How Big Your Farm Should Be

All of the constraints you should consider when determining the size of your farm are discussed in this video. I also go over expansion and take you along for our own expansion.
Compost Now - compostnow.org/
Josh's Instagram @josh.sattin - josh.sattin
Raleigh City Farm
Website - raleighcityfarm.org/
Instagram @raleighcityfarm - raleighcityfarm
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[@scottbaruth6386]

I was selling green beans to the grocery stores in my area. They couldn't get enough. So on my 3rd succession crop I planted 11ea 50ft rows of beans. I had enough beans to cover the demand, but found out the hard way that it took me 4hrs to pick 11 rows, and beans needed picked 3-4 times per week, depending on weather and age of plants. You can definitely outgrow what you can handle quick, just like Josh says. Now I know my max limit on beans. You don't want to burn out on something your suposed to enjoy.

[@winterliy103-7]

Outstanding advice . Those of us that small scale farm give you two thumbs up.

[@countdown.moments]

Absolutely agree on the start small... It is frustrating when your are motivated to work for bigger, but work on small at first will teach you how to work better.

[@PeterSedesse]

Man you nailed it. Before watching the video, I thought about the question and came up with Sales > Labor > Space. Your sales should dictate when you should expand, and then make sure your labor is available. Then you add space.

[@LittleMountainLife]

This is a must watch video for all new farmers. Great info, Josh!

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Thank you!

[@mrmacgregorshomestead233]

Very good info! This is definitely a great vid for those that are serious about farming like this.

[@nubiansoaps]

Thank you for the re-cap. How easily we forget. But it's fun watching your successes. We're happy for you and look forward to a trip to your area. Congratulations.

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Thank you!

[@KeystoneConservancy]

Josh, Keep up the incredible job you’re doing! You’re content is jam packed full of knowledge and is such a valuable tool for future farmers and gardeners alike! One love brotha! Stay healthy.

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Thank you! Glad you have been enjoying the videos.

[@MrCaboose83]

Recently bought a house on a two acre lot and want to get into homesteading I find your channel extremely valuable for information, thank you!

[@justinbagleyglass]

Gotta second that Meadow Creature broadfork recommendation. Love what you do Josh. Thank you!!

[@cameronluck5288]

Dude, have been watching your videos and for whatever reason didnt realize you are in Raleigh! Grew up there (live in MHC on coast) and family still lives there. Starting the process of property shopping and planning on scaling up veggie raised beds and deck plants. So much info in your vids, they are a joy to watch and great information for us just starting our journey in soil farming! Keep the vids coming!

[@sunkisshomesteadgardens9997]

I agree everything you said is so true in many cases if you learn to be real efficient you may not need to expand I think this happens more than not.

[@ewjorgy]

Hi Josh, Excellent advice. A business is the sum of its parts and all of those parts are intertwined. Be smart. Don't just be big. Thanks for another great video! Take care and all the best from California 💛

[@JoshSattinFarming]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@Plantedbytheriver]

I just wanted to say that its rad seeing all your hard work in this season pay off! Keep up the great work!!

[@HappinessFactoryGardens]

I just discovered your channel. We’re just north of Raleigh, in between Creedmoor and Franklinton. Instant subscribe, and you seem to have some great content, so I’m glad I did!

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Awesome! Glad you found the channel. Thanks for watching!

[@CoconutWaterfalls]

Josh.. dude. You are a seriously top notch farmer. Thanks for teaching us all so much. Thanks for what you're doing.

[@hazardpatch2129]

Looking beautiful Awesome to see how much you've progressed already Thankyou for sharing 😊💖👍

[@JoshSattinFarming]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@tuttiefruitties7108]

Really appreciate in your videos you mentioning (prices/cost of things, time/labor intensity, what might be some hidden fees/costs/obstacles and also the size areas for the land / beds your mentioning and talking about!!) All this really helps to put into perspective my farm and how these things can be incorporated in on my farm and how to relate it all together! Thank you! Ps. I'm in MN and y'all got lost of awesome things going on in NC which seems like its serving small and mid sized farms in NC! I'm trying to explain how they could be done here in MN (for instance the many food hubs, matching up farmer to retailers, and commercial kitchens which work with farmers on value added) very cool y'all!! Keep up the awesome work!!! 🌱💜🌱🤘🏼

[@Lolo-ux1pw]

I'm so grateful that you share your wisdom and knowledge freely. Thank you. You are really helping us evolve 🥰

[@jjj32801]

Spot on; great advice for farmers new and old.

[@rickkorczynski6833]

I leased 2.5 acres a week ago. I'll be farming part time with my wife and working a full time job. I've been watching videos for months but it's different now that it's really happening. There's good advice on this video but it's got me wondering what mistakes I'll be making. Only time will tell. Thanks Josh, for all the info that I've gotten from you.

[@justinkraft7446]

Great content as usual! After doing some research i decided to buy a Treadlite Broadfork. I'm using the square foot gardener version on my 30 inch beds, and it has been working really well. It's the only broadfork I've ever used, but I think I made a really good choice. It's definitely heavy duty, and it feels like tool that will be passed down for generations.

[@jnabil84]

I also chose a Treadlite and wanted the same model you have but, through an error on the sellers part, ended up with the narrower All Day model. There were a series of errors on their part which ended up causing me significant delays in shipment and the aforementioned shipment of the model ordered. I lost trust in their competence and just kept the smaller fork. It’s not ideal but I hope it will work. It is nice and well made with one possibly significant issue. The tubes that receive the handles are thin metal and slotted to make it easy to insert the handles. Though the tubes are held with bolts that go through them and the handles, there is an uncomfortable amount of flex/play between the handles and the tool head at this part. I put steel hose clamps around these tubes to try to shore up the connection of handle to head but it only helped firm things up marginally. My concern is that the flexing at this spot may weaken the metal tube or its connection to the tool head. I may be wrong and it might prove durable but the flexing doesn’t inspire confidence and I find I am more protective and cautious in using the broadfork than I’d like. Other than this, the tool is very strong feeling/looking with nice thick wood handles. It works soil very well with nice soil penetration of the sharp, strong tones.

[@DaveOnThePlot]

Hi josh I am just buying a 1acre property in the uk to start a market garden your videos are a great help looking forward to your next one .

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Glad the videos have been. Good luck and thanks for watching!

[@lajosgy3062]

Concise and clear! Thank you Josh. Long time follower from Hungary.

[@ianharvey980]

Just discovered your channel. Your videos are so easy to watch. Thank you!

[@Blackadder75]

Great explanation. You are a good teacher. How do you get rid of the cover crops when time has come to use those lots?

[@CraigMatadeen]

You usually either chop and drop or till it in depending on how much you like tilling. It's a good way of either mulching or adding organic matter to the soil.

[@JoshSattinFarming]

I plan on mowing them and then tarp it.

[@janniktraavikmennen7203]

Awesome,awesome advice! Grow better,not bigger as Fortier says.

[@dvdan1]

I learned so much from this video. Thank You Josh.

[@JoshSattinFarming]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@nshue23]

This is a little late, but as far as expansion with watering issues. It may cost more in the beginning but finding out your gpm flow from your well pump, then finding put your gph from drip or overhead system will help out alot. By knowing these numbers you can split your garden up into multiple zones. I water deep once a week per zone, sometimes twice if there is a heat wave and the ground is dry. If your pump puts out or allows 5gpm/300 gallon per hour you wouldn't want to run at full capacity making your pump work hard and possibly causing it to burn up. The most I run currently is 95 gph zone at 15 psi. I am no where near the setup you have but am trying to gain as much knowledge and experience to work towards selling produce. I am currently working 5000 sq ft garden only 8th of acre, but plan on a large expansion next season. Currently it's on 5 separate zones, but as I expand I will add more. You could configure this anyway needed and set it up on timers. This may already be basic knowledge, but hopefully it helps someone.

[@KeikoMushi]

Damn it, Yoda Sattin! :-D Thanks for continuing to post content of late.

[@robyndurdin6965]

That was an amazing vid. Thanks so much Josh 👍👍

[@tonylee8550]

Always interesting content, best of luck with the city farm👏

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Thank you!

[@greggunter5975]

Thanks for the videos man, keep it up, things are looking good.

[@mattschwartz915]

Great video Josh. So much useful content. Looks you’re off to a great start!

[@mrmacgregorshomestead233]

Great vid!! Lots of fantastic info. Watching these over and over, taking plenty of notes

[@juanjoseperez1939]

Gracias amigo por compartir tus experiencias y sabiduría. Thank you. Saludos desde España.

[@mykimikimiky]

ok, this is the best 14m piece of advice I ever needed. :)

[@jonathanborchardt891]

Nice to have a flat ground to work. Mine is clay and gravel on top, with samd in the low spotts.

[@dayglowfunkyjunky]

I think one thing you should keep in mind is the offset of the road next to your fields. There are micro particles of carbon dioxide and all the nasty chemicals from a car exhaust as well rubber being moved around in the road. I would suggest a thick 4-5ft hedge of berries all along the roads they are a physical barrier to the rubber bits being kicked up from the road and also filter a bot of the co2. And you can harvest some berries for fun.

[@CodyScott]

This is so good! Perfect audio.

[@giojared]

as far as broadforks, I love my Meadow Creature. Lifetime warranty.

[@scottbaruth6386]

Yep if you break that broadfork by hand you better be trying out for the Olympics. We can always use more gold medals lol!

[@cherriemckinstry131]

Sounds neat!

[@briansakurada2823]

Here in Japan, we only irrigate greenhouse crops. Field crops do just fine with no manual watering it's a big money saver.

[@shawndurham6130]

So I just started my garden but I'm curious if I messed up by laying down medium duty weed sheeting. Layered compost and wood chips. Beds are 24" wide by 50' long. Did I screw myself already? 10 yards of compost and 3 of wood chips. I hope I didnt just do all that work for nothing. Compost is 6" deep.

[@JoshSattinFarming]

That's a lot of wood chips to add in your beds. They might tie up a bunch of nitrogen but will break down eventually, but it will take a while.

[@shawndurham6130]

@@JoshSattinFarming I should have clarified that the woodchips were not added to the beds but rather as walkways in between them.

[@jon-paulwitowski2724]

Have you thought of making a video of how you started as a farmer? Or maybe the type of seed starting used early on?

[@JoshSattinFarming]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWi6hnuKap1mnrM

[@harunrabbani]

Hey Josh. Why did you go for a not-for-profit model? Many thanks.

[@rodbeckstedt8588]

Thanks Josh. That was a lot of great info.

[@littlegreenpatch98]

Hi Josh, Your aerial view of your block. It that your whole acre or just a portion of the acreage and if so what percentage of your acreage?

[@krissysmith1535]

I love your insight. I’ve watched a lot of your videos. I’m starting a garlic farm and possibly a small market area too. After you layer cardboard and then compost, you direct seeded. Does the cardboard breakdown fast enough for the roots to hit ground or do you break into the cb?

[@JoshSattinFarming]

If you wet the cardboard down before laying down compost it breaks down quickly. We planted carrots in there with no problem.

[@wheat2714]

Hey Josh I am a new subscriber Found your site when as A disable vet ( USMC) I was researching what is the best soil? Because of my Limited ability to bend to the ground I have an idea to build in raised beds . Is raised beds a great way to grow and still have restaurant Quality Produce?

[@1982MCI]

WHEAT absolutely!!! I’m a disabled vet myself brother and I’ve been doing this for 5 years now. I have started adding some raised beds this year for that reason. Then part of the farm is being converted into the same style of system that Josh uses and is about the best thing I’ve ever done when I converted from regular tilling over to no till. I opened my stand yesterday with the most beautiful produce I’ve ever grown before! The remainder of the farm is still utilizing the till method for now but those are the fields I use for watermelons, cantaloupe, and potatoes. That is the largest part of the farm and is somewhere around 7 acres which will be converted in the future as time, money, and labor allow. I’m putting in about a quarter acre of raised beds now which I’m gonna use for my herb production to begin with and get everything set up right and then will expand when I have the system perfected and need arises. You can grow just as good of quality in a raised bed as you can anywhere else but your major bottleneck in a raised bed is gonna be water. Your beds will dry faster in a raised bed so it’s really a good idea to get irrigation of some sort established when you install your beds. Also think about building beds with the incorporated hinged, greenhouse cover to really extend your growing season, it really makes a huge difference just like Josh was talking about the benefits of a tunnel, it is like having miniature tunnels for those of us that have mobility issues and either can’t or don’t want to deal with a large tunnel. Yes, we are disabled but we aren’t dead. I can no longer go o work everyday for someone else but can get out and work on my own schedule at my own pace. Some days I may not be able to come out at all which is why it’s important to get your irrigation set up good from the very start. Start with a coupe beds Brother and see how it goes and then expand from there as you can. What state are you in? I wish you the best brother!! You can do it and yes, you can grow restaurant quality in a raised bed. Let us know how things progress, I’d love to hear about your progress!!

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Glad you found the channel. Yes, raised beds can work great. I am essentially using raised beds just not raised up very far. The best thing about raised beds is that you can add good soil and grow in there.

[@Jenura01]

@@1982MCI I loved your reply.

[@1982MCI]

J Urana thank you 😊

[@seattleareatom]

In my day in the dark ages everything was cleaned outdoors on screens. Then everything was wrapped in damp newspaper and put in wet wooden crates held together and closed with wire. Cold storage was a space with a fan(s) that kept the produce cold via evaporation. Today newspapers aren't readily available and the wooden crates don't exist anymore. Too bad because it was an extraordinarily simple way to cool and store and haul to markets and keep cold during the day, via the evaporation.

[@jodiebrignell6981]

It's looking really great!

[@dheila]

Thanks, Josh. Really informative, as usual. I don't mean to be snooty or anything, but the slo-mo is really off putting. That effect has become a bit of a cliche in KZbin channels (and elsewhere, especially in digital social marketing). I think it may detract from the quality content. Life is plenty interesting at 1x. Thanks!!

[@mishalea]

Good job, great clean, info video!

[@barako888]

thank you! appreciate sharing your knowledge!

[@MattsPlotAllotmentchannel]

Great channel and another great video

[@nathanwooldridge85]

Hello stranger ;) Great video as always. I'm only a backyard gardener but a big fan of market garden channels. Richard Perkins who I watch a lot of is a real advocate of streamlinign processes and ensuring the most efficient end-to-end system level thinking. He's always talking about ensuring you have maximised your current plot size before increasing size. most people who want to double their turnover think this can only come from doubling their plot.

[@crystalzynda1577]

I love your channel and you've inspired me to put in beds this year. It went extremely well. Now my season is closing. Can you tell me the name of the ground cover you use to cover the beds?

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Silage tarp

[@miguelpachecovelazquez6306]

Thanks for this video ❤️

[@KrazyKajun602]

Josh can you explain watering techniques? drip tape, overhead, etc. there are alot of views that overhead watering causes issues compared to drip tape, etc.

[@JacksonHorton]

Meadow creature makes the best broadfork in the market. Indestructible

[@yarrafarmsfiji6487]

Thanks for this video 👍👍👍

[@jonogaza7766]

Great video! How long are your beds in A & B?

[@kensmapleleafretirement]

Good fun. It is easy to get carried away.... Lol.....

[@Marisolbeautymakeup]

Can i mix my compost with soil (without the cardboard) or do i risk getting too many weeds?

[@edsonmathias3378]

Nice job.

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Thank you!

[@alishareneethompson]

How long do you keep the tarp on the ground to kill the weeds?

[@rachelwhittaker3919]

I live in Charlotte do you take interns!? I admire this work tremendously

[@MrFrozensmoke]

What do you do after growing season with the compost and wood chips? Just cover it with plastic and resurface the next growing season?

[@JoshSattinFarming]

I try to keep either cover crops or cash crops growing year round, but we might tarp a few areas. We just continue to add compost and woodchips.

[@thewolfoftechstreet]

You can store water in resevoirs.

[@silpalhano5967]

Looks great

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Thanks!

[@donisenberg3032]

Charle Dowding has done studies showing that broad forking provides no benefit in terms of increased yields and in fact reduces yields.

[@JoshSattinFarming]

I love Charles' work. I even interviewed him: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmHPimaDj6mLl9U Remember, context is important and everyone's soil is different. I have mentioned this in other videos that I found with my context and soil that broadforking for the first year or two is important and then I do it less often.

[@alph8654]

I live in Southern Tn. I used to broad fork all of my beds. After watching and learning much from Charles Dowding i quit broad forking and found from my own experience that broad forking was a waste of time. I have not done any trials to see if my yields increased or decreased but i do know it is not enough difference to either way to justify broad forking. A load was taken off my back.

[@alph8654]

@@JoshSattinFarming As you can see in my comment below that i quit broad forking, but i had done it for several years before. If starting new beds i probably would not broad fork, but it may be best to do so as you are doing to begin with.

[@alph8654]

@@JoshSattinFarming Want to add - I really enjoy watching the process and have learned from you. Keep sharing and teaching and the Lord will bless you !!!!

[@JoshSattinFarming]

As I have said, I broadforked way less in my second season. It's all about how your soil is doing. It can help but it also might not be needed. It also varies bed to bed sometimes.

[@mikewagemann4129]

Great advice! thanks

[@Phylicea]

What did U plant in all your beds in order

[@SkeletonCrew96]

Uh. Where do you get that many boxes?

[@susanvalkai6348]

What are your grow bed and walkway widths?

[@kathrynplett8386]

Susan Valkai his beds are 30 inches wide, and I believe the walkways are 18 inches.

[@inventanew]

have you heard of Jadam?

[@tomv7017]

what company made the tunnel 3:50 ?

[@KrazyKajun602]

What is the compost made of?

[@samsprouts8631]

I don't think I have a good compost source other than free manure here in Covington Louisiana I can get wood chips that are fresh or broken down for 10 years for free but I have to go down into a pit and four-wheel drive and scoop it out

[@thefamilyfarm9035]

Cool!

[@chadeller5588]

Flame weeding until the plants wilt is a waste of fuel and time... plants only need a fraction of a second exposure to flame temperatures to die - they'll look normal after treatment, but the tissue damage will kill the plant quickly.

[@thaddeus127]

W

[@yahlov]

How much is an Acre in US?

[@williamlockhart5031]

Always enjoy your videos, Josh, but when you forgot to put up the video that you referred to.

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Thank you. Which video? I put the card in at 11:19 for the video I was referring to.

[@williamlockhart5031]

@@JoshSattinFarming On this video, "How Big Your Farm Should Be", toward the end, you referred to the video about how you over expanded, earlier at your house, and the problems with that.

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Yes it's called "Sometimes You Feel Like A Noob". There is a "card" you click on at the top of the screen. Right where I point during the video.

[@williamlockhart5031]

@@JoshSattinFarming Hmm...that is strange. I don't see one, although I have noticed this same thing happening with other videos. Must be a problem on my end. Thanks anyways, for taking the time to let me know. Keep up the great job that you are doing. Your videos are very informative and inspiring! Have a blessed day!

[@JoshSattinFarming]

That's weird for sure. Here is the video in case you can't find it kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2KXl3pjbq2af7M

[@johnjanedoe1676]

So much valuable information! Thank you!

[@BenjaminCousino]

What size is a bed?

[@JoshSattinFarming]

30"x50'

[@BenjaminCousino]

Thank you!

[@TheHonestPeanut]

If you find the time to answer this, do you have any issues with slugs with the woodchip pathways? And if anyone else does this I'd love you're input and what area of the country/world you're in too.

[@texgibson6236]

What does not sale is added compost. Be able to hold items after picking. Pick the day before. Clean and packet. Those that want their forest on the day picked. Can pick their own. Don't try to please everyone. Cause you run yourself into the ground. Ads is done on rainy days where feild work cannot be done. Have signs on your vehicles. With businesses number.

[@SEHardy]

I got my broadfork from a local metalworker - www.gullandforge.com/ and I really love it for the first couple years of my hardpan clay

[@JoshSattinFarming]

Oh yeah, Larry and his broadforks are awesome.

[@soronos8586]

All farms are non profit! 🤣