Selling at local farmers market

[Overtaxed]

I'm thinking of starting to sell some of our extra crop at our local farmers market, nothing too elaborate, but, I'm wondering what to put in that stands the best chance of being sold well at the market. We're putting a large wildflower field this year, so I was thinking of selling cut/local flowers. The other one that came to mind is selling the ridiculous hot peppers (Ghost, Scotch Bonnet, etc) which aren't available at local stores and keep well (could dry and grind them if they don't sell fresh). Any other ideas? Tomatoes grow so-so here, and being right on the edge of GA, peaches grow great, but.. Everyone already has them (all the local places sell peaches that are local grown).

Just brainstorming; this will be a hobby and to generate some side income, if we made a few hundred dollars a week I'd be thrilled, especially since I could move the farm gear to a business and start to depreciate it!

 

[oosik]

The things I would buy at a farmers market - hot peppers, tomatoes, bush or pole beans, green peppers, corn and cucumbers & dill( for dill pickles ).

 

[smstonypoint]

I would check what is being offered this year -- see what's selling and what's not and determine whether you can spot "holes in the market" -- products that are missing but for which there may be local demand. It looks like there are a lot of photos of products that have been for sale at the Gaffney market here:Gaffney Station Farmers Market - 1,748 Photos - 18 Reviews - Farmers Market - 21 W. Frederick Street, Gaffney, South Carolina 29341.

Clemson has enterprise budgets for some vegetables, but the budgets are for commercial operations (Melons & Vegetables | Clemson University, South Carolina).

Good luck.

Steve

 

[smstonypoint]

Ibeing right on the edge of GA, peaches grow great, but.. Everyone already has them (all the local places sell peaches that are local grown).

Hey, Georgia may be called the Peach State, but usually produces less than SC.*


Steve


*California is the leading state by a wide margin.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Talk to the market manager. They usually won't allow someone new who competes with someone already there. A good market manager will be trying to build a diverse base of vendors and will tell you what he needs.

 

[smstonypoint]

Talk to the market manager. They usually won't allow someone new who competes with someone already there. A good market manager will be trying to build a diverse base of vendors and will tell you what he needs.

The farmers' market in Gaffney doesn't operate that way. Here are the 2017 guidelines: http://www.getintogaffney.com/Data/Sites/1/media/2017-gaffney-station-farmers-market--guidelines.pdf.


Steve

 

[bunyip]

We plan on putting in hops this year as the market for home brewers is limited, if it fails so be it and I won't be much out of pocket but I want to get away from the mainstream bitter varieties and try some like Tettnanger, Saaz and Citri.
There are markets that are for home brewers every few months and it would be a good day out and I may even make some money.
Around here a lot of people sell seasonal fruit and veges roadside with an honesty box/honour system.

 

[Overtaxed]

The hops thing is a great idea, especially since I have a good friend who's a local brewer, I'm sure he'd use the hops we could grow here. I'm embarrassed to admit, I don't even know what a hop plant look like, nor how it grows or what kind of soil it likes.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We raise enough tomatoes and onions (usually) for ourselves, but we do go to the farmer's market for various other items...MAINLY BECAUSE IT IS FRESH, FRESH FRESH! We will buy fresh okra, cantaloupe, watermelons, squash and such things as new potatoes and occasionally fresh purple hull peas. If our tomatoes and onions are not ready, or we're out, we will buy them also. Wife loves fresh peaches, so we will buy them also, but quality is pretty iffy...so we often go to the orchard and pick our own.

Same with fresh corn on the cobb; but that usually means a full day of waiting in line for the corn and then blanching them and freezing...if it's available. Seems fresh, right out of the field sweet corn is a desirable commodity; why else would anyone wait in line 4 hours for a couple bushel...and they sold out last year before we could get any. I would think SC should have some great corn...but a lot of work.

 

[kirkawilson]

These folks can teach you a lot about growing hops Southern Appalachian Hops Guild - Home | Facebook .

I considered growing hops but could never make the numbers work because the yields are too low to compete with the Northwest growers. In short-day areas (below the 35th latitude), flowering occurs too soon when the required number of nodes for a particular variety are produced. As a result, yields are not maximized. In longer day areas (above 35th latitude), vegetative growth is maximized prior to the point where day length begins to shorten in mid- to late summer.
I wonder if daylight saving time can cure this problem? LoL