Re thinking Farmers Markets

[Nematode]

It also takes time.
If you are the new vendor, it will take time to get a following.

[Nematode]

Our first few markets we averaged under $100. Totally not worth.it.
When we quit we were averaging over $400/ market.
Still not worth it.

[Gerardo]

Black tomatoes seem to captivate people during taste tests.

[Worth1]

By the way the best way to get someone to try something is to tell them they wouldn't like it or they dont have the sophistication to like it.
Works almost every time.

Worth.

[Worth1]

I stopped at our market because I saw a pickup load of watermelons.
So there you go.

Worth

[Cole_Robbie]

My mom and step-dad did well with blackberries this year. The season is only about three weeks, but they probably made $3,000 or so. By contrast, they planted as many tomato plants as me and probably made closer to a grand sum of $30 off of them.

Fruit always sells; that was my grandparent's experience for the past 30 years. Gooseberries, pie cherries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, yellow and purple plums, then apples in the fall.

A pumpkin patch can be worth a couple thousand or so for the fall. Deer don't seem to eat pumpkins and gourds.

[Hellmanns]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

My mom and step-dad did well with blackberries this year. The season is only about three weeks, but they probably made $3,000 or so. By contrast, they planted as many tomato plants as me and probably made closer to a grand sum of $30 off of them.

Fruit always sells; that was my grandparent's experience for the past 30 years. Gooseberries, pie cherries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, yellow and purple plums, then apples in the fall.

A pumpkin patch can be worth a couple thousand or so for the fall. Deer don't seem to eat pumpkins and gourds.

I used to grow pumpkins and sold them in the field to peddlers for highest bid. VERY profitable! For around $100 and very little work, I would take in a couple grand in September.

[Hellmanns]

Everyone around here focuses on the first tomatoes of the season. I'm not so sure that's the smartest move for pure monetary gain.

Back in the early 90's at our market there was an older gentleman who focused on early white half runner beans, and cured bacon sides for seasoning the beans. He grew a bunch of them. I mean the cattle racks stacked full of half runners on his old GMC pickup, and three or four sides of bacon hanging from the racks with baler twine. He would always sell out! He would keep coming to the market until beans started showing up then he would quit.

[Worth1]

You can always put the No GMO and Gluten Free signs up.

Worth

[Nematode]

Free range tomatoes

[Worth1]

Paleo.

[Hellmanns]

Just tell the customers that Euell Gibbons endorsed them. Now I'm giving away my age.

[PhilaGardener]

"Stalking the Wild Tomatoes"

[kameronth]

I mix all my cherry size tomatoes together and put them in 1/2 pint boxes for $2 each. People like to see the mixed colors together. The customer picks what box they want and I dump them in a brown paper bag for them. Last week I sold out(about 24 1/2 pints) in 30 minutes.

My slicers are at $3 a lb and take about 3 hours to sell out. I have almost double the amount of tomatoes this week than last, so I may not sell out. Our market is small, only 15 or so vendors and I'm the only one that sells cherry tomatoes. A couple other people sell slicers at $3 a pound too.

The local news paper did a little piece about our market and took a photo of what was left of my cherry tomatoes last week.

[My Foot Smells]

Originally Posted by kameronth

I mix all my cherry size tomatoes together and put them in 1/2 pint boxes for $2 each. People like to see the mixed colors together. The customer picks what box they want and I dump them in a brown paper bag for them. Last week I sold out(about 24 1/2 pints) in 30 minutes.

My slicers are at $3 a lb and take about 3 hours to sell out. I have almost double the amount of tomatoes this week than last, so I may not sell out. Our market is small, only 15 or so vendors and I'm the only one that sells cherry tomatoes. A couple other people sell slicers at $3 a pound too.

The local news paper did a little piece about our market and took a photo of what was left of my cherry tomatoes last week.

Interesting. Are you growing these in a hot house? I am constantly amazed at the places people can successfully grow tomatoes. I know two (2) people who have lived in North Dakota (Fargo) and they told me the cold wind blew early and hard; and the winter lasted until May. Fairly hearty people, but said they needed 3/4 length parka w/ hood for short bursts outside. Nice selection, btw...

Guess what I'm trying to say above, I "figure" tomatoes would be a nice niche' crop in north Dakota w/o much competition. But having zero knowledge of ND tom production, sticking my neck out here; and possibly sounding dumb (which would not be the 1st time)...