop houses.

    By the way, Stevia is a tender perennial and should be grown in a pot that can be kept outdoors during the summer then brought in for winter use. You can put it back out next summer. However, don't let it flower as it will stop production. Just deadhead any flower before it matures.

  • teauteau
    14 years ago

    Timmylaz,
    I'm not a chef but I love to cook and I can do it pretty well. I love to use fresh herbs when I can get them. Fresh herbs really make a difference. I watch a lot of cooking shows because it gives me the opportunity to see what kinds of veggies and fruits and herbs the top chefs are using in their cooking. Other than that, except for a few other TV shows, I'd rather be outdoors growing my things or in the kitchen making something everyone will enjoy. I'm going to try using Stevia this year. I've read a lot about it.

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