Space requirements:
To run a produce stand from your home you are going to need to have a yard that is big enough to grow enough vegetables and/or fruit in it to make the produce stand worthwhile. Your yard should be at least ½ acre if you plan to run a successful produce stand, the bigger your yard the more produce that you can grow.

You are also going to need to have enough space in your front yard for a produce stand. If you are putting your produce stand in front of your house, make sure that you have plenty of room for parking. If you do not have any room for parking, your best bet is to rent an empty lot that you can build a produce stand on, so that your customers have easy access getting in and out.

Time requirements:
Starting a produce stand is going to be very time consuming. First, you are going to have to get the ground ready to plant your garden and then you can plant your garden. Once you have planted the garden you are going to need to make sure that it is kept up so that it produces enough produce for you to sell, which means weeding the garden, watering the garden, and harvesting the garden.

Aside from all of the time that you put in getting the produce ready to sell, you will also need to spend time selling the produce. How much time you spend selling the produce is going to depend on how much money you want to make. Most produce stands are opening from late morning to just before dark. This gives customers plenty of time to stop by on their way home from work to get some fresh produce.

Income potential:

Keys to success:

• You will need to have a decent sized garden to produce enough vegetables and fruit to make the produce stand successful. In the beginning, you are going to want to keep your produce stand small. This is will ensure that you have an idea of how much you can sell, which will prevent you from having a ton of produce go to waste and you having an empty wallet.


• You need to know the food safety laws in your state. You want to ensure that you are complying with federal and state laws that regulate selling produce.


• Maintain your prices; do not charge a different price for the same item on different days. The reason for this is that your customers are going to return if they like what they ate, and when they return, they will expect to pay the same prices as before. If you start shifting your prices, you will most likely lose business.


• Try to grow some specialty items, meaning produce that is not found in the grocery store. The reason for this is that you need to get your produce to stand out in some way so that you can draw in the customers.


• Organize your produce by type. This makes it easier for customers to find what they are looking for, and they can see and inspect what they are buying. You can also use baskets to place the produce in, prop the baskets up on an angle to add curb appeal.

• Weather can be the biggest risk that you are facing with running a produce stand. Depending on the weather, many of your crops can be ruined, such as frost damage or flooding or even drought.


• Insects are another big risk when running a produce stand. If your crops are infested with insects, you can end up losing all of your crops to the infestation, which means you earn no money for that year.