So one surprise to me was how difficult organic veggies were for us. Granted, we are newbies, but compared to feeding and moving animals I feel the veggies were the most labor intensive thing we did so far at the farm.
Occasionally the animals require some care or maintenance that does involve more time and labor and can be dirty, but that is not every day. The animals do however require something every day, all year round.... food and water. Veggies on the other hand have a season, and unless you grow in high tunnels and greenhouses, there is a break during the winter
I wanted to share this not to give some critical insight or tip but only to share this.... if you go into veggies, have 2 people FULL TIME at a minimum. it requires planning, execution, and maintenance...every day. Then you have to harvest and sell it.... make it 2 full time and 1 part time person.
The good news is, it is mostly labor cost or your own time as seeds are not that much really. Even with our extremely low yields we were able to produce enough veggies to sell at markets each week and covered our costs. Next year we will make sure we have someone to set up the beds properly and weed daily and pick and re-plant..... each year we should get better at it
good luck. get your hands dirty!
pastured eggs almost ready!
-Jeff & Suzen