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A START-UP GUIDE
HORTICULTURE SYSTEMS GUIDE
Abstract: Market gardening, which entails the intense production of high-value crops, gives
farmers the potential to increase their income from a few acres. It is also of interest to people
looking at agriculture as an alternative lifestyle. This publication provides an overview of issues
you need to be aware of as you consider undertaking market gardening, and suggests helpful
resources.
By Janet Bachmann
NCAT Agriculture Specialist
March 2002
Table of Contents
Wha
Whatt is Mar
Mark ket Gar dening? ...................................................................................................................... 1
Gardening?
Choosing Mar Mark kets .................................................................................................................................... 2
Production T
Production ec
Tec hniques and Equipment .................................................................................................... 3
echniques
Planning and R ecor
Recor
ecord dK Keeee ping .................................................................................................................. 5
eeping
Business Plan .......................................................................................................................................... 6
La bor ....................................................................................................................................................... 6
Labor
Food Saf ety .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Safety
Or
Orgganic Mar
Mark ket Gar dening ....................................................................................................................... 7
Gardening
Gr ow
Grow er Pr
ower Profof iles ........................................................................................................................................ 8
ofiles
Ref er
efer ences ............................................................................................................................................ 10
erences
Fur ther R
Further esour
Resour
esources ces ................................................................................................................................. 11
ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information service operated by the National Center
for Appropriate Technology under a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products,
companies, or individuals. ATTRA is headquartered in Fayetteville, Arkansas (P.O. Box 3657,
Fayetteville, AR 72702), with offices in Butte, Montana and Davis, California.
tomatoes, you may be able to sell them as
Related ATTRA Publications canners at a reduced price. A farmers’ market
Direct Marketing is a wonderful place to meet people and
CSAs develop steady customers, which can also lead
Farmers’ Markets to additional marketing channels.
Entertainment Farming & Agri-Tourism Disadvantages include the need to spend time
Reap New Profits: Marketing Strategies for away from the farm and the possibility of
Farmers and Ranchers having produce left over at the end of the
Resource Guide to Organic and Sustainable market.
Vegetable Production
Sustainable Farming Internships & On-farm marketing strategies include roadside
Apprenticeships or farm stands and pick-your-own. These often
Sustainable Cut Flower Production make a winning combination, as customers
Herb Overview who come for the enjoyment of spending time
Suppliers of Organic and/or Non-GE Seeds & in the field will often purchase more of the
Plants same crop, or different ones, already harvested.
Season Extension Techniques for Market Innovative farmers have found that on-farm
Gardeners entertainment, such as animals to pet or
Postharvest Handling of Fruits and Vegetables pumpkins to carve, can be profitable additions
to on-farm markets. For these marketing
methods, a mower may be your most
Choosing Markets important piece of equipment since you will
need to keep the farm landscape neat to attract
You need to develop a clearly focused customers.
marketing plan before any crops are planted.
Having marketing in mind before planting
helps to ensure—but will not guarantee—that
most of what you plant will be sold, thus
eliminating wasted time, space, produce, and
money. Many market gardeners try to
maximize their income by selling directly to
consumers, thus bypassing wholesalers and
other middlemen. Farmers’ markets, roadside
stands, pick-your-own, subscription marketing
arrangements, and sales to restaurants are
common marketing strategies.
Eliot Coleman’s The New Organic Grower (4) is Depending on your choice of crops, irrigation
written for market gardeners with about five is a must for consistent and high-quality
acres of land in vegetable crop production. production, even on a scale of less than an acre.
Coleman describes techniques using walking Successful vegetable production requires the
tractors, wheel hoes, multi-row dibble sticks, equivalent of an inch or more of rain per week
and soil block transplants. Sections on
during the growing season. That is equal to
planning, crop rotations, green manures, soil
almost 30,000 gallons or more per acre. In most
fertility, direct seeding and transplants are
areas of the country, there is not enough
inspiring. Coleman includes season extension
rainfall during the growing season.
techniques in this book, and has authored
Supplemental water for crops can come from a
additional books on this topic, including The
river, pond, or well. The greatest danger
Winter Harvest Manual (5).
associated with the use of ponds and other
small surface sources is in underestimating the
Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-up to
Market (6) was written by Dr. Vern Grubinger, amount of water available. Estimates should
vegetable and berry specialist for University of be conservative and recognize that the period
Vermont (UVM) Extension and director of the of maximum need will probably coincide with
UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture. The the period of lowest water levels. Another
book is aimed at aspiring and beginning concern is how fish and other life forms will be
farmers, and introduces the full range of affected by lowered water levels.
processes for moderate-scale vegetable
production, using ecological practices that In addition to a source of water, you need a
minimize the need for synthetic inputs and pump, a way to get water to the field, and a
maximize conservation of resources. It way to distribute it. Drip or trickle irrigation is
provides practical information on such becoming the method of choice for many fruit,
essential matters as selecting a farm site; vegetable, and flower growers. Drip has
planning and record keeping; marketing several advantages when compared to
options; and systems for starting, planting, traditional methods, such as furrow and
protecting, and harvesting crops. The book’s sprinkler irrigation (7).
final chapter profiles the experiences of 19
individual vegetable growers, focusing on A good drip system that is properly operated
individual crops, and provides each grower’s provides uniform water application and
budget for these crops. reduces the amount of water needed to grow a
crop. For some crops, the amount of water
Table 2, Equipment Needs (p. 14), is adapted used is reduced by at least one-third. Also,
from a chart distributed to participants at an since the water is applied only to the soil, not
5) Coleman, Eliot. 1998. The Winter Harvest 12) Nordell, Anne and Eric. 1998. Horse-powered
Manual. 63 p. market garden. Rural Heritage. Autumn.
A supplement to The New Organic Grower, p. 37–39.
this manual records recent experiences in
planning, carrying out, and fine-tuning a fresh- 13) Anne and Eric Nordell
vegetable production and marketing operation RD 1 Box 205
on the back side of the calendar. The price of the Trout Run, PA 17771
manual is $15 including postage, and it can be 570-634-3197
ordered from:
Four Seasons Farm
609 Weir Cove Road Further Resources
Harborside, ME 04642
Books
6) Grubinger, Vernon. 1999. Sustainable
Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market.
Gibson, Eric. 2001. The New Farmer’s
NRAES-104. 270 p.
The cost is $42 plus $5.50 for shipping and Market: Farm-Fresh Ideas for Producers,
handling. Order from: Managers and Communities. 272 p. $24.95
NRAES, Cooperative Extension Covers the latest tips and trends from leading-
152 Riley-Robb Hall edge sellers, managers, and market planners all
Ithaca, NY 14853-5701 over the country, including the “hottest”
607-255-7654 products to grow and sell as well as how best to
607-254-8770 Fax display and merchandise your products, set
nraes@cornell.edu
prices, and run a friendly, profitable business.
http://www.nraes.org
The second half of the book, written for market
7) Inman, John W. 2001. Drip irrigation: A managers and city planners, offers ideas about
Success in the Salinas Valley. American how to use farmers’ markets as a springboard to
Vegetable Grower. December. p. 36 foster community support for sustainable and
locally grown foods. List of additional resources.
8) Cuellar, Sandra. 2001. Assuring produce Available for $24.95 plus $3.95 shipping/
safety: A key industry marketing strategy. handling from:
Small Fruit News of Central New York. Cornell SAN Publications
Cooperative Extension of Oswego County.
Hills Building, Room 210
November. p. 3–5.
University of Vermont
9) Magdoff, Fred and Harold van Es. 2000. Burlington, VT 05405-0082.
Building Soils for Better Crops, 2nd ed. 802-656-0484
Available for $19.95 plus $3.95 shipping and sanpubs@uvm.edu.
handling from:
Sustainable Agriculture Network Hamilton, Neil D. 1999. The Legal Guide to
(SAN) Publications Direct Farm Marketing. Drake University.
Hills Building, Room 210
235 p.
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405-0082 Covers questions about liability, insurance
802-656-0484 coverage, labor laws, advertising claims,
sanpubs@uvm.edu zoning, pesticide drift, inspections, and food
http://www.sare.org/ safety issues.
small hoop house, rototiller or walking Earthway seeder, Back-pack Wheel hoe, hand Field knives, hand Bulk tank, canopy, Pickup with
1-3 acres grow lights, planting tractor, custom work Cyclone seeder sprayer, hoes,digging forks, boxes, buckets, carts packing containers topper or
trays irrigation, tools spades van
1,000 sq. ft. 35-40 hp tractor, with 1-row Cultivating tractor Potato digger, bed Roller track conveyor,
4-6 acres greenhouse, cold creeper gear, power Planet Jr. plate seeder transplanter, (IH Super A or IH lifter, wagon, more hand carts, walk-in Cargo van
frames, field tunnels, steering, high clearance irrigation, more 140) boxes, buckets cooler
planting trays tools
Additional cold 40-60 hp tractor, chisel Stanhay precision 2-row Tool bar implements: Barrel washer, 1 ton truck
7-10 acres frames, planting plow, spader belt seeder with belts transplanter, beet knives, basket More field crates spinner, with
trays sprayer weeder pallet jack refrigeration
Sweeps (Besserides),
20 + acres 2,000 sq. ft. 80 hp tractor with Nibex or Monosem Irrigation, bed Buddingh finger Asa lift, harvest Wash line, larger Refrigerated
greenhouse loader bucket and forks, seeder shaper, mulch weeders, flame wagon cooler, packing shed truck
compost spreader layer weeder, potato and loading dock
hiller, 2nd cultivating
tractor
Adapted from a table distributed at Michael Fields Institute Advanced Organic Vegetable Production Workshop, 2/2001, Jefferson City, MO.
Year 1 Tomatoes & leeks (half no-till) Oats with crimson clover
Year 2 Cool season flowers Sudangrass with soybeans Oats with crimson clover
Year 5 Over-wintered flowers Sudangrass with soybeans Rye with hairy vetch
Year 9 Over-wintered flowers Sudangrass with soybeans Oats with crimson clover