Don’t forget to stock up for your own table. You’ll find all the details in the book How to Store Your Garden Produce. If frost threatens suddenly, go through your fields and glean whatever odds and ends you can find. Almost everything can be frozen and used in soup later.

Although 88% of U.S. farmers markets are open less than six months a year, there is a definite trend toward stretching the market season in fall or holding special holiday markets. In addition, many communities have craft markets where farmers can sell value-added products. Many growers create a line of value-added products that they can sell after the main produce season is over. If you haven’t specifically grown crops with value-added products in mind, this is a good time to survey your markets for potential niches. You might also find that you already have the materials for products you can sell this fall, as a way of testing the water. Here are a few ideas.

Cut flowers are prone to wilting in summer, especially when they're on display at a farmers market or farm stand on a hot day. And nobody wants to buy a bunch of wilted flowers. To prevent premature wilting, follow good harvest and post-harvest procedures. Here are the basics.

Pathogenic bacteria thrive in warm temperatures, so pay particular attention to food safety when harvesting, washing, packing, and storing produce in the summer. The guiding principle in food safety should be to prevent pathogens from getting onto your produce in the first place. A set of standards known as Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) is designed to do just that.

In hot climates around the world, vegetables and cut flowers are grown under shade cloth to reduce heat and light intensity, resulting in better quality and higher yields.

There’s both art and science to displaying produce at a market. A beautiful display catches the eye of customers and brings them to your stand. Then the science of selling takes over and makes it easy for customers to purchase your products. Here are some of the rules of farmers market display that will help you sell more:

Branding is not limited to big companies with a lot of money to spend on advertising;  even the smallest business has a brand that can be managed to increase profits. Although farmers don’t usually think of themselves as having a brand, many of the concepts used in brand management in other sectors can be applied to agricultural businesses. Here are some ways to think about developing and managing your brand:

Here are some sobering statistics as you begin the weeding season on your farm or market garden: A Minnesota study found that a square foot of soil, 6 inches deep, contained from 98 to 3,068 viable weed seeds. Many seeds remain viable for decades; Jimsonweed has a 90 percent germination rate after 40 years in the soil and field bindweed seeds are viable for more than 50 years. All those seeds are just sitting there, in what is known as the “weed seed bank,” waiting for favorable conditions that will allow them to germinate.

One of the fringe benefits of weeding is that while you are out there hoeing or hand pulling weeds, you can monitor crops for any signs of damage from pests or diseases.

Among the many season extension structures in use on vegetable farms today, one of the least expensive is the caterpillar tunnel. Caterpillars — so named because of their segmented appearance. Caterpillars are easy to build and move. They are inexpensive compared to permanent hoophouses and most of the materials can be found locally.

Drip irrigation is the best way to water vegetables and cut flowers. It avoids wetting the foliage, which can lead to foliar diseases. It delivers water only to the crop, reducing the growth of weeds nearby.

Planting time has arrived, and the seedlings you grew so carefully inside, then hardened off gradually outside, are ready to go into the field or garden. Your goal is to keep them growing rapidly through the transition. That entails avoiding transplant shock, providing the right kind of fertilization, and having irrigation set up so you can water from Day 1.

As young plants re-establish in the field or garden, they often have trouble taking up the nutrients they need from the soil. Soil conditions such as high pH, excess moisture, and cold temperatures also can make nutrients unavailable to plant roots. This is often exhibited by purpling or yellowing of the lower leaves on plants. When this occurs, foliar feeding  spraying liquid fertilizer on the plants' leaves and stems  may provide needed nutrients for a short period of time until the roots can resume nutrient uptake.

Just as the sap starts to rise in trees this time of year, so the excitement starts to rise in the hearts of gardeners and farmers. Whether or not it’s time to start planting outside, it definitely is time to get ready for the season ahead. In this issue of JSS Advantage, we’ll suggest ways to use your pent-up gardening energy so that you will be well-prepared to fly into action as the weather warms.