That TS you bought looks like a rooted cutting with about 1.5 seasons' growth on it. I'm not slamming it or anything, just observing. It can be fun watching things grow from a smaller size, especially if you've found the right conditions for it. It's likely the ones available in the next few years will be bigger (and get slightly cheaper) because it takes time to grow them larger and increase quantities, especially with the widespread droughts out there. Example: mac. Pistachio will likely not be available from F&E this year due to growing conditions.

I love this thread! Mostly because when we started selling at Farmers' Markets we couldn't find anything and felt like we searched everywhere for supplies, techniques, etc. We ended up starting our own little e-commerce site that caters to small-scale vendor selling at Farmers' Markets (link in my signature). A few techniques that worked best for us was: Cleanliness! We always have a clean table and tablecloth. Clear and professional signing! (I've seen people that just write onto a square of brown cardboard) Don't forget to label your products too! Not everyone can tell the difference between straight neck squash and crook neck squash... Keep your pricing simple! I have an article here about pricing. BE FRIENDLY!! (someone already mentioned it but it is worth mentioning again!!). Be proud of your farm, and your produce, and your wares ( or whatever it is your selling) and don't be shy about talking about it, how its grown/made, where you farm/shop is, etc. People are generally curious. And....if they are shipping at a Farmers Market they probably deep down want to break away from their own lives to start their own little farm... Hope this help and happy farming, Jeremy www.elwellsupplies.com A Farmers' Market Supply Store

I was up and through Peoria a couple weeks ago on my way over the Dadant's in Hamilton. We are a little south and east of you - the home place is between Decatur and Champaign and I live down in the Mattoon-Charleston area. We do two markets in Decatur and one in Monticello during the season but know a fellow that has been IIRC to the Riverfront Market in Peoria (meat seller) and liked it OK. Bloomington is a bit farther from you but has a really good market, as does Springfield. I really do not know much about the smaller markets in that area but U of I Extention had a website listing a bunch of them. As you probably have figured out the easy part of our job is the growing - marketing takes a little more work. My observation has been that the first year or two you need to work on building your customer base. In an established market people know who they have dealt with in the past and IIHO tend to favor them at least for their primary purchaces. After people get to know you and your produce you'll develop you own following - especially if you can find a nitch product that others do not have. That means your going to have to sell yourself as much as your product. I try to greet as many of the people walking by with a simple "Good morning" or something to that effect. Most respond back; quite a few will stop and engage you in conversation. That both creates the potential for a purchace and makes your booth look busy. Busy looking stands tend to draw more people. Learn as much as you can about your produce and be willing to share that in a concise way. As far as the organic draw - I really could not say. My gut says that most of our customers are more interested in the freshness and locality of our produce than if we are or are not organic. That is going to depend a lot on the market so you may find different. One thing to do is look into taking WIC and Senior Nutrition Farmer's Market vouchers. They are easy to do and free to sign up for but it takes a little time to get set up. It opens another avenue of revenue and frankly are great programs. Tom Here is a link that might be useful: Illinois Farm Direct Market Search

The best protection you can buy is to buy a quality leather to begin with. A good quality leather does not need any protection and neither is it recommended. All you will need to do is keep it cleaned= vacuum and/or wipe with a lightly damped cloth with a tiny amount of detergent. Also keep the leather away from direct sunlight, fireplaces and heating vents.