Copyright © 2010 Cherie Kuranko ~ “InkSpot”

All Rights Reserved.

The growing trend for organic vegetables and fruits continues to rise as more people seek out healthier produce to feed to their families. This is good news for small scale farmers looking to get their foot in the door by selling organic or naturally grown produce.

Some of the best places to sell your produce are farmer markets, direct to local fruit/vegetable stands, organic/natural food retail stores and even your own front yard. No matter where you decide to market your produce, you must first come up with a unique growing and marketing plan.

Niche Growing Plan:

What will make your farmer’s market booth stand out from all the rest? Most green-thumbs love seed catalogs and the more pages that get turned the wider and longer the garden dimensions grow in our heads, but learning to focus your attention on good tasting, solid selling basic vegetable varieties and adding about 6-12 “niche” market vegetables will help increase the sales of all your vegetables come harvest time.

Start with the common vegetables the majority of people use in their daily cooking; green beans, carrots, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers and squashes. Those are the most common vegetables people eat and you should choose varieties that buyers are familiar with and those you’ve had good experiences growing in your area. This guarantees a good crop of basic vegetable availability.

Then, it is time to get creative. The idea is to try something new. Develop your own niche, which is simply cornering the market on a unique product.

Organic vegetable buyers have taste buds that beg to be tantalized and they can’t resist trying new, interesting vegetables. Strike out on your own and add vegetable varieties that will add a splash of color, or those with funky shapes and unusual sizes. Try new flavors or textures. Old heirloom varieties are a great place to start looking and they are great sellers. Choose about a dozen different niche vegetables.

For example, lemon cucumbers and zebra tomatoes, now rather common, were once a niche produce. Not many farmers were selling them and so those that did attracted more people to their booths. Be sure you know the history of the niche varieties you sell because they open the door to conversation between you and your customers. Customers tend to buy a vegetable that comes with a story and from a friendly, knowledgeable seller.

Here’s another way to gain a niche. One vendor’s zucchinis and 8-ball zucchinis were selling like hotcakes. This particular vendor grew the same varieties (Jackpot (green), Gold Rush (yellow), and 8-Balls) as the other vendors at the market. So, why were all those people clambering to get their hands on them?

It was soon discovered this smart vendor had her own niche—HUGE sized zucchinis and from softball to bowling ball sized 8-ball zucchinis. All varieties are typically grown to about the size of an average cucumber and the 8-Balls, as you would expect, about the size of a pool ball. However, she offered something nobody else had and as it turns out she also provided free recipes to buyers so they could learn how to bake the monsters in the oven.

The 8-Ball recipes explained how to cut the top off like a pumpkin, take out seeds and then add the ingredients—all deliciously baked and served in the very large 8-Ball zucchinis only she offered.

Some of the recipes were hers and others she had received from customers; they included an Italian Zucchini

Niche Marketing Plan:

You’ve planted and grown your garden and it’s time to harvest and take your bounty to the farmer’s market. It can be tough competition at the market and so the appearance of your booth must be clean, tidy, welcoming and create a fresh, country-market air appeal. There are several things you can do to accomplish this.

Keep all areas tidy and clean. NO overripe, rotten, moldy, slimy green tops, etc.

All empty boxes and other items should be tucked away behind the booth. No clutter. Clean ground and tables. Cover tables with clean matching cloths. I prefer a country gingham look. Cloths that nearly touch the ground can help hide boxes and extra produce, while also shading your produce.

Dress for success. Dress in clean, comfortable clothing, wash hands/face, keep hair neatly up. Keep a spare set of clothes on hand just in case you get dirty while setting up or working.

Create protection from the weather with a clean, well grounded canopy.

Display your fruits and vegetables in clean, wooden boxes or bushel baskets. The country style look of bushel baskets is quite nice. You can combine them with wooden boxes as well. Plastic liners can be used in bushel baskets to keep vegetables like Swiss chard fresh all day long.

Don’t over clutter your display by putting out every apple and every bunch of carrots you brought. Fill up one box and then refill as necessary from the boxes hidden away.

Pay attention to detail: Learn about contrasting colors (such as blue and orange), which look fantastic together. Colors help with curb appeal—bringing in more customers. Place your niche produce in highly visible areas where there is a lot of foot traffic and scatter them throughout your entire booth so something unique will be seen no matter what area the buyer is in.

Packaging: Most fruits and vegetables don’t require packaging, but you can create a bit of that country flair by using hemp twine to bundle things like radishes or carrots. You can also use raffia, though it isn’t as strong as hemp twine.

Signage: All produce should have prices marked clearly in plain view. It is helpful to place your signs in plastic sheet protectors or laminate them if your prices don’t change frequently. The writing should be colorful and creative with a large, country style font that is easily readable. You can even staple small signs to painted sticks shaped like a picket fence to poke in your bushel baskets.

Provide your favorite recipes free to customers and change them up each week. Place them near the vegetable or fruit called for in the recipe.

Leave plenty of aisle room. If your customers are constantly bumping elbows or it gets busy, you will lose business as they seek out booths where they can relax and shop without all the chaos.

Provide business cards. Stamp your bags with farm or company name and any other item you can add your name to. Customers will then have it handy when a friend asks where she found the broccoli or beans.

Have plenty of bags, change, calculator/cash register, a stapler, duct tape, pocket knife, marking pens, safe box for cash and other items on hand in the booth. Water, snacks/lunch and even a first aid kit should also be considered.

Tip: Never leave the cash box unattended.

Coming prepared to sell at the market makes it a pleasant and profitable day. By creating unique growing and marketing plans you will have better success at selling more produce and your customers will return time and again to sample your new niche product.

You May Also Be Interested In These Vegetable Gardening Articles Below:

How to Make a Manure Hotbed for Early Vegetable Harvest

Heirloom & Open-Pollinated Seed Sources

How to Grow Sweet Potato Slips (Starts)

Copyright © 2010 Cherie Kuranko ~ “InkSpot”

All Rights Reserved.

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