Here are 6 steps to get you started.
#1 Get prime cropland
✔ 1,000 sq. ft.
✔ in full sun
✔ with water access
✔ have soil tested if you don’t know its history
Why that size?
✔ scale of production is suitable for 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 Focus on 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
# 3 Cool it – get post-harvest cooling capacity
✔ Lots of options:
– cheapest: ice chests – $20
– build your own cooler $500 to $1k
– reach-in cooler $1k used, $4k new
– walk-in cooler – $4k to $7k
Why cool it?
✔ preserves crops after harvesting
✔ locks in freshness, nutrition – higher quality supports higher prices
✔ allows you to harvest over a longer period of time –evens out your work flow throughout the week
✔ allows you to bring more to market
# 4 Choose Your Sales Channel
✔Lots of options:
– friends and family
– your local network – church, clubs, school, library
– online social networks – facebook, Instagram
– local farmers market
# 5 Take a food safety course
✔ 5 big safety factors
– water if not potable
– sourcing and handling of compost
– sanitation of tools and equipment
– post-harvest handling of crops
– worker hygiene
#6 Find out how much money you can actually make, here.