Growing For Market March 26, 2011 Phil Hannay and Kathy Kubal Trumpeter Swan Farm Buffalo, MN

About Us Market Gardening since 2003 –Farmers Markets: Buffalo, Maple Grove –CSA shares last 3 years Fruits and Vegetables –Perennials: Asparagus, Strawberries, Raspberries –Annuals: Greens, onions, peas, beans, tomatoes, etc Processed Goods –Canned Goods, Baked Goods

Land: Size Size –You can start smaller than you may think: an acre (200x200) can grow a lot –If limited space, eliminate expansive crops like winter squash –If limited space, eliminate low buck crops like corn, potatoes, storage onions, peppers

Land: Layout Layout –30” rows: wide enough for a 24” tiller –5’ rows: tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash –10’ rows: winter squash, pumpkins –50’ length: so you don’t lose hope while weeding or picking

Land: Planting Succession Plant: less than 25% at a time –Continuous supply is important for market –Plants decline as they age –Care is more manageable: In early summer, weeds grow like weeds –Example: 2 robust bean plants yields 1 qt of beans, 20 plants = 10’ row; 10 $3 = $30 –Every week: peas, beans, green onions –Every 2 weeks: broccoli, cucumbers, basil –Every 4 weeks: summer squash

Land: Rotation Crop Rotation is important –Every year you want to move your crops around, just like in a home garden –If you have enough land, plant the same crop in two different places just in case weather or insects make trouble. –You can hold some land fallow, planting a cover crop - or if your cover crop is weeds, just be sure to mow them a few times, and then till before they bolt to seed in the late summer.

Land: Best Use Bang for the Buck –Think productivity: strawberries $10,000 per acre, non-irrigated corn $2000 per acre –Think demand: products that just aren’t the same in the store like strawberries or tomatoes –Think labor: green beans vs. dried beans, tomatoes vs. potatoes –Think soil: carrots in sandy soil vs. carrots in heavy soil

Land: Weed Control Weed Control –Mechanical: tiller in between rows –Accept your fate: hand hoe and pull along rows –Hoe each side of row when plants first emerge; then after plants are bigger, cultivate aisles. –Mulch is effective but takes resources –Mow and later till fallow areas –Glyphosate (Roundup) and 2-4D are fairly benign chemicals for perennial weeds

Land: Pest Control Pest Control –Potato Bugs - potatoes, eggplant: scout frequently, hand pick, spinosad is only organic spray that works –Asparagus Beetle Larvae - Sevin or spinosad –Cabbage Worms - BT powder or spray, or just wash well –Other Bugs - small plantings, multiple plantings, move things around

Equipment: Starting Out If I had $ –Rear tine tiller - do not skimp ($2000) –Earthway seeder ($100) - accept no substitutes –Stirrup hoe ($10) –Backpack sprayers - 3 gal, Hudson ($50) - or two, 1 for herbicide, 1 for fertilizer/insecticide –Greenhouse ($300) –Post hole digger - for transplanting! ($250) –Push mower ($250)

Equipment: Big Time If I had $30,000… –Everything in previous slide - really! ($3000) –Tractor ($17,000) –Disk and Plow ($1000) –High Tunnel ($3000) –Cultivator ($2000) –Transplanter ($3000) –Tractor mower ($1000)

Plants: Selection Selection –Focus on market varieties, think twice about heirlooms or traditional garden varieties –Ask fellow growers and extension folks about recommendations - go to a conference or two MN Fruit and Vegetable Growers - Jan 21-22, St Cloud; Midwest Organic - Feb 24-26, La Crosse, WI; Minnesota Organic - Jan 14-15, St Cloud;

Plants: Perennials Perennials –Asparagus: good sell and long harvest, 3 yrs to first harvest, 5 yrs to full harvest, long-lived, easy maintenance once established - “our retirement” –Strawberries: easy sell but short harvest, 1 yr to full harvest, short-lived (4 yrs), hard to keep out weeds, do new plantings every 2 years –Raspberries: harder sell but extended harvest, 1 yr to full harvest, long lived with moderate maintenance

Plants: Perennial Sources Perennial sources –Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association: group buy strawberries and raspberries, –Ag Resources, Detroit Lakes, David Birky, (800) –Daisy Farms,

Plants: Earliest Annuals Annuals - Earliest –Greens: high demand, labor intensive –Radish, Turnip: fast and easy –Green Onions: easy, but low demand –Broccoli yes, Cauliflower no –Row Covers: help a lot, but labor intensive –High Tunnel: helps even more, but costly

Plants: Early Annuals Annuals - Early –Peas: Sugar Snap (edible pod) great seller, Snow Peas and Shell Peas sell okay as well –Summer Squash: Zucchini is fastest, 30 days after transplant –Green Beans: transplanting will work as well –Succession planted Broccoli

Plants: Mid-Season Annuals Annuals - Mid Season (August) –Tomatoes: always in demand, careful not to start too early –Sweet Corn: unreliable if not irrigated –Succession green beans and summer squash - steady sellers –Cucumbers: sell picklers by the quart, more money than by the peck –Melons are tricky, but sell well

Plants: Late Season Annuals Annuals - Late Season –Winter squash, brussel sprouts, storage onions, potatoes, turnips, beets –Some produce if close to mature holds well on plant in the cold, and if covered in frost: green beans, zucchini, peppers –Push the envelope: our last plantings of beans and zucchini are in early August, plant extra –Forget peas: August heat, mildew, and people don’t expect them

Plants: Annual Sources Annual Sources - some we like –Rupp: good variety, value, small and large quantities; minimal catalog, helpful sales reps; –Johnny’s: regular and organic, reasonable prices; great catalog; –Stokes: good variety, more expensive, great informative catalog –Jordan: local (Woodbury), professional, good reputation and value;

Plants: More Annual Sources Annual Sources - some more we like –Dixondale: onion plants, they really price it to get you to buy a case (30 bunches) - that’s a lot to plant by hand (1800) - see if you can share with someone; www,dixondalefarms.com –Menards or Walmart: watch for sale on onion sets (bulbs), seed packets are cheaper than mail order. –Cub Foods: seed potatoes and onion sets (bulbs). We get better price on potatoes from Cub than mail order - as long as you are fine with their varieties

Planning and Records: Plan Planting Plan –Spreadsheet - helps with date calculations (succession planting), sort by plant type for data entry, sort by planting date for “this week’s work” –Estimate harvest date -- later, over years, you can fine tune that estimate –Add actual planting date and other comments as you plant the plan –Keep a copy each year, it’s a great resource

Planning and Records: Map Field Map –Start with blank outlines of your field(s) –Write in what you plant with rows and planting date - you will know what's coming up where –When you first harvest from a row, write a harvest date (I circle the date to indicate “harvest date”) - good info for next year’s plan –I also like to write a synopsis of the weather and growing conditions each half month –Keep a copy each year, great resource

Planning and Records: Sales Sales Book –Record what you sell, when you sell, and how much it sold for –We use a spiral bound notebook –One page for each market day –One page for “home” sales, plus balance, reconciliation and bank deposits –Much better than relying on memory of what sold well or when, or what prices were last year

Parting Thoughts Don’t quit your day job just yet –There are tax advantages when starting the farm (deductible losses) –Resist the temptation to buy equipment - keep it simple, stuff you still could use if you decide not to farm –Its takes awhile to make even a “half living” off the farm –It’s a lot of work

Parting Thoughts CSA or Wholesale is your future –Do Farmer’s Market first - see if you are cut out to farm, sell week after week, and run your own business –CSA or Wholesale sales provide a more steady income and customer base - after a few years of Farmer’s market, move into one or the other or both. –CSA is “retail, people oriented”, Wholesale is not: some farmers can do only one or the other

Parting Thoughts Keep it Simple –Lots of resources on the internet - MN Dept Agriculture (sales guidelines), MN Dept of State (business guides), MN Dept of Revenue (taxes) –You can do your own taxes (use a PC tax program) and you can hire people (including your children) but make sure you research both MN and Federal regulations and processes

Questions Phil Hannay, Trumpeter Swan Farm – th St NE, Buffalo, MN –cell – copies of this presentation and others, go to the “Community” tab)