My husband and I and our 3 young children (3,6,&8)bought our second home last year.It sits on 3 acres in west. PA.-about a 1/2 acre is wooded.I have always been a gardening enthusiast,although I still have quite a lot to learn-especially in the area of organic gardening.I am,however,constantly reading up to learn as much as possible.My hope is to start a small scale organic veg. buisness over the next 2 years.There are quite a few farmers markets in the area where I could at least get my start.I'm also interested in selling to restaraunts in the area.Finally,most of the responsibilities of the buisness would fall on me as my husband works full time outside the home.I am currently a stay at home mom and believe that this would be a great way for me to do what I love and believe in while I continue to stay home with my children.Any advice,experiences or resources anyone can share would be very much appreciated.
What a great way to get your kids' hands in the dirt. They are at ages where they will love to help. My suggestion would be to start small, maybe sign up for one farmers market booth one day per week. Your loyal following will grow depending upon the quality and variety of your veggies. Here in Madison WI you can go to a farmers market almost any day of the week. Lots of these farmers also offer CSA shares. Some vendors stick to a few veggies – tomatoes, peppers, onions, potatoes – while others have a large variety to choose from. I suggest you start with those you are good at and add veggies once you feel comfortable. I don't have to tell you how back-breaking the work can be so my biggest word of advice would be to start small and let it grow. Don't try to take on too much.
Check out this website for our area. Good luck and good growing!
http://www.macsac.org/
What a great way to get your kids' hands in the dirt. They are at ages where they will love to help. My suggestion would be to start small, maybe sign up for one farmers market booth one day per week. Your loyal following will grow depending upon the quality and variety of your veggies. Here in Madison WI you can go to a farmers market almost any day of the week. Lots of these farmers also offer CSA shares. Some vendors stick to a few veggies – tomatoes, peppers, onions, potatoes – while others have a large variety to choose from. I suggest you start with those you are good at and add veggies once you feel comfortable. I don't have to tell you how back-breaking the work can be so my biggest word of advice would be to start small and let it grow. Don't try to take on too much.
Check out this website for our area. Good luck and good growing!
http://www.macsac.org/
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Yes you should and call it country girl's organic veggies.
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I can't imagine why someone gave that first answer a thumbs down because I thought it contained excellent advice. Here's my 2¢ worth:
The word "organic" has a legal definition. Does PA have some kind of organic farming association that can grant you that status? It may take more than a year to earn it, but once you have it, you can charge a premium for your products. You will have to comply with a number of strictures, dos and don'ts in order to quaify, but the market is finally out there. In the meantime, you can still sell and probably call your produce something like "all natural," which conveys the idea while skirting the legal niceties of "organic."
I'd suggest getting your hands dirty for a year or so before you approach restaurants. Find out what their needs and wants are, how much, on what schedule, etc. (Once they have an agreement with you, they will want a RELIABLE supply). You need to establish a market first, before you plant a single seed. Again, start small, with a crop you know you can do well…lettuce, or herbs, for example.
Good luck! It's a lot of hard wortk but the rewards are many!
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Nursery professional