# Toying with the idea.....



## SteffenNate (Feb 2, 2015)

Does anyone have experience running a "you pick" _____insert fruit/ veggie name here business?

A little background: I recently cleared some old horse/ cow pasture. Something will end up getting planted there. At the same time, a family from our church group has thousands of strawberry starts they want to get rid of.

Put two and two and two together and it seems like an easy way to get into a small business with little cost input. I'm not going to count labor to plant or weeding because like I said, something will get planted there either way. Cost of quart/ flat containers? I also thought green beans would do well as a "you pick" crop.

The one down side I can find is Wifey and the kiddos are home alone all day while I'm working. I'm not real keen on having random people in and out of the property while I'm not around. Wifey could just carry her sidearm at home too instead of just while she is away from home.

Anyway: tips?, thoughts?, advice?


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## moonrabbit (Apr 1, 2016)

You could set the hours of operation around your work schedule for example set it up so where it's open only on weekends.

Some things to consider:

-liability insurance
-people are going to be asking to use your restroom
-strawberries have a pretty short season
-you can tell people to bring their own containers but you still need some for the ill prepared 
-where are they going to park?
-you can sell refreshments and other upsells like maybe your wife's baked goods or strawberry preserves
-how are you going to get the word out?

So lots of questions and I don't have the answers but perhaps someone else will come along with more insight  It sure does sound like fun!


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

Strawberries are big here! The locals have strawberry stands all over the place. Those square green plastic mesh baskets full sell for $3 each! Not on a u-pick basis though. The fruit stand thing keeps customers away from your house, a wise idea there.


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## nyhunter (Nov 14, 2014)

Ive thought about doing the same with blueberries and rassberries.


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## SteffenNate (Feb 2, 2015)

moonrabbit said:


> You could set the hours of operation around your work schedule for example set it up so where it's open only on weekends.
> 
> Some things to consider:
> 
> ...


 The weekend hours sound like a good idea to start out. I just don't want to end up with 500 lbs of extra strawberries and having to load them up and try to sell them in the Wal-Mart parking lot out of my truck or something. I guess we could just feed the excess to the pigs.



I never thought about liability insurance, thinking my homeowners insurance would cover possibly?
They can hold it. I actually am friends with a guy who owns a port-a-potty business. I would bet I could have one put out behind the shop for a few months.
The short season is kind of what makes them ideal in my eyes. Make a little money while we can and close down shop to focus on our own personal garden. But if we would want to go longer, that's where I thought maybe green beans could come in.
Containers, we could just buy paper bags for people to use. A couple blueberry places I have been to use them. Why not us too?
Parking is not an issue. We have a pretty nice set up that allows for 10 cars to park close to this where these would grow, and maybe 20 more along the drive on the way back if it were to be that busy.
Upsells would definitely be on the agenda. We already have a fridge out in the shop. Right beside the pasture. So we could just use that for pop, water etc. 
Getting the word out would just be word of mouth, my wife's facebook, both of our instagram accounts. I would also make some signs to put at the end of the driveway and up by the highway.


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## moonrabbit (Apr 1, 2016)

SteffenNate said:


> They can hold it.


You got me over here giggling! My first thought was : "Yes until they start sneaking off to pee in your other fields" ha! Portapotty sounds good though! The whole thing sounds really good and like a lot of fun. I found an article you might like : http://www.pickyourown.org/howtostartapyo.htm Seems like a bunch of good info there. You have to let us know how it goes!!


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

The strawberry stands here differ in design. Some stands on the fields are permanent and stationary, but more often I see these cute little boxes built onto small trailers as the stand. You can keep a refrig or whatever in it, I suppose, not sure how much they store on hand or if they use cooling. Alot of these local Asian strawberry farmers are really creative! Instead of loading the truck and selling out of that, they toss it in their strawberry trailer, hitch it up and then drive off. Our town store owners will let you sit out in their parking lot and sell things for a daily $10 flat fee. The trailer itself is advertisement.. Seating and shade within these trailers so customers can walk up to your counter and buy, sort of like a taco truck.
Also they love to barter, I like to trade eggs or chickens or meat to them for their produce sometimes. I really like that.

I do think a similar setup would help with your business, a place to weigh and pay at the very least, with some shade for whoever is taking money and weighing.


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

Strawberries are big time here to, but if you do not get set-up to plant on plastic---water underneath you will work yourself to death. The strawberries start getting big and the weeds too----people will not want to deal with your weeds when they can pick down the road on clean beds. I got 4 different friends in 4 different sections of the County that plant acres of them and sell out. I think its a good thing to contact/presell commitments to start with so you can get a Idea how much to plant.


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

The fields I see here are in black plastic. My old neighbor did something similar with his strawberries, wishing I had done the same now. Started out a couple years ago with just 3 plants and they have taken over a goodly section of garden so far.


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## SteffenNate (Feb 2, 2015)

Pfffft! The fields around me aren't mine. Pee away as far as I am concerned. Everything of mine is fenced off to keep the goats out and the pigs in. The farmer has around 1000 acres, which is pretty big for this area. Pee from a couple three year olds isn't gonna hurt his yields any.

We have a building right beside where people would park and the pasture that we could set up to weigh produce, and pay. So that is taken care of. Wifey won't be on board if we have to transport produce anywhere and sell it there.

The black plastic. What purpose does that serve? Wifey has the green thumbs around here, I'm sure she knows. I'm just the "brains" of the operation. Kept around to pick up anything heavy and retrieve items off of the top shelves. Is it to keep weeds down? And you run water underneath? Like a drip hose?


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

The back plastic does a couple of things. First, it keeps weeds out, and helps control
Strawberry sprawl. It also keeps moisture from evaporating out of the soil. I do believe it also raises the soil temps to make for a longer growing season.


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## fransean (Dec 21, 2002)

We had been kicking around the idea of pick your own strawberries as our land used to be part of a strawberry farm. I approached a grocery store in town that is part of a regional chain and they expressed interest in buying strawberries from us. The same for the local health food store (as long as they were organic). 
Another option.


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## 1948CaseVAI (May 12, 2014)

SteffenNate said:


> Pfffft! The fields around me aren't mine. Pee away as far as I am concerned. Everything of mine is fenced off to keep the goats out and the pigs in. The farmer has around 1000 acres, which is pretty big for this area. Pee from a couple three year olds isn't gonna hurt his yields any.
> 
> We have a building right beside where people would park and the pasture that we could set up to weigh produce, and pay. So that is taken care of. Wifey won't be on board if we have to transport produce anywhere and sell it there.
> 
> The black plastic. What purpose does that serve? Wifey has the green thumbs around here, I'm sure she knows. I'm just the "brains" of the operation. Kept around to pick up anything heavy and retrieve items off of the top shelves. Is it to keep weeds down? And you run water underneath? Like a drip hose?



Insurance may be a killer - you need to check about the liability plus insurance for your own crop in case someone does something really stupid (like drive through your crop) and destroy things. 

If you have trees someone will fall and sue you for medical. If your customers trespass onto the neighboring field you may have problems with the owner or worse, the law. You need to be insured in case someone claims they got sick from your fruit and claims you sprayed something and didn't disclose it (your innocence isn't the issue - the legal cost is the issue). Prepare for for inspections from the local health agency.

Check the bathroom legal requirements. Seriously, there may be something in your area and you do not want to be surprised.

Your danger, and your protection, is all about the details and you have to cover them all.

You have done the right thing by seeking advice!


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## joebill (Mar 2, 2013)

Like most other things, the majority of problems come from people, and if I had to welcome people I did not know and could not control onto my place, it would give me an ulcer. One needs to examine his own temperment before engaging in such a plan.

I could see a family of 6 aproaching the beds and;

1. Mom tells kids "only pick the GREAT BIG ONES.
2. Two year old thinks it's real funny to squash them under his bare feet, steps on a bee.
3. Parents blame each other, shouting match ensues
4. 10 and 12 year olds......food (strawberry) fight. one brought slingshot.
5. Dad brought a flask, keeps knocking them back, bickering with Mom.
6. they are ALL eating far more than goes in the sacks.
7. New arrivals crowding territory of family of six, fight ensues.
8. cops come
9. Now, YOU need a drink, but it's business hours.
10. your published business hours co-incide with the time your whole family comes down with the flu, and you either have to go ahead and take care of business while periodically running for the john or close the place down and make everybody who drove there to pick angry as heck.

If you can laugh all of the above off and not let it bother you or reduce your profits, more power to you, but if it were me, I'd be far more inclined to hire HS kids to do the picking and wholesale the product to stores or other retailers. At least you can fire the HS kids who get on your nerves.....Joe


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