5 Acres and a dream

[Tropicdude]

If you had to start from scratch, and all you had was 5 acres of land,  what do you think would be a profitable crop or business to put on it. with the intention of making a living with it.  what kind of fruits for instance do you think would have a good market and sell at a good price?

I am aware every climate region and area would be different.

[jez251]

I think it depends on a lot of factors, such as area  you are in, localt fruit available and proximity to local and foreign markets.

Jaime

[Tim]

Definitely not mangoes, mangosteens, nor cherimoyas/atemoyas ... nobody likes those.  Start a truffle farm

[BMc]

If it were for a farmers market type living I'd do an acre of veggies and root crops and do the rest as Avocadoes, early Mangoes, Abiu and Atemoya as they always get decent price, then just a few top quality niche fruits - mamey is seldom grown but in high demand here, canistel, jakfruit and others that are not well known but can fetch a good price if the right buyer is around.

For commercial markets it would probably be early season mangoes not of the KP variety and Maha Chinok.

[jcaldeira]

With only 5 acres, I would focus on very early and very late varieties of fruit trees to get the best market prices, and also grow some labor-intensive crops that are appropriate for the climate.

[jez251]

This subject has always interested me. I have some land in Central Chile, which regularly gets frosty mornings and rain in the Winter, and hot, dry Summers. Very Mediterranean-type climate. I'm sure there are a bunch of fruiting plants that would do well in that climate and that are not yet in Chile. I'm thinking fruit like Jujubes, Papaya, Mulberry, Achachairu, Mango, even cool variety lychees!

My dream would be to one day retire there, plant a bunch of rare (for the area) fruit trees and set up either a stand at the local Farmer's Market, or a roadside stand.

Jaime

[luc]

I do OK with passionfruit .

Abiu like Bmc mentioned has a limited public ( here ) due to the latex in the peel just like the caimito .

At the farmers market I used to sell the small Hawaiian papaya very well .

Here it used to be mango country , not worth it anymore , people are cutting the trees down .

Try also Heliconia as a cut flower .

[red durian]

10 yrs ago in Belize, the most profitable use of land was to grow carrots and potatoes.  The marketing board had fixed the price of these foods to encourage local production and reduce the need to import them.  Chicken manure was available for 50 cents per feed sack at the time.  Mandarin oranges were quite profitable as were avocados, especially, as Luc, said, off season.

[Squam256]

If you had to start from scratch, and all you had was 5 acres of land,  what do you think would be a profitable crop or business to put on it. with the intention of making a living with it.  what kind of fruits for instance do you think would have a good market and sell at a good price?

I am aware every climate region and area would be different.

Anything except mangoes, avocados, sapodillas, mamey, lychee, longan, jakfruit, carambola, bananas, guavas, or canistel. Don't grow any of those.

[red durian]

In Java now, it is profitable to grow dragon fruit, longan, and grapes.   If you are in a colder climate,  organic garlic,  kale and apples were good crops 15 yrs ago in NE NA.

[DurianLover]

Definetelly not mangoes. My nr.1 is dragon fruit, nr.2 mangosteen. Both yeld about 3.5X per acre compared to mangoes, and both demand equal or higher price than mangoes in most parts of the world. There cannot be definitive answer because it all depends on local circumstances, climate and your entrepreneurship. For example, if you can grow Alphonso mango as good as those from Konkani coast of India, than large indian disapora in the west will basically pay you any price for them.

[fruitlovers]

If you had to start from scratch, and all you had was 5 acres of land,  what do you think would be a profitable crop or business to put on it. with the intention of making a living with it.  what kind of fruits for instance do you think would have a good market and sell at a good price?

I am aware every climate region and area would be different.

First i would turn part of that farm to a diverse crop for myself and family. In case your farm venture doesn't work out at least you won't starve to death.  Probably you'll end up eating like a king if you're a good gardener. So i would use 1/4-1/2 acre of those 5 acres for a varied crop of veggies and everbearing fruits. The other 4 1/2 acres i would try to find a niche market. Don't grow what everyone else is growing. A 5 acre farm will not be able to compete with a 500 acre farm growing the same crop at a much lower cost. The niche market will depend widely on what crops are already growing in your area. Even on those 4 1/2 acres i wouldn't put all my eggs into just one basket. Try at least 2-3 crops and see what works best. That way also if your neighbor plants one of your crops you don't compete with them and can switch to another crop. Farmers need to be flexible especially with a lot of competition, even global competition, and diseases that can easily wipe out a monoculture crop.

[Felipe]

So far, mamey is the most profitable crop over here. You can sell it at 8-10 EUR/Kg. Pantin for example is very productive and has no pest issues.

On the other hand I would never grow citrus commertially...

[Xeno]

First i would turn part of that farm to a diverse crop for myself and family. In case yor farm venture doesn't work out at least you won't starve to death.  Probably you'll end up eating like a king if you're a good gardener. So i would use 1/4-1/2 acre of those 5 acres for a varied crop of veggies and everbearing fruits. The other 4 1/2 acres i would try to find a niche market. Don't grow what everyone else is growing. A 5 acre farm will not be able to compete with a 500 acre farm growing the same crop at a much lower cost. The niche market will depend widely on what crops are already growing in your area. Even on those 4 1/2 acres i wouldn't put all my eggs into just one basket. Try at least 2-3 crops and see what works best. That way also if your neighbor plants one of your crops you don't compete with them and can switch to another crop. Farmers need to be flexible especially with a lot of competition, even global competition, and diseases that can easily wipe out a monoculture crop.

Pretty much all this. Except one acre would be filled with jakfruit trees. 1 acre of greenhouses (hydroponics with tilapia fish inside). The other acres with nontropical trees. Remember to grow bamboo, bananas, and sugar cane.

[Squam256]

If you had to start from scratch, and all you had was 5 acres of land,  what do you think would be a profitable crop or business to put on it. with the intention of making a living with it.  what kind of fruits for instance do you think would have a good market and sell at a good price?

I am aware every climate region and area would be different.

First i would turn part of that farm to a diverse crop for myself and family. In case your farm venture doesn't work out at least you won't starve to death.  Probably you'll end up eating like a king if you're a good gardener. So i would use 1/4-1/2 acre of those 5 acres for a varied crop of veggies and everbearing fruits. The other 4 1/2 acres i would try to find a niche market. Don't grow what everyone else is growing. A 5 acre farm will not be able to compete with a 500 acre farm growing the same crop at a much lower cost. The niche market will depend widely on what crops are already growing in your area. Even on those 4 1/2 acres i wouldn't put all my eggs into just one basket. Try at least 2-3 crops and see what works best. That way also if your neighbor plants one of your crops you don't compete with them and can switch to another crop. Farmers need to be flexible especially with a lot of competition, even global competition, and diseases that can easily wipe out a monoculture crop.

Best advice so far.

[TriangleJohn]

In order to make a living off the land - regardless of size - you have to factor in labor. Around here the large farms growing blueberries can't find enough seasonal help during harvest (done by hand), whereas the little guys with only a few acres seem to have better luck getting their crops picked. It also seems that a lot of the nutritional information these days focuses on berries over large fruits so I think a person can always find a market for berries. When I talk to the folks selling at the nearby farmers market they all say that they make the most money selling the common veggies like tomatoes and green beans and that extending the season with high tunnels or hoophouses has a big effect on sales.

[ty23]

Been lurking here for a while, but first time posting because I had nothing constructive to say.
This is however about  a dream, and I do quite a bit of that. I was thinking have 1 acre of fruits and veggies. a few chickens and other small animals. On the other 4, avocado for oil production.  Different oil rich varieties that ripen at different times so my wife and I could do it by ourselves. Avocado oil is like green gold. This cant be primary income, but retirement income.

               Tyrone

[DurianLover]

Been lurking here for a while, but first time posting because I had nothing constructive to say.
This is however about  a dream, and I do quite a bit of that. I was thinking have 1 acre of fruits and veggies. a few chickens and other small animals. On the other 4, avocado for oil production.  Different oil rich varieties that ripen at different times so my wife and I could do it by ourselves. Avocado oil is like green gold. This cant be primary income, but retirement income.

               Tyrone

http://maryamchin.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-produce-cold-pressed-avocado-oil.html
Here is extreme home edition of avocado oil. Although, I hope you'll get more sophisticated than that

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Oh Boy, 5 acres/2hectare...infinite possibility to make a profitable income!

Build guest houses and plant the whole 2 hectares with tropical fruits, veggies and herbs. And go off-grid and attract fruit lovers from all over. Sustainable living is in fashion now a days.

OR you have to find out what crops are in demand and plant the whole orchard. Diversification is key too, so that you will have a year round source of income from the diversity of crops. There will always be a crop in season! High density plantation is also a very good idea and produce more than the old style...though, it demands more labour, than the conventional method with proper density of tree and rows.

Money doesn't grow on trees...fruits does Market them properly...then you will see them benjies roll'n in        

[ty23]

               



http://maryamchin.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-produce-cold-pressed-avocado-oil.html
Here is extreme home edition of avocado oil. Although, I hope you'll get more sophisticated than that
[/quote]
 I think so, but not that much different.  An under sink garbage grinder for the pulp, solar dehydrator for removing moisture, and a screw type press for extracting the oil.

[fruitlovers]

Oh Boy, 5 acres/2hectare...infinite possibility to make a profitable income!

Build guest houses and plant the whole 2 hectares with tropical fruits, veggies and herbs. And go off-grid and attract fruit lovers from all over. Sustainable living is in fashion now a days.

OR you have to find out what crops are in demand and plant the whole orchard. Diversification is key too, so that you will have a year round source of income from the diversity of crops. There will always be a crop in season! High density plantation is also a very good idea and produce more than the old style...though, it demands more labour, than the conventional method with proper density of tree and rows.

Money doesn't grow on trees...fruits does Market them properly...then you will see them benjies roll'n in      

A lot of farms in Hawaii have set up guest houses for eco-tourism. The farms that do this it's because they can't really make a living on a small plot of land by just farming. So it's a good idea, but only if you are in a location that gets lots of tourists, and also if you are open to the idea of becoming a sort of inn keeper. Renting out guest houses, maintaining them, and dealing with paying guests, is very different than farming. So if you are willing to do both it is ok. There is a danger though in this trend as most people that do this find that becoming an inn keeper is so much MORE profitable than farming that they end up building more and then more guest houses. Pretty soon the farming just becomes a decoration, not real farming.

[TriangleJohn]

Oscar - I saw that first hand in Ecuador last summer. Reserved lodging at an organic farm out in the country but when I got there they were no longer farming. What little growing they did was just for decoration for the tourists.