The Most Profitable Crops to Grow for a Small-Scale Market Garden
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- In Part Two of our Small Scale Market Farming series, we discuss the vegetables we grew for our weekly veggie bag model. We'll tell you which ones are the most profitable, and which ones require the least amount of effort to grow, harvest, and pack.
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I don't have a Market Garden and have no plans to have one but I have been going back and watching all the videos with your wife in them. She is so relatable to me. Sitting there looking all fashionable with her shades and her lipstick poppin! But also gets in the dirt, has very practical insights, runs a household, has a career and takes care of her family. I'm a city girl with my heels, business clothes and makeup but have a decent sized community garden plot and pack my yard/deck space full of vegetables. So it is nice to finally see someone sort of straddled in two worlds like me. I hope she keeps making a major appearance in the videos.
We try to get her on the videos when we can. She's a great help in the garden amongst all her other responsibilities.
Ms Brokelyn. There is so much to do with Jalapenos. Slice them in half and clean out the seeds. Take some boneless chicken breast and marinate that in a garlic and onion rub with some tony chacheries seasoning over night in the frig. Then take the chicken breast and butterfly them. Take some cream cheese and slap that on there put a half of jalapeno close it like a sandwich and then wrap that in a couple of slices of bacon and throw that on the pit. Half way through slather some bbq sauce. That is some awesome stuff. It works good with large shrimp or pork chops or even beef. You can make pica de gallo. Salsa pecante sauce. Lol. Ok i sound like forest Gump now. But lots of stuff for Jalapenos lol.
One of the biggest winners for us this year in our first year of selling vegetable bags was patty pan squash (sun burst). Our customers loved it, and it was extremely productive. We also got lots of compliments on our potatoes (Kennebec, Red Pontiac, and Yukon Gold). We include potatoes in every weekly bag. We just rotate the varieties by the week.
Good call on rotating the potato varieties. And yes, the Sunburst patty pans were always big winners for us too!
Pp
Words of wisdom from first to last. Each spring I grow a few dozen extra tomato seedlings to give away. Everyone wants the Sun Gold cherry variety. I'd think you could offset some of your seed starting costs by selling well grown tomato seedlings and to introduce yourself to the public at the same time as a produce vendor. I have the highest respect for people who are willing to try to make their living from the land and the labor of their hands.
I think selling transplants is a great idea! One year we added herb transplants to the bags and it worked well. Forgot to mention that.
I sold transplants at a farmer's market. Some days we'd make $500+ in 4 hours. I used soil blocks and Cow Pots. Very lucrative.
In our local, "truck farmers" use to sell along side road ways but more often now just sell to local grocery (chain) food stores. I was made a good offer for okra...uh... I mean Okree this year from a local well known grocery store. Just couldn't bring myself to do it; gave it away to elderly folks in the community. Great content! Love your videos! May God bless you both and family.
Glad you found a good home for the okree!
Yea man,we say "okree" in my part of Georgia too.
So glad to hear alright, alright, alright again!!!
Haha! It slips every now and then. lol
I grew patty pan squash and kohlrabi leeks and couldn't give them away people in south Georgia don't like different kinds of vegetables another good show
Kolhrabi was always a tough sell for us too, but I grew it because it's fast and so easy to grow. The patty pans always sold well for us though. I think using recipe cards can really help sell this stuff that folks aren't used to seeing.
When my life calms down, this might be an alternative for me. Another one is that the city I'm in has a little farmer's market. Right now, it looks more like a small flea market, but at least we've got one!
You would be great at it Carol!
I'm so glad I found your channel; we're trying to sell out house up here in Helen and want to buy a small farm towards Ochlocknee or a smaller parcel off Hwy 111 just off of Kendallwood Church Rd. We don't have diddly-squat for sunlight up here so all I can grow is some greens, but of course not turnips and mustard (my favs) because of damping off. I'll be so happy to get back home where I grew up, and I hope to meet you and buy some fig trees.
Glad you found us too!
Awesome business model! Very smart and sounds very doable. Weird how people where you live don’t like vegetables in a shell… Where I live northern Saskatchewan Canada a medium size Ziploc of peas in the shell sells for $15! I doubt it you get a half a cup of peas but shelling is half the fun LOL. I’ll tell you what, I’ll shell all the peas that you can grow. That was my job when I was a kid Spending summers on grandma’s farm… Now I’m a master sheller Bahaha
Love to see how you utilize your farm space! It always breaks my heart when all I see is football fields of lawn. Love what you do! Looking forward to the next garden walk/tour. The leaves are falling here so I’m putting my garden to sleep for the winter on the weekend 😢🥶
Every market is certainly different. Glad you're enjoying the videos!
I was in a traditional CSA for a few years. I would totally agree from the customer standpoint that it’s good to mix up the selections each week. My farmer was really good at growing lettuce and kale even during the heat of summer. I only like lettuce and kale a couple times a year, but they were in my bag almost every week. I made sure I voiced my opinion, but his other customers liked those things so he continued to grow them.
Haha. That tends to happen if someone is good at growing something -- they want to give it to you all the time. lol
You really have to be diligent with broccoli and cauliflower. I've had years where the worms got the best of me because I didn't keep up with BT spraying on a regular basis. I think I decided I liked the broccoli in the store just as much as my home grown too just so I didn't have to deal with the worms. ;)
It's definitely tricky!
Here in Texas, your hot peppers are much more popular than your sweet. So you gotta grow what’s popular where you are.
For sure! Gotta give the people what they want!
I love you guys. What about sugar snap peas as an alternative to English peas because there's no shelling involved? Stores around here charge a lot for sugar snap peas. You know, thanks for talking about this model. I used to haul our own produce back from our place in the country to town to sell in my carport and I just let people buy what they wanted. It was really too involved with scales and all of the rest and way too much interaction and time. I like your model better. I think I'm going to follow your model if I do this again. I've thought about consolidating produce from other growers in my relatively isolated rural area and hauling their stuff back to town as a way of helping those families make some extra money but then you are introducing even more complication. Thank you for all of your hard work. You are both really clear communicators and I definitely appreciate the time you put into organizing your presentation beforehand. It shows and I can't be the only one who appreciates the respect for your audience that it signifies. No need to respond as I imagine you are already so busy that just reading this is more than I should expect. Take care and thanks again.
Thanks for your thoughtful response! Snap peas would have likely sold well, but they can be tough to grow down here in the south. It's a bit of a crap shoot with those and English Peas. We love to try to grow them and love to eat them, but it's not a dependable crop for us year after year.
Okra is pretty popular here in Southern Ontario. In Greater Toronto, but even in smaller cities, we have a lot of immigrants from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Middle East, West Africa and Trinidad, where okra is quite a bit more popular than among "old stock Canadians". That's something to keep in mind if you live near big cities with many middle class immigrants, some crops might not be available at grocery stores, but even if some specialty ethnic grocery stores carry them, farmer's markets are much less likely to do so for the customers that are looking for freshly picked local organic produce.
Excellent point!
I love this series...It's funny when you talk about the weight of items..I decided this year after giving away my excess produce and delivering to a few neighbors and friends, Next year I am going to let it rot in the garden b/c it is just too much work to "share." BTW I would watch your videos just to listen to your accent, I'm from NE Missouri...lol Keep up the good work!
Yep, Brooklyn used to complain when I would add those really heavy cabbages to the bag. lol ... Glad you enjoyed the video!
Good stuff. Thanks.
You two have given great knowledge to market your veggies. Good ideas. God bless.
Thanks for joining us Imma!
I want cucumbers every single week, I eat them daily.
Hi, I sold a lot more cool season produce than warm season last year. mostly lettuce, collards and kale
Cool-season stuff is just so much easier to grow because it holds well and doesn't have to be harvested as frequently.
Really enjoyed the video I grow lots of food more than the family can eat I give it to neighbors and senior citizens pantries but I'm thinking about selling it this year not all I will still give to the seniors and neighbors so I find these videos very interesting and helpful thanks for sharing
That's great that you're giving your extras to the seniors and neighbors!
@23:33 We eat the greens off the broccoli and it's awesome. Then after you get the primary you start getting secondary side shoots. Those are my favorite cause the stems are tender. But if you don't like it you don't like it. Ain't nobody going to make you eat it and sure as hell don't grow it if you ain't going to eat it.
I've heard of lots of folks eating broccoli greens, but we always have collards so we've never tried it. We do like the side shoots on the broccoli, but it takes a little while to get a "mess."
Yes, we enjoyed it immensely.. all 36:05! Very informative/
Glad you enjoyed it!
That's a lot of great info there folks! If I haven't already, congratulations on passing 10K on subs!
Thanks Tom!
That helped me out a bunch. I never thought of growing different varieties within the same group of vegetables. Have you ever included recipes in with the bags? Herbs? How did you let your customers know that you only rinsed and and didn't wash the veggie (in advertising or directly tell them)?
We didn't put recipe cards in the bags, but we should have done that. We talked about it many times, just never did it. Most of the customers were going to wash everything anyways before they cooked it, but we explained it in our marketing as well.
Love you guys. Informative, practical & interesting videos. Great to watch & get inspired! Thank you from NZ
Thanks for joining us!
Such good information! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.
Thanks for watching!
If I was buying a bag with eggplant, I would appreciate a simple recipe thrown in. ';D
That's one thing that we should have done that would improved the model.
My old CSA would include a recipe each week for one of the more unusual veggies in the bag. It was very helpful.
I agree on the lettuce issues.. they are a pain to process. I grow them for our CSA, but I always hate myself for it haha. They are a lot of work!
A heavy rain a day before you intend to harvest lettuce is always so inconvenient. I see why so many of the larger market farmers grow them in tunnels to keep them clean.
me over here purposely planting purple haul peas for my kids to shell when they say they are board or for punishment when they get into trouble. I have found with the issue of pumpkins is that people don't realize they can cook them down and make pies or what not.
Another great video with a lot of useful information.
Glad it was helpful!
I love cauliflower... And yes air-dried is best!!
So quick and easy and tasty!
Sounds like a sweet set-up.Just getting built up.
Thanks for joining us Sherry!
Thank you for sharing so much valuable information. Love your videos
You are so welcome!
Working smarter...thanks for sharing all your wisdom.👍🎯
Got to! Thanks for watching!
Thank you. Always informative and a little entertaining! 😊 Can’t wait to watch the marketing video!
Thanks Aimee!
Try Purple Sprouting Broccoli. The heads are smaller and our friends in VA say it is prolific. I'm trying it this year and found seed at Bakers Creek. I'm in coastal NC and planning to plant it early OCT for spring harvest. I'm planning to put it in the same plot as my onions and garlic.
I have a purple broccoli variety we got from Territorial Seed. Can't remember the name, but excited to give it a try.
Excellent video!. Must save.
Thanks for watching Susan!
if you use harvest totes that seal, your tops will stay good on the beets
Thanks for the tip! I guess we'd need a walk-in cooler for that though, as opposed to putting bags of beets in an old fridge in the barn.
This is a great series... Really good information!
Thanks!
After Tuesday, you may not be hearing from me much as I'm having right shoulder rotator cuff repair of a torn tendon. All related to a bicycle accident on 1/16. I'll be in a sling for four weeks. I'll be watching, but typing and using mouse with the left hand only might make it difficult to comment. My son picked our watermelons today (Legacy) and they were super small as they suffered from the almost constant 100F+ temps all summer which is not normal. Didn't get any cantaloupes, only one honeydew, very few cucumbers, a few zukes, red kuri, blue kuri and kabocha. I am even getting low production off of my 'Indian PC-1' peppers (no longer can import these). It looks like I'll get a couple nice French pumpkins in October. I think I am going to get 4 tomatoes off of two plants. This year's high temps were the worst I'd ever seen. Trying to clean up the garden as much as I can before Tuesday, and filling in with some winter seedlings like Chinese broccoli (2 varieties). I'll be watching and enjoying your videos like always - just likely can't comment.
I’ve had this surgery in both shoulders. At first you may think, what did I do to myself? Lol But stay encouraged. After awhile, you will be so glad you got this fixed. I now have full mobility and no pain. God bless you and hope all goes well.
@@apiecemaker1163 Thanks. My primary care was the doctor for all University of AZ sports teams. Very good on sports med. The orthopedic surgeon also has a sports med background. I was guinea pig for Clarifix (twice). Nothing can be that bad
We hope you have a speedy recovery!
@@mutantryeff eek! Yes tough stuff. Bless you. Hoping for quick recovery.
Good to know! Thanks
You bet!
I take the hot ones and put them on a butterflied chicken breast with creme cheese then fold it closed and wrap it in bacon and throw that on the bbq pit
Brooklyn be rocking.
Always!
Very surprised to hear about eating rutabaga tops. I know nothing about rutabagas in general. I’ve only seen them in the store and they look like they’re coated in wax? Would love to see you guys add them to this winter’s garden. Also hoping to see beets in your garden this fall. I planted and replanted beets I couldn’t even tell you how many times last winter and never got anything bigger than a ping pong ball. Enjoyed the content as always!
@Doris May We'll definitely be growing plenty of rutabagas this fall/winter. We use the roots to make "mashed bagas," which taste very similar to mashed potatoes.
Thanks for the awesome TIPS!
Thanks for watching!
Interesting, looking forward to the next video.
Thanks Linda!
Good info. Thanks.
Our pleasure Vickie!
Alright “MC-Master Key” need your help... I’ve got leaf miners thicker than this morning’s grits!! What can you recommend to take ‘em out? I’m talking one or two applications at most. I don’t
want to be messing with soaps or neem oil, I want chemicals. These guys have hung on waay too long!
Thanks Travis !!
Spinosad if you want to stay organic. If that's not a priority, go with some Liquid Sevin (carbaryl).
Thanks Travis !
Does the liquid version work differently or better than the dust? I’ve got several containers of the dusting powder which is why I ask?”.
Thanks again, I hope you have a great holiday weekend with the fam!
@@scottwhite4645 The liquid is so much easier. But use what you have.
Lazy Dog Farm
Texting and driving on my way to get the liquid.
We know that it costs more to garden or farm organically over conventionally but how do account for that in your sell pricing? What techniques could be used to upsell organic? Looking at it as a business model, do you need to decide if you're selling produce or you're selling organic produce?
We didn't really use the term "organic" in our marketing because 1) we weren't certified, and 2) we weren't completely organic. Around here where there's so much conventional agriculture, folks don't seem to care as much about organic. They liked our stuff because it tasted great and we had stuff you couldn't find at the grocery store. In an area where the opinions of the community are a little different, your marketing could be completely different.
For me carrots are surprisingly hard to produce for very little money. Tomatos on the other hand feel like free money.
Every area is different. Tomatoes weren't a huge hit in our weekly bags, but we always had a great week when we had carrots in the bag.
The Japanese red mustard greens I’ve tried from bakers creek behave like you described the collards . I’m definitely going to try growing collards this fall. This video was helpful even though I don’t sell I do try to grow to be able to can / dehydrate, etc to be able to put away so it’s good to know what crops for my area zone 8a in Georgia will more likely to be high yielding with not a lot of tending needed. I would love to get my garden producing in abundance.
Haven't tried those mustard greens. Are they particularly spicy?
@@LazyDogFarm we didn’t find them to be though we tended to pick the leaves before they got too large but they kept going from Fall to the summer of the next year until finally starting to bolt
I would like to know how you went about building or finding someone reasonable to build a website for the market model or similar. And also places to get bags and labels and stickers. Normally on the printed stuff i would try a big box office store but my town was pretty much wiped out by Ida and none of them have reopened yet. Also maybe some logistics on how to package if your shipping. Just the nuts and bolts of it all. Lol. I have so many questions. Lol
My day job is actually building websites, doing logo design, that kind of stuff. I have a digital marketing company where I do all that. If that's something you're seriously interested pursuing, let me know.
@@LazyDogFarm yes I am very serious. Is there an email address I should send the details to? Or will the one at lazy dog website be ok?
@@LazyDogFarm i didnt see an email address on the website. Or a contact link. Or did I miss it?
@@variousgardeners.8591 You can send it to support@lazydogfarm.com
I don't understand where the Lazy is. You look to be super busy. I am at retirement age in 1.5 years. I need some things to do and making enough money to help support what I do would help. I have a tiller and lawnmower and 7 ac of land. This year frist time trying to grow bigger garden. this is something to think about.
Lazy Dog Farm is just a name, not a mindset. Hope you're able to start enjoying gardening on a bigger scale in retirement.
Never heard you mention Turnips, did you not grow any? These are my favorites!
We grew the All Top Turnips a couple years and those did okay. But most folks were wanting the roots and the greens. And it was tough to keep the greens from wilting when attached to the root.
Off topic.........funyuns crumbled over baked mac&cheese.....:)
Can't go wrong with those two items!
Great content guys!!!
Thanks Kim!
Great video!
Thanks Kenneth!
Amazing! May not seem like a big deal but it is. What about usual interactions with customers. How/where did you have to educate them. Usual problems etc. Example were people constantly asking for a business card? I know that seems good but sometimes people use it as a way to say goodbye and really what they would want is "phone number". If they actually use it great.
We handled most correspondence through FB messenger, email and texting. So we didn't really have a need for business cards.
Y'all are the reason I got into garden! The kids and i get out there and plant different things! We are in union s.c. I think its zone 8a or 7b. But we love watching you guys. Keep em coming!!!!👍
That's great to hear Matt! Sounds you and the kids are having a blast growing your own food!
❤❤❤🕊️
Any thoughts on how you might adjust the price for inflation if you were still doing this? I'm going all in this summer.
If we were doing it now, we might charge $30 per bag. Not a huge increase though.
Very informative video series Travis - thank you. I may have missed it, but when y'all sell the sweet corn in the bags, did you shuck them first or leave the husks on?
Husks on. They store much better that way.
Hello y'all
Hey Wayne!
Is that Hoss?!
Do you know where to get or order onion starts here in Ga , here near Athens , all i can find are seeds or bulb sets....thanks ...Love the "Lazy Dog" videos.
If you're wanting plants, you'll need to order from Dixondale Farms online. Just be sure to specify your ship date as they tend to send the plants later than you actually want them.
Did yall ever grow herbs?
Yeah we do some. Basil, tarragon, thyme, sage, oregano, dill, and cilantro.
Hey Travis! Got another question for ya(I tried to google it but I cant find a good answer) so I'm starting a bunch of seeds and I've got a variety of tiny worms eating them up! Can I spray them that young? I'm losing seedlings left and right, it's been too hot so I've tried shading them some, then they get leggy and die. I'm battling too many variables right now. I plan to build a small greenhouse this winter but what can I do for now about the worms eating them up? This is my first time starting seeds for a fall garden and I wasnt expecting so many obstacles.
Btw I've realized it's the light on the back porch attracting moths... that's where all the worms are coming from. Just didn't think about it! I've got every light in the house off now...lol
You could probably use a very low dose of B.t. But I would try it on a sample first before spraying all your plants. That way if it didn't work, you wouldn't be killing them all.
@@LazyDogFarm I'll have to order some so I'll have it on hand. I have been meaning to, just haven't gotten around to it. I'll hand pick them till then. Thanks again!
Still trying to figure out what 'oakry' is.
Haha. Many of the "old timers" here in the south refer to okra as "okree." Not sure of the derivation of it, but I like the sound of it so that's the pronunciation I use as well.
@@LazyDogFarm You should try it with rais, but make sure you warsh it good first.
@@nonyadamnbusiness9887 Okree and maters over rice is one of our favorites. Here's our recipe: lazydogfarm.com/blogs/recipes/okree-and-tomatoes
No turnip green or radish? Those seem like fast growing winners to me. But I’m a moron and lots of things sound good to me.
We did some radishes here and there, but they weren't a big hit. Turnips were tough because the greens would often get a lot of pest pressure, and people wanted the roots and the greens. We did do well with some of the All Top Turnips a year or so ago.
Did you ever use sweet potatoes?
Yes. We would use them quite a bit in the fall/winter bags.
How did you package your kale and collards?
I'd crop a "bunch" of leaves -- the bunch being as much as I could fit in my hand. I'd then take my knife and cut the stems so they fit into the bag easier. We'd put them in the plastic bags we showed on the last video, tie a knot in the top, and poke a few holes. They'd usually store 1-2 weeks like that.
What do you think is the most productive open pollinated okra
I like Red Burgundy a lot. And there's an heirloom variety that a viewer sent us this year that has done really well. We call it "Ruiz" okree because that was his last name, but I don't believe it has an official name.
@@LazyDogFarm are you saving seed to share or to sell
How in the world do yall keep carrots that long? I've tried everything and within a couple days my carrots are flimsy and soft. How do yall keep them crisp and fresh?! I can grow pretty carrots but I cant figure out why they arent storing well
No tops, gotta make sure they're dry, then we put them in those plastic bags on the roll, tie a knot in the top, poke a few holes in the bag, and they're good for a while.
@@LazyDogFarm I have a few in some pots that I'll pull tomorrow and try that method. Thanks for the reply.
As a gardener, I store carrots in the fridge. They last for weeks.
You talk about location being important for what you can sell. Collard greens around the Chicago area would not sell well. Most people around here wouldn't know what they are.
I kind of wonder about that issue here, too. I'm in the northern VA area and while you'd think that VA is the south it really isn't any more. However, I think kale is popular everywhere nowadays because it got so much press a few years ago. Maybe collards will be next. There are probably a lot of people in the Chicago area that came from more southern areas and maybe the market would be bigger than you think. The thing they always talk about that I don't believe would be a hit here is okra. I can't really win with okra anyway because my garden is remote and I can't get there frequently enough to harvest them before they get too big. OHHHHHHHH! That reminds me that I do have something for Lazy Dog Farms to address--what about the idea of contracting out to seed companies as a grower?
@Steve From the Garden That's why some of the "market farming courses" out there are a little puzzling to me. You'd go broke around here trying to sell most of the stuff they teach you to grow in those courses. It's all very relative to your local "market."
@Country Frau If you get an opportunity to do that, go for it! Personally, I try not to buy from too many companies that contract their seed growing to small-scale growers. That's because I believe the commercial seed growers are better at growing seeds in controlled conditions without risk of cross-pollination and in a more sanitary environment. It's tough for a backyard gardener like ourselves to ensure those precautions are properly taken.
You'd be surprised. To say "most people around here wouldn't know what to do with it" is flat out wrong, though. My husband worked as a produce manager in central Illinois with a much smaller population, obviously. I made him watch the first vegetable bag operation video and he immediately told me stories from those days. Collard greens sold out first at Thanksgiving. Second, mustard greens. Third, turnip greens. Kale was dead last and you could tell it was out of desperation.
If you're looking to extend the market season, greens are more sturdy to grow in the fall. It might be worth expanding your target audience around the holidays.
@@Sanecrist it's funny that there are places where certain things do well and not far from there they don't. 😀 1 of the market farmers I know on the IL / WI border stopped growing collards because they don't sell at the farmers market. I suspect that central IL being closer to the farming community makes a difference vs the very urban area around Chicago where the vast majority don't grow any food.
Yğ