CSA/SFG New Venture

With a CSA customers need to read & understand the CSA Terms & Conditions and then sign the CSA Contract.

sfg4uKim, nope no contracts, we work on handshakes, a man is only as good as his word, no terms and conditions, since each box belongs to that individual not much room to complain and SFG does not fail, they will get a harvest. I was just pointing out the stark contrast to older boxes vs. new ones. So far everyone is tickled with their own personal sfg garden box.

Jay Bird wrote:sfg4uKim, nope no contracts, we work on handshakes, a man is only as good as his word, no terms and conditions, since each box belongs to that individual not much room to complain and SFG does not fail, they will get a harvest. I was just pointing out the stark contrast to older boxes vs. new ones. So far everyone is tickled with their own personal sfg garden box.

I meant this for those who are timid about the "what ifs". There ARE ways to minimize problems.

sfg4uKim wrote:

Jay Bird wrote:sfg4uKim, nope no contracts, we work on handshakes, a man is only as good as his word, no terms and conditions, since each box belongs to that individual not much room to complain and SFG does not fail, they will get a harvest. I was just pointing out the stark contrast to older boxes vs. new ones. So far everyone is tickled with their own personal sfg garden box.

I meant this for those who are timid about the "what ifs". There ARE ways to minimize potential problems.

I think your customized boxes is a great idea.

That's very inspiring! I've been seriously thinking about starting my own SFG CSA lately. Unfortunately my yard is pretty small and I've put as many boxes in My yard that will fit with enough room left to play in the grass. I have thought about buying a vacant lot to try the CSA idea, but then Where would I get the water for the plants? I guess the idea will have to wait until hubby and I move I to the country when we're older.

This past year I ventured into the CSA concept with my SFG. I won't say too much because I have a habit of being too wordy. I think I found a way to minimize a lot of the headaches associated with starting your own business-in this case a CSA hybrid-model. I discovered two things. One-you can definitely make money with your SFG's functioning as a CSA. Two-depending on your customer size it can be a whole lot of work. By keeping a customer list to a minimum-I only had 5 that I grew for-my work in the garden was not hugely different from what I would normally do. But it was extra work. I had to do little things like come home at lunch time to water, etc. There were some definite advantages to the way I did it vs. the traditional CSA. I'm still growing and I will be planting my final fall crop for customers up until Labor Day weekend. With 5 people that have will have been with me for 18 weeks I was able to make over $2000 with 148 square feet to work with. I also discovered a crop that folks will pay a mint for, and it grows very fast. This was truly easy money.
I've learned much this year and will be writing another ebook about how I was able to start a small business using a SFG(Boffer gets the first one though! ;-) )It took some planning, but it was a great adventure and I think you'll like it. For those wanting to do something like this, I would say go for it. You'll find many around who might say that you can't do it because of this, that, or the other. If your a successful square foot gardener, I think you're ready to go. Yes there's planning, but you've learned the most important thing. Good luck and go for it.

I also discovered a crop that folks will pay a mint for, and it grows very fast. This was truly easy money.

So what is this crop?
was it legal?

Sounds good, well done. What's the secret crop? Is it mint?

That's very encouraging to hear your story! Thanks for sharing. I'm still working on my SFG CSA idea, slowly but surely. Hubby and I have just contacted a real estate agent to help us contact the owns of some land near our house to see if they want to sell it. It's a small step but for a shy homebody like me, it's huge.

I am very glad that your new venture has worked out for you. Well done!

Pretty funny-yes, it's completely legal. It's wheatgrass! You can make $60 per square foot with it, and I've done it.
I took out an ad in a local newspaper for selling wheatgrass at $10 per square. It grows in 10-12 days. If you visit my website I have a picture and a post on it so you can see. Guess who called me? A Jamba Juice store wanting me to grow it for them. And, it was at my price. No deals-fresh wheatgrass, cut,cleaned and delivered within 2 hours of pulling.
I don't like wheatgrass at all. But there is a group of people out there that absolutely swear by it's health benefits. I've figured out a few other things that are like this too. I realize that making money isn't the goal for many. For me, it's a secondary goal. But I hope this gives folks some ideas for how to build a small business with a SFG. If you wanted to, you could do nothing but grow wheatgrass-provided you had the customers to support it. What do you think?

wow what a great story.
Congrats at finding a market such as that.
It IS a good thing you do not like it after all.