Small Scale Market Farming

In one spot am working a quarter acre patch for potatoes, corn, squash and pumpkins.  This is the first year I am partially mechanized on that field, tractor mounted tiller, planter, cultivator, hiller, harvester (planter is for corn, harvester is for potatoes.)  The other patch is a 1500ish sq ft area where I grow most of my household vegetables.  On that patch I have gone deep vintage.  I use a 1900ish planet jr two wheel hoe, and a midget seeder of the same era.  I did the initial tillage will my 1980 troybilt pony tiller.  I can tell you, I enjoy both systems.  

For the big field, which will continue to grow till I reach about 1-1/2 acres of cultivation and I need to do some more capital investment in equipment. Man alive, does the low-tech mechanization make larger production easier.  My JD 71 flex planter does a great job with the corn.

Working the smaller patch with the planet jr two wheel hoe is an arm builder, but it clears the weeds perfectly and silently.  The midget seeder is decent.  It is not spectacular accurate as a seeder, but it gets the job done for essentially any size seed.

Your title caught my attention,  because I had an experience today that seems similar.

I normally do a small garden each year,  and would get my plants near where I work,  from a big box store .   I have been "sheltering at home"   . . .  so a few weeks ago,  looked for something closer.     My wife suggested that I might try a stand a few miles away from us,  on the "main road" thru our county.     I went there and found that they had some really nice plants at very reasonably prices.

I went there again today to get some more plants.    Long story short ->  this stand is run by a family who lives about 3/4 mile from us.  

We live on dead end road,  and occasionally I drive my '2A to the end and back.   The scenery has changed over the years,  and noticed in past couple years -> a HUGE vegetable garden.   In talking with the girl working there today,   I found out that is their garden  . . .   we are practically neighbors.    They sell plants from their greenhouse this time of year,   and those vegetables, when in season.

I am going to be a customer of theirs from now on.

I guess my point is ->   if you are not selling everything you grow,  somehow you need to "get the word out",  because I bet there are a lot of people close to you, who would prefer to buy from you.

edit:  oh yeah   . . .   I was thinking I might get to end of your post and see M38 pulling some kind of farm implement. 

I am really just getting started into selling this year.  I have location that is conducive to it.  In past years I have preserved tons of stuff.  I am still eating my canned beans and carrots from 2018.

I need to put in a greenhouse.  My house starts to look like little shop of horrors starting in February with endless plants started inside.

As I said above, I am just really getting started.  I will be transitioning careers in the not so distant future and that will allow me the time I need to run it as a business.  Until then, I am using the time to learn and make mistakes.  

I have thought about putting a pto on the M38 to do hay work as it only needs a draw bar for most of those implements. 

What I have found works is a double fence. The deer can jump into the space between the fences, but then they can only jump over the outer fence. Our fences were set 4' apart & only 5' high. Worked well. 

When I have a garden next year, I will enclose about 1/2 acre with a new double fence.

I may try the fishing line trick. Does it work in the day time? My deer are always in my field, morning, noon, evening, & night time.