Market Week In Review

 If you have been following along, I started on Steemit about the same time I started planting for our new season of tomatoes and what not. I grow tomatoes in what would be considered the off season, August thru June. The greenhouse makes that possible and the hydroponic system just automates a step of the growing process. 

Indigo Rose, Always a big seller

 We sell our product at several farmer's markets around the Houston, Texas area and we have finally had a consistent volume of product to finally get close to our old schedule of five markets a week.  This week we made it back to that magic number of 5. There is really no magic to it, that is about the maximum number of markets we can hit and still have enough product to sell for the four hours that most of the markets require you to be there. Most of the time we have enough to make it all the way thru, sometimes we sell out way before the end of the market, just depends on the traffic coming thru the market. This week out of the four markets , we made it thru the market with just a few tomatoes left over, close enough for me. There was one market that was new and we didn't sell very much, not uncommon for new markets. So overall it was a great week. Our two biggest markets, Tomball and Galveston were successful as they usually are.  We had many returning customers who were glad to see us back, and we made several new customers. 

This is our typical set-up, so far, it works!

Great Vendors Make The Market

At any good Farmer's Market, the vendors will make or break it. Customers are what the market is all about, but bad vendors can be a wet blanket on a great market. You also need the right balance of Produce and food products to craft items, it is a "Farmer's Market" afterall. to many craft Items and you start to look like a flea market and not a Farmer's Market.

Italian Sausage, Olive Oils and Vinegars

 But most of all Produce is king at the markets, At the Tomball market, there are five farmers including myself, Galveston has five also and has less vendors. Most of the farmers are organic or sustainable growers as well as a couple of aquaponic growers and one straight hydroponic grower...Me!

Persimmons, Lemons and Cabbage, what a combo.

So overall a very good start back into the markets, as long as the tomatoes keep up and the ladybugs do thier job, we should be good to go for the rest of the season.

Speaking of Ladybugs

So in my last post I told you about releasing 18000 ladybugs into the greenhouse to combat an aphid issue that sprang up. check it here!

https://steemit.com/gardening/@jed78/ladybugs-attack-using-beneficial-insects-in-the-greenhouse

So this army of insects starts doing what every fighting force has done from the beginning of time, hooking up with the, err Ladies. I guess the Lady in lady bugs doesn't really count, because there is a bunch of boot knocking going on. I was out in the greenhouse today and every where I looked there was a ladybug mating dance going on, and when I say dance I mean the act of procreation dance, banging, horizontal mabo...well you get the picture. And if you don't, let me show you!

These two were hiding under the leaf, I guess they are the only ones with some modesty.

 So it looks like it won't be long before the voracious larvae of the consummating pairs will start hatching and eating as well, the cycle of life...ain't it grand!

Well that's about it for now, I'm heading back to the Rice University Farmer's Market tomorrow, It's Bratoberfest, their take on October Fest. Hopefully it will be a good market but if not they are sampling beer from some local micro breweries, so there's that!

I'll see ya'll in a few so until then, Keep On Growing!

 Name in peppers made by @papa-pepper, go check out his stuff! 

All Photos Taken By Me