Here’s the first 3 steps to getting started as a SPIN farmer
#1 Get your farmland
✔ 1,000 sq. ft.
✔ in full sun
✔ with water access
✔ have soil tested if you don’t know its history
Why that size?
✔ can yield a significant amount of food
✔ is a typical size of backyards or neighborhood/ suburban lots
✔ manageable for a single operator
✔ provides unit to project crop production and market value
✔ supports a simple irrigation setup – just garden hoses
# 2 Grow high-value crops
✔ in demand at market
✔ not the common vegetables or varieties
✔ worth at least $1k/1,000 sq. ft.
✔ examples:
carrots
herbs
leafy greens
radish
salad mixes ,
scallion
lots of others
The next step is the point where a lot of people get hung up but it is actually the easiest.
# 3 Decide which mix of crops you will sell each week and who will buy them.
How? Look in the mirror. It’s yourself. Your first reward is saving yourself $1k on your grocery bill. Grow what you and your family want to eat. Then expand to your friends and neighbors. You’ve now completed the first lesson in learning how to launch a business!
Ready to start your backyard farm? Choose the model that’s right for you here.
Just curious about what you’d be getting into? See what it’s like here.