The satisfaction of keeping a tree and enjoying the delicious fruit that grows from it is usually the main motivator for planting a fruit tree. However, in my personal experience, owning a fruit stand or participating in a farmer’s market may be a very profitable endeavor with fruit trees.
I was slightly depressed when I came to Florida because I had just left behind years and years of hard effort to get my lawn to where it was. However, I was able to turn my depression into a healthy desire to start a new and more attractive garden and lawn arrangement. The house I moved into was wonderful, but the previous owner clearly didn’t know how to grow. The lawn was devoid of any features other than grass. There was a lot of grass.
I decided that since I was in a new climate that I had never experienced before, I would grow some trees that I had not previously had the opportunity to grow. I decided to do what every Floridian does and get a few orange trees. It was much simpler than I had anticipated. I’ve had some awful tree-planting experiences in the past, but planting the orange trees was a breeze. I chose Valencia oranges since they are the most popular orange to grow and practically everyone can grow them successfully.
I opted to acquire three trees after deciding on the type of orange I wanted. It took me around three days to dig all of the holes and install the trees. It was a faultless surgery, and I felt like a true professional. The trees grew straight and vigorous, bearing fruit at the appropriate time of year.
My orange trees didn’t yield much fruit for three or four years. Sure, I never ran out of oranges for my own consumption, and I drank almost exclusively orange juice, but I didn’t have the obscene amount that you might expect from three trees. I wouldn’t say my trees disappointed me. I was relieved to see any fruit at all. But I’d heard of others obtaining thousands and thousands of oranges from a single tree, and I was perplexed as to why I wasn’t so lucky.
My orange trees really took off around a year later. When I walked outside one day, there were nearly five times as many oranges than I had grown in any prior season. I thought I was seeing things, but they were all there. I had so many oranges that year that I didn’t know what to do with them all. That’s when a neighbor suggested I sell at a farmer’s market. I discovered the time they operate and rented a parking space for my truck (some farmers markets allow you to come and sell for free, but mind charged rent just to park your truck).
I made back all of the money I spent on the original trees on the first day at the farmer’s market. My oranges were a big hit, and I had more customers than any of the other competitors. I didn’t miss a single day at the farmer’s market after that week. It wasn’t enough to live on, but it was a decent sum for only selling some oranges. What else could I have done with them? I couldn’t possibly have eaten them all by myself. So, if you have an abundance of fruit, never throw it away or try to consume it all by yourself. Take it to the farmer’s market and try to recoup part of your gardening expenses. If your products are tasty, you might well be a big hit with the customers.