Garden might be profitable

[PrettyPaisley]

My monster garden might have been a pretty decent idea.

The plan was to sell some of the basics; summer squash, okra, tomatoes, peas, beans, and cucumbers. I didn't want to try to make any commitments to farmer's markets because I wasn't sure I could do this-or how well it would produce considering the land is ify at best, but it seems I've got a decent little business going here. It's not my leftover sales skills from my previous life, but I've got more folks wanting vegetables than I can grow. My plan was to stock the larder first, then sell to friends and then hope to sell to some mom and pop restaurants and maybe set up a table at a couple places where I know folks congregate to buy stuff like raw milk and would appreciate and pay well for my hard work. But we've been picking almost every 3rd day and getting bushels of squash and cucumbers and not nearly enough zucchini to meet the demands (the zucchini row is only 200ft) and I've got two places (one with two stands in town and one large stand about an hour of the city who does a huge business and who's been there forever) who both say they will take anything I can grow. I was even told by both places that they would take all the peas I could possibly grow-but I'm not giving up all my peas. I'll just plant more, like I did yesterday with the squash.

But here's the question; cows aren't fun. Goats are fun but they are expensive to keep alive. Gardening is fun. I'm wondering if I shouldn't sell a few cows and make more garden space where I have pasture. It would take some work to get the pasture turned into garden (other than fixing the soil we would need to have some grading done for drainage issues) but would it make sense to try to increase the garden to maybe 3 acres and see if I could actually make enough to live on (and not just enough to feed the goats) - or should I keep the cows because cows are high and we can always sell them or put them in the freezer. I can't help but feel a bit of security when I see the cows and figure if I need quick cash, it's outside on the hoof. I can't really make a zucchini grow faster, you know?

[Dixie Bee Acres]

That's a question only you can answer, and most likely, only time will allow you to answer it.
From the outside, I would say, if you have several cows and can give up one or two now, and if you have the means to start gardening part of your pasture, sure, go for it.
But I don't know if John Smith down the road will put out a 10 acre harden next year and under cut you on all your prices leaving you with no market, no cow and no pasture.
In otherwords, sure, expand what you can, without putting all of your eggs in one basket.

[jwal10]

Also, cows (manure) can feed the garden and garden (waste) feed the cows....James

[mistletoad]

3 acres is a lot to work by yourself, how big is your garden now?

[geo in mi]

Is it April 15th already? Only way to know is to keep good records. I like the idea of being diversified, and getting enough experience under the belt. I think you should invest in some good irrigation before you let the animals go. Increasing your area is opening your exposure to drought.

I do like your idea of a "cash cow", though....... But congratulations on this season's success. And, for me, I would get rid of ALL the goats.....

geo

[Twobottom]

Sounds good, how big is the garden now?

[PrettyPaisley]

I'd need help for sure. Now it's 1.07 acres and I spend a huge amount of time in it. So much so it's causing me to rethink my goat habit. I can't let them all go; there are five that will die here at the end if their happy lives. The rest I do not love.

I didn't keep the records I should have this year but I've bought a large journaling calendar (just today) and plan to keep records staring now. And the cucumbers have drip tape on them ... I agree I'll spend some of this years earnings on a better watering system. Dragging a hose around isn't making things easier.

If I start now I can get the pasture ready by spring instead of just winging it this year. I also need to get a plow and a mule, and maybe one or two older kids who need cash.

[idigbeets]

Still think you can do 3 acres alone? I've done it bigger... but I mechanized some of the cultivation....

[Vosey]

That's great PrettyPaisley! You obviously live in an area with a good market for local produce and even better, you can sell it without having to do all the work of having a setting up a table and selling, because then you aren't working in the garden!

I say go with what you love doing, it makes life much less stressful. It does depend on how self-sufficient you want to be, but not all of us enjoy raising animals. Having seen my brother raise grass-fed beef and lamb for years I have no desire to do it.

[Muleman]

I have been reading a lot about market farming lately. We plan to open up with a market garden next year. This year is planning and growing test crops. The book I am reading now is called Market farming Success. Here are a few things that is in it. As a general rule it takes 1 worker for 1 acre of intensive production. The money earned from 1 acre of mixed vegetable production could be $20,000 per year, more for higher end salad mixes, herbs and cut flowers. They say beyond 3 acres some kind of mechanized farming is needed. If done part time, you will not benefit from the full use of the land, as with intensive farming and you could expect to gross $10,000 or a bit more per acre per year.
These of course are averages and based on having a steady market for the veggies you produce.
Hope that info. helps. Good book on just what you are talking about if you can pick one up. I buy lots of books. I always figure a few hundred in books is cheaper than a few thousand on mistakes and bad decisions.

[crazyfarm]

Dave Ramsey always warns people that a little success does not mean you should grow like crazy. What happens when plants grow like crazy? They need pruned back so they don't outgrow themselves. So take it slow. Grow slowly. Don't take this little success and go all crazy and sink yourself!

I do love that you're successful though!

[Muleman]

I think there are 2 ways to look at such things. Here is my take on them. Now before I start I am not saying Mortgage your house and hope you make the money back before the next payment is due, but within reason make sound investments.
Idea #1 go slow, test the market and if you have the customers then slowly add on. The upside is you carry no debt and little risk. the downside is you cannot really meet the needs of your customers, if you do have the demand you think is there. Customers are easily discouraged when you cannot supply them product on some type of dependable basis. I think many small businesses die because of this approach. Customers get tired of waiting and find someone who is more serious about providing a service.
Idea #2 Go big or go home. Do market research, do some test runs, but be sure you are set up to meet the customer demand before you start getting serious about selling. People go to grocery stores because they know when they go there, they can buy what they need and go home. The store is out of some things a few times and they are looking somewhere else. Make sure you provide a steady reliable supply from the start. The up side is the customers will view you as a serious producer that they can have some confidence in supplying their needs. The down side is there will be a bigger initial investment and a bit more risk involved.
I do not care if you are selling lettuce, working on Wall street or selling Crack. Business is business. The more risk you take the greater the opportunity for profit. I am not saying make hasty decisions. I am saying do some serious number crunching, decide how much you are comfortable risking, then if you are still confident in your idea, go for it. If it succeeds great, if it fails you can look back and know you did all you could and gave it all you had. You will not keep looking back thinking if I had just taken it a little more seriously, or invested a little more, or, or ???

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
Vince Lombardi

[Bellyman]

It's great you have a market that can buy all you can produce!! Some people would LOVE to have that.

Expand what's working for you and making you money. Maybe you want to do it over a period of years where you expand your garden by maybe 3/4 to 1 more acre this year (for next year's crops) and then if by this time next year you feel like you need to expand again, do so.

I've seen a single person handle somewhere a little under 3 acres by hand but that's a lot of work... and you have to keep on top of it.

Some of us are still trying to find that piece of land to work with...

Best of luck as you move forward! I personally think there's a future in food.

[geo in mi]

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

I'd need help for sure. Now it's 1.07 acres and I spend a huge amount of time in it. So much so it's causing me to rethink my goat habit. I can't let them all go; there are five that will die here at the end if their happy lives. The rest I do not love.

I didn't keep the records I should have this year but I've bought a large journaling calendar (just today) and plan to keep records staring now. And the cucumbers have drip tape on them ... I agree I'll spend some of this years earnings on a better watering system. Dragging a hose around isn't making things easier.

If I start now I can get the pasture ready by spring instead of just winging it this year. I also need to get a plow and a mule, and maybe one or two older kids who need cash.

Get two mules. Two teenage boys will eat lots more than two mules!

Actually, weren't you looking for a tractor and equipment earlier this year? I think I would continue the search. Craigslist? A medium sized tractor with plow and disk to match, plus maybe a mower and a small trailer or cart(for hauling stuff and vegetables). For tax or business purposes, you could set them up on a depreciation schedule... Could you talk to the people who told you they would take everything you could supply, to see if that could be the same next year? New products? I would think of slow to wilt, slow to perish things that don't need as much cooling. Do they stay open long enough for dry beans(soup)? Those are legumes which would manufacture some nitrogen for you.... Early potatoes? Onions? Small potted herbs? Just a few thoughts to think about this winter....(But before winter, get the crimson clover planted(another legume)--you can scythe it each day(before it blossoms too much) and feed it to the stock, plus some winter rye for green manure and biomass in the Spring.

geo