Looking back on the third year of farming, we have learned so much on our small veggie and flower farm, and we are sharing it all with you!
1) Working 110% Isn’t Sustainable
2) Some Crops Will Never Be Profitable
3) You Can’t Work For Free
4) It’s The Price, Not The Product
5) Hard To Complete Simple Tasks When Multitasking
6) Count Your Steps
7) Resilient Crop Plans Help With Extreme Weather
8) Have Height
9) Software Is An Important Tool
10) Be Adaptable
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Ian and Serina of YOU CANT EAT THE GRASS feel that every small change can make a big difference to the world we live in. Every garden planted leads to a better future. We hope to inspire and motivate others to make positive changes in their lives by sharing our journey towards greater sustainability as we build our family farm. It’s hard work to build a life worth living, and completely worth it!
Contact us at: iancolbeck@gmail.com
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Website | http://www.youcanteatthegrass.com
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Really appreciate your honesty and how you share what is working or not working for you!
Just an idea- could you sell a $20 bag of veggies?
Count the steps- So important! Learned that as a bartender/server. Every extra trip to a table I forgot something at meant one less trip to another table to upsell dessert. But now it's less time to weed if I'm making too many trips to and fro about the farm. Also, count the steps in processes you do; is there any way to achieve the same results by simplifying a process? I sped up my greens harvesting by putting the cut greens directly into a Rubbermaid filled with cold water, which made the "cleaning" process a little faster. It also made for very crisp and happy greens, I think they soak up some water through the fresh cut if they go in the water before that cut starts to dry.
Great video you guys. It takes a lot of introspection to see what isn't working and change direction. Let the market guide you and be willing to accept and learn from your failures, that has been my mantra to new flower growers for years. The school of hard knocks isn't for everybody, but I can tell you guys will graduate from it. Well done and good luck.
I know you said you are only growing a couple for the market, will you still be growing a variety of veggies for the farm stand?
Good luck in 2022!
why you all not try agrovoltics , check if you have any government grant available , federal or state
You might want to grow enough one type of large slicing tomato, one Roma style, and one kind of cherry tomato. That way you are essentially offering a complete salad for busy people who want to buy an easy to make dinner. having the red next to the salad mix and carrots, you end up with a very colorful display. Retail studies show that red attracts eyes and gets attention. So while you don't have to grow too many tomatoes, grow enough to offer just 1 – 2 kinds each market. Another suggestion is to invest in some hives to make your own honey, since you have the flowers to attract them. We sell tons of local honey on our berry farm. You can also make oatmeal, milk and honey soap. Selling honey and soap can help you sell some items in the off season and people do buy those are gifts. Our berry farm also reached out to local hazelnut and walnut farms to buy locally grown nuts. We easily doubled the investment, selling locally grown food with no more investment than offering a bit of space in our retail market. These could be items to add to your roadside stand and market table.
You guys are two of the most honest, courageous and sincere people on the internet. Best of luck this year. I wish you much success
It's wonderful to see all the wisdom you are gaining each year.
Never understood why farmers selling vege seedlings. That just blocks potential cash flow from market day vege sales further down the timeline.
Great update guys! I love these yearly lessons videos you've been doing. Sidenote though, I don't think you can be hard on yourself for not hitting your 5 year plan, with 2 years of covid in there. Fair to change tactics, but don't be disappointed with what you've been able to achieve in the face of the craziness of the last 2 years!
grow cannabis 🙂
Wonderful advice, well thought out.
Another really interesting look back over the year. it definitely has been a tough year with weather and health. I do keep wondering if you could go 100% flower farming, they seem to sell really well for you.
God bless our farmers.
Subscribed! You guys are amazing!
Definitely 2021 was a tough year all around. Glad Serena is doing better. You must make a profit to stay in business. A company i used to work for had a philosophy that "what we loose on every sale, we will make up in volume!"….. I have cut back to maybe 4 tomato varieties, no more potatoes (but they tasted so good! :(" and i concentrated on beets, carrots, napa cabbage, pak choi, broccoli, kale, arugula and spinach for spring/summer/fall and winter markets. This year will be doing those plus limited flowers. Figured i made about $15 per hour of actual work. Thats more than i made farming full time for 40 years! Plan, patience and perseverance! Best of luck in '22. Cant wait to see your 4th video in December!
Your flowers are very beautiful , the very best of luck to you both for this year .
New York Times article , this week. The move to Mushroom farms. Can grow in winter.
This video was very helpful! Thank you so much for the advice!
A golf cart has saved me. It's a used one but has changed the way I get chores completed. You may want to invest into something like that. My husband is taking the back seat off and converting it into a pick-up bed. I know you can buy Polaris but the used golf cart fit into our little farm due to expense. It helps wear and tear on the body. My husband has foot problems. Working smarter not harder.
Blessings.
Just a quick thought… “you can’t eat the flowers” . Those flowers may be selling so well because of the psychological impact of COVID. They make people happy! I think it’s wise and brave to make that pivot, but if the supply chain continues to deteriorate, the food may become a better seller. Best of luck. New sub here.
We are new farmers and appreciate this information. Godspeed. You are learning and growing. Keep going and thank you for what you do.