Make money by growing vegetables; Harvesting and Selling Successfully

If you have a plot of land and are looking to make money, it’s time to learn the basics of making money by growing vegetables . We want to teach you all the steps, from planting and growing vegetables to how to sell and market them properly. Stay with us…

Step 1: Make a garden for growing vegetables

1. Planting vegetables in a vegetable planting board

If you want to have a productive garden and grow vegetables, you must plant the seeds in a planting board. The experience of professional gardeners has shown that the yield of orchards using vegetable planting boxes is four times higher than that of normal orchards. By doing this, in addition to filling the soil inside the boxes with fertilizers and excellent materials, you will no longer need to build a path between the vegetables. 

You can get compost soil, which is the best type of soil, from the agricultural products store, or you can make this soil yourself and put it on your planting board. This soil is very fertile and guarantees the growth and quality of your crop.

Vegetable boards in stores are at least 6 inches high. Keep in mind that the higher the height of the board, the better your vegetables will grow and the better your product will be. You can increase the height by placing bricks and concrete stones under the boards.

2. Pay attention to the distance between the vegetables.

One of the best ways to keep your vegetables healthy is to eat more vegetables. Instead of planting your vegetables in front of each other in rows, plant them in a row that is similar to each other. This will give you 10 to 14% more product. If the plants are planted close together, their roots and stems will not grow well and your income will be low.

Before planting any type of vegetable, it is best to research the planting method and its standard distance beforehand. Usually this information is written on the seed packages.

Expert Tip: The best way to learn to plant crops and grow vegetables is to experiment. After planting several types of crops and trying different ways, you can easily estimate the appropriate distance.

3. Plant products that are compatible with each other.

Some plants grow better when planted near other crops; for example, plants such as corn, beans, and squash are planted close together because corn stalks can be a good base for a bean plant. Corn shade is a good shade for growing pumpkin leaves, and pumpkin growth also prevents weed growth.

Other products that are well compatible include tomatoes, basil and onions.

4. Water your vegetables regularly and on time.

Be careful not to let your plant dry out! First of all, you should water the plants deeply and then superficially.

Of course, you should be aware of how much water each product needs. Some crops, such as cucumbers and lettuce, have a bitter taste when irrigated.

The best way to irrigate a vegetable garden is to install a drip irrigation system and set it on a timer so that the plants are watered automatically every day and at the same time.

5. Be careful of weeds.

If you want your vegetables to have enough water, sunlight, growth space and minerals, you should not allow weeds to grow. Weeds take away all the nutrients your plant needs to grow. So if you want to have a good crop, check your garden every few days and do it wherever you see weeds. This will help you to grow vegetables successfully.

In early spring, when weeds are still small, weeding is necessary once a week (weeding with mechanical devices). With the arrival of summer and the warming of the weather, the number of weeds decreases and you can walk in your garden every day and if you see weeds, you will destroy it.

The smaller the weed, the easier it is to uproot. On the other hand, when the weed grows, it will sow, and after pouring this seed into the soil, the weeds will be guests of your garden next year, so it is better to destroy them when they are still small.

Step 2: Sell vegetables to the customer directly and without intermediaries

1. Look for local markets

One way to earn money by growing vegetables is to sell your product to customers in local markets. This way you can find consistent customers for yourself and on the other hand you don’t have to sell your product to brokers at a lower price. To do this, you can ask people who sell their products directly in the local market and follow the legal sales methods in these markets.

One of the features of local markets is that you can make your sales more exciting! Ready-to-eat packages for people in a hurry or playing local music and dancing along with selling the product is one of the things that encourages many customers to visit your booth.

So it’s important to find the right local market and use your creativity to sell.

2. Selling products in the local market

Once you’ve found a place to sell your products, it’s time to plan your sales. To do this, there are some rules you should follow when starting your business:

• Start with small steps: When you first start selling your product in the market, it’s best not to invest too much and don’t offer too many products. First and foremost, you need to test your market and estimate the size of your booth and customers.
• Display your vegetables in groups to make their color eye-catching; for example, brightly colored vegetables, such as red pepper, catch the eye of the customer and should be stacked together regularly.
• Arrange for your booth: Install a post for each product to determine its name and price. Spread a colorful napkin on your desk and hide extra items under the table to make your booth look tidier.  
• You can write down the foods that are made with your product under the text that contains the name and price so that your customer can get more information about the product and use it in cooking his food.
• Know how to package and supply the product. Sometimes some products are offered in a special way, for example: they weave garlic together or put strawberries in small packages so that they are not crushed. Proper packaging shows that you are aware of your product and know what you are offering.
• Communicate with customers: Be intimate with your customers and, if necessary, talk to them about how to produce your product or show them a photo of your garden. Gaining trust is one of the surest ways to have more sales and customer satisfaction.  

3. Opening the pavilion along the road

If your farm is busy on a sidewalk, you can build your own booth on the side of the road. Not only will you no longer have to spend money on transportation, but your sales will be better. Before doing so, you should be aware of the rules and regulations regarding the sale of fruits and vegetables along the road.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your road:

• It’s best to have your booth in a place where drivers can easily see it while driving.
• Your booth should be in a place where cars can easily park nearby and not be an obstacle for other cars.
• The booth is close to your garden so that if the customer wants to see your garden, he can easily see it.
• Make your booth more attractive with flowers, products with appropriate labels and gardening tools.
• You can sell lower quality products at a lower price. It is very difficult to sell products that have minor stains in local markets and has fewer customers, but if the same products are seen on the side of the road with a suitable discount sign, they will have a lot of buyers.
• To save money, you can get help from family members or friends to sell along the road.

4. Ask your customers to pick and pick the vegetables they want.

This type of purchase is more reasonable for most buyers. Most people want to make their own purchases. Even many who buy in bulk want to choose and harvest their own products. You can arrange your garden to sell your product and use decorative items in the corners.

Before this type of sale, it is better to know about its rules, because in some countries the use of this type of sale requires the installation of a place for hand washing for customers.

When your customers choose their product, you save on labor costs and gain their trust.

• It’s a good idea to teach them how to harvest so they don’t damage your plants.
• Make sure there is enough parking and signs for the convenience of customers.

5. Give regular customers a long-term subscription card.

This method is a type of marketing that helps farmers, in addition to persuading their customers to buy, to pre-pay for their products. With this card, the customer can determine the desired product from the store every week or receive it from the farm and use its special discounts.

You can start by promoting your subscription card from local markets, or promote it in your city’s newsletters and telegram channels.

You can give your customers a recipe for cooking with your products to increase your sales.

Step 3: Make Money by Selling Products to Stores and Restaurants

1. Sell your products to cooperatives or grocery stores.

If your farm is large and you have a lot of production, you can sell your products at lower prices to cooperative stores or grocery stores.

This is great for people who can’t communicate with customers or live in a small rural area and don’t have a lot of direct buyers, and allows them to focus on the farm and plant their crops and sell. Leave it to a third party.

2. Talk to a local chef.

You can talk to local chefs and restaurants to see if they want to buy fresh produce. Most restaurant owners are interested in buying directly from farmers, so not only do they save on shipping costs, but they always get fresh and healthy food.

Ask the chef or restaurant owner to go around your farm if he wants to and pick and pick the products himself. Then ask him what products he needs to grow enough if possible.

3. Sell jam, pickles and vegetables cooked with your garden vegetables.

Many local shops and markets sell homemade food made with local products and materials. If you have trouble selling or storing fresh vegetables, you can cook them and turn them into various dishes.

This will give you more time to sell them, and on the other hand, not using additives and preservatives will cause customers to flock to your booth.