How to Run a Produce Stand

Growing a garden can be as fulfilling as eating what's in it. Lining your pockets with cash though is the most fulfilling of all aspects of selling produce. Operating a produce stand takes as much patience as watering and seeding a garden, but following these steps can land you a cash crop. Get growing and learn how to run a produce stand.

Things You'll Need

• Produce
• Signs
• Cash (to make change)
• Cash box
• Notebook
• Tables
• Baskets
• Grocery bags

Instructions

1. Choose an accessible location. Make sure there is adequate parking. Fewer customers will return if they have to fight traffic and drive a long distance to get to your stand.

2. Keep cash on hand. Have at least $50 of assorted bill sizes and at least $10 in quarters and assorted loose change. Store the money in a locked cash box if necessary.

3. Post signs so they are visible by passers by. Paint a sign with your stand name for added effect. Make sure a name sign and price signs are displayed clearly each day.

4. Arrange produce according to type. Customers like to see what they are buying and even inspect it. Make sure the produce is not over ripe or spoiled. Group the fruits together and the veggies together on tables for easy viewing. Put the produce in baskets and prop them up at an angle for added curb appeal.

5. Keep track of sales in a notebook. Track the popular items and the duds so you know what not to grow next year. Have more of the popular produce on hand to increase profits.

6. Maintain prices. Prices should not fluctuate during the same season. Customers will return if they like what they ate and expect to pay the same thing. If prices shift, they may think you're shifty too. Scout out grocery store prices and go lower or higher depending on the market and your niche. If you're growing organic food, you can charge about 10 to 15 percent more than commercial produce.

7. Be efficient. Have some items pre-bagged, like ears of corn, by the dozen or half dozen. Make sure to have at least two people working the stand if necessary becasue time is money and customers don't like to wait.

Tips & Warnings

• Be cheerful and polite. Many people visit produce stands because they like the atmosphere and want to support local farmers. Always greet customers immediately and try to remember repeat customers.

• Grow specialty items not found in grocery stores. Make sure your produce stands out in some way. Heirloom tomatoes, varieties of green beans like Romas and white pumpkins are all examples of produce typically not found in the grocery store.

• Keep it small at first. Don't grow too much produce the first year until you know how much you can sell. Otherwise, you may end up with a bunch of spoiled produce and an empty wallet.

• Check food safety laws in your state. Make sure to comply with federal and state laws on selling produce and talk with an accountant to verify tax laws also.

Resources

• Find grocery bags, seeds and other market supplies.