I'm officially a farmer

When I purchased my vegetable seeds last winter, I had intended to sell my organic veggies at our local farmer's market. Back in February when I contacted them, the market was already full and not taking new vendors.

So... I have been slowly making plans to open a self-serve vegetable stand here at my home, in the driveway. One of the items on my to-do list was to contact my insurance company. In case someone were to fall on my property buying vegetables - you know, just wanted to know if my homeowner's policy would cover any liability. I spoke with my insurance company a couple of weeks ago and got the a-okay. However, last week a new homeowner's policy arrived. Apparently there was an extra item I needed. So... for $15 a year, I now have a policy which includes "Incidental Farming Personal Liability" coverage.


Guess I'm now officially a farmer.

As for the farm stand:

I am hoping to have it up and running this week or the next. I'm moving slowly, waiting for a few more vegetables to be ready. Right now all I have to offer is lettuce, a few peas, a few onions, a bit of greens, a few beets ... not much. I did notice a few very small zucchini at the farm plot yesterday so hopefully there will be more soon.

I do plan to offer some baked goods as well. Perhaps cookies, breads... that type of thing. I'm perplexed about how much to charge for the baked goods and some of the produce. I plan on making a trip to our local market this week to get an idea.

I drew up plans for the money payment box a couple of weeks ago. Used my rusty algebra and put my thinking cap on. I then transferred the plans to the piece of wood. I began cutting... and almost immediately broke the jigsaw blade. Luckily, my husband was kind enough to help me out with his circular saw (something I wouldn't touch myself!). It turned into a family project. It's now almost complete. We just need to cut the payment slot, attach the lock, and get it hung on the garage.

My signs are almost ready. One for the front yard, one for the side yard. I spoke with a city representative a few weeks ago to get the rules on signage in yards because I know there are city laws I need to abide by. The boys all helped me paint the wood (and themselves).


I also used my rusty graphic design skills and created a promotional flyer that I plan to hang in a few places around town. What do you think?


Comments and suggestions appreciated!

I'll send out a notification to friends and family via email and post on my blog when the stand opens. I also plan to create a listing on www.localharvest.org . The flyers will be hung as well.

It's slowly all coming together!



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