Today I made a diagram of what needs to be planted and where it all goes. This is just a small section with peppers, herbs, carrots, and onions – you can click here for a PDF version of the whole plot. I’ll include a low resolution version of the whole thing at the end of this post, too.
I think we’ll be growing most every vegetable that we can think of… but maybe we missed something. We are hoping to bring in some money at Farmers Markets this summer (and we have some really unique ideas for drawing interest), so we’re trying to focus on crops that bring in money: tomatoes, peppers, greens, and squash. In this plan I’ve included 285 tomato plants – honestly we don’t know how ridiculous this number of plants is, but it takes up less than 1/8 of the land, and we can always make tomato sauce and sundried tomatoes out of what doesn’t sell. (If we have time?).
We’re also going to be planting about 3750 square feet with The Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash. I looked at many different plans for this type of garden, and liked Renee’s system the best. So most all of our summer sqush, winter squash, pumpkins, and melons will go here; we’re also throwing in some luffas and birdhouse gourds just for fun.
Surprisingly, people in Morris are starting to ask questions about our summer plans… we’ve only told a couple of people but word spreads fast in our town. People are excited: there are no fancy/heirloom varieties at the current Morris Farmer’s Market, and the market needs some younger blood to survive. Not that the current gardeners can’t keep up a market, just that they won’t be there in ten years.
So… here’s the whole plan. We divided it into quarters, so we can put a nice wide path down the center and a sitting area with some native plants and a birdbath in the middle. Click here or on the picture to open a PDF Version
I’m getting all excited about all of this, even though I’m probably not going to get to have any of the food! I’m curious about a couple of things…
What are Chris’ novelty plants?
And, are you allowed to sell canned goods at the farmer’s market? Some people (myself included) would really appreciate being able to buy canned vegetables instead of canning myself, or buying canned tomatoes from the store that are full of extra salt and are usually not ripe.
Chris will have to comment on his novelty plants. The include celeriac, scozonera, salsify, and other things that we’ve never grown before and don’t necessarily want to sell at Farmers Markets.
And Yes! I think you can sell canned goods at Farmers Markets. I’ve seen jams, honey, and other stuff at markets before. We’re also planning to sell homemade pies, sundried tomatoes, and other neat stuff.
Lynn, in MN you can sell some canned goods. There was a law passed 5 or so years ago called ‘the pickle bill’. They have to be low acid (4.6 PH or lower) like pickles, beets, corn, beans, etc. (Tomatoes aren’t allowed unless you have a certified kitchen) They can only be sold at farmers markets and comminuty events. More here: http://www.mda.state.mn.us/dairyfood/factsheets/picklebill.htm
Maybe I’ll do a post about my novelty crops later…