miss_thenorth
Frugal Homesteader
Yeah except for the typos. the lights are dim right now, and I can't see what im typing 
That;s my excuse and I'm sticking to it HA!
That;s my excuse and I'm sticking to it HA!
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- Thread starter Neko-chan
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Neko-chan
Lovin' The Homestead
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Denim Deb
More Precious than Rubies
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I get them when I have a cat trying to "help" me.
big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
Not sure what your set up is like, do you and your neighbors have yards? If so, ask them if you can garden on their yards too. Less grass for them to deal with etc.
I know a lady who runs a co-op the town over. She supplies most of the fresh veggies herself. She has gardens on her roof, her carport, her yard and both of her neighbor's yards too.
The neighbors don't mind b/c they don't have to do any yard work and get fresh seasonal veggies all year long.
I know a lady who runs a co-op the town over. She supplies most of the fresh veggies herself. She has gardens on her roof, her carport, her yard and both of her neighbor's yards too.
The neighbors don't mind b/c they don't have to do any yard work and get fresh seasonal veggies all year long.
- Thread starter
- #15
Neko-chan
Lovin' The Homestead
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me&thegals
A Major Squash & Pumpkin Lover
Ahh, CSAs--A subject near and dear to my own heart! 
And MTN, thanks for the kind words. Before I say anything else, I feel like I should preface my comments with the fact that so far my CSA has been making less than $8000/year. I have 8- and 11-yo kids, so I have chosen to keep it very small and do farmer's markets as it suits me.
This year, I am expanding to 20 families, planning to attend 1-2 farm markets every single week from May-Oct and see how close I can come to replacing my current day job with this one in 1-2 years.
If you have the ability to start small, I think that's a great idea. I started with 4-5 families. I already knew I could grow vegetables nonstop from May-Nov because I had been doing it for about 10 years already. I also knew I could grow far more than our family needed, because I had been giving food away for years. So, I had some confidence. Then, I started offering "shares" to people and learned as I went. I'm still learning all the time.
Around here (your soil/climate may vary), CSA farms sell about 40 "shares" for each acre they run. We just finally walked our land off, and it looks like I have about 3/4 acre for 20 shares, but we also have a fair amount of perennial fruits/asparagus taking up land.
Around here, the standard share is about 20 weeks long with 6-12 items per week. I aim for mainly typical vegetables with great variety within that grouping. For example potatoes, but purple, red and fingerling potatoes. And I also put in plenty of things people cannot find anywhere else--like kale, chard, purple kohlrabi, radish pods, etc.
So, growing is one thing, but you also need to be able to market it. Find customers, keep them happy and get them coming back the next year. You need to be an excellent record keeper (to learn, and to be certified organic, which I am doing this year). You should be a great communicator and people person (especially if having on-farm events, going to farmer's markets or doing talks to draw in new customers). It helps to have endless energy (I train for a 10K every spring to get in shape for the growing season) It helps to be able to handle stress, as you're at the mercy of the weather, and people have already paid you! Plus, you swear there is no way you'll be able to do it, but it always works out.
So, I'm rambling and this is not helpful. Is there something specific you want? Otherwise, I'll try to break it down better.
Growing--weed control, pest control, greenhouse (or basement) early plant starting, knowledge of prime time for picking things (especially unusual ones you haven't eaten before)
Marketing--finding customers, keeping them happy, weekly newsletters, on-farm events
Business--tracking expenses and income, knowing how to make a profit, long-term and short-term planning, crop planning, share planning
This year, I plotted out on Excel every single week I plan to have shares from May through Dec, 30 weeks total. Every week, I have planned out what I intend to offer. Then, I worked backwards to figure out when that crop would need to be planted outside, transplanted, or started inside. I aim for 1 green every week, 1-2 herbs, 1 onion product, 1 garlic product (green garlic, garlic scapes, fresh or cured garlic), plus multiple vegetables.
You also need to decide pricing and variety of share options. Here's what I have:
Spring (4 weeks)
Fall (4 weeks)
Winter (2 huge deliveries)
Regular (20 weeks)
Large family (double, but still 20 weeks)
Every other week (20-week season, every other week)
Local fruit (mainly berries and rhubarb, some local apples/pears)
They range in price from $130 to $525. I also belong to MACSAC (see www.macsac.org), so my customers have access to $200 health insurance rebates plus possible cost sharing if they have a low income. This is hugely helpful to them, obviously.
Sorry to go on and on, but I'm not sure what would be helpful. If you have specific questions, I would be glad to help! Here is an excellent book about the business side of CSA farming and I highly recommend it! The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook: A Complete Guide to Managing Finances, Crops and Staff, and Making a Profit, by Richard Wiswall.
And MTN, thanks for the kind words. Before I say anything else, I feel like I should preface my comments with the fact that so far my CSA has been making less than $8000/year. I have 8- and 11-yo kids, so I have chosen to keep it very small and do farmer's markets as it suits me. This year, I am expanding to 20 families, planning to attend 1-2 farm markets every single week from May-Oct and see how close I can come to replacing my current day job with this one in 1-2 years.
If you have the ability to start small, I think that's a great idea. I started with 4-5 families. I already knew I could grow vegetables nonstop from May-Nov because I had been doing it for about 10 years already. I also knew I could grow far more than our family needed, because I had been giving food away for years. So, I had some confidence. Then, I started offering "shares" to people and learned as I went. I'm still learning all the time.
Around here (your soil/climate may vary), CSA farms sell about 40 "shares" for each acre they run. We just finally walked our land off, and it looks like I have about 3/4 acre for 20 shares, but we also have a fair amount of perennial fruits/asparagus taking up land.
Around here, the standard share is about 20 weeks long with 6-12 items per week. I aim for mainly typical vegetables with great variety within that grouping. For example potatoes, but purple, red and fingerling potatoes. And I also put in plenty of things people cannot find anywhere else--like kale, chard, purple kohlrabi, radish pods, etc.
So, growing is one thing, but you also need to be able to market it. Find customers, keep them happy and get them coming back the next year. You need to be an excellent record keeper (to learn, and to be certified organic, which I am doing this year). You should be a great communicator and people person (especially if having on-farm events, going to farmer's markets or doing talks to draw in new customers). It helps to have endless energy (I train for a 10K every spring to get in shape for the growing season
) It helps to be able to handle stress, as you're at the mercy of the weather, and people have already paid you! Plus, you swear there is no way you'll be able to do it, but it always works out. So, I'm rambling and this is not helpful. Is there something specific you want? Otherwise, I'll try to break it down better.
Growing--weed control, pest control, greenhouse (or basement) early plant starting, knowledge of prime time for picking things (especially unusual ones you haven't eaten before)
Marketing--finding customers, keeping them happy, weekly newsletters, on-farm events
Business--tracking expenses and income, knowing how to make a profit, long-term and short-term planning, crop planning, share planning
This year, I plotted out on Excel every single week I plan to have shares from May through Dec, 30 weeks total. Every week, I have planned out what I intend to offer. Then, I worked backwards to figure out when that crop would need to be planted outside, transplanted, or started inside. I aim for 1 green every week, 1-2 herbs, 1 onion product, 1 garlic product (green garlic, garlic scapes, fresh or cured garlic), plus multiple vegetables.
You also need to decide pricing and variety of share options. Here's what I have:
Spring (4 weeks)
Fall (4 weeks)
Winter (2 huge deliveries)
Regular (20 weeks)
Large family (double, but still 20 weeks)
Every other week (20-week season, every other week)
Local fruit (mainly berries and rhubarb, some local apples/pears)
They range in price from $130 to $525. I also belong to MACSAC (see www.macsac.org), so my customers have access to $200 health insurance rebates plus possible cost sharing if they have a low income. This is hugely helpful to them, obviously.
Sorry to go on and on, but I'm not sure what would be helpful. If you have specific questions, I would be glad to help! Here is an excellent book about the business side of CSA farming and I highly recommend it! The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook: A Complete Guide to Managing Finances, Crops and Staff, and Making a Profit, by Richard Wiswall.
kitchwitch
Power Conserver
Can I ask what you're delivering during your "winter" season?
- Thread starter
- #18
Neko-chan
Lovin' The Homestead
...
me&thegals
A Major Squash & Pumpkin Lover
My holiday/winter share consists of a huge (40+ lb) delivery right before Thanksgiving and another right before Christmas.kitchwitch said:
The Nov delivery, I still have lots of fresh greens like arugula, chard, spinach, lettuce, choy kale. Plenty of brassicas like cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, fresh herbs like oregano and parsley, mint, radishes.
They both have carrots, beets, (hopefully celeriac this year), onions, garlic, lots of potatoes, parsnips, pumpkins, squash, popcorn on the cob, turnips, rutabagas, . sweet potatoes. For the Dec box, I will add in things like hand crafted lip balm and soap for little extras.
me&thegals
A Major Squash & Pumpkin Lover
Great questions. I did NOT have the expanded shares my first few years. It IS a lot of work, although I really, really love the fall/winter produce so I am happy to extend the season. And, really, it's all picked and taken care of by Nov anyway. The Dec delivery is just a matter of pulling it from storage, cleaning it and organizing it.Neko-chan said:Kitchwitch has a good question: What do you grow/deliver for the winter season.
My question stems off from that. Would it be better to just concentrate on spring/summer/fall growing, and then spend the winter recovering and whatnot, or it is better to just plunge in all year round?
We've got a fairly mild, temperate climate here, so I don't have to worry about snow and not much frost, but I have yet to see what does well in the winter (gods, my first year living here has really gone by fast! :O )
How do you go about pricing the different "deals"? Do you go by the weight and current running market prices of the produce, by how much time and effort it takes to raise the produce, or just by a set price due to however you think the year might pan out?
I'll have more questions, I'm just so new to this I dunno really where to start and what to ask.
As for pricing, there are different ways to do it.
1. What does it cost you to grow it? You would have to know all costs--land, taxes, electricity, fuel, seed, your labor. It's impossible to know that BEFORE you begin your first year.
2. What is your competitor charging? That's how I began pricing, only I went below that. I went below that NOT to undercut other people but because I had so little experience and wanted to be fair as I learned. However, it's hard to raise prices later. I started at $400/20 weeks and now (5 years later) am at $525. However, my customers have access to some nice discounts, which helps them.
3. What is your customer willing to pay? If you fill up, you can raise prices. Basically, some people raise prices as long as they have people willing to pay. It's not like you're not working your tail off to earn that money, so there shouldn't be guilt over asking good money for a high-quality product.
4. What would it cost to buy at the store/farmer's market? I was advised that this was NOT a good model by another CSA grower. He pointed out that CSAs are offering a relationship/an experience that is part of the value. My customers can call or e-mail at any time for help with recipes, preserving food. They are part of growing the food here (volunteer time). They have access to canning classes, potlucks, corn-processing days, U-picks. They get weekly newsletters That all has value for them and takes time for me. So, their shares SHOULD cost MORE than to buy them in the store/market. Plus, they want me to stay in business for the long term. I cannot do that if I cannot make a reasonable income. It is hard, hard, hard work.
