Dragonlaurel's journal- Community Garden

[big brown horse]

I can walk across the apartments parking lot and get to one of the mountain trails. It makes apartment life easier to put up with.
I've been wanting to check out the Dryden pottery factory. My brother poured ceramics for a hobby and I helped sometimes, mostly to learn how. I don't consider pottery defective unless there are cracks or stuff that keep it from being useable. Little bubbles and stuff like that just give a piece character.
My husband likes to go to "The Cheese Corner" but I don't know which deli you are thinking of.

The Cheese Corner?!!! How did I miss that??? The deli is like a sandwhich shop and they sell soups and yummy desserts too. All I can remember is it was on the way to the grocery store...? The name is like 1329 or something like that.

Yep, I love my bubbly pottery too. You should go.

Hot Springs and Eureka Springs are my favorite places to visit, there is something very unique about those places...something magical, (old world?) that I can't really put my finger on. Just a wonderful feeling I get there. And the scenery is to die for!!! You are lucky to live so close to the wonderful hiking trails. It was the trails (and the cold weather in December) that drew us to Hot Springs. It was am easy drive from Houston, we spent the night with a dear friend in Dallas and we could make it by noon if we left in the morning.

Are we all planning another get together again? This time I don't want to get stuck watching the kids... My ss skill level has improved since then!

 

[dragonlaurel]

The Cheese Corner is by the city bus terminal and the smaller feed store on Broadway. There's a Cafe 1217 on Malvern. Maybe that was the one you went to.
We haven't been to Eureka Springs yet but it sounds nice. I lived in Hot Springs for a couple years before, moved away and came back 15 years later. I want to have land, but still in this general area. I love my mountains.

 

[dragonlaurel]

I've been thinking about how to make homesteading/farming work for us. Relying on a huge field of 1 or 2 crops would be scary for me. I'd rather do a bunch of things that help bring income so it's less pressure if some don't work out.

We are in Western Arkansas, in the Ouachitas, and love this part of the state. It's in Zone 7, so most veggies and fruits can grow here. We don't have land yet but the local soils usually have a fair amount of clay and it is hilly. We can grow fruit on some slopes and might have a few dairy goats or sheep on others. I want at least 10 acres, including the home and a woodlot. He would like more acreage.

I will have to look at the bottom line. The question, "will this cost more than it will bring in", is important. Anything that saves us money -that we would normally spend- is still valuable.

Growing and saving some hay and other feed plants for our animals is a goal. Everything would be naturally raised. We probably wont go through the hassle and expense to get certified organic. I will post my standards/growing practices for customers to see. Selling at a farmers market appeals to me, but more options are welcome.


The question is:

What can we grow or raise here that does not require expensive equipment and could bring income?
How would you market it to get a good price?
I am looking for as many ideas as possible.
I wrote about my dream property on "my personal page" on this site. Feel free to look at it but that is a long term goal. I'm looking for the starting point to get there from.
We may have overlooked some things that could also work.
I am allergic to peanuts so we wont grow them.
We will grow some fruit trees and berries but will need to make money while they grow.

 

[FarmerChick]

research your market in your area.
go to the farmers markets you want to sell. see what the customers are buying---then do a twist.

Here customers love zucchini. Every farmer sells the usual zucchini. I raise Eight Ball zucchini. Round. Like a bowl. I sell them as stuffer zucc. bowls. I sound the hound out of them. No one else grows them so I make great money. I print a small recipe on how to core, stuff and bake these 8 balls also.

So little twists on what customers love is a great way to make money, become a little different than the usual flood of produce out there for sale.

Another is grape tomatoes. Every farmer sells big tomatoes. We raise cherry tomatoes, and did well. Then some other farmers did that, the usual cherry tomatoes so we switched to grape tomatoes (which have tons more flavor) and did very well on them!

There is big money at the markets. You just have to apply the usual marketing strategy. Google farmer markets etc and start researching. Best you can do for yourself. I did and learned tons and we do exceptionally well at the markets.


best of luck to you!

 

[dragonlaurel]

Thanks Farmerchick

Growing heirloom varieties looks promising, so we could save seed and they have caught on lately. Having some recipes to use them is a good idea.

I'll be enjoying the "market research". Shopping for good stuff at the farmers market and paying attention to what is popular and why.

 

[Beekissed]

You might also read Salatin's You Can Farm and see how he stacks livestock and different crops on the same acreage for multiple streams of income. He discusses agritourism options as well.

If you live near a larger city, you might want to look into flowers also. I read about an older fellow who tried raising different crops on an acre to make some extra money and then finally hit on one that yielded the most money......zinnias!

He made $5000 a year on one acre of zinnias by selling by the stem to local florists and undercutting their suppliers in price.

Another lady started out with a small bed of herbs and was supplying a few restuarants with fresh herbs. It grew into a very profitable business and she now grows only herbs, has walking tours of her place and has a thriving online business for the sale of her herbs.

 

[Ldychef2k]

Speaking of agritourism, we had a guy here in central California who grew a pizza garden and gave tours and samples and did things with school children as well. He had a very large circle shaped garden divided in wedges, in which he grew tomatoes, onions, herbs, etc. The "crust" was a circle of hay bales upon which the visitors could sit. It was pretty cool.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

My DH will be on his way to visit relatives in Hot Springs this afternoon

I love love love that city. If I ever move again, it will be to Hot Springs. MIL owns several acres just a couple miles off Central, but it feels like you are miles upon MILES out in the country. I actually wept when we walked her plot of land, it was so beautiful.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Hey Dragonlaurel! I don't frequent journals, but your title caught my eye. FarmerChick is right . . . you need to do research. A woman here actually spent about a year scoping out the market before she started growing. She is doing well. There will always be things that no one else is offering and niche markets. Focus on those things.

One of our farmer's markets lets farmers have one week's booth for free. See if your market will offer the same. It can give you a good idea of whether you like selling at markets and whether your product will sell (once you have a product).

I hope to see your dream farm ideas in a minute . . . but I'd like to say . . . focus on what you are passionate about growing/raising.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Have you thought about leasing and/or sharecropping someone else's land while you wait for your dream parcel?