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  Q1: How to find affordable land to rent or buy in an urban/suburban setting (0 pieces of advice)

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  by bdavidson 

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  03.22.08 | 03:39 PM

  I apologize but I posted the wrong link for the Minnesota site. The correct link is
  http://www.mda.state.mn.us/food/mfocrops/default.htm

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  by bdavidson 

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  03.22.08 | 03:27 PM

  In your "what will you do" section you say you will decide the type of plants you will specialize in then find buyers for produce. I would strongly suggest you reverse the order of those two tasks. The best way to decide what to grow is to find out what the market wants. Knowing you have a place to sell your product is much better than harvesting a crop that will only be fresh for a few days and then trying to find a buyer.
  
  To do your research contact local restaurants and health food stores and find out what they have a demand for and what they would prefer to buy locally. Also, find out if they use one produce supplier that provides all of their needs regardless of season or if they would be willing to buy from you even if you are only providing fresh produce for a part of the year. The quality and quantity they demand will also be important as some restaurants might only buy perfect looking produce because of the dish it is used in.
  
  Once the customers tell you what they need then figure out what you can and cannot grow technically given…more the conditions of your land (soil quality, available water, light), labor requirements, and how profitably you can grow the crop. If you are going to do all the work yourself or labor is very expensive in your area you do not want to grow crops that require a lot of labor. Some crops may not be profitable for you to grow even though there is a demand for them if the crop requires a lot of inputs (fertilizer, pest control) so you need to make sure you understand the crops well.
  
  Your local Extension Service office can probably help you find that kind of production method information. You can also check the Minnesota Department of Agriculture website at http://www2.mda.state.mn.us/webapp/mngrown/mngrown_default.jsp and select a crop you are considering growing to find information on the crop.
  The site has links to articles from across the U.S. so in addition to general information you may be able to find something that is specific to IL.
  
  One caution related to being an organic grower -- depending upon the site where you are going to have your garden and regulations it may be a year or more before you can be certified as an organic producer so you will want to know what it will take to get certified and have plenty of information on the site and how it was used previously before you buy or lease it. You would not want to find the perfect plot of land only to discover that it used to be a gas station and there were still storage tanks underground.
  
  

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  by duckling 

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  03.16.08 | 05:35 PM

  You can search for commercial lot sellers/brokers in your area.

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