ty everyone who has answered my mulch question. new question thinking about selling garden produce know how to grow it not to sure about selling it.if anyone out there has any advice on what to do or not to do i would be very greatful

-- David Coyner (dkoiner@webtv.net), November 11, 2001

Answers

Last weekend I went to the Small Farm Today show in Columbia, Missouri. They had a speaker who was starting lettuce under lights inside, hardening off the seedlings in a cold frame, and setting the young plants in the garden in January or February! At this point, somebody ask if his ground doesn't freeze, and he said the small lettuce plants (less that 8 leaves) don't mind if the ground freezes just as long as it doesn't repeatedly freeze and thaw! He also grows a summer lettuce blend that is resistant to tip burn. He protects his lettuce By putting boards between rows that both insulates the soil and keeps the lettuce clean. Head lettuce is VERY hard to grow here as the spring is so short, and I thought I would offer some to a green grocer out here that prefers to buy locally, if he can. I haven't actually spoken to him about this yet, but I spoke to him last fall about if there is any local produce he MIGHT be interested in, and he gave me a few ideas. I could just give away anything that does not sell to a local pantry. Also, a lot of the larger vendors move bought produce more easily than us small-time gardeners, and I could offer excess to them. A lot of markets allow this: rules vary: out by me it is very common for the rules to simply say produce from a 30 mile radius. In the past I have moved excess fruit as jam and jelly, with some baked goods and maybe veggies. I learned a lot but I don't rally enjoy selling, and I would rather garden more and sell less.

-- terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), November 11, 2001.

I forgot to say that he leaves holes in his planting pattern so he can put tomatoes or whatever in the lettuce bed and double, triple, or even quadruple crop his garden beds. He drip irrigates and applies massive amounts of fertilizer!

-- terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), November 11, 2001.

Go to your local county agent and see where the local growers market is and ask how to sign up for it and any required permits. Or go to local flea markets or swap meets and see if produce sellers are there.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), November 11, 2001.

We used to sell to the local natural food store. Since all of our products were organic we could sell all we could raise. Go and talk to the store manager and see what they need, and if it is something that you are competent to grow go for it. It never hurts to ask.

Talk to you later.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), November 12, 2001.