What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

I hope the soil blocker is not just a gimmick. I watched a number of YouTube videos and they were all very positive on the soil blockers. Any reason you gave your soil blocker away?

Last year, I made a DIY soil blocker out of PVC pipe, some blocks of wood, and a long bolt with nuts and washers. It worked OK but only made 1 soil block at a time, and it was round of course using the PVC pipe. My DIY PVC soil blockers worked good as far as starting seeds. So I liked the concept and this year I decided to buy a 4 unit aluminum soil blocker which should make square soil blocks much better to fit into a 10x20 flat. I also bought the plastic concrete mixing bin last year, and it works great.

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I don't have a proper greenhouse, but I made a couple of "mini greenhouses" out of clear storage totes. You just turn the tote upside down so the clear plastic bin is the greenhouse top and the lid becomes and bottom to hold your flat and/or plants. If anyone is interested, here is the best video I have found on YouTube on making a storage tote greenhouse. It's almost 30 minutes long, but he goes into greater detail than other videos on the subject and he tells you from his experience what to look for, and what to avoid, when you buy your tote. So if you are interested in making a mini greenhouse, it's well worth watching this video.

In case you are wondering what tote I got, here it is Hefty 72qt Clear Hi-Rise Storage bin with Stackable Lid Gray. $12 at Target, although I bought mine on sale for around $10 at the time.

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The soil blocker was too slow for me and things I grew in the blocks weren't stable enough to sell.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Exactly. But even the micro level isn't free. Time is money, even.
I'm upside down on eggs because Nature Mart in town sells organic eggs now for 99 cents a dozen to get people in the door, and I think Whole Paycheck matches if they are carrying the same brand that week, or even if you ask the manager will cut you a break to keep you from going across the street. They loose money on the eggs, but make up for it in other places.
Even the farmer's market people can't sell out their eggs anymore.

I sell my eggs for 3.50 a dozen and that includes a weekly route delivery my customer's have to be OK with. I combine that route with other things in that area so as not to eat it on gas $.
I dropped one customer that would treat me like eggs on demand. 3.50 for the dozen eggs, 20 mile round trip. Gas and time ALONE on the dirt road was 3.50, then the carton, label and cleaning. Pfft.
All of our farmer's markets, even in the small villages, have a sign up/selection process. The committees make sure there isn't any one item being over sold so that people have choices, and there is always a fee to be there. And there is a preference given to those that LIVE in the village. Makes it tough to sell things IN season, when EVERYone has corn, tomatoes, peas at the same time. Usually it's two or three tents, for hours in the hot sun. All the markets usually end up being junk sales after a couple of years, as farmers have more important things to do with their day than sit around a wait for customers.

I was a seller at one lady's business to help draw customers to her place, my customers went there because I was there and then shopped her sales. Then she started taking 30% of my sales. UM...'scuse me?!? I was even or at a loss to start with. .

Wow! I wouldn't drive 20 miles round trip for a dozen eggs. I posted mine on Nextdoor and agreed to meet people in the grocery store parking lot so they don't have to go out of their way... I have only let 1 long time customer come to my house.

Luckily our farmers market doesn't charge a fee to set up because it is new. The farmers markets at the next towns both north and south of us DO charge. The guy who started ours said a lot local people have already paid to be at those markets so they will finish out the season there but move to ours next year. That means competition is only going to get worse... I'm trying to differentiate myself with some different items that you don't find a lot of places like different types of peppers, cukes, and so on. Things that we are trying out in our garden but I won't keep a surplus of....

Eta - a lot of people were looking for fruit today more than anything else.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Today's haul from the garden.... Things finally ripening up! Yay!

 

[WthrLady]

Wow! I wouldn't drive 20 miles round trip for a dozen eggs. I posted mine on Nextdoor and agreed to meet people in the grocery store parking lot so they don't have to go out of their way... I have only let 1 long time customer come to my house.

That's why I dropped her as a customer. She refused to get on the route schedule with everyone else that direction so I could combine it with a weekly trip to the feed store. She treated me like and on-call-egg-door-dash.

And while I like he meet up idea, my closest public location is 10 miles away. I have regulars that I trust and keep me hoppin, MOST of the time.

 

[karenerwin]

Today's haul from the garden.... Things finally ripening up! Yay!
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I am very jealous! All I have gotten are a few small jalapenos that were already on the plants when I got them from the clearance rack.

I'm especially envious of that eggplant.

 

[gtaus]

Before I had the green house, I used large clear totes to harden off the starts I grew inside. I placed the plants in the totes and put them where I wanted them: partial sun to start, eventually more direct sun. I could pop the top on and then carry them up on the porch at night.

This year I used those clear plastic totes as mini greenhouses for the veggie 6 packs I bought at Menards. Last year I tried to buy the plants too late - around Memorial Day, and most of the plants were already sold out. Problem is, where I live in northern Minnesota, we are not supposed to plant in the garden until on or after Memorial Day. Our average last frost is right about May 30.

Anyway, this year I bought my veggie 6 packs early in May and kept them in my plastic storage tote mini greenhouses. Like you said, they are easy to carry back into the house and stack them up at night. I got all the same kind of tote, so they stack nicely. So I kept the veggie 6 packs in the mini greenhouses until I transplanted them on Memorial Day.

I got a little carried away and planted some peppers and tomatoes around the 24th of May, and then we got a frost a few nights later. So I was out in the garden covering all those plants to protect them. I went back to Menards on Memorial Day weekend, and all their plants were sold out. Next year I'll be buying my veggie 6 packs early again and keeping them in the mini greenhouses. If I really get my act together, maybe I'll use my new soil blocker and start my own plants next year.

 

[gtaus]

The soil blocker was too slow for me and things I grew in the blocks weren't stable enough to sell.

Understand. I watched a YouTube video of a guy with a commercial soil block maker. I think it made a complete 10x20 flat at one time. It was a rather big contraption, and you had to stand on it to press the soil in the maker. But if you are going commercial, I don't suppose making blocks 4 at a time would make any sense. My soil blocks I made with my DIY PVC soil blocker were stable, but perhaps not good enough for selling. I guess that is why those plastic 4 and 6 packs are the main thing you find in the big box stores.

I think I agree with you that the soil blocks by themselves probably would not hold up to very much handling in a sales environment. I like them for at home, and hope that the air pruning in the soil blocks will make healthier transplants later in the garden.

 

[karenerwin]

Guess I am small potato then .. I never really deliver people come here and I am 4 a dozen and 6 for 18

Wow! I guess I should raise my prices! I only charge $2.00 a dozen, $3.00 of an 18 pack and I deliver.

 

[BReeder!]

I am very jealous! All I have gotten are a few small jalapenos that were already on the plants when I got them from the clearance rack.

I'm especially envious of that eggplant.

Pull them off and let the plant grow a few branches. More branching equals more flowers later (in just a few weeks time).

 

[BReeder!]

Enjoy the holiday tomorrow everybody! I'll likely be too busy hosting and cooking for our annual barbecue to get on here.