Market garden (mixed vegetables)
What it earns, what it costs and what it asks of your week.
Every figure on this page is the template's own, an extension estimate and not a measurement of any farm. Your own hours and harvests calibrate it once you log them.
Where the numbers come from
- KY · University of Kentucky, Center for Crop Diversification, Vegetable and Melon Budgets: Small-Scale (2022), 2022 primary
- TN · University of Tennessee Extension, Sample Budget for Small-Scale Commercial Tomato Operations (W 1125), 2022
- NC · NC State Extension, Market Gardens for Small Farms in North Carolina (AG-886-01), 2021
- TN · University of Kentucky, Center for Crop Diversification, Tennessee Farmers Market Price Reports, 2025
- TN · University of Tennessee Extension, Tennessee Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden, 2025 Calendar (W 436), 2025
Figured at 1 100-ft bed, the size of operation the primary source describes. Season 2, the first at full production; earlier seasons earn less.
Hours by week
1 100-ft bed of Market garden (mixed vegetables) in 2026, week by week. The dashed line is 40 hours, one person's week. The busiest week holds 10 h (Jul 6 to Jul 12).
Weeks that cannot move
Biology or a booking sets these; nothing can reschedule them.
- Transplant and seed after the last frost: Apr 20 to May 3
- Market day (shared by every bed): May 11 to Nov 1
- Harvest (twice a week): Jun 1 to Nov 1
- Wash, pack and cool: Jun 1 to Nov 1
Where it lands on a mixed farm
Each pair of templates is run together on a made-up farm of one person at 40 hours, the way Farm Draft runs a plan. A week is listed when the scheduler finds work that cannot move, at least 8 hours from each, adding up to more than 40. The weeks are computed, not written: change a template and they change.
| Collides with | Weeks | Worst week | This template | The other | Fixed work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberries | 9 (Jun 1 to Jun 28, Aug 31 to Oct 4) | Jun 1 to Jun 7 | Market day (shared by every bed), 5 h | Raspberry picks (summer), 88 h | 272 h |
| Blueberries | 7 (Jun 1 to Jul 19) | Jun 1 to Jun 7 | Market day (shared by every bed), 5 h | Blueberry picks, 48 h | 153 h |
| Honeybees | 1 (Jun 15 to Jun 21) | Jun 15 to Jun 21 | Market day (shared by every bed), 5 h | Honey extraction and bottling, 121 h | 129 h |
| Orchard (apple and pear, semi-dwarf) | 2 (Aug 17 to Aug 30) | Aug 17 to Aug 23 | Market day (shared by every bed), 5 h | Harvest, 58 h | 66 h |
| Pick-your-own and event days | 7 (Sep 14 to Nov 1) | Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Market day (shared by every bed), 5 h | Host event days (setup, check-in, field, parking, cleanup), 38 h | 46 h |
| Blackberries | 3 (Jun 15 to Jun 21, Jul 6 to Jul 12, Jul 27 to Aug 2) | Jun 15 to Jun 21 | Market day (shared by every bed), 5 h | Blackberry picks, 12 h | 45 h |
Not checked, because their sources state no size of operation: Cut flowers (bunches, direct), Hair sheep (pasture lambs), Pastured feeder pigs (whole and half hogs), Stocker cattle (summer grazing).
Tasks
| Task | Hours fixed | Hours per 100-ft bed | When | Rigidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bed prep, compost, drip and plastic | 1 h | 2 h a 100-ft bed | once, Mar 15 to Apr 30 | Flexible, 14 days |
| Transplant and seed after the last frost | 0.5 h | 1 h a 100-ft bed | once, Apr 20 to May 31 | Fixed |
| Fall successions (beans, greens, cucumbers) | 0.5 h | 0.5 h a 100-ft bed | once, Jul 1 to Aug 15 | Flexible, 14 days |
| Weed, trellis and check irrigation | 0.5 h | 0.6 h a 100-ft bed | weekly, May 1 to Oct 31 | Flexible, 3 days |
| Harvest (twice a week) | 0.5 h | 1.5 h a 100-ft bed | weekly, Jun 1 to Oct 31 | Fixed |
| Wash, pack and cool | 0.5 h | 0.75 h a 100-ft bed | weekly, Jun 1 to Oct 31 | Fixed |
| Market day (shared by every bed) | 5 h | — | weekly, May 15 to Oct 31 | Fixed |
| Pull plastic, cover crop | 0.5 h | 0.75 h a 100-ft bed | once, Nov 1 to Nov 30 | Floating |
Costs
| Line | Amount | Schedule F |
|---|---|---|
| Seed and transplants | $20.00 a 100-ft bed | Seeds and plants |
| Compost, fertilizer, lime, soil test | $30.00 a 100-ft bed | Fertilizer and lime |
| Drip tape and plastic mulch | $25.00 a 100-ft bed | Supplies |
| Stakes, twine, containers | $40.00 a 100-ft bed | Supplies |
| Pest and disease control | $10.00 a 100-ft bed | Chemicals |
| Market booth fee ($25 a market day) | $25.00 fixed | Marketing |
| Card fees, bags, signage (10% of sales) | 10% of revenue | Marketing |
Revenue
| Line | Price | Yield | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Produce (mixed crops, 275 lb a season at $2) | $2.00 a lb | 12.5 lbs a 100-ft bed | 1 lb a lb |
Farm Draft records the tax category of each line and leaves the choice of treatment to your CPA.
Run it on your own farm
Add Market garden (mixed vegetables) next to the rest of what you grow and raise. Farm Draft puts every enterprise in one weekly calendar against the hours you actually have and names the week they collide.
The other templates
- Beef cow-calf
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cut flowers (bunches, direct)
- Hair sheep (pasture lambs)
- Hay (tall fescue, custom baled)
- Honeybees
- Laying hens
- Meat goats (pasture and browse)
- Orchard (apple and pear, semi-dwarf)
- Pastured broilers
- Pastured feeder pigs (whole and half hogs)
- Pick-your-own and event days
- Raspberries
- Stocker cattle (summer grazing)