My girlfriend Nick wanted to remind me to bring up the fact that most(not all by any means) beginner hobbyists veggies are smaller with more blemishes and diseased and lack of water and fertilizer than good pro-grown stuff.So they do not last very long anyway. (not all of it,mind you but a lot---although I have seen some very nice produce grown by beginners.)mark and nick

Our market manager has power on paper, but otherwise all she was able to do was place people in spaces If they didn't have an assigned spot. When she was hired, she was promised to be able to farm visits. Later when the visits were made, it was the 'event manager' that did the visits. I'm not sure the event manager knew what she was looking at. We will have a new market master this next year, and who knows how this person will handle things.

If this market wasn't SO profitable for me, I would leave. I did once and after 2 years, had to return to keep in business. The other market that I tried, was totally unregulated. 90% hobbyists that was at market to get together and gossip. There was more vendors than customers. When I went into that market, they told me that NOBODY could sell tomatoes for more than 50 cents/lb. I started selling at $1/lb and refused to lower my prices. After a couple of weeks, the other vendors came up to my prices. but still, at the other market, I was asking and getting $2/lb. The bottom line (or wallet) demanded that I return to the market that I'm at again.

Marla

Wow guys,

I hadn't looks at this forum for awhile and I couldn't believe the responses! I got my new Baker Creek catalog and am getting the mood :-) I think I am going to start some seeds after Christmas. I tore down my hoophouse a few weeks ago and plan on getting it back up in another location in the yard.

I thank all of you for your opinions. I learned some things and am even getting a different perspective. I do feel we should have the right to price what we want. I don't have the overhead others have, but I am a follower and never want to make an enemy. There are other hobby gardeners at my market and I like them. They have unique items like I do.

I do buy some things at an amish auction to suplement my own stuff. I, like familyfarm, am usually one who pays a higher price believing that they are there to make a living as well. However, this year I am going to try hard to do more of my own.

I am in the business to sell local food and that's what I am proud to tell people who are buying from me. I am not the guy who has trucks going to NC and not growing one thing on his own. I am not the "farm" who has wagons all over the area with signage stating that their food is locally grown produce. The only thing they grow is corn. They give seed to the amish and have them grow it for them. They use rental trucks to deliver everything and have mexicans hand picking their corn.

So, at the end of the day I am happy that 1) I have sold all I brought or close to it and 2) I sold produce that I am proud of.

Andrea

after reading some of this , why go compete , at markets ,, set up a nice stand where u are , and stand your ground , establish a produce stand , people will come , i don,t care how rural , but competing with people buying veggies , no, no flavor , you,ll win in the end , trust me ,, kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: small ones win

I love doing the market thing. Our market has been in operation for about 150 years in the same location. I don't think many of my fellow vendors have stands at their farms, we have about 75-80 vendors. I really love talking with my customers/friends.Most of our customers can drive to our farm, but my farm isn't the easiest to get too. Plus I've enjoyed the privacy.

I also like the idea of taking my produce into town, and after 6-8 hours having almost everything sold, with little to go the cows or to be processed into jars for the winter. Yes, it's alot of work and afterwards at home, I can take a nap and not be on-call, like a farm stand would require.

I had a farm stand with the money box, and found out that 1/2 of my produce was not being paid for. My stand was out of my sight, near the road. It was a good location, sales of $200+(actual money received), but it wasn't close enough to the farm to be visible. We are going to try bring the stand back the lane, where we can see the customers and whether they pay or not.

Kevin, I don't know how much sales you have, and really it's none of my business. But I like to sell enough during the summer months to help pay the bills for me and hubby, my oldest son, my next son and family, AND my youngest son and family. That takes alot of sales and at the farm, at this time, would NOT be enough. So my oldest son, next son's wife, youngest son's wife, myself and sometimes 1 grandchild will wake up at 5 am and DO the market. If everyone can get between $75-$150 for the day, we're happy and able to buy groceries and some gas for the week.

Marla

why , bother , set up your own market , [stand ] self serve and learn , its better than fighting with buyers and sellers ,,, let them fight you prosper , kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: there always a better way

Kevin, I know you promoting your dvd and your way of selling, but answer this. Where would you sell if the sales amount per season was, at the stand you sell $1,000 or at the market you sell $25,000? Me, I'll be at the market, and use the stand as a backup. You can do both.

I'll be promoting our stand at the farmers market, since I'll be at the market for those people that don't want to travel (or can't) the 15 miles to our farm. I don't live in-town. I live on a FARM, small at 28 acres, but surrounded by other farms of hundreds of acres.

I will say you have a nice website, did you create it yourself.

Marla

Marla, i agree. i have a farm stand/store and it makes next to nothing despite some money in marketing plus a lot of on-line marketing, posting signs around town, have a nice sign at the farm and I live on a very busy road. And still little business.

But at the farmers market I make 10x more in a few hours than I do in 5 days open 7 hours a day at the store. Plus the store takes me away from work in the fields waiting on customers. I love the social aspect of the market and I like the fact they do most of the marketing for me and thus draw in 1000 people during market hours something I have yet to do on my farm (with the exception of a huge 4-day "Yard Sale" we do that draws in 30K+ people over 4 days in August but most are from out of the area)

Now, the CSA I have is a cash cow and is all done on the farm as we do not deliver.

I agree that a farm stand isn't worth it. Too much loss in product unless you have a fully staffed stand, next to a major road and it has been there a long time. On my dusty dirt road, I wouldn't even think about it.

I agree, Farmers Markets are the best way to earn alot of $$ in a short amount of time. They cost more to attend, and they are a lot of work. But they are worth it.

I also agree with Boulderbelt, a CSA is a great cash cow. We do an online market through locallygrown.net. We have a weekly market every two weeks from Jan- end of March). We started off small, 20 members. Next year I want to move that to 40-50. If we can find the right people. People interested in locally grown produce and want to make purchases every week. We have some now that will spend $30-$35 a week and other who spend $15-$20 every 2 or 3 weeks. I prefer the first customer, blended with a few of the second. Also, people order before I pick. Works great for the late fall and winter orders. I only pick what I need.

We do deliver, but it is only to a central pick up point. It is 3 miles to town to do this. At Christmas, I personally delivered everyone's orders. It was a "present" to them. It was also snowy and bad streets.

Jay

Jay,

Hopefully you won't have the problem of snowy streets come this growing season ;-D

I think there are 2 different type of marketers, farm stand and farmers market. I realize that there are alot of farm stands out there and they've been there forever. There has been farmers market for just as long, but I think there has been more farmers markets started up in the last 10 years. Alot of people just enjoy the 'atmosphere' of the farmers market, which they can't get at a farm stand. But then again, at the farmers market, the customers might meet the farmers or their hired help but don't get to see the farm.

There are positives and negatives to each. If I wanted to stay home and make alittle bit, I'd have the farm stand. Personally, I'll take the farmers market and make money. Maybe I'm just greedy, but I'm trying to make a living.

Marla

I have been in the produce business for 40 years now, and as to the hobby farmer that wants to sell cheap i like them as I buy them out and send them home early they really just help in keeping me stocked ...the only ones I don't buy out are the ones selling trash as they have no effect on my business plus the ones I do buy out usually start just coming to me with their produce and making me a good price on it. and if they don't sell to me it doesn't make me upset as more competition usually just brings in more buyers.

Everyone from both sides of the fence should take note and listen to the hillbilly having a grand ol' time ridin' the fence. My hats off to you Sir.

I was wondering would you be opposed to say someone like me selling the extra surplus of are home garden. We can so much and dry so much and we still have surplus. Would it up set you if I or someone like me would come in and sell the surplus at the normal price y'all would sell at? Just wondering.

WVMTNMAN:
It sure would not bother me in the least.Do not let some of these so called farmers fool you. Most of them are very small like me , meaning they are growing only 1-5 acres which is not much more than a large garden. I consider someone a farmer if they farm at least 60 acres. Anybody else is a (for fun & profit) hobbyist like you, maybe a little bigger but not that much.
Some will argue that it is their living, fine, if they want to live in near poverty - making less than 20k a year that is their choice.
Do not EVER let one of those safari hat gardeners or any other Gardener tell you where you can sell and where you cant.Its still a free country last time I checked.

I have only 5-10 acres of vegetable production, I own 19 plus 9 of my sons, not all tillable, thank goodness. The rest supplies firewood and the peacefulness that my farm supplies. I consider myself as a farmer, and I don't have to have a profit of 20K. When you get as big as cowpie is talking about, you have several employees and have many more expenses than I do. trust me, I've checked into it.
I don't mind hobbyists (gardeners with 1 acre or less) coming into my market as long as they don't decide to undercut the rest of the vendors. I have found that the ones that do undercut, are usually full-time employees elsewhere and not dedicated farmers. Farmers are people that make farming as their MAIN occupation.

Mark, I find that most of the 'safari hat' gardeners are possibly master gardeners, but NOT commercial growers. Commercial growers don't plant just 1 flat of one variety of plants, but several flats. Our farmer markets market master was the president of our local Master Gardeners group, and that is what she said. We market gardeners are totally different than regular hobbyists.

Marla
commercial market gardener/farmer since 2000

We have a 1 1/2 acre garden we have a farm 380 acre with 20 cows double that in a couple of months. We also raise just anuff pigs for fall butcher. I am thinking of adding chickens to that as well not only for eggs but meat as well.

If it's just 2 of you, you have plenty of garden to preserve and market some. Check out the marketing opportunities for the eggs and the restrictions for selling meat. Since you already are growing animals, then adding a few more won't overwhelm you as much as someone that has not tried it before. We have a good market for eggs and meat, but there are restrictions and licenses required. We are considering chickens, plus our kids are feeding 4 calves from bottle size. The cows are for our own meat plus 2 to sell off to friends. I'm also thinking about a few pigs, but haven't decided yet.

Marla

I was wondering would you be opposed to say someone like me selling the extra surplus of are home garden. We can so much and dry so much and we still have surplus. Would it up set you if I or someone like me would come in and sell the surplus at the normal price y'all would sell at? Just wondering.

Nope, I doubt if you'll want to come to my market, the gas will wipe out your profit. As long as someone, like yourself, pays the fees and passed the requirements for the market, I would not have a problem. I am usually higher than most at the market, but it's the people that tries to sell at $.25/lb when the rest of the market is at $2.00/lb that bugs me.

Marla

well as to acreage I grow all my vegetables on 1 acre....I grew 6000lb tomatoes,300 bushel bell peppers,3500 heads of lettuce,200 bushel of beans,250 bushel cucumbers,plus a whole lot more of other items just last year so you cant go by acreage in determining who is a farmer and who isn't.

So true Hillbilly, I'd say the hobby gardener is the person who comes on occasion and does not look at what they are doing as a business and when people come to sell stuff they have grown as a hobby they tend to put a low price on their produce which can and does mess with the people who make a living at this.

So while I am not at all against hobby gardeners coming to market to sell their extras I don't like it when they dump their stuff i.e. sell way under the average price simply to move the stuff out. Instead of doing that and taking away business from the professionals they really should give that food to a food bank since what they are doing is trying to get rid of their excess, not make a profit. But if they want to come to market to try and make some money, that is a whole 'nother story.

Boulderbelt, good suggestion for the hobbyists that don't care what kind of price they get. Our market has discouraged the 'hobbyists' by setting the daily rates high enough that unless they have alot of excess, they will be paying more for the rental fee than they would make. There are still some, but not near as many.

Hillbilly, you must be planting plants on top of other plants. But I guess with hydropodics, you probably do.
Marla

marla,
I have produce coming off 11 months out of the year, but some produce longer before needing replaced like tomatoes, I pick tomatoes for 6 months before i replace them and if I wanted i could continue picking for an extra 2-3months but i switch out when production starts to slow down . some vegetables like lettuce or any greens im changing out every month as the grow quicker in hydro than in dirt.

I really don't know where I stand. I've always considered my business an avocation. I have 5 acres under production but no way make a living at it. I created it as a retirement job and a means to supplement my income. I got tired of working summer jobs just to pay more taxes; and, as a teacher, I am not really allowed Social Security anyway. Why work and pay into a system that I'm ostracized from? At least with my own business, I have something tangible to show for my effort. I guess I admire anyone who tries to better himself and not rely on the "system"-- and it does take a lot of effort for even the hobbyists to do market work. Most will probably give up, and I really don't see them as a threat. They're often entertining anyway. Good products,reliability, and service will always win out in the end.

Brook

Brook, not knowing how old you are, there is a good chance that you won't be able to live on SS only. Hubby is now drawing SSDI and it's only about 1/2 of what he was making prior. If I wasn't working, it would not cut it. His checks are just over the amount allowed for food stamps or medicaid and he won't qualify for medicare for 2 years after starting SSDI. It makes it interesting figuring out what to do to make some extra money.

Marla

OK, Think about the shoppers. Would they like a ripe, blemish-free pound of tomatoes for 50� or would they rather pay $3? I hope to get into a market this year, one where vendors sell toms for $3/lb. in July. Will my prices be lower? You can bet your sweet bippy they will. Will I care if other vendors get mad at me? Not in the least.

Mike

I had a fellow vendor that kept their tomato prices up to $2.50 during peak and had customers. Mine last year, dropped to $1.50 and I think I was the lowest. I still had the best quality (per customers), but I was bringing in 500 pounds minimum per day, some days over 1,000.

I sell ALOT of tomatoes.

Marla

I let supply and demand run my pricing. If I keep selling out at $2.50, then why drop my price? If people will pay it, then why should I lose money?

Also, Mike what are you costs? I know what my production costs are and I know that I lose money at 50 cents a pound. Don't price yourself broke. You need to earn a decent wage. for every 1000 pounds you sell is $500. I would earn $2,500. You would have to sell 5,000 pounds to earn that amount. I know I can't produce or sell anywhere close to that amount. More production doesn't mean more profit.

Mike the tiny amounts you are growing won't make much of an impact at a farmers market. If you under cut than you will likely be sold out very early.

Conversely many buyers will wonder what is wrong with your produce to sell it so cheaply. Do know that most farmers market shoppers are not shopping for the best price but rather the best quality and thus you may find you stuff not moving but more established growers with much higher prices selling out.

And I'd watch that "I don't care who I make mad" attitude, you anger the wrong person or people and they can and will make you life very hard at market.

boulder,

Not sure about tiny amounts. I would think 1800 plants would produce a few tomatoes! I know what my costs are and how valuable my time is, as well as what produce costs in the store. I know what a produce store and restaurants will pay me. My goal would be to sell out each market; whether that's at $1 per pound or $3.

Mike

Mike,

I have learned that if I sell out of something then I have too low of a price or the demand is high. If the demand is high, then raise your price. Why do you feel that you are successful if you sell out? If you are market farming isn't your goal to make some money?

What kind of average are you expecting from these 1800 plants?

Just curious,

Jay

It all comes down to respect.

I am a hobby gardner who ended up in a home with an orchard. Last year was my first year at the Farmer�s Market (as a Seller) I was the only one selling apples. I also have a garden and had many "extras" that I could have taken to sell cheap and make extra money. I never once took my extras, because I got to know all the people there, how hard they work, their families, and how much they depend on that market. I want the money to stay in my city, I want the Farmer�s market to come back year after year, and I want those farmers to return. I wouldn�t want a monopoly at my market. I�ve been going to Farmer�s markets since I was little. I have my favorite vendors that I trust and I go back to them year after year for the things that I don�t grow.

To all the new vendors and hobby gardners, I hope you get to know the farmers. There may come a day that one of those farmers will help you out when you least expect it.

Jay,

If it is like last year, maybe 900 pounds total. It was a bad, bad, bad year. We went from 3" above average rainfall in May and June to eight inches below by October.

If it's similar to 2009, an average year - not great but not horrible, I would guess about 2 pounds per plant per week. I'm growing different types: Celebrity, BHN 589, Early Wonder, Bush Champion, Florida 91 and First Prize.

I didn't mean to suggest I was going to sell my produce for a song and dance, only that I will not hold anyone up either. I'll look at a couple of local produce stores and see what they are charging and undercut that to the nearest quarter. That is, if they are at $1.89 there, I'll go at $1.75. If they are $3, $2.75. If I sell out early, I'll bump it a quarter the next week.

Due to state laws, I cannot say they are organically grown (I have to go through certification which takes a couple of years) but I can say they are grown using only OMRI-approved methods (but in more simple terms!).

I don't have a lot of room, so I will be somewhat limited in what I can sell. Besides the maters, about 500 Swiss Chard, Spinach, Onion, Sweet Potato and Sugar Snap Peas (the peas will be replaced by green beans, then go back to peas), 180 pepper (hot, bell and banana) plants, and two crops of broccoli - 300 plants each. I'll also have about 40' of basil and will try to replace the broccoli with Gherkins. Next year I hope to also sell fruit, though on a limited basis. Strawberries, Blackberries, Apples, Cherries and Peaches.

Mike

Mike, instead of undercutting the grocery stores, I usually start off $.25 ABOVE the store's regular price. It is usually still a fair price. But then again, I don't think $4/lb is fair to the customer, on tomatoes, at this time. I would rather sell my tomatoes at $1.50-$2.50 per lb and not upset too many of my fellow vendors. I just out-sell them with volume and knowledge. It still upsets them. Personally I think alot of vendors at my market, are just upset that they can't get all of the customers.

Fortunately for me, those vendors won't stick around for long.

Jay, I figure on about 10# per regular slicing tomato plant, when I figure out how many plants to plant. Of course, then we have years like the last 2 and that changes everything.

Marla

Marla,

I can see more instead of less. People will be eating a real tomato, with taste, rather than the artificially ripened (I wonder how they get away advertising vine ripened when they are not) they get in a store. Certainly, I don't want to lower my profits but one of the markets will be in a place where the income is below average. If I can get into the other one, it will be in one of the richer neighborhoods, one where people pay $13/dozen for eggs in winter! That was the one charging $3.50/lb for maters in the middle of summer.

If I can find the time (I have a full-time job but am self-employed) I could add a third market. It would probably be middle class. So I can easily see selling maters for $2, $2.50 and $3.00 lb and being a bit under others, but still better than what people pay in the store (lower the prices by 50� in the late summer when everyone has toms from their garden.

I'm going for 20 pounds per plant. Not unrealistic, since I can semi-micro manage them. Two years ago, I averaged 15 pounds but that was without using fertilizer, compost tea, anything during the entire year. Of course, the rainfall and temps were near normal except for July (one of the wettest and coldest on record). A bit of Tomato-tone, Blood Meal and compost tea can go a long way!

Mike

Interesting. I have been running between 22 and 32 pounds of tomatoes per plant for the last three years. Of course this is inside my high tunnels. Last year I had about 150 plants.

This year, inside my new tunnel, I am going to have about 180 plants. 6 rows of 30. I could go plant more, but I am using one end to grow seedlings.

I agree with Marla, I would start out $0.25 higher than grocery store price, especially for vine ripened, locally grown tomatoes. At my markets, I don't want to be known for low prices. When you are known for low prices, every deal hunter will find you and barter on price. It has taken three years, but very few people barter with me now. I offer deals through-out the growing season and I do honor those if they aren't posted and a customer asks. I guess it is a personal thing. You don't go to a grocery store and barter, you pay the listed price. Now with that said, I try to throw in extra for my regular customers. I also always weigh things on the heavy side ( during the main season). That is the way I do business.

Jay

Jay (and Marla),

I'm fine with a quarter or even a half-dollar above market price, especially in the spring when no one has good tomatoes. But $2 more, no way. I just wouldn't feel right, even if people are willing to pay. We grew up poor and though we never shopped for most veggies (we grew just about everything except dandelions, which we harvested from large fields where they grew wild), I know lots of urban shoppers cannot do this.

I have no idea how much revenue I can expect a day from a market that has 300 visitors, and I'm not doing this as a hobby. I want and need to make money! The good thing is I can sell to the stores if I don't sell all the stuff at markets.

No way can I make high tunnels this year, but I have Agribon row covers I can use. I wish to high heavens I could get ripe toms by the first week of June. I might charge $4 per pound for those and would likely sell out!

That is something I will plan for next year. Grow about 100 plants in a hydro system so that by early May I will have 200 pounds a week to sell. Those I would sell for a premium!

Mike

Mike, the Amish start their first tomatos in feb and transplant in hot house,s with wood heat in march and provide the markets first dirt grown tomatos by late may early june. These first tomatos command a premium price of at least 3.50 a pound. Once everybodys early field tomatos come in around mid-july the price still stays pretty close to 2.50 Lb. and tapers off as the mid-season to late-season GLUTTEN of tomatos hits the market.

My Amish start theirs in January in a heated greenhouse, as it gets warmer, some stay in the greenhouse in the ground and others get transplanted out in the fields. Of course, they use plenty of old-fashion horse poo, along with other fertilizers and chemicals. Also mine use propane heat.

When I stated 10# per pound, that was 10# of #1 tomatoes, no blemishes, splits or imperfects. I always figure on 1/2 the amount that might be stated, so that I'll have plenty. Mine are field grown, no coverings, so I have to allow for some bird tastings and such. And if I dont' get enough, I get them from my Amish friends.

My market, on it's slowest day that I go do, probably has between 100-200 people. On Saturdays, I couldn't count them, probably at least 2,500 per Saturday. Even if it rains, probably a minimum of 1,000. My market has one day that is so slow that it's not worth the gas money to go most days, I didn't go to that one last year.

Of course, this is my best market. Last year, I attended a small town market which I was able to still get the $1.50 per pound of tomatoes, but there were only 2 of us that had tomatoes. The other guy had heirlooms and they looked good for heirloom, and I had the regular looking ones. Mine sold and his didn't do so well. And that's the reason that I grow and sell SO many regular tomatoes, and not so many heirlooms. People just want what they are used to.

Kendra, definitely take your extras, just price them along the same prices as others and it shouldn't be a problem.

I've tried to figure how many tomato plants I would need for a 3,000# week (my record recently). I know 1,800 didn't do it. I have also talked to another tomato seller that sell about amount and she plants 9,000 plants each year. She is known as the tomato woman and only sells for about 6 weeks.

Marla

I personally grow around 400 tomato plants on (8) 130 foot rows.
Early girl variety-----100 plants
mid type Rutgers -----50 plants
mid type mountain spring----100 plants
amish paste-----50 plants
cherry & grape types-----100 plants

They are started in the 15 by 30 greenhouse with heat in mid march and ready for transplant after 6 weeks. I harden them off for (1) week. They avg. around 6 inches in hgt. and are strong and bushy from my 36 count 1020 flats.

Estimating Tomato,s starting around July 10 through Sept. 20
I grow about 12 flats for me and 20-40 flats for resale.

We also grow around 30 flats of peppers about 10 for me and 20 for resale.
My greenhouse only holds 250 flats so I pick what I want to grow with the other 175 or so flats.Sometimes broccoli-cauliflower-eggplant-some herbs-various romaines and bibb lettuce.
I direct seed cukes,melons,squash and everything else

I figure I harvest around 3000 lbs. of tomatos in this 30 foot by 150 foot area.
We have 5 garden sections that we plantr with a total of about 3/4 acre of growing area but of course some of it gets double planted. we are not big growers but we are not hobby growers and have our own roadside stand and are welcome at the local farmers markets.
Mark and Nick.

Lovely pictures.

I just went out to my greenhouse and found out that I won't be getting in it any time soon. The ice that we got this last week, iced the door closed. When we closed it up, I noticed that I needed to replace that wooden screen door and I barely was able to close it. Now, if I force the door, it will break and I'll need to replace it in the snow that we have coming down now. AGAIN. I'm sick of SNOW. At least this time only another 2-4 today and another wave coming in tomorrow with 2-4 additional by Monday.

Mark, your planting blueprint is very detailed. I'm not near that organized.

Marla

Great thread if I do say so myself ;-)

Thanks guys for all of the great reading and thoughts to keep us going through the winter months!

Andrea

Andrea, these posts have kept me going this winter, we have had more winter than we usually have for 2-3 years all together. And it's not done for us. 3-6 inches today with another 1-3 tomorrow, on top of several inches of snow, layer of ice, more snow and then more ice, all before today's addition.
I'm so glad I found GW and all of you fellow posters. We can keep each others sane, or almost.

Marla

Oh my Marla, hang in there!
Our winter has been milder as far as snow goes. But, it's not over yet!
I plan on starting seeds in a few weeks, as I'm sure you will be too, so that helps get through the last of winter.
Hang in there :-)

Andrea

Marla,

I don't know if I can get ripe toms to the market before the middle of June or not. My GH is only 12x16' and most of the space will be taken up with seedlings so I can sell plants or have plants to use in my grow space. I have seen that it takes about 1600-1800 Growing Degree Days from transplanting (mid May) to produce a ripe, mid season, medium size tomato. I figure that a smaller, early season (55 instead of 75 days) will require at least 1400 GDD from transplantation. What I cannot find is how much difference the GDD before transplanting will make. If I can lower that to about 900, I could have have ripe toms by the first of June.

Did you really sell 3000 pounds of maters in a week? That's amazing, even if you were only charging $1/lb.

Mike

Yes, I have. I regularly take between 30 and 50 25# boxes of tomatoes into market. I ALWAYS plan on bring some home, my goal is 10% bringhome, in addition to what I call 'compost' tomatoes (those toms that are not good enough for me to sell). During the tomato glut part of the market, I regularly carry 60 boxes every Saturday. On Thursday, usually only 15-20 boxes.

I price my tomatoes that go on the table at $1.50 or more, but I also sell several boxes at $25/box (25#), each week.

And that is one of the reasons that I need to buy some of my produce. I only have family members to help on the farm and market, usually only 3-4 of us at market and an additional 2 other adults and 3 kids (less than age 10) to help at home.

Marla

I thought the original reason customers went to farmers markets was that they could get lower prices by eliminating the middleman and buying direct from the farmer. I have read many posts on this forum advocating charging more than what the grocery stores charge.
The hobby farmer selling cheap is probably the reason many customers even come to a farmers market.

Actually price is not the reason people shop farmers markets. they shop to support local farmers, for variety and freshness. while true hobby farmers (people who are not making a living from their farm or garden) can undercut the grocery stores people who make their living from small farms cannot and hope to stay in business as we do not have economies of scale on our side as does a chain grocery corporation or a large industrial farm that may have many locations.

granted there are still folks who shop at farmers markets looking for the same prices they found in the 1970's but generally they will be out of luck because we cannot afford to work so hard in order to give away our food. Would you ask your mechanic or doctor to work for free?

Everyone I know who goes to farmers markets expects to pay more than in the store. This is because our produce isn't shipped half way across creation from California or Florida or Mexico, sprayed with various chemicals and then displayed with listless flavor on shelves and refrigerated bins for who knows how long. And the hobby farmers don't last. Once they get rid of their stuff or get tired of slow days (there will be a few) their commitment isn't generally the same as those of us who produce for a llving, as a way of life and/or to supplement our incomes. I am at farmers markets in the inner-city, catering to a lot of low-income people and even they expect to pay more. One reason too, in the inner-city, the few-and-far-between grocery stores often charge premium prices for all of their stuff and a lot of it has a tendency to be lower quality than grocers in more affluent areas of town. That's just the way it is. Anyway, I seldom have anyone complain about price. They are elated that we are selling our produce in their neighborhood. I also LIVE in the neighborhood in an old ethnic Eastern-European neighborhood and we have a mix of all kinds of people. My farm is about 15 miles to the west where I hope to build a house some day. All I know is we don't try to gouge anyone or do the lah-dee-dah type of marketing. But, we do expect to be paid for our labor of love. And I believe most people can appreciate that. The ones that don't? Well, they go to Walmart Supercenters and discount grocery stores and they get exactly what they pay for. Sometimes it's great...I love Aldi's 89 cent pineapples and sometimes it's not so great...Everyone have a safe and happy Memorial Day Holiday!