Whitsend Market Garden

I would like to point out that i have only contacted a sample of customers.  I am hoping you will provide some feedback so that I can further tweak this plan to best meet everyone's needs.  Thank-you.


Update as of January 21st:  I have added a page that describes a sample questionnaire (See page tabs, above).  This might be a better way t show what your options are.  

I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how best to best provide customers with a fair range of options while adhering to the limitations of my field, the crops, and my budget.

I hope this helps you decide which basket is best for you, but if you have any questions or suggestions, by all means email me - I need to hear from a few of you before I finally settle on a price and production plan soon, as our first seed date is approaching for onions and leeks.

Bob


Update as of January 20 - thinking out loud about this seasons production schedule:

My running coach used to say "life is all about options".

Since releasing the first few season proposals for comment, I have been wondering if there are any other options for meeting the needs of the farm.  Wondering is probably an understatement.

-Reduced workload this season to cover farm finding and professional development.
-Cover fixed costs


One option:  I can reduce my overhead by about half if I forgo hiring an employee, defer the hoop house project, and defer some supply purchase to next year.

I could reduce the amount of produce delivered (and the basket cost).  I've looked over the production plan to see which crops I could drop. Squash, Garlic, potatoes, kidney beans and tomatoes are easy ones to keep; all are either high value or low maintenance.  But there is still a need for more crops to make a decent basket that has a fairly good value.

Then I run into problems...

Some customers will want mustard greens; others will want specialty crops, still others will want cucumber or zucchini...reducing all of these crops proportionally doesn't work for numerous reasons.  There is a rotation plan that must be adhered to, seed packets cannot be purchased in halves, etc...

There will still be many times when I need to be in two places at once (hence the need for an employee).  Dictating what customers receive doesn't make sense , but unfortunately, crops grow a certain way and there are limitations what can be done with a field - they dictate to all of us.


Thinking out loud when I should be asleep...TBC





A few notes about the 2018 season:

Those of you who are returning from previous seasons will notice some changes in how the shares are delivered this season.

Instead of weekly or bi-weekly deliveries, I have opted to make twelve deliveries throughout the season, with different quantities and options differentiating the snack, picnic and feast baskets.

I have done this for the following reasons:

-I need to dedicate ‘office time’ every week, to ensure that individual communications and customer basket tracking remain up to date

-I need to spend some time developing my farm skills this season

-There are two significant projects I want to accomplish – building a hoop house and a curing shed

-We need to find and purchase land soon to ensure our farm’s future

All of these projects take time and incur costs.

The biggest challenge was working out how to accommodate missed deliveries.  I have set up a planting schedule that takes this into account, so that there are extra crops to make up a customer‘s shortfall in subsequent weeks.

Other changes for 2018:

Prices have changed slightly to reflect the altered schedule and the rising cost of seed, supplies and services.  Updated prices are located on the "How to Buy a Share" page.

The most noticeable changes are for feast and snack baskets.  These changes reflect the fact that some crops are not practical for either halving (for snack baskets) or doubling (for Feast baskets).

The “Next Week’s Harvest” Page will be updated by Thursday evening prior to the next delivery.  This will allow customers to see the next anticipated delivery contents well in advance. 

I am going back to my original method of taking requests.  At the close of a basket sale, I will email a questionnaire listing your preferences, and use this as a guide during the season.  There will be some room for making weekly requests, but I would prefer to keep this to a minimum.

Eventually, I intend to have a real website that customers can log onto to make weekly requests, but at this time, the costs and amount of time required to do it right (and test thoroughly) are probably too much.  This is what our farm is working towards.

Changes to the produce:

There are a couple of new crops and varieties for the season; these may be found on the “Introducing Our 2018 Crops” page.

I have increased the basket amount of some crops, particularly tomatoes and garlic.  I have reserved space for planting more beans per week to ensure that each delivery contains 450 grams instead of 400 grams.  

I have removed a couple of crops for at least one year, due to limitations in our current field. These include yellow cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and Brussels sprouts.

I am going to experiment with packing the leaf greens such as arugula and amaranth differently - tying the bags shut with plenty of air so that the leaves do not stick together so readily.  I'll be asking if anyone finds a difference in the shelf life.  

There are a couple of techniques that i have learned over the past few months about improving the size and quality of a few crops, including celeriac and cabbage, so I expect improvements with these.  As per a previous post, I think I can eliminate the bitter taste that some of our peppers had last year as well.

I will continue to keep everyone updated over the next few weeks as the season progresses.   

I look forward to hearing from you.

All the best, 

Bob