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manic

Ideas for my farm

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Hey yo,

So I live in them Hills and I am planning on growing quite a lot of produce this year. I will certainly be as organic as possible as I have too much knowledge about land management and quality not to be but essentially in terms of being 100% organic I couldn't care less. I have just about the best soil you could ask for with unlimited spring water to irrigate with. In previous years I have done a lot of giant sun flowers that I can sell easily and a few other bits and pieces.

 

Anyway anyone got any ideas on good commercial sized crops I could grow, I am going to do about 1,000 roma tomatoes (determinate, less work) to sell as sauce tomatoes; should be enough to keep me busy and again ill do my sunflowers, there awesome (ill try find pics when I can) but the other options I was considering was bush beans and maybe sweetcorn, only thing with sweetcorn is when its in season its so cheap I am just not sure I could justify my time for 3/4 months on it. Just comes down to what I can handle as I will largely be a one man team with hopefully the odd bit of help from my wife..

 

Any ideas would be great, I have quite a lot of land to play with and while I do not have a tractor I have someone that will slash/rip/hoe for me to at least get the ground prepared.

 

Peace.

Edited by manic
why
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- I'd devote 20% of your most ideal and pristine landmass to Trichocereus straight up, the finest and most sought after clones that will grow and earn well for you.
- Then I'd try, through your commercial flower growing operation to somehow legitimize the grow of a huge area of maybe Indian and Turkish Pappaver Somniferum, with the most ideal open flower pods sold for flower arrangements, then the seed harvested, quickly washed and prepped/packaged for gourmet bakers and baking purposes. Collecting any dried pod or seed wash juice for proper disposal as may be harmful to livestock etc.
- Apply to become a government grower for the new medical marijuana laws being implemented in Australia. I've heard some things, I think its underway or not far off at all. Get in early, from the ground up.
- Then of course your sunflowers and some other kind of good selling flowers to go with the sunnys n' poppies.
- Do the tomatos, look for like Sicilian wog import hectic delicious ones - none of that GMO red water rubbish.

> I reckon fuck the corn off entirely man purple or sweet, it all tastes like shit and sweet is cheap as hell like you've mentioned.
I've heard things like corn isn't even a real thing anymore, that fkn altered, nearly zero nutritional value just fiber, we're not eating "corn" bro, it doesn't exist, we're eating "Yellow" by Monsanto aka "McDonalds on cob".

You are a professional man, you can help legitimize and open up the commercial growing of these kinds of lesser farmed but highly valued plants.
But in saying this I know NOTHING about your industry though mate, so with my rough business model above, you may go bankrupt very quickly...  Tis a nice dream though.

Good luck in love, life & business. Live long and prosperous. Surround yourself with all that brings you joy.

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Thanks for the reply Skellum,

- So first point, Trichocereus, maybe not 20% but a fuck load of space is already dedicated to them :) got that one sorted.

- The tomatoes, your right about getting proper wog seeds, already have.

- Yeah corn, I say fuck it too

 

I have 15 years of background behind me in every aspect of the produce industry from growing to wholesale to retail I have recently left it all behind as it truly is an industry that uses and abuses. And from that point my farming venture is only out of being a hobby of mine, I will not be investing huge amounts of money just huge amounts of hard work, I don't call a hobby work though. In that sense going bankrupt isn't really an issue; or even a possibility, I dont think I have enough money to go bankrupt lol. Come next year I have one semester left on my enviro science degree so this is literally only a hobby, but I mean if I did well who knows where it could lead right?

 

Thanks again.

Edited by manic
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Niceee, what kinda land size you working with? Sounds like the dream...

I'd defs consider growing chili. Tonnes of varieties to experiment with as well as the possibility of self converting to a higher value product like your own line of hot sauce...Or just selling it direct for people and restaurant & business to do that themselves. The other plus is you don't need to have a perfect turn over of crops-> sales if you just dehydrate what you cant sell immediately. Plus a good price per kg most places..so pretty small vehicle required to move say $2k worth of product..which can't be said for beans, corn,potato etc. :D ...and another plus is you won't need to re plant for the most part...but you can propagate with cuttings too which would be a muchhhh faster way to expand.. Just try have some reallly healthy and nurtured parent plants... And for the already planted stuff... Just prune and you're ready for next season :) or use that saved time for putting on some poly tunnels to keep production up during the slower months.

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Work out who wants fresh garnish stuff... Parsley, chives, coriander

and all that.... There is potentially good coin in supplying quality product if local markets are generating masses of poor quality material.... Emphasis on quality and those who want it:wink:

 

Why is it chefs know where the best drugs are..?....  *Thoughts out aloud*

 

Sounds like that corn is only fit for grinding into flour.

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I was you, I would source garlic cloves for next season they take about 5-6 months to grow, low maintenance and around $25kg plus once you get started you can keep half of your cloves to use for the next season. Look into bro they are easy, also grow some chilli and you could make your own garlic and chilli bug spray.

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I forgot blue berry's too they are easy and a good earner as well, but the picking side of things could be time consuming might need a backpacker or two for that lol. HERBS to mate think it has already been mentioned but they are $$$ in the shops and what ever you do not sell you can dry and make your own herb/spice mixes.

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I'd be setting up a patch for some shiitake logs. Once they start fruiting it's easy money. Like @waterboy 2.0 said if you can get a few chefs interested they will be easy to sell. Other gourmet mushrooms like oysters could possibly be established in an outdoor patch of woodchips too.

 

It would cost a bit to get setup but some inoculated saplings for growing truffles could be a crop that will gradually increase in value as it matures.

 

Some timbers command a good price. Cricket bat willow is slow to grow but could be a good investment for your retirement or for your kids.

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Thanks for the replies y'all

 

@qwertyuiop

I have about 10 acres but I do not have the resources to do all of it nor do I have the want. Thinking much more small scale but still maybe an acre or so.

The chili sounds like an awesome idea but to tell you the truth I have never had much luck with chili, not here anyway. I think it may be a tad bit too cool; if you know where Mount Lofty is I am not too far, so its quite cold at times, much cooler than Adelaide at least. Frost along with an absolute wet as hell bog during winter would also prevent any chance of keeping them as a perennial unfortunately. But to tell you the truth, I absolutely love the idea of chili's though and hot sauce, hell yeah!! I spend enough money on the stuff to justify an attempt just for personal consumption.

 

@waterboy 2.0

I have thought about herbs but to tell you the truth everyone I would be selling to would be the market of someone I used to work for and is a friend so I just don't want to cut his lunch so to say. I mean he does it as a living, I am only doing it as a hobby (for now). You are right though, quality is where its all at, no point of small scale farming if you are only producing the same mass scale kinda shit.

 

@87_botanist

Garlic is a go to for sure, I have plans in place for this one. I was given shitloads to plant for this season but I was only given them as the person hadn't had time to plant themselves and well, they were all moldy and rotten so didn't bother. I wonder if they are something that can be done with that plastic mulch stuff? to help with weed control and all. Weeds are the biggest issue when its a one man project.

With the blueberries, oh sweet sweet blues. I have some growing and this is the perfect place to grow them! Low pH, good quality water etc. But, it would involve a rather large outlay cost in plants and in general its not a quick turn around crop, not so much as tomatoes, chills etc, and to be honest I don't know where ill be in a few years.

 

Thanks for the replies

Edited by manic
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@Sallubrious

Now that's not a bad idea either, I know plenty of chefs and pretty much the entire wholesale market anyway so distribution is not a problem.

How hard would it be in setting up a decent size shitake grow? And time wise? Ill do some googling on that one.

Ive had a lot of foraging and some experience in the past with the old shotgun chamber but that's about it when it comes to my mycology skills.

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It's not overly difficult to setup, you just need some suitable logs that don't have too many volatile oils and have been aged. Then you soak them for a few weeks in preferably running water and then drill & plug them with inoculated dowels.

 

They need a reasonably shady protected area to grow and once established they only need minimal maintenance to keep them damp and clean up competitor species while they are colonising.

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I've made real good 'beer' money out of garlic before, I would be very dubious of plastic mulch,not to say it won't work (I actually hate the shit... Lol)

 

A good sharp hoe(push pull type) , and a regular quick bi weekly hoe (OK I laughed a little..) whilst cool and the earth is bare, then pea straw mulch no hoe late spring to finish was my jam. Grow a 'crookneck'/' hardneck' type and you can sell the scapes as well.

 

If you get the finishing drying and curing off right and weather behaves itself  at harvest (or have cover contingency) it will keep for quite some time.

 

Edit - Shittakes are quite doable, otways agroforestry network may still have some good info up on their site aimed at mixed enterprise farmers... Worth a google

 

 

Edited by waterboy 2.0
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Beer money :drool2: Beer money is what I am really after I guess, to begin with anyway, but hey I seem to be developing expensive taste lately; top shelf spirits all the way; absinthe is my jam lately. I hear ya about the plastic shit but the only reason I am thinking is it would be hella good for weed control, and you can actually get biodegradable stuff; still though it would have to work well and degrade just as well to justify the cost. Nothing wrong with ya quick bi weekly hoe, im in on that. Oh man did I laugh :lol:

Edited by manic
what

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I too am suggesting garlic. It's easy to grow and hardly has any pests. It also stores well and people pay a premium for locally grown garlic. 

 

Oyster mushrooms would be another good crop if mycology is your thing. 

 

Limes are expensive so that might be another decent crop to grow. 

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Good to hear the hops are doing well for you @manic, they'll be breaking the ground here any moment now. 

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Yacón could be a good crop too get growing, far as I'm aware there's not many if any are growing it and you could sure fetch a good price for them.

Edited by Martyh64

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Not sure about the temps but chia is a ripper of a crop. I'd also look into biodynamics and 500 preps mate. Second the suggestion of medical cannabis of course, but if you have the space busting out a few hemp crops shouldn't be too hard (if you could be fucked getting a license), and the seeds are ideal solo feed for chooks, as well as being awesome for humans too!

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It might not be everyone's thing but have you perhaps looked at building a small poultry run for chickens? Perhaps sell the eggs or even buy in fertilised eggs, hatch them in an incubator and then sell them on gumtree once they are big enough? I know this idea probably wouldn't suit a vego or vegan but that's the first thing that came to my mind. You can get some really cool rare breeds of chicken as well (Plymouth Rocks are my favourite)!

Chicken poop is a really good fertiliser as well and also chickens are really good to have to peck around in an orchard!

Edited by Darce Mouse

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If time is on your side, maybe you could plant out with innoculated truffle trees?

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Why not give a little update eh,

I ended up doing a few different things but the real winner was my tomato's

1,000 bush roma plants and ended up with about 5 ton and I managed to get rid of them all at a good price.

I feel like im always a bit biased when it comes to my homegrown produce but dam that shit is tasty!

Also did several hundred jalapeno plants and other peppers, I have been making some pretty killer hot sauce.

And several hundred pumpkins.....dont think ill bother with that one again.

 

Just found a few pics of my tomato's :)

Fuck, it was a bit of hard work now that I think about it.

Peace.

 

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Edited by manic
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One of the ideas the leading hand was kicking around with me when I was working on a farm was supplying herbalists-- apparently this can be quite lucrative, with relatively minimal input.

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