If you're like many small growers, you have a limited amount of growing space. So its important for gardeners who are growing for market to focus on crops that will produce the highest income per square foot of growing space.
Using published market prices for organic produce and harvest yields for intensive cultivation of popular garden crops, it is possible to find the most profitable plants for small market growers. When the results were tallied, there were some surprises on the upside, as well as the downside.. Cilantro and arugula, for example, can bring profits of over $20 per square foot, while carrots, radishes and parsley were all well below $4 per square foot.
The biggest winners were leafy greens and herbs that are sold fresh at farmer's markets and grocery stores. In addition, heirloom and cherry tomatoes were also surprisingly high, at around $15 per square foot, even though "ordinary" tomatoes bring far less. Let's take a closer look at the winners to find the crops that could produce a good income in your garden.
Topping the list at over $21 per square foot is cilantro, also known as coriander. Cilantro is the leafy part of the plant, and widely used in Mexican and Asian cooking. Leaves are ready to harvest in about 50-55 days, and by planting a new batch every two weeks or so, a steady supply can be maintained. Be sure to use the slow-to-bolt varieties, such as Santo or Calypso to avoid problems in the summer heat.
Next on the list is Arugula, also known as Rocket or Roquette. This member of the mustard family produces spicy, flavorful leaves, perfect for adding flavor to a salad blend or harvested as baby greens. Arugula is quick to mature, ready for harvest in just 3 weeks when picked as baby greens or 6 weeks at maturity. It can be sold loose, in a blend or in bunches at the farmer's market.
Salad mixes are the new standard, replacing bland, boring iceberg lettuce, now outsells all other leafy greens. Growers can use plastic-covered beds, called high tunnels, or a hoop house to extend the growing season to most of the year in many areas. Growers have found it is best to use a blend of greens to provide color, flavor and texture. Use greens like frisee for flavor and texture or Baby Red Swiss chard for color. Most mixes include baby lettuce varieties, mizuna or tatsoi, baby kale or chard and frisee or radicchio. Asian salad mixes, most using no lettuce, are also popular.
Chives and dill are also profit champs, with average profits of over $15 per square foot of growing area. Although chives take longer to mature - averaging 90 days to harvest - they are always a popular item. Bunches of flowering garlic chives, call Gow Choy, bring higher than average prices and add an elegant touch to any dish. Growers who want a thicker leaf than the garlic chives should grow the Stars variety, available from Johnny's Seeds.
The popularity of dill may be due to the many uses for the plant, ranging from flowers to pickle-making to sauces. The seeds are often used as a natural remedy for flatulence. Flowers can be harvested in 45-55 days and seeds in 90-100 days. Growers who use dill flowers prefer the Vierling variety, while those who want maximum leaf yield find Bouquet the heaviest producer. Both varieties are available from Johnny's Seeds.
Baby lettuce is always popular, usually sold in blends that combine color and flavor. Popular choices include Red Oak Leaf, Green Romaine, Red Romaine, Green Oak Leaf and Red Leaf lettuce.The reason for the high value per square foot - over $15 - is the quick turnover of lettuce, as it is ready to harvest in about a month. This allows growers, especially those using high tunnels or hoop houses, to harvest several crops in a single growing season.
Although tomatoes are not herbs or leafy greens, I just had to include them, as certain types are quite profitable, with per-square-foot profits over $15. Not just any old tomato will do though! For the highest return, focus on gourmet cherry, or salad tomatoes and heirloom varieties that bring top dollar from consumers who love, and will pay dearly, for the rich flavor they bring to the table. In fact, after a lifetime of eating bland flavorless commercial tomatoes bred to ship well, most first-time heirloom tomato eaters say " I never knew a tomato could taste this good!"
There is a wide range of cherry tomatoes available to market gardeners. Plan to grow varieties that are not often found in supermarkets, such as Gold Nugget, Yellow Pear and Tomatoberry, which is shaped like a strawberry. All these varieties are available at Johnny's Seeds. Growers who plan to offer heirloom tomatoes should focus on flavor or unique coloration, which is easy to do with dozens of proven producers available. Try Yellow Brandywine, Black Prince, Brandywine, or my favorite, Striped German, with bicolor red and yellow fruit.
These are just a few of dozens of high-value specialty crops that can bring big profits to small growers. To learn more, http://www.profitableplantsdigest.com
These are just a few of dozens of high-value specialty crops that can bring big profits to small growers. To learn more, visit http://profitableplantsdigest.com, where you can download my FREE 50 PAGE BOOK, Specialty Crops for Small Growers - 14 Best Profitable Plants for Backyards and Small Acreage.
Craig Wallin is the author of 8 books about growing high-value specialty crops, such as herbs, flowers, garlic, mushrooms, ginseng, bamboo, lavender, exotic trees, woody ornamentals, microgreens and landscaping plants.
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