A Saturday market table

Shade, ice, small bills and a display that brings people over.

Selling at a farmers market is the step that turns a big garden into a small business, and most of what makes a table work has little to do with the vegetables themselves. The produce has to be good, and so does the half hour before the bell. A few seasons of Saturday mornings teach the same lessons over and over.

Find the right market

Markets differ more than most growers expect. Some are producer-only and check that vendors grow what they sell. Some charge a flat booth fee; others take a share of sales. Some draw a crowd of regular shoppers by eight in the morning; others pick up after brunch. Visit a market as a customer two or three times before applying, and watch which tables are busy and why. The USDA keeps a national directory of farmers markets, which is a useful place to start a list.

Shade and cold

Greens wilt within an hour in direct Texas sun. Bring a canopy, weighted at every leg, and plan the table so the produce stays in its shade as the sun moves. Keep backup stock in coolers with ice packs or frozen water jugs under the table, and refill the display from the cooler rather than setting out everything at once. Harvest leafy crops the evening before or at first light, rinse them in cold water and bag them damp.

Make the display do the selling

Abundance sells. A full crate of peppers draws more buyers than a few peppers scattered on a tablecloth, so use smaller containers and keep them full. Tilt crates toward the aisle with a block of wood under the back edge. Put the most colorful crop at the front corner, where people walking past see it first. Label every item with its name and price on a clear sign; shoppers who have to ask often walk away instead.

Pricing

Price by the bunch, the pint or the pound and keep the numbers round. Check what other vendors charge before the market opens, and resist the urge to undercut them, since a market where everyone sells cheap loses its growers. A sign for a bundle deal near closing time moves the last of the perishable crops without marking down the whole table at nine in the morning.

Cash, cards and records

Bring a float of small bills and coins, and a card reader that works offline in case the signal is weak. Write down what came to market and what went home. After a month that sheet will show which crops pay for their space in the garden and which ones only fill the table.

The people part

Regular customers make a market table work. Learn names, remember who wanted the first tomatoes of the year, and hand a curious child a sugar snap pea to taste. A shopper who knows the grower behind the table comes back next week, and usually brings a friend.

Packing up

Leave time at the end to pack the truck the same way every week. Empty crates nest inside each other, the canopy goes in last so it comes out first, and the coolers ride against the cab where the load stays steady.