People keep telling me that I should sell my surplus garlic. I actually just want to get good organic produce without paying the high prices of places like Whole Foods. I've thought about bartering with other gardeners, though. Or bartering for chores/favors, etc.

I think the real money is in pistachios. Have you seen what they sell for per bag? Forget oil. Buy stock in pistachios.

LOL! Pistachio prices were absolutely crazy last year, so I just stopped buying them altogether.

A friend of mine told me that Beefsteak tomatoes cost $4 a piece where he lives in rural Pennsylvania now. My eyes nearly popped out of the sockets!

I've never sold produce for cash, but I've done a lot of swapping. The big returns are fresh venison from a neighbor who hunts, help with wiring and plumbing from a contractor friend, and babysitting. I also have a deal worked out with some off-the-grid friends--I take them three or four pickup-loads of firewood every year, and they grow around 120 seedlings for me in their wood-fired greenhouse.

But there's also the value of the friendships themselves--something you can't buy for any amount of money at Safeway. There's something about showing up at someone's house with a sackful of free organic produce that's guaranteed to make everyone smile.

Ed

$4 apiece is definitely pricey.

I live in rural Maryland not far from Pa. I don't buy tomatoes since I grow my own but I would gladly sell them for $4 a piece. I don't think people around here would pay that. I suppose it all depends on what part of Pa but when I think of Pennsylvania I think of Amish and Mennonite farms and lots of competition.

Side note: In my younger days I actually helped plant a few 1000 Pistachio tree seedlings in Northern Arizona.

Dean

I've been doing that last year and expanding this year. It's much cheaper, gets me outside, and is pleasant... Plus then I know where my food comes from and at the same time help to reduce the environmental impact of shipping produce, driving to the store to buy it, etc.

I've seen organic medium sized tomatoes at $6 a piece for organic around here in central MD. That's just nuts. If that's the actual worth of such an fruit then I'm going to be rich this summer!

My main garden is on borrowed land 6 miles away; with the rising price of gas, I can see a time coming when daily trips just won't be feasible. Little by little, I've been converting my yard to garden. Some of the space hogs (like corn & squash) will never be cost-effective at home, but most everything else will fit.

My best friend just this year dedicated a small part of his yard to growing food. He cited the rising cost of food as the primary reason.

Zeedman, corn and squash isn't cost effective even when interplanted altogether with beans like the "Three Sisters" practice by the Native Americans?

Well id like to add that for a while people complained about the size of my garden (I will post photos as soon as I figure out how...lol) But now with the price of things and gas Im getting requests for things. I have 1 neighbor willing to purchase tomatos and squash this year, and I had a new neighbor just ask me to grow okra for her, so who knows maybe ther is some green in it for me this year, as well as saving alot of green by putting up alot of produce via, canning, freezing and dehydrating. A win win for me.

Happy Gardening
Mark

Well the seedlings from stores are going like crazy around here. I kind of sunburned my roma, big beefstakes and jelly bean tomatos during hardening and have gotten impatient so I wanted to pick up some more tomatos. I had to go to 3 independent garden centers and then to 2 big box stores to find them. Last year they were everywhere I turned and looked better than mine (it was my first real garden). If I can save them then I will just have extra to try and find to space for them or give to family.

I did pick up something at each place though that I wanted (chocolate mint, chamomile,lettuces, italian peppers,broccolli).

Anyone got an angle as to how to sell produce in a suburban area? I do not live on a main road. I find it hard to believe anyone would really stop and buy anything around here. I have usually given away extra veggies to friends and neighbors. Bartering does interest me, though, because it does not have to be cash that I receive.

I'd be interested in bartering but I wouldn't have any idea how to go about it. I'd happily give away some surplus produce, or even things like zucchini bread, if I could get some chores and repairs done.

Well I guess you could say that I barter in a way. We have neighbors that are beyond generous in helping us in any way they can....whether it is some kind of repair, yard work, babysitting the dog, or just plain old handyman stuff, like looking after my well pump, so whenever I have anything extra, it goes straight to their homes. One of my neighbors so enjoyed my produce last year that they actually made themselves a neat little garden space. I even grow a few things that we are not even crazy about or can't eat for a couple of my neighbors...I only eat/like okra fried...but at this stage of my life, I am not supposed to eat fried foods but I grow okra because two of my neighbors love it...

Zeedman, I'd be interested to learn what the arrangements are for your "main garden" approx. 6 miles away.

Does the land belong to you? Your family? Someone else and you have a lease? Etc.

I ask b/c there are no community gardens in my small town and no empty lots (that I've found...yet) for same, so now that I'm able to garden again (long story, including surgery), I want MORE space for MORE vegs.

Thank you.

Cynthia H.
El Cerrito, CA (S.F. Bay Area)

I tend a few gardens for older people who love the flowers and can afford to hire me to do the work. This year I'm installing two vegetable gardens, one is tiny 3'x6' for my tai chi instuctor, she lives on a limited budget and loves swiss chard and kale. The other for pay, also small, 4'x12'. both fenced to protect from the deer and rabbits all over the place. My own vegetable garden always produces more than we can eat (I guess I over plant to make sure I have a good supply) and I give the excess away to whoever I feel will appreciate it....the owner of my gym, the 3yr old next door who 'helps' and only likes green beans, no tomatoes 'I don't like them' he says, I've never had anyone refuse and even found someone who wanted the zucchini that hid from me until it got huge. There was more of this activity back in the 1970's, I expect since we're going back to a similar monetary situation more people will go back to gardening again.

I have 25 maters in and another 14 in starter pots. I have 14 banana peppers in.(yikes) 6 squash plants going on 15.......9 lineal of pole beans, lots of bush beans.lots of cucs.

I am gonna advertise on the craig list or the local free ads in the newspaper.

" This is not Burger King. You do not get it your way. I am selling home grown veggies at half of the in store price. You tell me what you want and you get what is in the bag. No receipts, no refunds, pick up per my hours only, delivery available for $ 10 per 20 mile round trip. Special requests cost extra. If you are picky about produce that may contain a few bad spots than please do not call me. If you want large amounts of local fresh veggies than do call me."

CrAzY LaRrY

Hey Larry,
Let me know how it go's with your idea. If you have sucess, maybe I will try it next year.

Happy Gardening
Mark

I just started a square foot garden and if this year is successful I'll make it bigger or add another one next year.

For those interested in selling and bartering, you could post on craigslist and people could contact you. There are always people looking for locally grown produce. My farmer's market is very reasonable in their prices for sellers, and you pay per time so you wouldn't have to come out every Saturday if you didn't have enough produce. You could also post on your local gardening forum.

Just a thought: you might also post on freecycle? People reading that might be interested in bartering.

My mini-farm is in my front yard because that's where there's sun. It's very productive, but the fence isn't that attractive, unfortunately. One day a neighbor asked me, "doesn't it drive you crazy having it there?" I wasn't sure what she meant -- I'm on a wooded dead-end road with a long driveway and shrubs that hide the garden in summer. So it's not like a block with open front yards. It doesn't drive me crazy at all. When I'm in the garden, everything else disappears. I don't even like to buy produce in the supermarket anymore, it doesn't seem real. (Whole Foods Mkt. is the exception!)

I drew my inspiration from a trip to Switzerland in the 70s: there were BEAUTIFUL vegetable gardens in any part of the yard people could put them.

Didn't get back to this thread for awhile...

Darthtrader, have you used the "3 sisters" method? It will produce a lot... but it is meant for field corn, not sweet corn (sweet corn won't support the beans), dry beans not snap beans (you might trample the squash while picking the snaps) and winter squash, not summer squash (ditto on trampling). Essentially, it was a "plant it & forget it" arrangement; the heavy growth did not enable frequent entry for the harvest of immature crops.

I have used several variations of it with sweet corn, substituting cowpeas or soybeans for beans, and using indeterminate tomatoes as ground cover in place of squash. I heartily endorse the use of cowpeas within sweet corn, as they are mostly weak climbers, and won't overload the shorter, weaker stalks of the sweet corn.

Regardless of the method & varieties used, the corn & squash require a lot of space... which is what I was referring to when I mentioned that it might not be cost effective for those with smaller urban lots.

CynthiaH, I once lived & gardened in the Bay area, also on borrowed land. My garden was on a utility easement near the NASA/Ames facility, and was limited in size only by how much time I chose to invest in it. In exchange, I agreed to clean up trash left by a BMX organization (bike racing) on other parts of the property, and to keep the weeds down.

Except in the inner cities, there is always empty land somewhere. I gave more detailed advice on OPP gardening (other people's property) here.

Zeedman, I'm practicing the 3 sisters method this season. I grow them in my raised beds for easier reach, so not to trample over all the squash. The squash is growing like crazy!

I went to the local Vons today and noticed that the price of lemons have jumped to $1.19 EACH! Insanity! I'm so glad I grow my own. At these prices, I may just go to the nursery and get me some more citrus trees to plant in the yard.

$1.19 each?!

For that price, that lemon had better come with an attractive grocery clerk to zest the thing for me.

$1.50 here two days ago for a lemon. I have my own tree but it hasn't produced anything yet. Hopefully soon.

Egganddart. My freecycle is very fussy about everything being FREE. They don't allow bartering. We do, however, have an offshoot of FC (at least in my area) that is listed on the FC homepage. I think it's called Sonoma Cafe. This site allows bartering, rentals etc.not always free.
One thing I'm considering for next year. I've heard ads on the radio. Now that so many more people are starting gardens, it's recommended to grow an extra row or even plant to take to your local food bank. I don't have room in my raised beds, but I certainly have room out in my field to throw a few plants out there!
I would love to offer some of my property for a communal garden! Just have people pay a nominal amount for water and more if they want ME to water for them (no weeding included!)Maybe someday! NT

Well, I have been tearing up lawn to plant veggies for years, and have been considered weird...up 'til now. Now ripping up lawn is becoming fashionable!

I know that the original post started months ago, but I would have liked to see that news piece. Does anyone else know where to find it? It is no longer at the original link.
Thanks,
Robin

Try the link here: Back (And Front) Yard Gardeners

With me it borders on a mental disorder....when I take neighborhood walks, I mentally rip out yards and place tomatoes and peppers in the sunny spots, place sunflowers, alliums, brassicas....and keep wondering, why are these nice people wasting so much space in their yards with grass? I think it will be OK since so far I limit this to a fantasy, have not taken any action on my desire to turn the whole Los Angeles (or San Francisco, or Pasadena) into horticultural production. I do that in any town, but recently coming back from a nice walk around were we live in north east Los Angeles I saw a small house, small yard on a hill, right around the corner from ours, covered with corn, amaranth, and yes, they even have chayote squash! There is also a house in the other direction, wow, their tomatoes did a lot better than ours. So glad to see we are not the only ones!

I've tripled the amount of vegies I grow in the last 2 years and any new tree I've put in has been a citrus, but I balance the crops out with minimizing water use. I ripped out the grass long ago, so I'm not going to replace my drought-resistant sages and gaura and Mexi-primroses for corn or melons.

I am looking at every fence area that needs something extra as a potential site for more grapevines.

If you really want to see some intensive urban gardening check out this website. She is in the city and even raises chickens for eggs and food. It is amazing how much you can grow in such a small space. I already have a 4'x24' bed and another 30"x16' and was able to grow at least 75% of the produce I used to feed 6 adults and 1 child and had enough tomatoes to put about 20 qts in the freezer and share with others. www.gardengirltv.com

Kim