What in the world am I doing?

My first year’s goal is to begin a Winter CSA (community supported agriculture) share. Customers will pay at the beginning of the season and will pick up a share of approximately 25 lbs of produce every other week, January through April. This will equal eight pickups per share, weighing in at 200+ pounds. What is included in the share is split into four parts:

Storage produce: Potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, beets, cabbage, turnips, radishes, winter squash, pumpkins

Fresh produce: Kale, Belgian endive, Swiss chard

Canned goods: Spaghetti sauce, salsa, fruit preserves and jams, pickles

Frozen goods: Tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower

These are projected crops for the initial year. I plan to expand upon this, learning more about growing fresh veggies over winter and adding more frozen produce as I am able to purchase freezer equipment. For the first year, however, I want to keep things simple and work mainly with plants I have some experience with and storage methods requiring little start-up cost. Some experimentation will happen, if time and resources permit. I am definitely excited about learning more with each passing year.

I will be using organic, sustainable methods to grow these yummies: no chemicals, farm-produced compost/fertilizer, minimal machinery usage, cover crops, and much more. I may incorporate some biodynamic elements, such as planting by the lunar signs to give plants a bit of a natural boost.

If things go as planned, I will make my first planting in October – garlic, which grows over winter to be harvested in June. The rest will be started in March and April of 2011. Growing will continue through November, with Round One of CSA shares beginning the first week of January 2012. It seems a long way off, but will happen quickly!

I would like to spend the summer and fall at Nashville farmers markets, selling any excess produce as time and resources allow. I hope to produce enough to sell at least 15 shares for Round One.

More to come, but these are the (possibly too detailed) basics. What do y’all think? Input is more than welcome, encouragement and suggestions would be fabulous!