My wife and I started a yardwork business in 2014. I completely stepped away from it (she owns it!) in 2017. Last year, her diabetes put her in the hospital for a week, and we thought she might go blind. That was when I took over. I started doing all the cooking, and fed her a Keto diet, and implemented intermittent fasting. We are both massively more healthy! Well, somehow I came across the right video in my daily continuing education time, and considered the possibility of growing my own food. Well, not wanting to spend any money, and having yardwork tools already, I simply began my first compost pile, and planted some green onions from the grocery store. Green onions are a very encouraging crop to deal with, because they grow so fast and easy! My intention is to grow enough food to feed my wife and I. Anything else we produce is extra that we can sell. I started my first compost pile, and started planting stuff in my back yard about a month and a half ago, and now I have so much material composting (saving my wife money in dump fees by taking all her organic debris), I am sure to have all the good soil I will ever need, regularly supplied in this way. I like the business approach, as I am coming at this with a solid business foundation. In addition to feeding ourselves, and selling the extra, I am studying/practicing plant propagation so I can sell perennial plants, too. I am only working on learning how to grow a small number of plants to begin with, and will add new plants to my knowledge base slowly as I go. I grew up in northern New York, and now I am a small, urban farmer, growing stuff in the desert of Tucson, Arizona!
Josh you are someone I've been watching since the start, and the advice here is pure gold. Especially having no debt, none, ever, just delete that concept from what you do to get started and your ability to do the work and adapt to what you want will be all your choice. Top class advice and guidance Josh.
I’m only one minute in and loving it already. So well said and a wise move not to focus on specific numbers. Thanks for the great content. I’m an aspiring farmer. We just closed and moved into our 8 acre spot in Minnesota. Lots to do to get ready, but I’m looking forward to my first full growing season next year. I’ll keep tuning in for the great content.
Thank you so much for tempering expectation and bringing realism, while maintaining a positive outlook. I think we as humans do tend to get caught up in our passions and charge headlong into them. Sometimes we just need that small voice of reason to pop up and challenge our views a little bit. The whole forest from the trees analogy if you will. As always the links to vendors and related topics from your library is especially helpful.
Josh, where were you when we needed all of this very informative start-up information? We went from a suburb in Los Angeles county, to a 3 1/2 acre parcel in New Mexico. It was awesome! We never worked harder or faster in our lives. I love to grow things because of that experience and I greatly enjoy your lectures because I always learn new things. Thanks for being such a great educator. Keep on growing and sharing. ; ) bonnie
Thanks Josh, this how I'm planning to go. I'm working very small scale from home, learning as I go. I'm looking for some land now, if I can find some, this will all suddenly become real, and in no small part, you will have to accept some of the responsibility! 🤣
Great info in this video! I just got to the land access portion and wanted to share what I've seen happen in Augusta, GA - people have contacted the Landbank Authority and purchased land for pennies per sq ft. It's the group that holds the properties that the city has reclaimed because of unpaid taxes or blight/neglect. Many cities/counties have similar programs. Here they have a monthly auction but you can also apply to buy it directly from the authority and they will decide if your usage of the land is in line with their community mission. The community garden I volunteer at is a high-value lot in downtown and the property owner got it for just $2400. The only caveat is that you have to stay in line with how you applied to purchase the land, or the landbank gets it back. I'm unsure what happens if someone passes away, like if it goes to their next of kin or back to the city, but it could vary state to state.
That is such a great idea. I found one up in Maine. An elementary school has an amazing garden. The shocking part was that everything was free. Donations excepted. So I threw $20 in the box. Got some really nice blueberries and green onions. The next time I went by I donated sunflowers I had grown at my place. The kids were grateful and happy to make bouquets. I hope this can spread to more schools and communities.
Difference between US and Canada : just a few of those initial start up things you mentioned cost me way more than the amount you're talking about. Tools, a tunnel, compost, a cold room, seeds, BCS, basic irrigation and some other small supplies (row covers, rubberneck boxes etc) has cost me 35,000 already.
We have a 20 acre hay field about 20 minutes away in the flatland, but it gets so blasted hot out there it's very difficult to work in, so I'm concentrating on my 2 acres. I'm currently doing what you've explained, starting with land cleared, planted and producing from seeds I save and start in my attached garage and moved into smaller greenhouses to complete their journey. Next season I will be starting seeds in the barn using seedling mats and insulator boxes on large fold out tables to increase my production. My goal is to grow healthy, sturdy, marketable vegetable plants for the spring, then produce from what I grow and sell from the front with no overhead where I'm on the only main road in and out of town to the south. I think that gives me a slight advantage in exposure and convenience for customers. Everyone else in my area lives packed in like sardines on one side, and with deep woods on my side, they just haven't bothered to do the work to set up any agricultural means. Another bonus for me. All of my working capital comes from my full time job, which I will never leave since I have cheap health insurance there. If we had M4A I would be more motivated to invest more, but knowing ag will never be my job I just do what I can when I can and make it work.
@Josh Sattin YOu are Proof that teacher angels walk this earth. Stay Well and bless you bless you bless you a million time over with the Grace of Contentment and Satisfaction. Take good care everyone~ : )
I'm horrible at keeping records. I'm working on it though. If I want to do this full time its the only way. You need to know just how much you're making.
Josh, I just cleared and graded for tunnels and plan to use your cardboard and compost method for building beds. Should I do anything with the red clay first? The ground was previously covered in brush and wysteria vines so had to be scraped, now it’s just clay. Silage tarp maybe, or not necessary?
How do you keep control of the weeds? I work on three acres in the uk. We've had a wet summer and I've struggled keeping on top of the weeds alongside everything else.
@@JoshSattinFarming thank you. Unfortunately no till is not an option as there are 3 acres, too much to pick by hand and no budget to pile on surface compost where I work 😔
How much should I be paying for really good compost? For example for where I'm at 32 square feet of really good compost is going to cost me $4,000. Should I be paying this much? Or should I just go with the cheaper alternative?
Hi Josh, you are farming around 2000sq feet of beds currently if I count correctly. At peak, how many weekly hours do you think you put into just seeding, growing & selling once the farm is established?(filming and side projects kept aside ;) ) Thanks!
@@simmonsjn8 it's worth it if it attracts a market. Chefs are gonna take the time to investigate your growing practices and build a relationship so organic certification doesn't really matter to them. For farmer's markets where you want to draw a crowd, accreditation is totally worth it.
@@richardmyburgh3265 Thanks. So in situations where customers cannot take the time to come to your farm and see your practices, the accreditation is good to have. I see. Thank you.
Very informatiol video,but after watching a lot of Your vids a really strange question is pounding my mind. How tall are You? Maybe You can tell me in cm.......
Interesting, I think the small agriculture model is ever developing. the context of small scale growing needs a degree of standardization. So what really is 1/8, 1/10, 1/3, 1/4,1/2 acre. On any 'farm', beds need to be of standard size as do the paths between the beds. And rarely does one hear about the 'path at the ends of the beds. Thus for a given farm the square feet of growing area can be stated. For Josh it be 16 beds at 2.5 ft x 48 ft = 1,920 sq. Ft. Of growing area. This gets a true idea of what is being done, 1/8 acre means so much less. If enough small growers are growing, the customers who can pay for high value/price crops will run out, supply/demand. We already see issues with quality compost/carbon sources. Pricing of everything, inputs and outputs will drive new models, crops, and methods. So what will the future market garden look like?? I believe some things we have now and new things will dominate. But let's address the land issue first. Since soil is the thing, it is hard to control, if u do not own it, u do not control it. So what happens, the brakes are applied, again. But there is a solution. The SOIL KEEPRR. I believe in the future growers will specialize, some will prepare grow beds, improve the soil, and rent out these grow areas. Others will be master growers, they plant, care for crop. Some may even harvest and sell, , all these may share in the profits, . I makes sense that the specialists will do better at the individual tasks.
My wife and I started a yardwork business in 2014. I completely stepped away from it (she owns it!) in 2017. Last year, her diabetes put her in the hospital for a week, and we thought she might go blind. That was when I took over. I started doing all the cooking, and fed her a Keto diet, and implemented intermittent fasting. We are both massively more healthy!
Well, somehow I came across the right video in my daily continuing education time, and considered the possibility of growing my own food. Well, not wanting to spend any money, and having yardwork tools already, I simply began my first compost pile, and planted some green onions from the grocery store. Green onions are a very encouraging crop to deal with, because they grow so fast and easy!
My intention is to grow enough food to feed my wife and I. Anything else we produce is extra that we can sell. I started my first compost pile, and started planting stuff in my back yard about a month and a half ago, and now I have so much material composting (saving my wife money in dump fees by taking all her organic debris), I am sure to have all the good soil I will ever need, regularly supplied in this way.
I like the business approach, as I am coming at this with a solid business foundation. In addition to feeding ourselves, and selling the extra, I am studying/practicing plant propagation so I can sell perennial plants, too. I am only working on learning how to grow a small number of plants to begin with, and will add new plants to my knowledge base slowly as I go.
I grew up in northern New York, and now I am a small, urban farmer, growing stuff in the desert of Tucson, Arizona!
Josh you are someone I've been watching since the start, and the advice here is pure gold. Especially having no debt, none, ever, just delete that concept from what you do to get started and your ability to do the work and adapt to what you want will be all your choice. Top class advice and guidance Josh.
I’m only one minute in and loving it already. So well said and a wise move not to focus on specific numbers. Thanks for the great content. I’m an aspiring farmer. We just closed and moved into our 8 acre spot in Minnesota. Lots to do to get ready, but I’m looking forward to my first full growing season next year. I’ll keep tuning in for the great content.
Thanks! Good luck with the new property!
Just what I needed to hear today! Started this year, part time. Have been watching your videos for 2 years. Your my fav!!
Thank you so much for tempering expectation and bringing realism, while maintaining a positive outlook. I think we as humans do tend to get caught up in our passions and charge headlong into them. Sometimes we just need that small voice of reason to pop up and challenge our views a little bit. The whole forest from the trees analogy if you will. As always the links to vendors and related topics from your library is especially helpful.
You are welcome. Always good to stop and think about things to make good decisions.
Josh, where were you when we needed all of this very informative start-up information? We went from a suburb in Los Angeles county, to a 3 1/2 acre parcel in New Mexico. It was awesome! We never worked harder or faster in our lives. I love to grow things because of that experience and I greatly enjoy your lectures because I always learn new things. Thanks for being such a great educator. Keep on growing and sharing. ; ) bonnie
You are very welcome!
Thanks Josh, this how I'm planning to go. I'm working very small scale from home, learning as I go. I'm looking for some land now, if I can find some, this will all suddenly become real, and in no small part, you will have to accept some of the responsibility! 🤣
O my thank you dude.
This helped more than you know.
Respect from Africa 🇿🇦
Great info in this video! I just got to the land access portion and wanted to share what I've seen happen in Augusta, GA - people have contacted the Landbank Authority and purchased land for pennies per sq ft. It's the group that holds the properties that the city has reclaimed because of unpaid taxes or blight/neglect. Many cities/counties have similar programs. Here they have a monthly auction but you can also apply to buy it directly from the authority and they will decide if your usage of the land is in line with their community mission. The community garden I volunteer at is a high-value lot in downtown and the property owner got it for just $2400. The only caveat is that you have to stay in line with how you applied to purchase the land, or the landbank gets it back. I'm unsure what happens if someone passes away, like if it goes to their next of kin or back to the city, but it could vary state to state.
Wouldn't it be great if every school had a garden and could be cared for by the students!
That is such a great idea. I found one up in Maine. An elementary school has an amazing garden. The shocking part was that everything was free. Donations excepted. So I threw $20 in the box. Got some really nice blueberries and green onions. The next time I went by I donated sunflowers I had grown at my place. The kids were grateful and happy to make bouquets. I hope this can spread to more schools and communities.
Thank you, wacthing you from Romania. This is what i'm trying to build. Very good tips, like always.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Great content and useful information every single time. I’m a big fan from Nigeria 🇳🇬. God bless
Thank you, this was very encouraging and helpful. Great video Josh!
One of your best videos! Thanks Josh!
Thank you so much!
Really good suggestions. Thanks for spending time on this topic.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Food for thought!
Difference between US and Canada : just a few of those initial start up things you mentioned cost me way more than the amount you're talking about. Tools, a tunnel, compost, a cold room, seeds, BCS, basic irrigation and some other small supplies (row covers, rubberneck boxes etc) has cost me 35,000 already.
Work out how much you think it'll cost and multiply it by 3
Super great information. Thanks.
You'e welcome. Thanks for watching!
Great video, thanks!
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
We have a 20 acre hay field about 20 minutes away in the flatland, but it gets so blasted hot out there it's very difficult to work in, so I'm concentrating on my 2 acres. I'm currently doing what you've explained, starting with land cleared, planted and producing from seeds I save and start in my attached garage and moved into smaller greenhouses to complete their journey. Next season I will be starting seeds in the barn using seedling mats and insulator boxes on large fold out tables to increase my production. My goal is to grow healthy, sturdy, marketable vegetable plants for the spring, then produce from what I grow and sell from the front with no overhead where I'm on the only main road in and out of town to the south. I think that gives me a slight advantage in exposure and convenience for customers. Everyone else in my area lives packed in like sardines on one side, and with deep woods on my side, they just haven't bothered to do the work to set up any agricultural means. Another bonus for me. All of my working capital comes from my full time job, which I will never leave since I have cheap health insurance there. If we had M4A I would be more motivated to invest more, but knowing ag will never be my job I just do what I can when I can and make it work.
Great info.
Thanks. Glad it was helpful for you!
@@JoshSattinFarming it was as we are in the starting stages of growing a market farm as well. Love your insight.
Great video thanks
@Josh Sattin YOu are Proof that teacher angels walk this earth. Stay Well and bless you bless you bless you a million time over with the Grace of Contentment and Satisfaction. Take good care everyone~ : )
Thank you for the kind words!
@@JoshSattinFarming Thank YOU Teach! :) Cheers!!
Nice video. We sell vacant land that can be developed into farm land. We will surely share this to our customers who would love to start farming.
I'm horrible at keeping records. I'm working on it though. If I want to do this full time its the only way. You need to know just how much you're making.
I'd also say it's worth getting some kind of basic horticulture training. Classroom based, if possible (could be tricky with covid of course).
The internet is a wonderful thing.
And don’t forget to factor in yourself as a customer because you have to grow enough for your family’s needs as well as enough to sell.
Josh, I just cleared and graded for tunnels and plan to use your cardboard and compost method for building beds. Should I do anything with the red clay first? The ground was previously covered in brush and wysteria vines so had to be scraped, now it’s just clay. Silage tarp maybe, or not necessary?
How do you keep control of the weeds? I work on three acres in the uk. We've had a wet summer and I've struggled keeping on top of the weeds alongside everything else.
th-cam.com/video/QTpk-Alvjbs/w-d-xo.html
@@JoshSattinFarming thank you. Unfortunately no till is not an option as there are 3 acres, too much to pick by hand and no budget to pile on surface compost where I work 😔
If your in or around VIRGINIA and want to start a farm let me know
How much should I be paying for really good compost? For example for where I'm at 32 square feet of really good compost is going to cost me $4,000. Should I be paying this much? Or should I just go with the cheaper alternative?
Hi Josh, you are farming around 2000sq feet of beds currently if I count correctly. At peak, how many weekly hours do you think you put into just seeding, growing & selling once the farm is established?(filming and side projects kept aside ;) ) Thanks!
I am keeping all of my farming work under 20 hours a week now. That will change once we start building and planting the third tunnel.
are you certified organic? I have not heard you mention that or talk about maintaining that. Interested. Thanks!
I am not certified organic. I am only selling to restaurants. If I had other sales outlets it might be worth it.
@@JoshSattinFarming so it is not worth it? good to know. Thanks again for all your videos!
@@simmonsjn8 it's worth it if it attracts a market. Chefs are gonna take the time to investigate your growing practices and build a relationship so organic certification doesn't really matter to them. For farmer's markets where you want to draw a crowd, accreditation is totally worth it.
@@richardmyburgh3265 Thanks. So in situations where customers cannot take the time to come to your farm and see your practices, the accreditation is good to have. I see. Thank you.
Hi Josh, if you're interested, can you explain business plan (may to November 2 farmers markets a week with to make 60 000 to 70 000 )
Did you need to get a permit for the tunnels?
Very informatiol video,but after watching a lot of Your vids a really strange question is pounding my mind. How tall are You? Maybe You can tell me in cm.......
Looking for others wanting to get land
Me to, where u want land to be??
👌👌👌
I spent about 70k so far not including the land. I think next year will be a lot less. Got a nice tax refund though. 😁
Farmer's friend does not ship to Alaska!
Interesting, I think the small agriculture model is ever developing. the context of small scale growing needs a degree of standardization. So what really is 1/8, 1/10, 1/3, 1/4,1/2 acre. On any 'farm', beds need to be of standard size as do the paths between the beds. And rarely does one hear about the 'path at the ends of the beds. Thus for a given farm the square feet of growing area can be stated. For Josh it be 16 beds at 2.5 ft x 48 ft = 1,920 sq. Ft. Of growing area. This gets a true idea of what is being done, 1/8 acre means so much less.
If enough small growers are growing, the customers who can pay for high value/price crops will run out, supply/demand. We already see issues with quality compost/carbon sources. Pricing of everything, inputs and outputs will drive new models, crops, and methods.
So what will the future market garden look like?? I believe some things we have now and new things will dominate. But let's address the land issue first. Since soil is the thing, it is hard to control, if u do not own it, u do not control it. So what happens, the brakes are applied, again. But there is a solution. The SOIL KEEPRR. I believe in the future growers will specialize, some will prepare grow beds, improve the soil, and rent out these grow areas.
Others will be master growers, they plant, care for crop. Some may even harvest and sell, , all these may share in the profits, . I makes sense that the specialists will do better at the individual tasks.
Hire interns so you can save on labor costs
I think aspiring farmers need to read more books, and watch fewer of these videos.
👌👌👌