Common Mistakes New Growers Make

[@jayhenderson2683]

Biggest mistake is not adopting out your kids after they lose interest in farm work. However you can extend their useful life by teaching them how to edit your video's.

[@joduval]

😂

[@WhiskerDooz]

Based 😂

[@NaomiBlumenthal-md6xv]

I think if we traded teenagers it could work. My teenager works very hard on a friend's farm but will do nothing for me personally without putting up an enormous fight.

[@stevebaker8322]

Come for the farming, stay for the life lessons. This video is a gem. Thank you, Farmer Jessy.

[@tomhappyfarm]

Hello! I'm Tom, a farmer in Vietnam. On my KZbin channel, I share daily activities from my farm, providing a glimpse into life on a Vietnamese farm. Additionally, I demonstrate how to prepare traditional Vietnamese dishes. Feel free to visit my channel to explore the farming experience in Vietnam, and if you enjoy it, please consider subscribing for more content. Thanks for stopping by!" ❤❤❤

[@MadAcreFarms]

Speaking from a perspective of being a spouse who was not fully bought in to the market farm venture. I will say that you did a fantastic job capturing the narrative. I have however started to drink the kool-aide and of course started to sell it but it took awhile for me to get there. From an outside perspective I feel that a lot of folks only showed the more glamorous side of owning a market farm. Which gives unrealistic expectations and leaves the door open to overspend and under deliver. We have learned to set our own course. By far your channel is one of my favorite resources. Appreciate the 30-40 hrs spent. Trust me I completely understand. Heading over to check out your merch. No comment necessary just know I am an official nerd ✌🏼

[@aileensmith3062]

Agree 100% and showing the good and the bad of farming. So many opt to only glamorize the oh so beautiful part of it. Fortunately Jesse seems to present the whole package, the ups and the downs. Like you this channel is definitely one of our favorite's and the Sunday Morning picker upper for us!

[@anniinglucksdorf960]

Hey... just curious because I want to start as well. Can you name some of the downs you think are nearly never mentioned (aside from much work and low returnrates etc. but rather those that you really don´t hear people talking about or you feel are not emphasized in the right way).

[@MadAcreFarms]

@@anniinglucksdorf960 absolutely! For me I had very little experience and learning as we grow. I would turn to KZbin for guidance of course leaning on bigger channels that showed amazing gardens and already established support. We started with a blank slate. We didn’t have a great growing foundation on so many levels. Our grounds needed a ton of work our access to supplies such as compost and amendments were extremely hard to find due to our location. The more material we needed the more expensive it was and the further away it was. We started way too big too fast. At first it was my husband trying to do it on his own and then I found the valve behind working to live and we just went from 0-100. We saw all of these established market gardens using extravagant tools. So of course we bought in. In reality we didn’t need them nor were we ready for it. We spent a ton of time, money and resources. We also lost sight of how we would sell our product. We live in a small community where your presence and impact really matter. We spent so much time trying to glamorize what we were doing we forgot to look up to introduce ourselves to our local community. We had become a KZbin channel who happened to have a farm vs a farm who happens to have a KZbin channel. Biggest advice is be on the same page with your partner. Compromise and challenge the norm. You can absolutely be successful and happy just know you will put in way more than you think you get out of it but when you look back you realize you got so much more than you ever expected. Good luck and start small ☺️

[@stephanieyoung2248]

@anniinglucksdorf960 It's super seasonal work so when the farm is going, you are going. I don't have a lot of time to socialize during the main growing season but I do get a lot more down time in the winter. I am happy to have that schedule during the year but it's really not for everyone. I also do a market on Saturday so my days off during the week don't always line up with the average person. Depending on where you live, there is also weather to consider. It doesn't matter if it's 90 degrees out, below freezing, or raining. My work has to get done and I can try to schedule that during the cooler summer temperatures (getting up SUPER early) or the warmer fall temperatures but you can't count on being comfortable.

[@anniinglucksdorf960]

@@stephanieyoung2248 thanks for your reply and taking the time. I am glad about every input I can get!!!

[@southafricanrhino]

I'm not a farmer but I have started growing food. I must say It is very difficult to grow food successfully year after year. I highly appreciate small scale farmers and the hard work that they do to feed people. These farmers should be more respected and they deserve to earn more money!

[@tanyawales5445]

Plant perennial trees and shrubs that can supply you with food you can store over the winter or to supplement your grocery bill. If your soil is horrible try raised beds. 1) Plant crops or ornamentals that generate a lot of biomass you can compost. 2) Try to think outside the box for ways to grow food that aren't going to break the bank. For instance, I have a large yard with soil that is clay mixed in with chunks of sandstone with little in the way of organic material in it. I will be planting a lot of plants that can make their own nitrogen and place these plants near food producing trees and shrubs to cut down on having to fertilize. 3) I am planting a Winkler hazel nut hedge, a hedge of elderberry, figs and comfrey. The elderberry, figs and comfrey I will be propagating from rooting cuttings or planting roots I am getting off eBay very cheaply. I have Callery pears which are invasive on my property so I am going to use the Callery pear branches and do air layering to create pear root stock and graft Asian and European pears onto the two Callery pears I have. I don't see any point in cutting down trees that are beautiful part of the year when I can use them. 4) Pace yourself and if you know any other gardeners ask if you can have any cuttings from blackberries or raspberries when they thin out their plantings. Most gardeners like to share plants and give advice about what works and doesn't work in their garden for your area. 5) Look for food plants that are also beautiful or are dual purpose like beets which have an edible root and greens.

[@killerx4123]

Like what kinds ​@@tanyawales5445

[@tannerfarmstead]

So glad you said that you need way more money than you think to start a farm. The “start a farm for $500” videos drive me insane because it’s far from true and an illusion

[@cliffpalermo]

Starting off as a "hobby" here, we broke even on soft costs 1st year selling flowers direct to customers in the city. Run a property management business and my wife is a photographer so we have 3 jobs. Nice to show your kids you can grow something, work outdoors and make money but definitely a labor of love hope to oneday call myself a successful farmer.

[@paulmcwhorter]

Another really excellent video. You mention it is OK to keep day job at first. Excellent advise, and with that I would remind people that you have to have a strategy for health insurance before giving up a regular job. Second thought is, be very careful about rented or leased land. You can invest a fortune in building beds and building soil fertility on land you do not own, and owner can simply not renew the lease. It can work, but be careful. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@1thingiscertain304]

Great advice. I farm 9000 sq ft of beds. A mini farm. You sure learn a lot. I sell a bit, but no business plan. To make a farm of any size practical, a business plan is essential. A big game changer came along when we asked ourselves why are we doing this, and we went right back to the orignal aim - we want to provide at least 60% of our own veggies which we would otherwise buy. And from that we realized that our primary customer is our own kitchen. From there many things fell into place, what to grow, when to grow, bed plans, business plan, etc. We can grow exactly what we need (or exaclty what this ground grows well and we eat it); the profit is not having to buy it, and the extra that we sell or trade is fun. And yes, I have a day job - totally essential is you want to farm like this unless of course you want to go totally off the grid and simply survive, which I very much respect.

[@robertthompson9122]

Before starting our farm I spent a few years listening to the No-Till growers podcast. One thing I remember hearing a lot was start small. Imagine what size farm you could handle and cut that in half. This was said over and over again. This I think is good advise, one I’ve taken to heart. We are now after three years growing looking at expanding the growing area but even this will be a slow planned out thing.

[@melissagoodwin2602]

Where can I go and listen to podcast?

[@tomhappyfarm]

Hello! I'm Tom, a farmer in Vietnam. On my KZbin channel, I share daily activities from my farm, providing a glimpse into life on a Vietnamese farm. Additionally, I demonstrate how to prepare traditional Vietnamese dishes. Feel free to visit my channel to explore the farming experience in Vietnam, and if you enjoy it, please consider subscribing for more content. Thanks for stopping by!" ❤❤❤

[@undauntedExpounder]

"There's no comment section in selling pickles." is definitely going to become a favorite out of context quote of mine.

[@lulajohns1883]

I'm growing to feed my family healthy organic food. Cost and time are definitely a consideration, but experience and working with nature is priceless. Love your videos as they are always informative and fun!

[@deinse82]

I think growing as much of your own food as you have the space for is a no-brainer. Even if you're in an apartment, you can grow edibles instead of house plants. And it's going to take about the same effort as going to the market and buying that produce would've taken. But the gentleman in the video is talking about farming. Farming is a business. Very, very different from growing your own food. I think that's the main thing this video is trying to impart. It's like the difference between cooking dinner, and opening a restaurant.

[@lulajohns1883]

@deinse82 Yes, I understand what the video was about and don't need it explained to me. I was just saying growing your own food takes a lot of effort, money, and time as well, living on 30 acres myself, I understand a lot of the complexity.

[@dianeladico1769]

@@lulajohns1883 You are absolutely correct. Of course the scale, economics and stakes are at a different level from providing your own food to farming as a business but all his advice translates beautifully to the home gardener. Each aspect simply needs to be reframed according to your context. Quality of compost, learning the basics, how things grow in your garden, learning to interplant so it works, managing your spending and expectations, buying good tools that you'll actually use, planning your planting for a consistent harvest to avoid gluts and lean times, growing what you'll actually eat are just a few offhand points that apply across the board. Home gardening is a business where you are your own customer. Approaching it from that standpoint takes one's efforts to the next level to grow the most food for your family and friends that you can.

[@Nathouuuutheone]

​@@deinse82I know you're right, the video definitely seems geared towards a farming business. BUT the title says "growers", not "farmers", not "produce sellers". So it is somewhat misleading.

[@MegaSnail1]

Thank you so much for this wake up call to folks in love with starting small farms. We appreciate your practical and down to earth advice. All the best to you and your family.

[@JustinBreaux-e2t]

Not many youtubers explain where most of the money comes from.. you can grow hundreds of different veggies, herbs, ect. but people will buy the same few things. the best selling things for me have been: slicing tomatoes, bell peppers, and lettuce. I don't get many sales on herbs, kale, and hot peppers. Ive replaced all the space ive used for the veggies that dont sell with the ones that do, it works.

[@ARUNKUMAR-gh3uw]

Just curious location you cater to?

[@JustinBreaux-e2t]

Edwardsville, IL and surrounding areas. If you're looking into market gardening and have some patience strawberries are very easy to sell and don't take up much space. The thing is you have to transplant plugs in the fall to get a spring/summer crop the following year@@ARUNKUMAR-gh3uw

[@userunknown7675]

Yeah in my area that is a mistake I see new market gardmers make about 25% of the time. They grow things that other market garners aren't already selling. Nothing wrong per definition but a number of them have gone big on things market garners here don't usually sell and that supermarkets also don't sell. So customers need to try it for the 1st time, and it takes time to get people used to it (so ffs focus on what sells, everything else should be a limited scale experiment).

[@SetasMushrooms]

Great job Jessy! I'm amazed how many other farmers I talk to get upset when I tell them I run my farm like a business, which is why I am a mushroom farmer, and we need more mushroom farmers. We only farm mushrooms, we farm them in my partially temperature-controlled barn and deliver them every week year-round. Having recurring revenue all year long is a great way to farm. If you are ever interested in learning mushroom farming Jessy, we'd love to help you. Again, great job and great content farm nerd!

[@JoeN-S]

So much this. If I had any advice to a new farmer is focus on high dollar, high return crops. That is why started with Microgreens and edible flowers, now I am adding mushrooms. I do like how Jesse stated once you've learned up existing ventures, then you can expand. Once I have all of these humming, I'll focus on herbs, again focusing on gaining as much local market share of high dollar items before adding new lines that have far lower margins.

[@SetasMushrooms]

@@serenaterra3479 Greencastle, PA

[@tanyawales5445]

I sure hope you are selling your used mushroom compost! That stuff is the best and so hard to find.

[@arthurr8670]

​@@SetasMushrooms I was going to ask about your compost, if you had, but you're a little far from me, about 3 hours.

[@SetasMushrooms]

@@tanyawales5445 Yes, we do. It's $18 for a 10-lb bag. I love making money on things we throw away.

[@kevenlamontagne1465]

A video showcasing all the things that went wrong during your current season would be awesome. It doesn't always go according to plan. Thank you for the video!

[@tanner1548]

Might also be a nice way to vent some feelings lol.

[@marywickenheiser2628]

Gems of truth in this one for all small businesses!

[@shawnueda8909]

If you are thinking of starting or just started a farm, watch this video dozen or more times. Let it sink into your head! All of Jesse's advice are worth more than the weight of gold. I farm for a living. $100,000 or more profit sounds great but that's generally gross profit, not net profit. To get $100,000 profit, you WILL need additional labor besides yourself, your spouse (even your kids). Labor cost, workman comp and insurance will take a big chunk out of the $100,000.

[@thatguychris5654]

100% correct! Nobody will NET 100k per year doing manual labor solo (at least not until hyperinflation kicks in). It's a team effort and product/service diversity is generally a better idea too..

[@AnenLaylle7023]

@@thatguychris5654 I know several farmers who do it conventionally.

[@mithall4198]

@@thatguychris5654 That depends on the crop........

[@cherylanon5791]

Insurance...must mean business insurance, or crop insurance? Your health insurance will be free if you have a family size 4 and making under $40k per year, there are ample subsidies. However once the kids are gone and you get older, it gets incredibly expensive, so be prepared for that. We were shocked at the cost.

[@that_auntceleste5848]

My husband recently gifted me the No-Till Growers Handbook. I warned him the danger he was in! "You know this is going to make a farmer out of me right?" I'm a home gardener with a successful career sitting inside looking at a computer full-time, and we do rely on my income. Plus I'm over 50. So we talk about potential locations and options while (for now) remaining firmly rooted where we are. And I wonder if it will ever be possible given our aging bodies and our other needs and values. But I love your channel, have read the entire book (most of it twice) and am constantly learning. Thank you for the insights

[@lauramonahan9343]

I'm 60 and going for it, but starting small

[@ElderandOakFarm]

If you're not relying on your income right now, now would be the best time to quit and start growing in a larger scale and see how selling it goes in your market... You never know what tomorrow brings and next year you may have something happen to where you need an income and then you'll not be in a position to quit because "what if what I grow doesn't sell" For YEARS I didn't take the plunge when we weren't reliant on my income, but I finally did- and for 3 years we were fine, but then covid happened... and my farm was not bringing in the income to replace what I was once making and I had to go back to work this year... Because of prices rising, my husbands income was no longer enough for all of our bills and were were about $800 short each month, and I wasn't yet making a profit in my business so I also had no more $ to invest into my business.... And there aren't any part time jobs around that pay more than $10 and hour so I had to go back to my old job working full time @$18/hr. in order to have enough to pay the bills and have a little extra for emergencies, and to have the money to repurchase yearly expenses (seeds, bulbs, amendments, etc.) (It took me longer to find where/how I wanted to sell and made some mistakes the first two years but this year, I did great, but unfortunately it still wasn't enough) So now I'm trying to juggle a full time job AND the farm, because I don't want to give up on my dream of owning my own business/being able to work from home/doing what I love instead of working at a company where I am not appreciated and valued... and I have young kids at home... IT'S HARD to say the least... So if this is your dream I'd say now is the time... Hopefully things are only going to keep getting better with prices now that OCVID is over, and you don't have to worry about something happening all of a sudden and NEEDING that income all of a sudden, so you should have several years to learn the business, learn your market, etc.

[@SuburbanSodbuster]

Thanks for the video, Jessie. I'm not "starting" a farm but am working toward converting my backyard garden into a market garden with plans to sell vegetables (and other items) at local farmers' markets. So while the garden isn't new, the concept of operating it as a business rather than a hobby is. I appreciate your tips and insight on this and your other videos.

[@Jacques.Bodaire]

Something to add, and may be appropriate for all small biz start ups - be prepared to fail and have a support structure. There will likely be a lot of pressure to succeed (money, family, own expectations, contracts...) and a series of setbacks can be crushing when you've been waiting weeks or months for that crop to reach maturity. Being able to find solace in a partner, or walk away for a few days thanks to your off farm job, is invaluable.

[@rodneywelch3556]

The romantic idea of following my grandparents who farmed for a living has turned into the cold water plunge of reality in the level of work they did living that way! They worked to feed a family of 7 kids plus have income from farmers markets. A handy labor force built into the large family model possibly added some level of productivity with minimal increased overhead but as kids grow and leave that strain comes back in time. The change in society where seemingly every product comes into the home wrapped in plastic from far off lands never seen has stirred this desire to be free of that dependency. Yet watching our two adult children go out to the world with jobs that stress them out and leave them feeling lost, I wonder if they may make the turn back and follow our lead. Time will tell. Great video, thoughtful topic for sure! Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go work on our new greenhouse! 40 x 15 high tunnel doesn’t build itself ya know!❤❤😂 #farminglife

[@fireflydreams1791]

I have a small backyard garden for my family of four and know the work that requires so I can only imagine how much hard work goes into a farm as a business. With that said, I would love to find a farmers market or small farm grower that is close to me so I can shop weekly and practice eating in season more. Most are a good 20-40 minute drive away but I think it is better for our health and I want to support local small farms and see that as a win win situation.

[@cobococreek1224]

Fellow Kentuckian a bit north and east of you here 🖐 I'll say it right away - A person running an acre or two garden that grosses around 100k with CSA and market sales is an absolute beast physically and mentally. I know very few people capable of such a thing. I'm lucky enough to have employment and a sales outlet with such an enterprise and individual, which keeps me afloat as I flail about in a disorganized overgrown rut otherwise known as my personal attempt of gardening/farming/forestry at a property :) Ya'll are on a whole notha level!! Thx for it!

[@singncarpenter6270]

Very good video. Lots of good points to lower most people's unrealistic expectations. Reality is where we live. Thank you.

[@wildrangeringreen]

I tell people to basically expect to fail comedically (if it weren't for the real money and labor at stake) for the first 3-5 years, and then you'll start to gain some traction; as long as you don't burn out or become bitter about it. Ideally, you might want a part time/seasonal job as well, to help keep things afloat an pay things off faster. The best land you can start with is pasture or hayfield... any "conventionally" managed row crop acres is going to be horrid while it recuperates (we just ended season 5... and we can finally grow produce worth selling in any sort of quantity; and I had 10 prior years experience operating a small produce operation back home). If you have any aspirations to have fruit... get it in now (that's going to take years before you get anything useful off of it). Plant rootstock now, and learn to graft for later (you can buy 750 apple seeds, with 90% germ test, for $15, and buds are about $1 a tree). I planted 4 - 50 foot rows of blackberries 5 years ago; and I had enough new starts off them to plant 1/4 acre. Same for raspberries. Strawberries fill in fast (couple seasons), but you have to stay on the weeds. Asparagus takes 3 years +/- to get going enough to harvest off of.

[@williamhenpenn9583]

Love the video!! Yes new farmers develop land without the end goal on site: *grow too many varieties *truly don’t run it as a business. *spread themselves too thin- start a project and finish. *don’t think longer term- use perennial plants to help with shoulder seasons. *rely on “friends” to buy produce. *integrate animals into the farm way too fast. *use the first year as experimental? Why not grow what you know.. hit home runs not bunts.

[@djbigmessthewizard930]

Ah farmer Jesse! Bringing back the glory of being a farmer! Legend. I think being the best market gardening channel on KZbin might end up paying off in the long run. Thanks for all your efforts i literally can't Imagine spend all that time editing, filming and running that huge garden.

[@Tenslea]

Big mistake, especially in Texas- Thinking all summer crops are Texas summer crops. No no darling, tomatoes wont put on fruit in 95* temps with 85% humidity and that 50% shade cloth is wonderful but it doesn't mean your crops wont be stressed, just keeps them alive(ish) until the temp comes back down.

[@cliveburgess4128]

Future farmers are lucky to have you!!

[@draganarc0131]

I so appreciate your help. I’m slowly each year expanding. Only up to a 1/2 acre so far but managing it well as far as soil and plant health are concerned. Next year will be the biggest expansion, going up to an acre. Kids are getting older and taking interest and helping. On that note, they’re not reducing my work load but increasing it at this point. It takes time to teach but the reward is worth the effort.

[@lanon3277]

As of right now: $50 x (60k views/10k views) = $300. For 30-40 hours of work, that's between $7.50 and $10 an hour. On some of your videos, you probably made a few thousand off them from youtube (i.e the ones that have over 800k views). But you didn't start averaging higher than 100k views per video until less than a year ago, and you've been at this channel for 7 years. Building a substantial youtube audience is a real job in of itself. For anyone who thinks they'll easily supplement their farm income with a youtube channel, take a moment to anchor yourself to reality by looking through the channel list and realizing it's taken over half a decade to start averaging minimum-wage returns for time invested. The fact that you manage to do this *while* also running a farm is pretty dang impressive too.

[@RoosterHoller]

We found that the tilling process is greatly influenced by the media. We found that modern equipment is only needed when one is trying to grow more than that family needs for themselves. We do it all by hand.

[@donaldhambright969]

3 acre produce farm here...I'm in the beginning of year 3...thank you for all your priceless videos...you have helped me so very very much with all you share

[@NickyCosi]

Consumer here, every farm stand in my area sells the exact same thing. I've started growing my own just so I can get variety

[@wayneshingler9664]

"About 30-40 hours for one of these {13 minute) videos" and "about $50 for every 10,000 views" THANK YOU! It's so hard getting straight answers from people about this, especially from KZbin itself. I've been farming since 2008, but I'm looking to start a channel, and doing it with absolutely no clue as to what the return might be strikes me as being a lot like you said about planting three acres with no plan for how to sell the harvest. Looks like you've made a little over a grand on this one so far, and it's been up two months. I could be very happy with such results if I were doing about one video a month.

[@guyh.4553]

To add on to your comment about starting out. Unless someone is independently well off, a person will have to have a job for a while. Also if a person does have 20 acres & only use 1 acre, this can be a great way to have indirect income by renting out the land. There are "horsey people" that are constantly searching for pasture and will pay a good amount to rent it out. There's a couple of sayings in ag. 1st one is "If you want to have a way to lose all of your money, take up farming." The 2nd one is "If you think that professional gamblers are the riskiest income earners, they are not. Farmers and Ranchers take on the greatest risk because they are taking on a business that may or may not "make" at the end of the season due to all sorts of external influencing factors."

[@goatsofwar7181]

Thank you Jessie. Love your vids and love your soil. We are making the move to commercial farming this coming spring. Been doing it for subsistence for 10 years. We are primarily a dairy goat herd but we discovered that the goat herd and growing food go together really well. Thank you for the advice, both my wife and myself love all aspects of farming but we need to tune up our marketing. Thanks again!

[@WithJupiterInMind]

I was watching a video from a couple that LEASED land to make cheese and they started with only 3 cows and some chickens for eggs... Would you say only 3 cows can make a property viable? (I mean no net profits, just enough to float above zero, no losses I mean)

[@WithJupiterInMind]

it's also interesting that I scrolled down opening all comments, and then I searched for the words "dairy" and "cows"... there was only your comment talking about dairy

[@goatsofwar7181]

@@WithJupiterInMind I think it totally depends on management. HOw the cows are grazed, etc. We have around 20 goats and we bring in 1.5 tons of hay per month that they convert either to poop or waste hay. Then they rotational graze to manage the same cover crop that I run chicken tractors on. Joel Salatin videos or other homesteaders/farmers that work cows have those numbers for cows and acreage all worked out though.

[@marthas_garden_ecofarm]

It's like having you here with me. Like talking to me. I am really terrified after this year but not giving up. You really are my favourite farmer to watch on KZbin. Talking about everything Thanks One of your nerds

[@tomatoking8090]

Excellent explanation. Most well put truth about farming I have seen for those beginning to farm or hobby farms, homesteading, as some call it. Regardless of what you call it, it is going to be work, and you have to enjoy hard labor to farm. Your rewards are what you grow and looking back at what you have accomplished. It is mentally soothing, but you also have to know how to mentally handle the not so soothing parts as well.

[@nnie1]

I'm in the early stage of reviving a 25 acre farm to grow fruits and vegetables on, so this was very helpful for me. I tend to get ahead of myself and come up with a way bigger plan then I can handle, so this last year was a learning curve for sure, especially once I started digging into the buidiness side of farming.

[@drivenmad7676]

I'm with you.

[@brendabadih8855]

Starting small and focus on limited crops. Establishing preplanted buyers, selling forward. I grew way more of some crops than others in my 1/4 acre rural garden. It only takes a couple yrs to focus on the best crops and how to maximize production. Much labor. If you love gardens but don't garden you probably only imagine it's a job you will enjoy. It's got to be in your blood. I've been looking for serious gardeners for 10+ yrs. I only see them on internet, 25 acres sounds like the Augean stables. But I'm ready! Best successes this year-marshmallow, eggplant, Roselle, walking onions, spaghetti squash. This vid has valuable info. Alert-gardening, farming is labor and trial/error intensive. It's a beautiful life, good food, 1/2 your day, most days outside, except when snowing or raining. Important to have a good partner/s. Critical to progress, grow the business. Find a business partner who is a grower, loved soil. No wannabes unless of course there's $$$ to make it worth while. Get a solid contract. Keep daily records. Talk is cheap. Run your business like a business. And another thing, no weekends off. 🍆

[@BUTTEWORKS]

About to put my first row of potatos on the ground as a complete beginner. Thank you for the advice.

[@michellekerns1191]

Thx and God bless! So glad I'm in for the hobby, and God provides the abundance! Lil raised bed in my yard, feeds my seniors who have been homeless. Love your videos and prayers for your continued divine providence! 🙏

[@WalkingBackwardsIntoTheFuture]

Just got a second job to create my dream garden.. definitely my dream garden is a hobby more so than something I wanna create revenue with.. plan on giving a lot away to family and elders around the reservation and use it as a key when I plan on starting a rehab

[@SkeletonCrew1996]

I found this as one of the most valuable videos you have produced.

[@lisamcdonald1415]

Another beauty!!! I think we needed this video 5 years ago lol… gosh the things we would have done different knowing what we know now. Agri tourism has helped us big time but that is also another business essentially to manage. The amount everything now costs to get started would take 20 plus years to recover those costs of starting a farm. Don’t know if I honestly would have gone down this road now knowing what we have learned but love the struggle and the community. Thanks for everything you do

[@anniinglucksdorf960]

Hey... I want to start farming as well and combine it with agri tourism. May I ask: what form of tourism do you offer and does it work for you? I´m from Europe and in my area there are only few examples...

[@billastell3753]

The biggest challenge IMHO is marketing. If you can't sell it you're wasting your time over producing unless you like giving produce to friends and neighbours. When I was young, 65 years ago, my Mom would go down the street with me knocking on doors to sell direct. Soon she had regulars that always wanted our veggies. She began approaching stores and the demand grew. If you can't sell and take a 'no' personally you will have a problem. Develop a thick skin. That lesson applies in every business.

[@Thathumanoverthere1701]

Got this alert and sat down for a treat😮.

[@Jacked2theTs]

I was going to start a market garden, but I was so taken with the idea, I didn’t bother to checkout how flooded the “market” already was. I finally went to my local Saturday market and realized just how many other growers there were. And many of them are actually quite large and go to multiple markets. I then shifted towards just growing thornless blackberries for upick… Was also going to to blueberries but decided to not plant them and just sell them, while still in gallon pots. I sold them for wholesale and made good money…. That’s when I realized, that just like Levi’s realized during the gold rush. There was more money in selling the “picks and shovels”, than there was in gold mining. There is more money in selling the equipment, starter plants and dream, to would-be farmers, than actually trying to sell the end product to a customer. It fit my personality much better and a hell of a lot less work. But then I discovered day trading and not looking back… 😂

[@goatsofwar7181]

Thank you Jesse. We are one of those new market farmers. We actually have an established dairy goat herd and also do chickens and have done those things for a decade now. Growing vegetables is what we are new at and also what we intend to start to sell at farmers markets along with pasture raised chickens. Our end goal is a commercial kitchen with a food producers license (Washington state) where we can offer our dairy commercially and produce a variety of products with ingredients supplied from the permaculture type farm with rotating animals (goat, chicken, pigs sheep) and growing beds with agnostic no till methods. All of this on 7 acres. We have heard negative feedback from the USDA and others about what we see as diversity in products. But this to me is the one critical survival method that our business plan incorporates. Jesse- What is your opinion on diversity like I speak of in the market place? It only matters what the USDA thinks because we are trying for an FSA loan to acquire the land we have been leasing to run our operation and live on.

[@organicgardener1459]

This was the best new farming advice I've heard thus far. This video has made me press pause and organize my business better and scale back my farm dreams to a manageable space

[@alnashbcmd8029]

This is a solid video those of us ourside of industry thinking farming is an easy side gig. Ive been truely humbled

[@AdamAnthonyAdventures]

We make about 25 yards of compost a year with horses. Always have cold, warm, and burning hot piles going.

[@aileensmith3062]

We just have a small garden, around 5,000 square feet. So we do not consider it a farm per se. This year we have gone 100% drip irrigation. Which we should have done years ago. We are now trying to produce our own compost. Which has been VERY flustering in producing a hot compost pile. We are definite foodies and this past year we have been experimenting much more and growing a lot of new foods for our bellies. We are loving that! Early frost this Fall and wiped out a lot of our Fall crops. Definitely will be going to and learning about row covers and hoops and so forth. Our biggest culprit is weed pressure. Will it ever end? Years ago we wanted a lot of new appliances and such for the kitchen. So I began baking and selling my bread. Made some money and it went super good ................................... NOT! The fun of baking and creating went out the window and it became my second job. Just like right now and I am in the process of writing another book. Never going to be a best seller but I love writing! As always Thank You for another fun and informative video!

[@joeeagles7528]

Real down to earth, or rather down to soil, advice. With a lot of humour and self-humour. Much appreciated.

[@Biophile23]

Yes we started tiny, just testing the waters, not quitting my day job. :) We are still trying to answer important questions. What will sell? What parts of the market are already saturated? What is the best niche for us in our area? Just starting to expand a bit now, but still very much experimenting. Currently we are mostly just trying to pay for our chicken and goat habit. :D Hopefully by the time I don't want to/can't do my other job anymore we'll be able to turn a decent profit.

[@mamarrachopunpun]

Great video. Next year we're going to focus our plot on growing luffa, sunflowers and ornamental squash, all to sell locally. This year we planted almost everything, to see what goes and doesn't go in our area and our climate.

[@joefization]

It's all about finding a high value crop there's a great market for which you can grow at a competitive price. Just growing what you like or what you're good at isn't good enough if you cannot make a good profit. That being said, offering many colorful and novelty crops in addition to your cash crop can attract a crowd in the farmer's markets. Happy growing and good luck!

[@xVEEDSx]

I love these videos man, they are hilarious, educational, and they just provide the logic most people don't associate with this. So thank you!

[@christopherburman3340]

I made a lot of those mistakes. Hindsight is wisdom. Thank u for sharing

[@ConsiderationFarm]

Great message. Communication in the age of mobile phones and continuous work outside the farm - not enough cash...doing too many things on too much land...feeling isolated. This video really hit home. Many thanks.

[@SilverSaabArc]

I watched a composting video from No Till during a serious 3 week battle of Covid. It gave me much needed escape, and I promised myself that when I regained some strength, I wanted to finally start a small market garden. Since then I have moved twice, and finally bought a cute distressed house in the city that has a ton of water saving potential and a small hill that is begging to be terraced and farmed! I will not have the room or available sunlight hours to do a dense garden, but I do have a lot of friends who love to garden, and many vacant lots to choose from to buy and expand in the future. I'm thinking of doing a market garden co-op and starting an Urban Gardn Market in the middle of the food desert we have on the south side of town, as well as a compost station (in the vacant but heavily shaded lot behind me) for all of the uncontaminated yard waste of the gardeners! I have this channel to thank for the awesome inspiration and technical advice you give! ❤

[@brianwinslow9967]

I think I read it in the new organic grower and definitely heard it from others, that you need both capital and experience when starting, and a lot of people end up spending their capital to get experience and then when they are ready to run a farm efficiently they’ve lost their capital. Good luck everyone!

[@louiselevesque1074]

this video is a pure gem, a must watch for all type of entrepreneur and start up. Your insight about growing a business is spot on. This one is a must seen for getting info about decision making/expectations in life in general!

[@FallofftheMap]

Oh man, that communication point hits home.

[@jennablorezone8Band9A]

Great video, this is helping us to narrow down and isolate what to start first and yes, ‘compost’ is my challenge. Thankfully, I’m learning by trial and error on our home garden first. ‘Fails’ (although frustrating) have been such a great lesson.

[@barrybr1]

Clearly you spend a $#@%load of time producing these videos but I reckon it's worth it for you to express your humour and creativity. Thank you for all the laughs, education and wisdom. Grow well.

[@randyketcham3840]

Thanks Farmer Jessie. You provided a great deal of information from a "been there, done that" perspective and also pointed out a number of things to help people either think about before and as they start or as a good reminder to those already farming.

[@scottbaruth9041]

My 2 cents are, I wouldn't even consider market gardening without a well and a shed with power. You have to have storage room, some form of refrigerator/cooler, and a wash area. 6th year of selling and only one year i could have almost gotten by with rain and heavy mulching. My sales got better as the year progressedthis year, because my garden survived the heat and drought where most people lost theirs. Also, there is a physical factor mentioned, but I'm under 1/2 acre gardening ground. That for me is maxed out. If I opened more ground, i would need to hire help. Great video! Love your work!

[@ElderandOakFarm]

I agree. This was my first year doing a large farmers market and I tried to just do ALL the harvesting on Thursday afternoons and then process it and package it on Fridays, since I didnt have a cooler and it was extremely hard!

[@scottbaruth9041]

@ElderandOakFarm I get by with multiple refrigerators set at different temperatures, coolers, and ice packs. A walk-in cooler confuses me as an optimal vegetable storage temperature is so different for many vegetables, I can't wrap my head around one temperature fits all. But like you, I harvest and move vegetables very quickly if at all possible. In fact, I sell to the market on Thursday and Saturday with what I harvested the day prior. All other days go at half value to the grocery stores. I'm a gardener, not a vegetable storage warehouse, lol.

[@LMC444111]

Okay, we've bought 160 acres with, roughly, 40 acres that are broken up by swales and terraced in lots of about 3 to 10 acres each. We still live in town and go out and pull weeds and just enjoy the beauty of the place but... OMG, it's so much land. We are focussing on one of the plots that is about 3.5 acres. It's where the water and views are and, most likely, a future home. WTH do we do with the rest? 😆

[@QuiteQuietASMR]

I really appreciate your honesty and straightforward advice in this video. I don’t think I’ve seen any of your content before, but I will certainly be tuning in now

[@ziggyustar3137]

Bought .9 of acre 29 years ago. I picked it because it had a back exit(easement) the gate opens to face the park that in the summer is a farmers market. Now I'm retired, I bought a fancy sandwich board... I put it out, play loud music mostly Johnny Cash and I sell to those folks who came to the park but crossed the street for some fresh carrot juice w/a drop of vanilla ice cream/ most sales are different kinds of potatoes & some micro greens /spices... next I'm working on a walapini because I have time w/out expectations not having to rely on $$$ just using recycled materials I was hoping to find tons of plexiglass from former covid counter tops

[@superfly1111]

I adore the sarcasm. And the self-effacing humor. lol. And some solid info.

[@GreenPoker-q2d]

Great video. I’m not starting my own farm (any time soon) but I have gardening clients that are starting too much and taking on extra costs which is noticeably hurting their relationship with their partner (who isn’t enthusiastic about farming). I’m glad you’re saving people stress.

[@erincarr9411]

I tried to do it all. This is our second year, this year we're keeping it simple

[@barbarabrooks4747]

It's good for people to garden as a hobby first so that they know soil and weather conditions for a few years. During that time, they can work to save up capital. Setting aside an area where people can rent RV space can provide revenue for a moderate investment. Raising rabbits for your own meat before starting your farm can help you make quality compost. If you have meat goats on your land before starting your market garden, they can provide extra income and soil improvements for a moderate investment of time and money. Spanish-Boer crosses are the most healthy and require the least effort. The important thing is to build up capital while you learn about your soil and weather and make mountains of compost from manure, straw and leaves. Don't start until you have enough capital, dependable partners or employees and enough time to do the farm full time. You want to experiment while you still have a paycheck and keep meticulous records of when seeds planted, how much compost used and yields before you try to grow commercially. You need written records of which seeds did the best. Unfortunately, my health failed before I could farm full time so I raise meat goats and have rentals on my land. If I had just started saving earlier, I could have pulled off market gardening.

[@sophrapsune]

Excellent advice, hard won. Thank you.

[@peterv3216]

no no no, YOU'RE awesome Jesse!

[@mariondunn6580]

I can identify with all the issues raised, thankfully not all from personal experience. The main one that has impacted productivity on our small holding is less than optimal compost leading to pathetic veg growth. Easy to resolve but a season lost. Thanks for the videos.

[@anniebancroft1175]

I had the experience of residual herbicide in compost. I lost a season, also. Found out that spraying worm tea on plants and soil did wonders for bringing everything back to life.

[@mariondunn6580]

@@anniebancroft1175 I’ve had contaminated horse manure which I composted. Thankfully only used on one bed before I realised. Now I make all my own compost from what comes off our land and don’t bring anything in from outside. Just too risky.

[@slipperyorca8092]

That pvc pipe used to do the florida weave was brilliant! i'm going to do that next year

[@spiderqueen4663]

I appreciate all the educational content you guys do,even if it doesn't recoup its labour value for you. Thank you!

[@timyates807]

I started watching your videos about a year ago and i have to say your wit and your character make it a blast every video. Your good at it my friend ! the infos great too yeah lol.... so keep up the hard work and thanks for all you share . Take care

[@WanieB]

I absolutely love your videos ❤ thank you for taking the time to share the knowledge.

[@TW-in3gg]

Great video! The need for passion cannot be overstated... Most of small growers I know who have managed to survive 20+ years are also dedicated "foodies" who also love eating what they grow. I've worked farmer's markets off on for decades now and there's just 2 things you need to be a successful salesperson. One, have really great looking produce and two, be ready to tell your customers how to cook it. Otherwise you'll be composting a lot of Kohlrabi

[@TheUndergroundRave]

I think the thing about farming that is attractive to me is that I know I won’t be rich, but I’ll probably make more money than I do now, and I’ll be happier. From observing the new small scale farmers in my area, they can make $2-$5k a month in the first two years. That’s more than double what I make now. I’d be happy with just $3k 😩 I’m already poor so it seems like a good sacrifice if I get to grow food which I love

[@MrGYPSYSPADE]

you are right. This is a life style decision more than a business decision. I have roighly 10 acres in india in the west coast. I tried goat farming and mangoe orchard for one and half yrs. It was profitable. But not very lucrative. I understand there is generally a 50% of MRP is recieved by a farmer in the western world. Out here you get 0-10% of MRP. This can be changed here IF i am able to sell directly to the end consumer. The costs for that are a bit risky but that is what i might do in this year. Great work. Thanks for sharing so much.

[@NKpinya5570]

Have been watching Jessy for awhile and very much like the way he's practic. One of the mistakes I've made is my other half did not agree with what I trying to do and he rather has a land to mow the lawn rather than me to take over the land and growing edible. One day I said I will feed him with grass instade of the veggies 😂😂 that's why my market garden dream has stopped for a while but hopefully not for long I will start again atleast to feed the family with out chemical use. I am ppreciated your knowledge Jessy

[@joesellers2492]

This is great information. Whether you own a farm or any business.

[@Cha0sHof]

As someone just in the second year of farming I can take alot of things from this thanks!

[@FarmToMarketRoad]

I started growing vegetables this year. Figured selling seedlings would be fastest way to generate income. I have watched over a thousand KZbin videos over past year. Neversink Farms was really the first that got me interested. Your videos are great. Really enjoy and learn a lot! Learned what sells by selling at farmers market. Jalapeños are the best selling pepper plants here in Texas. Sold Lemon Spice, Pumpkin Spice, Orange Spice, Nadapeno, & Jalafuego. Red bell pepper plants,as well as yellow, orange & purple. 5 different basil plants. Banana peppers sold well. Moringa and lemongrass were popular. Duds were Anaheim, Serano, Nadapeno, Habanada. Next Sping, going to try out Goliath Jalapeño, Dwarf Tomato Project cultivars. Last year's tomato seedling grew to big to transport. Dwarfs grow half as fast and tall. I started Micro Dwarfs December 1st. Three cultivars came up today. Last Frost is March 15th and start of my selling season. Hope to have Micro Dwarfs covered in ripe tomatoes. So much to do!

[@JamesLTyreeII]

Thank you for the dose of reality. I think I’ll grow my pumpkins and skip the farming business and just keep helping my friend farm as long as he does.

[@lisadouglass1229]

Well, you nailed the first two.

[@pamelamercado6902]

Well said I totally agree with everything you said when it comes to those on U Tube I find it hard to agree with most things they say. I recently heard Wednesday that you could have a full market garden for under $500 and only work 21 to 25 hours a week doing so I lol

[@jamesdagmond]

That's only possible if you already own the land, have experience with growing at that scale, and already know who your customers will be. Creators like that don't mention those things.

[@Tofyta990]

I love your channel! Thank you gor the effort you put into these videos, anf for keeping it real by not just showing the glamorous side of farming.

[@WhiteWolfeHU]

Before I knew much I had a 3 acre area that was fallow, about 5-6 feet tall of native plants, that I plowed in to start my garden… well I didn’t know how nature would win lol. That seed bank was insane and I ended up spreading the Johnson grass….. it was very interesting to see how many different native plants grew back, it was hundreds of species, and they didn’t all stick around or come back. Some came up a year, spread the seeds, then haven’t been back… I farm a lot LOT better now 😊

[@TAMS-td9pp]

Thank you for keeping it real!!!

[@rickthelian2215]

What I see is that people starting market gardening thinking they can do it alone, I think it’s wise in the business plan to account your own labor cost as a salary in the numbers of starting the business, in the event you got sick or the wife/partner got pregnant that there’s money to pay a wage for a staff member to replace that person. If not required a bonus.😊

[@DhinCardoso]

From *Brazil* - ty ♥ ~ I wish you the best.

[@manolopapas]

Great video. The first time I hear someone talk about all that in a way that makes sense. The money aspect is crucial and being so precise with numbers is very helpful. Thank you very much, Jesse, you are awesome.

[@dart336]

It's my goal to get 10+ acres with the option to expand as I spent time visiting a csa that size on prime real estate. They are stressed out with limitations and alot of money has been invested on infrastructure. People often forget about the costs of living on your farm and that you need more space than you think. at the beginning it started as a double lot with 2 full houses on both ends, easy split between two brothers and their families. Now it's the one brother, some of his family, another family, staff members and students. Once a year for a week they host anywhere from 200-500 guests in tents/RVs, plus a couple of weekends though out the year. land is so expensive (man made drought) that they haven't been able to expand. They have been trying to buy neighbor's field for almost a decade now, property line issues suspended the sale, not sure if it's done. Last I checked they rented it out from the owner so they grow some drought resistant heirloom wheat, got a couple of buckets of those wheat berries. Every time you put up a new building, you lose farm land. Trying to learn the lessons now as a single with no kids.

[@ronfontenot4534]

Another great video. Thank you.