Sellin' Plants at Farmer's Markets?

[barefootinbabylon]

(Now on with the stereotypical): Has anyone done this before?

I don't mean through a farm that you are working/volunteering on or whatever, but by, of, and for yourself? I absolutely love to garden; plants are healing and therapeutic, and I've managed to accumulate quite the lovely little criminal record for stupid bullshit (yep, kill me now), soo I'm wracking my brain on ways to 'make a living' and have my own little bizness... I was thinking about growing a bunch of different medicinal/culinary herbs to sell at the Farmer's Market (shit, I've already got the grow lights to get them started early) I've been researching like a mofo on these sorts of things, and I know that (at least in MI), you have to obtain a nursery/grower's permit from the MFDA. This entails an inspection of your land (I would primarily be doing potted plants for selling; I already have an plot of cultivated 'organic' ground, but that's for veggies for da fam), and it seems like a somewhat intense process. I'm sure writing/inquiring to the Powers That Be would be better than inquiring of the STP community, but with the fairly eclectic group of people on here, it's always worth a shot that someone might have some info.

As such, if you have any experience/knowledge of such things, OR just wanna give me a job, that'd be super. Happy New Year's, Feliz Año Nuevo, and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou.

Namaste, Blessed Be,
~ melissA

 

[nellie g]

i was just checking out the stp world here, and saw you post. for the last few years ive been growing about an acre of food for myself, but i also grow a large amount of garlic and a huge field of popcorn so sell at the holiday market (farmers market for yuppies around shitmass) every year for the 4 weekends right before jesus day. i make about a $1000 in 3-4 saturdays and i dont have to do the same thing every weekend for the whole summer. its been realy good.

these are great crops and are easy to grow along with your own food throughout the year. basically you just need a crop that your excited about growing, and yuppies will pay alot of money for. it also helps to package the goods in a way that yuppies will be excited about. when i sell the pop corn, its the holiday season, so i buy some cheep celifane bags off the internet and use some nice martha stewartish ribbons (craft store) to tie up the tops in a festive bow. i also grow sorghum molasses, and i pop some corn on fri night and make popcorn balls, again with celifain and pretty bows. people love them cause there "ONLY $3", but they dont cost me anything to make. , people eat it up (no pun intended). i also braid dried flowers into the garlic braid's and people buy them for $25. its defiantly really good garlic and popcorn, but the stupid packaging is what catch's peoples eye. its stupid but it works.

i cant help you on the laws in your area, but in n.c., dried foods are great because there exempt from any prepared food laws. but pretty much any non prepared foods (veggies,herbs), in n.c. are without regulation.

ive found that the best crops for selling are crops that arnt perishable. if you dont sell out this weekend you can just box it up and put it out again next weekend. anyways thats my 2 cents

 

[outskirts]

Plants like mints and raspberries/blackberries are good too. You can often find both growing in abandoned farms,
it's nothing to dig them up and replant them. It's easy to multiply them too. And if you ever have to pick up and move you can dig up your stock and take it with you. Even fig trees you can dig up and take with you(if done while they are dormant), plus you can grow
more trees from cuttings taken while dormant. There are other plants too, I actually have in my head this whole concept of
"transient gardens", permaculture that drifts.
I can't help you on the laws about selling plants or packaged goods however, I spend much of my time avoiding or ignoring them.

 

[ShinyKitKat]

Herbs are great to sell at farmers markets. Even if you just sell to one person privately. I'd also stick with non perishable plants too like nellie g said. It all depends on the market I think. I sold some stuff down south in the country last year and I didn't need a permit, but I've checked and I do need a permit now in the city limits. It just depends.

 

[ayyyjayyy]

i was just checking out the stp world here, and saw you post. for the last few years ive been growing about an acre of food for myself, but i also grow a large amount of garlic and a huge field of popcorn so sell at the holiday market (farmers market for yuppies around shitmass) every year for the 4 weekends right before jesus day. i make about a $1000 in 3-4 saturdays and i dont have to do the same thing every weekend for the whole summer. its been realy good.

these are great crops and are easy to grow along with your own food throughout the year. basically you just need a crop that your excited about growing, and yuppies will pay alot of money for. it also helps to package the goods in a way that yuppies will be excited about. when i sell the pop corn, its the holiday season, so i buy some cheep celifane bags off the internet and use some nice martha stewartish ribbons (craft store) to tie up the tops in a festive bow. i also grow sorghum molasses, and i pop some corn on fri night and make popcorn balls, again with celifain and pretty bows. people love them cause there "ONLY $3", but they dont cost me anything to make. , people eat it up (no pun intended). i also braid dried flowers into the garlic braid's and people buy them for $25. its defiantly really good garlic and popcorn, but the stupid packaging is what catch's peoples eye. its stupid but it works.

i cant help you on the laws in your area, but in n.c., dried foods are great because there exempt from any prepared food laws. but pretty much any non prepared foods (veggies,herbs), in n.c. are without regulation.

ive found that the best crops for selling are crops that arnt perishable. if you dont sell out this weekend you can just box it up and put it out again next weekend. anyways thats my 2 cents

Really great suggestions!! The packaging techniques do totally sell the package. Good info though, thanks!

 

[outskirts]

Don't forget flowers! I have seen them growing at many an abandoned house. Lots of them come back every year. Stuff like
daffodils, tulips, hyasinthes, crocuses,and lilies which are all bulbs. Also I have seen rose bushes, forsythias and hostas growing in the yards of old homes long after the house is gone. Even those damn spiny yuccas, you can regrow more of them from root cuttings.
The possibilities are endless. If one found a little secluded and forgoten feild nearby a township compost dump, you'd have it made!
You could start your own "guerrilla garden center", you could be supplying the people selling the plants at the market.
Flowers are big money this time of year!
As a kid I would walk the tracks along the cemetery and find flowers growing from where the gravedigger would throw the dirt
over the fence down the hillside. I never had to buy my mom flowers for Easter.