Honestly, I don't see why people bother playing these games. My last one was just plain gross—disgusting, really. I worked myself to the bone like an idiot, and when you tally everything up? Absolutely nothing to show for it. You have to pay the women who actually put in the work, right?
No need for DMs; that’s why we have this subforum.
Look, don't just take my word for it. My bitter experience with strawberries comes from the fact that I planted two acres all at once, which was way too much. Half were field-grown, half were under plastic. To make matters worse, I had six acres of apples in full harvest at the same time. A total nightmare.
Strawberries are sensitive. They demand constant attention. When it came time to weed and lay down the mulch, the apple trees got hit. Weeding, irrigation, fertilizing—everything is expensive. High-end fertilizer costs a fortune, the pump ran daily, diesel is pricey, calcium nitrate is pricey. Then the weeds get thick and you're stuck out there hacking away. You spray herbicide, but strawberries hate weeds. Harvest would stretch from late May until mid-July. Then the extreme heat hits, and the berries just cook under the plastic. I'd pull two tons and couldn't even move them because the market was flooded. If you try autumn planting, Americans aren't in the habit of buying off-season strawberries. Then you get hit with Botrytis and other disasters. I'm done with strawberries.
You can't pick them overripe, you can't pick them ripe, and you can't pick them green. It's a lose-lose.
Anyway, if you guys have 500 plants, you can experiment with strawberries since it's a small area. You'll have work and responsibilities, but nothing compared to the mess I dealt with. First and foremost—get an irrigation system. Without water, you have nothing. And do your homework to find high-quality seedlings. Map out your varieties from earliest to latest—maybe start with something like Albion, then move to later varieties like Rauna. And remember, this is a demanding plant.
Nobody even bothered to ask. They just wandered through, thinning out my rows of young apple trees. I guess someone needed them for a test plot or something. They could have at least asked me first 😢 then I might have given them a few saplings for free.
stormyangler12 said:Look, if you own any old tractor and have about two acres of land, you could try growing beans.
The massive catch? You’re forced to produce them at roughly $1.75 per pound. Your one saving grace: they're incredibly cheap to store.
For more specifics...
Fine, beans. Just make sure you don't end up with an infestation of slugs. Those little things are ruthless. Also, you really need to know which specific variety is in demand. About fifteen years ago, someone advised me to plant some "miracle" bean, and I had a nightmare trying to sell it later.
Yeah, that’s pretty much how my neighbor operates. He wanders into my orchard, swipes some tech, and disappears without a trace. Too proud to ever face me and ask what happened, though.
I can’t shake this memory of an old gentleman I used to know from a small town in Illinois—he was actually a legendary production tech back in the day at a major Midwestern manufacturing firm.
I was daydreaming about nothing in particular when the thought of apricots popped into my head. I’ve always had a soft spot for them. That’s when I remembered what that old man used to say: "If you want to embrace failure, go ahead and plant an apricot tree." Well, apparently, apricots aren't on the menu anymore.
Last year, a friend of mine set up an entire apricot orchard just outside of Chicago. He picked up some gorgeous saplings near St. Louis at a great price, got them all in the ground, and waited for spring. Every single one took hold—a perfect 100% success rate. We were all stunned. Throughout the season, they grew beautifully. They were a sight to behold.
coastalviper8 said:It feels like everyone’s decided to turn their backyard into a peach orchard all of a sudden. Heh... the real headache with most of those setups is the climate-controlled storage part. You're looking at some pretty massive upfront costs...
I actually really liked that closing thought from Aunt Elsa about the strawberries and how they need to be mulched properly 😁
Peaches are great too. They mature relatively fast, don't need excessive protection, and the production isn't overly complex. Easy to move, good margins.
It all sounds fine on paper. But look, people need to realize you aren't going to plant a few dozen saplings and expect a windfall. Don't get greedy. Start with at least 1,000 units if you want actual volume. Anything less is just a hobby, and there's no money in hobbies.
Dennis Harris7 said:I’m on the exact same page as my boss, though there is one key difference: I actually have some acreage out in the country that I want to put to work with greenhouse production. I am currently weighing my options between growing bell peppers, tomatoes, or lettuce. In various discussions I've had, people have been raving about strawberries, too. I would really appreciate some serious feedback here—any guidance on the "what" and the "how" would be huge. Also, what kind of greenhouses should a beginner look into starting out? What size would we need to talk to make this actually profitable? Would anyone be willing to help me draft a formal business plan and program? And lastly, does anyone know how the startup subsidies and government incentives work for someone just getting their feet wet?
Look, here’s the reality. Regarding strawberries, my experience tells me one thing: don't do it. Just being honest. I used to run two acres of strawberries—and I love them, along with raspberries, blackberries, and currants—but the results were nothing short of terrible. If you go the greenhouse route, you might get an early harvest by maybe two weeks, but that’s exactly when the mass imports from Mexico hit the US markets at clearance prices. When the market dictates the price, you have to play by their rules. And that's where you lose.
Once those imports arrive, the big retailers start moving massive shipments from the border. Of course, it's cheap, low-quality stuff. The wholesalers crush the competition, forcing local producers to swallow the market rates just to stay relevant. Who takes the hit? The grower. It doesn't matter if Walmart is pushing some cheap bulk produce; it's inexpensive and it kills your margins.
If you aren't prepared to lose money, stay away from strawberries. If you don't believe me, send me a private message and I'll give you my number. Call me. Honestly? I was happiest the day I tore down my greenhouse, sold everything, stripped the plastic, hopped on the tractor, and plowed under that strawberry mess for good.
My single acre of orchard is valued at roughly $50,000 because I’ve got young trees, irrigation systems, hardware, pumps, and fencing all set up. I also have a cold storage unit, an Aweta grader, two new tractors, delivery vehicles, and a guaranteed market with steady payments. I have zero intention of selling, even though there's a buyer ready to pay top dollar for everything, house included. And just to be clear, I’m sitting on 10 acres total, with my oldest trees being 12 years old. You don't value orchards by the square foot—do some actual research.
One more thing: I didn't pull these numbers out of thin air. The valuation was commissioned by a potential buyer and conducted by a certified court appraiser. And who's to say I haven't picked up some olive groves or vineyards near Napa in the meantime?
High-quality irrigation? It’s simple. Secure your water rights, pay the lease, and grab a pump. I know a few spots where you can pick them up cheap—electric models work fine, though diesel ones are available if you don't mind the massive price tag. Personally, I run two Lamborghinis. Get your hoses, get your piping, put in some sweat equity to DIY the setup, and you're set. Plant whatever you want. But remember: without reliable water, nothing else matters.
You didn't mention where the orchard is located, what kind of crops you're running, or anything else for that matter. Honestly? It’d be easiest just to plant what you’re already growing and call it a day.
Why not check out Dr. Krpina’s place? It's over on Savina Avenue in Chicago (specializing in fruit, grapes, and wine)—they've got plenty of nursery stock in stock if you need it.
1. Home Depot is that big-name American company that sells everything under the sun. They’re also "friends" of mine. (God bless.) This flashy, pretentious outfit completely screwed me over. They sold me some "premium" fruit trees that were such a disaster I spent five years watching them fail, eventually getting so fed up I ripped them out by hand. They grew so aggressively poorly that I didn't even need much strength to tear them out of the ground.
2. Regarding that nursery—an outfit from across the border—my former advisor, John Francis Kotar, was the one who pushed those plants on me. If someone like that shows up at your door with "consulting" offers and vague nonsense? My advice: kick them out immediately. End of story.
3. That same nursery sold me Ervnia stock along with the plants. Lost 1,200 trees because of it. I had no choice but to hop in my van, drive straight to his office, sit down at his desk, and wait until he showed up so I could make sure he compensated me for the loss. He paid up, gave me replacement seedlings, I said goodbye, and we're done. No more business.
4. Now, this other guy? He's an honest, old-school gentleman. I've been buying from him for three seasons now. When I haul my stock home, everyone laughs because the plants look tiny, stunted, and weak. I plant them carefully, wait for autumn, and then let the results speak for themselves. With proper feeding, water, and sandy soil—which is perfect for orchards—these things explode. I get over 2 feet of growth in the first year while everyone else is still scratching their heads. I'm satisfied with this man; I've already placed my order for the fall, and all five sets.
So, I've cut ties with the first three. This fourth guy is solid, and I'll keep working with him. Are there scammers among the nursery suppliers? Absolutely. Should orchard owners be warned about the sharks looking to rob them blind? They definitely should.
What exactly is my nurseryman supposed to say? He moved 3,800 seedlings for me this fall, and he’ll move just as many next autumn. I don't give him any notice before calling to pester him for more stock. And if they aren't sitting on his shelves? He finds them.
The local cooperative ships out roughly 3,000 tons of various fruit annually. That’s a significant volume.
Market prices dictate the bottom line, not the producers or the co-op. Our job? Produce high-quality goods and focus on scale. Adapt when necessary. That’s really all there is to it.
So, you inherited some farmland. You don't even need city water for irrigation—I dug two wells, bought some pumps, and I'm all set. Get your paperwork in order, though. Better yet, get a meter installed on-site so those bureaucrats can't cheat you out of what's yours. Clear out the brush and actually decide what you're doing with the place. I’ve been hearing rumors that neglected agricultural plots are going to face heavy property taxes soon. Think about your next move. And since you're right outside New York City, that land isn't cheap.
I work through a local cooperative and honestly, I couldn't be happier. The co-op brings all the fruit growers together. We can't really find common ground with the vegetable farmers, though—they mostly stick to selling at local farmers' markets while the co-op handles distribution to the big retail chains.
Yeah, this is a spread-out country. Having a shortage of specialized experts is a major headache for me, too. I’ve barely managed to pull together 10 acres, and even then, it's split across four different locations. One of those spots is my own house, so that's not much of an issue. The real problem is the mindset of the neighbors. Once they realized I actually knew how to grow and sell my own produce, they started trying to squeeze me on land prices. I wasn't having any of it. Why would I try to get rich 😂 off someone else's family inheritance? That's just not how we do things here.