I 'think' folks shop the Farmer's Markets for a variety of reasons...ie value, freshness, variety, and locally grown items from local growers.

I know that is not the case with a lot of the bigger markets at big Flea Markets where often the produce is not even grown in the US, and is just bought from a wholesaler.

There is a small local market that is open 3 mornings a week. One requirement of the seller is that they must have raised the produce and plants themselves locally. They are not permitted to buy wholesale and then resell. I really like that market for that reason.

I've thought of maybe selling a few perennial plants there myself, when they are in bloom.

If anything, I see this as a better year for the Market Farmer than in years past. I doubt if there will be that many that will bother to try and grow their own when they know they can buy quality fresh local grown produce.

Sue

I see and hear a lot of talk about having a garden this year b/c of the economy but many of these people have never grown things before and they seem to be going for the regular things such as tomatoes, green beans, etc. I think there will be a huge market for seedlings b/c many/most people esp. new gardeners don't have lights and things nec. to start their seeds. Many of them wll try in a window and then will purchase seedling b/c theres will look sad. So, I personally am raising extra seedlings and will sell some of these in yardsales. I am also raising much more than I need so that we can set up a stand in the front yard. We have a couple acres so we have room and I want to see what happens.

Good Luck. I think you will do fine.

Nichol

We opened the FM early for '09 this Passed Sat.(3/7). I didn't have much so I dug up strawberry plants(bundle of 25 for $6.00) and daylilies(bundles of 15+ for $3.00)...sold them bareroot. Also had qt size pots of mousetail jack-in-the-pulpits($5.00 per qt). Had some surplus Stilletto hostas so I knocked them out of the pots,washed and packaged them up and sold those bare root($2.00 for bundle of 3-4 div.) also. Sold bags of Gold Ball turnips and greens. I also brought 1 gal.ornamental purple leaf plum and giant pussywillow. I sold everything but 4 of the jacks(they didn't have any blooms) only sold 1 pussywillow and none of the plums(customers were interested until they found out they were only ornamental). Weather was warm but very,very windy but still we had a very good customer turn-out. I'm primary a potted ornamental grower and vendor so only time will tell what the economy does to my sells for '09. I do plan on doing more bareroot sales for the early season to help gardeners afford to keep gardening and to move out my more common and surplus stock to make room in the greenhouse for newer plant material I'm growing off.

Peggy

i loved going to the farmers market. cause its home grown, being a small time gardener id rather suport other gardeners than big co.
they moved our farmers market to up town grrr ya cant get a parking space! im gonna try to grow more of my own this year.