Discuss your tips, tricks and experiences growing and selling vegetables, fruits, flowers, plants and herbs.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Richmond, TX
Posts: 327
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Could I ask a few favors from you guys?
1 If the first thing you ask for is a discount for all "that crummy looking stuff I cant sell" please don't be amazed if I am not interested. 2 No, I will not match Wal-Mart's price or the local grocery store advertisements in the newspaper. 3 If you are going to ask me if something is organic please know what that is before asking. Also, if you are going to ask me what I use on my crops please at least listen to the answer before waving your hand at me and walking off. At least I will tell you the truth about what's going on. 4 Yes I grew them myself, I am sorry if the ones in your garden don't look like these, but I did in fact grow them. 5 Please don't squeeze them until they pop and stick your finger nails in them. I tried to use plastic zip bag to pre bag them, so maybe you wouldn't smash them, but all that did was leave the mess in the plastic bag. And no that doesn't mean they were too ripe, and yes you should feel obligated to buy the ones you ruined. Guess I'll try clamshells next. Thank You, good day |
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 4,488
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Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture |
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Sunol, CA
Posts: 2,723
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And mind your gosh darnoodley kids!
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SeTx
Posts: 881
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Sorry you had such ill-mannered vistors!
I have to admit, I've wondered #4 before. But some of the markets down here do sell imported or boughten produce without marking it as such. I don't think I would ask unless it was labeled home grown AND had a delmonte sticker or something. Tl |
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#5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 45
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In our booth at farmers market we have bright pink, laminated signs on top of all the tomatoes in open crates. They read, "DO NOT HANDLE THE TOMATOES. PLEASE ASK FOR ASSISTANCE. THIS ALLOWS US TO MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE QUALITY FOR YOU." And yes, it's in all caps. Most people ignore the signs.
We used to have a sign that said, "Thank you for not squeezing us." Another one read, "Squeezers will be persecuted." (sic) One vendor has a round granite rock in his booth with a note attached, "Squeeze this." We finally gave up and now have a person posted in front of the most delicate tomatoes at all times. It is so much nicer in Europe where the customers are not allowed to handle the produce at a farmers market. Only the vendor handles the produce. Everyone gets better produce that way. |
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MA/NH Border
Posts: 4,919
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Our local "Farmer's Market" has evolved into more of an artisan fair with very few actual farmers. I stopped going, but last time I did, one of the "farmers" was selling corn way too early, and got very evasive when I asked them if they grew it...
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#7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2008
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 1,212
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That stinks! Wonder if you could move up to a market Sugarland? Maybe the clientele would be a little more considerate of your hard work? I'm a frequent visitor to a F.M. in a N. Tx suburb that has through the years added great variety of produce, meats, baked goods, honey, etc, moved towards more organics, and has added more specialty growers including some heirloom tomato growers, something I've been shocked to see. It must be a hard decision to go that way when you can sell hybrids that produce much more reliably and in quantity, but at least up here, you can sell the heirlooms for a little more than the hybrids. I don't believe you would be able to charge more for them in every farmers market and the key is does your market attract any foodie clientele? If not, trying another market might allow you to up your profits as well as weed out the "garage sale" mentality it sounds like you have to deal with. Good luck.
Dewayne mater |
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#8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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My family have been market vendors since 1982. I have been hearing my grandparents talk about the "flea market" effect all my life. If a market lets everyone be a vendor, it drives out the few quality vendors and especially the real farmers. Our market has rejected so many artisan-type vendors, that this year they started their own farmer's market on the other side of town, same day and same time. A public school lets them use their parking lot for free, but the market manager is trying to rent spaces for $400/year. They also make a lot of snide comments on facebook. My grandma said that this is the third time that a competing market has sprung up. All of them failed within a year or two.
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#9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10
Posts: 9,283
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#10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SeTx
Posts: 881
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That is my favorite. Except I've been tempted to let the baby run amok, because, hey, free coffee and a PUPPY!
Our local Famer's Market is pretty darn spiffy. Can't say enough good things about it and the vendors. On the one hand, I wish it were cheaper to get in as a vendor (something like $600 for the first year, when everything is factored in) but then I really appreciate how curated it is. |
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#11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Texas Coastal Bend
Posts: 3,205
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At the Rockport Farmer's Market I noticed the farmers are not putting the veggies and fruits out in front of them, instead they are displayed behind the table and they weigh them out for the customer and bag them. This keeps hands off the produce and all the supplies are on the tables in front. This also keeps the produce out of the sun as well because it is under the tarp. Sorry you have such dumb customers.
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In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~ ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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#12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Richmond, TX
Posts: 327
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Ahhhh well ............
We'll give it another go tomorrow and Saturday morning. Guess I will have to leave the tomatoes in coolers, put up a few buckets, and sell them by the bucket. Anybody that wants to ask can look in the coolers I guess. |
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#13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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Keger, I think we all have customers like this. I have one who picks up the tomatoes and squeezes them and then sticks her thumb nail in to dent it...*steam coming from my ears* I have started telling her right out loud, "These are fresh from the garden, I picked them myself right before I came for the market and don't need to be squeezed. They are not grocery store rocks. Thank you." *smile* she never buys a thing from me and she comes to my market every week.
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carolyn k |
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#14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Central Indiana 6a/41
Posts: 131
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I guess I am not surprised that you need to tell people 'how' to behave. I haven't noticed that happening at my local farmers market, but I'm not a vendor.
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Russel USDA: Zone 6a, Sunset Zone 41 - 15 miles NW of Indianapolis, IN I had a problem with slugs. I tried using beer but it didn't work, until I gave it to the slugs. |
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#15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Richmond, TX
Posts: 327
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I know. So I have now put tomatoes in buckets and sell them for 5 bucks a bucket and leave the crates in the truck behind the stand. Some customers didn't like that, but I explained I couldn't keep taking the losses.
I did put up an empty tray, I put a sign on if . "Organic Tomatoes $40.00 lb" It got a few laughs. |
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