How to sell your organic vegetables and herbs
Growing and selling organically can be easy!
Growing and selling organically isn't as complicated as you think. I buy organic seeds. I reuse my seeds every year I save some seeds from the best plants I grew that year for next year. That way I am raising the best quality plants. I also save seeds from plants that produced the best too. I have put some great tips on organic growing and links to how to get started selling your stuff!
What is organic gardening?
The ofpa, Organic Foods Production Act has loads of information about going organic. Essentially gardening without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and only organic fertilizer from organic animals or organic compost. Raising animals without drugs or chemicals, growth hormones or antibiotics. There is a USDA National Organic program too.
1. You cannot use pesticides in your garden. The alternative is to have chickens around to eat the bugs, spray your plants with water in the morning and wash off any would be bugs. spiders and frogs are you friends in a garden, they eat bugs too. Usually while I am watering, I let a couple chickens in the garden to eat the bugs while I am there, so I can make sure they don't eat the garden stuff and then let them out. Works like a charm.
2. Cover crops and green manures and composting, like hamster and rabbit you can use immediately, use leftover veggie scraps and foods (no meats or fats)
3. Renewable resources, water conservation and composting.
The Next step is to....start selling at the Saturday market!!
You can also sell plants on Craigslist to people in your City.
But you can get certified wit the NOP National Orgainc program. Once you are certified you can sell to restaurants and other places like nursing homes and assisted living facilities, country fairs and Saturday markets to the public, you can even produce products for the stores.
In Oregon if you arent selling more than five thousand dollars a year you don't have to be certified. It cost 250.00 for the original certification. Plus an annual renewal fee of 100.00 once a year they come out during growing season and inspect the place. The laws are changing all the time so be sure to check out what it is for your state and local governments.
Getting Started, Organic Growing Info
- National Organic Program
- Organic Certification | USDA
USDA's National Organic Program regulates the standards for any farm, wild crop harvesting, or handling operation that wants to sell an agricultural product as organically produced. - Organic Production and Organic Food: Information Access Tools
Organic Production and Organic Food: Information Access Tools