by Cynthia Stodolka

Created on: July 06, 2008

Having a roadside vegetable stand, where you sell your own home grown fruits and vegetables can be a fulfilling as well as profitable summer project.

There is a force of nature that compels people to pull over and stop when they come upon a roadside vegetable stand. The freshness and beauty and scents of the fresh harvested produce puts the consumer in a state of relaxation and anticipation of what they are about to experience.

The brightly colored tomatoes, corn, blueberries, and peaches, are appealing to the eye, and the sweet scents of the harvest fill one's nostrils like a rare perfume.
The open air entices folks to purchase the fresh produce, it;s a whole different experience than buying vegetables in the local supermarket, where all the produce is waxed and stacked like boxes in a warehouse.

Setting up a roadside vegetable stand can be an achievable goal even if you live in the city and your produce comes from a community garden, or you have a plot of land in the country where you have a garden, or you have a farm.

There are a few simple tips that can help you have a successful and profitable roadside produce stand.

You have to first determine what produce to harvest from your garden for that particular day you are going to do business. The fruits or vegetables you choose must be ready to be picked but not yet ripe. The rule of thumb is to pick them 2 or 3 days ahead of the day when they would b ripe enough for the customer who purchased them to eat.

For example if you sold them on a Monday you would want them to be fresh for a few days so your customer has time to eat them before they get overripe Which they need to still be fresh on Wednesday as a rule of thumb. So you don't want to Harvest to early. Many of the Universities such as UC Davis have web sites through there agriculture dept. that have lots of information and hints on how to harvest different vegetables and when.

The next decision you need to make is where to put your stand, it needs to be located where there is ample amount of drive by or foot traffic so you will generate business. If you own your own property this is a plus, but if you live in the city you may need to get a permit. Safety is an important factor you need to have ample room so you don't cause traffic hazard by people pulling off the road and blocking traffic. Also, you need to be someplace not to isolated so you don't become the victim of a robbery or abduction. If you are going to be out in the middle of nowhere it's a smart choice

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