How to Become a Market Grower

A market grower engages in the intense production of high value crops on a smaller scale than a commercial farm. The market gardening business is often operated as a side business by farmers who have large scale farm crops too. Market gardening could be a side business or a full time business, or an alternative agricultural lifestyle.

Simply, market gardening involves the commercial production of vegetables, herbs, flowers and / or fruits on a scale smaller than a farm. People who grow in this manner are typically called a market gardener or market grower, not a farmer. Other terms might be specialty grower or truck farmer. According to Wikipedia.org, the word farmer ‚”usually applies to a person who grows field crops, has orchards, vineyards, or market gardens, and does so with the prospectus of selling the produce as food.”

Choose your market and products carefully

Many local markets already have arrangements with other growers. If you chose to plant a vineyard, for example, make sure you can get a contract with grape juice manufacturers or a winery prior to investing the cost and energy necessary.

Places to market your products

• Operate a roadside stand
• Tailgate sales
• Restaurants – If you plan to market to restaurants, you might visit the head chefs prior to planting so they can tell you what they are interested in buying locally. That way, you will learn what is in demand and what would not sell.
• Wholesale markets
• Farmer’s Markets or Growers Markets
• Subscription sales (Also known as Community Supported Agriculture. This is where people subscribe to the service of receiving a basket of fresh seasonal produce from you every week. Often, the subscriber pays half or all of the season’s subscription fees up front.)
• Grocery stores and Natural Food Stores
• Ethnic specialty stores
• Flower shops
• Offer ‚”Pick Your Own” – If you choose this route, your garden’s physical location should be easily accessible for the public.
• Herbalists
• Aromatherapists
• Vegetable Co-ops – A cooperative of people who join together to buy healthy, usually organic foods from local farmers. It is similar to subscription sales.
• Farm to School Program for school lunches

Important things to think about

As with any business start up, you will have a better chance of succeeding if you begin with a business plan. Your business plan should reveal:

• What is your business, service or product?
• Why is there a need for your business, service or product?
• Who is your customer going to be? Write down a description of the typical customer who will want what you sell.
• What needs to be accomplished? When does it need to be accomplished?
• How much money is it going to cost?
• What are the associated expenses?

Become familiar with the Environmental Protection Agency’s book, Guide to Minimizing Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.

Before you invest in planting any crop, determine there is a market, and who that market is.

Once you have determined your ‚”typical customer profile,” then consider how that person would be most likely to learn about your service and products. Is it through local newspapers, a postcard in the mail, a local market, or person to person? Think about what type of advertising will reach your customer.

Specialties or Niche Markets for the Market Grower

• Dried flowers
• Flower arrangements
• Flower Seeds
• Potpourri
• Herbs
• Seasonal garden fresh vegetables
• A blueberry farm
• Grapes/vineyard
• Potted Plants
• Nursery
• Exotic plants
• Seed production
• Certified organic vegetables
• Melons
• Fruits
• Pickled peppers
• A pizza farm
• Other farm entertainment (pumpkin carvings, hay rides, regional cuisine, educational tours, seminars, and workshops…)

Many people are making an excellent living with market gardening. Others are supplementing their full time incomes. Others are discovering the thrill of “living off the land” in an agrarian lifestyle after years of being a city dweller. If you have a passion for gardening, you might want to explore the opportunities in market gardening too.

Resources

-Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-up to Market, by Dr. Vern Grubinger, University of Vermont, Director of UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture

-Visit http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/marketgardening.pdf to download ATTRA’s free PDF, ‚”Market Gardening, a Start Up Guide.”