A New Way of Doing Business

Here at Suburban Fresh Farm, most days I run a one woman operation.  What some don't know is that I do this in addition to a full time job AND another small business that I run....So my time is the most valuable resource that I have.  I started looking at what takes up the most of my time here on the farm and how I can improve efficiency and be more effective.

I strive to take as much of the labor out of my operation as I can.  The chickens are set up so that they only need feed/water once every 3 days.  I spend perhaps 15 minutes per day cleaning out nesting boxes, letting them in and out of the coops in the morning and evening, and gathering eggs.  I do get some help from the mini-farmer on these chores.  Mission accomplished...small time investment, big payoff. I, and my customers, get the freshest eggs we can possibly get.

Raised beds--built on an old tennis court

Last year I expanded the garden significantly -- from 21 raised beds to over 50.  It was very ambitious.  What I found was that every morning I was watering something...by hand.  It was a huge time sink, and I knew I could improve on that system!  This spring I am working on installing irrigation for all of my raised beds.  It will save time this year on watering, as well as reduce the amount of water that we use by directing this resource exactly where it is needed.  It is an investment of capital and time upfront, but this is one of the most important improvements I can make here on the farm this year.

Know your farmer :)

The next most time consuming activity is....the farmers market!  Between packing everything up safely, loading, unloading, marketing, making signage.....all of this IN ADDITION to growing food and plants--it is hectic, time consuming,  and takes me away from the farm and farm activities for an entire day of the week.  This is time that I just cannot spare.

I have decided that we will participate in ONE farmers market per month.  This is so that we can maintain a public presence, build our customer base and get out and mingle with folks.  I really do enjoy that aspect of the farmers markets.  This will free me up to do what I love to do best...tend to my garden and farm an extra three days per month!!

So how will you be able to get our fresh veggies, herbs, and plants you ask?  Well, we are blessed with a fantastic location right here in suburbia.  We are going to set up a farm store and between Facebook and our mailing list we can hopefully drive folks to the farm to buy our products.  It won't be limited to any day of the week.  As an added bonus, selling directly off the farm allows us to increase our offerings!  We can sell preserves, dried herbs, pet treats, baked goods...all created here!

You will be able to buy our products on YOUR schedule.  No more waiting until Saturday morning to stock up on goodies.

We will have more details for everyone as this model evolves.  We will have several different payment options and special events for customers.

I LOVE what I do, and this will give me more time to do it!  I am very excited for this year and what it brings!