Midseason SPIN Farm Report For 2018

The summer is flying by at a ridiculous rate of speed! This morning I am thrilled announce the coming of a much needed rain. The rain is what has allowed me to take time to put out a midseason SPIN Farm Report for 2018.

As some of you know, I am a full time nurse, and now, full time SPIN farm grower. This leaves very little time for anything else right now. And as a business owner, my brain is always in strategy mode. I’m always trying to think of the next best marketing move. The next idea that will eventually help me reach my business goals. My goal to be able to move away from the hospital setting, yet still use what I’ve learned in 32 years of healthcare to enrich the health of others through healthy habits.

Ahhhh . . . the sound of the rain is like music to the ears . . .

Midseason SPIN Farm Report for 2018:

I have a small SPIN Farm growing on only 6000sq feet of my property . My property is just under an acre. But already, in the first year, I have a following of people who love what is produced here and keep coming back to see me every week at the Farmers Market.

It’s been a dry, hot season in the Quad City area and a lot of us have been hit hard in our growing efforts by the lack of rain. I feel fortunate to have been able to keep things going in these drought like conditions. It’s been like a dust bowl here. Unable to get seeds to germinate in the excessive heat.

I grow a great lettuce mix and customers keep asking when it will be back. I was able to, accidentally, get a little patch to germinate in June. Just enough for a tease at the market 2 weeks ago. It was all gone in the first 5 minutes.

The little bit that returned for last Saturday, was not enough to take for selling. So My Tom and I got ourselves a midsummer treat. Usually, we eat what isn’t pretty enough to take to market or what hasn’t sold at the end of the day.

After several failed attempts to get lettuce to germinate in the extreme heat, I finally caved in and bought some 40% shade cloth to improve the odds. It worked! I have baby seedlings coming through the earth.

Produce Buy the Bag Program

There are a couple of people I know who can’t make it to the farmers market on Saturdays. These people have requested to buy a bag of produce each week. This has worked out great. I only do one market a week, so this allows me to have a way to use what is harvested early in the week for these people. We then deliver to them on Monday or Tuesday, and what I harvest later in the week, is taken to Saturday market. This means less waste.

Next year, I will be incorporating this idea into the business plan. That means that when I’m planning what I will grow next year, I will factor in the idea of offering memberships for a “Produce Buy the Bag” program. I’m planning to offer this for Tuesday pickup.

This is a photo of what is in this week’s bag:

This is not a new concept. CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) has been around for a while. But this will be the first time I will be offering such a membership. There are lots of ideas rolling around in my head and am anxious to get the details rolled out!

This will be more than just buying a bag of vegetables. I believe it’s important for people to understand where their food comes from, and how it is grown. So for those people who want to participate in this, I will be working hard to make it worth your while.

Stay tuned for more information as the details are finalized and laid out after the first of the year.

Today I wanted to share some of the photo’s I have taken this season. If you haven’t been to the Freight House Farmers Market, here’s what you’re missing!