I love our local Farmer’s Market. It’s small still and very much still in the startup phase, but the folks who try to grow the market each year are dedicated and concerned with the health of this community. That is primarily why, through my internet business, I sponsor the market by providing an online presence for them, as well as marketing and design services for print and advertising. But, I would really like to be able to sell extra foods and my extra eggs as well as have some time chatting with and meeting other locals with common interests, like homegrown food!
Unfortunately growing food for sale is in NO WAY easy. Even with a nice garden, I’m still unable to get enough surplus to bring to market. I keep loosing new garden spots to the monkey grass and weeds! One flowering vine in particular is relentless and attempts to strangle everything, and it moves quick! I’m still not that great at the whole gardening thing yet, and what I find is that I don’t really have a good enough plan each year to really make it work. Finally, the crops I prefer to grow, cool weather stuff, really isn’t in season when the market is open from May through September. I always have stuff in May, but June-August is only peppers and tomatoes time here, and we can never grow enough peppers to store and I’m not yet good at those unruly tomatoes yet. It isn’t until September and October really that the production picks up again around here, with spinach, radishes, lettuces, carrots and this year I plan to try some beets too. But again, by that time of year the market is closing down, because the majority of our growers focus on warm weather and summer crops. Someday I hope our market can become year round, or at least open for a longer season AND be able to sustain those farmers interested in expanding the season.
Visit Online: www.NewportTNFarmersMarket.com
In conclusion I guess I just want to say, we’ll see you at tonight’s market from 5:30 – 8:30! Our daughter will be tending to the table because we have a booster club meet for her Navy JROTC. This year is her 4th and final year, and we’re very proud that after graduation next year she will enter the military as an Officer.