Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This episode, the tables are turned as Alec sits in the hot seat as guest Chett Clayton of Hillside Harvest Farm takes over the interview ahead of his upcoming agricultural conference talk on bootstrapping a farm from the ground up. Together, they pull back the curtain on the raw realities of small-scale market gardening: from leasing land with existing infrastructure and managing startup expenses, to identifying the most profitable crops, setting realistic farmer's market revenue targets, navigating CSA models, and building smart financial systems.
Learn more about farmer Chett Clayton and Hillside Harvest Farm: instagram.com/hillsideharvestfarm
Learn more about farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm here:
instagram.com/cropculturefarm
Shop on Modern Grower with Alec's affiliate link:
https://shop.moderngrower.co?sca_ref=9551856.eplsLKegQSh7n
🎥 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 🌿
Follow Modern Grower:
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/moderngrowerpro
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/moderngrowerco
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
🔊 Carrot Cashflow: bit.ly/carrotcashflow
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart: bit.ly/farmsmallfarmsmart
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart Daily: bit.ly/farmsmallfarmsmartdaily
🔊The Growing Microgreens Podcast: bit.ly/thegrowingmicrogreenspodcast
📖 Check out Diego's book Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon: amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
00:00 Welcome and Episode Twist
01:39 Chet Returns and Sets the Stage
04:16 Alec’s Farming Origin Story
09:47 Leasing Land and Startup Costs
12:24 Lease Terms and Landlord Dynamics
15:02 Solo Setup and First Markets
17:18 Most Profitable Crops Breakdown
19:36 Beds and Scaling the Farm
21:44 Drip Irrigation and Watering Routine
24:32 Market Strategy and Revenue Targets
29:11 CSA Reality Check for New Farmers
32:58 Markets Are Forgiving
33:21 Crop Planning Chaos
34:24 Tools For Organization
35:47 Summer To Winter Hours
37:44 Weekly Rhythm To Market
39:27 QuickBooks Money System
42:26 Reserve Accounts Strategy
44:14 Paying Yourself Profit
49:45 Hiring And Scaling Up
51:38 Fix Processes First
55:37 Soil First Fertility
58:16 Sales Outlets Relationships
01:00:31 Wrap Up And Thanks
01:01:28 Outro Sponsors Support
#RookieFarmerPodcast #MarketGardening #SmallFarm #FarmLife #BeginnerFarmer #OrganicFarming #FarmersMarket #CropCultureFarm #HillsideHarvestFarm #BootstrapFarm #GrowYourOwn #FarmingTips #SustainableAgriculture #MarketGarden #FarmBusiness #NewFarmer #FarmFinance #GarlicFarm #MicroGreens #SoilHealth #FarmTalk #AgriPodcast #FarmingLife #StartAFarm #CropPlanning
**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
This episode, the tables are turned as Alec sits in the hot seat as guest Chett Clayton of Hillside Harvest Farm takes over the interview ahead of his upcoming agricultural conference talk on bootstrapping a farm from the ground up. Together, they pull back the curtain on the raw realities of small-scale market gardening: from leasing land with existing infrastructure and managing startup expenses, to identifying the most profitable crops, setting realistic farmer's market revenue targets, navigating CSA models, and building smart financial systems.
Learn more about farmer Chett Clayton and Hillside Harvest Farm: instagram.com/hillsideharvestfarm
Learn more about farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm here:
instagram.com/cropculturefarm
Shop on Modern Grower with Alec's affiliate link:
https://shop.moderngrower.co?sca_ref=9551856.eplsLKegQSh7n
🎥 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 🌿
Follow Modern Grower:
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/moderngrowerpro
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/moderngrowerco
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
🔊 Carrot Cashflow: bit.ly/carrotcashflow
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart: bit.ly/farmsmallfarmsmart
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart Daily: bit.ly/farmsmallfarmsmartdaily
🔊The Growing Microgreens Podcast: bit.ly/thegrowingmicrogreenspodcast
📖 Check out Diego's book Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon: amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
00:00 Welcome and Episode Twist
01:39 Chet Returns and Sets the Stage
04:16 Alec’s Farming Origin Story
09:47 Leasing Land and Startup Costs
12:24 Lease Terms and Landlord Dynamics
15:02 Solo Setup and First Markets
17:18 Most Profitable Crops Breakdown
19:36 Beds and Scaling the Farm
21:44 Drip Irrigation and Watering Routine
24:32 Market Strategy and Revenue Targets
29:11 CSA Reality Check for New Farmers
32:58 Markets Are Forgiving
33:21 Crop Planning Chaos
34:24 Tools For Organization
35:47 Summer To Winter Hours
37:44 Weekly Rhythm To Market
39:27 QuickBooks Money System
42:26 Reserve Accounts Strategy
44:14 Paying Yourself Profit
49:45 Hiring And Scaling Up
51:38 Fix Processes First
55:37 Soil First Fertility
58:16 Sales Outlets Relationships
01:00:31 Wrap Up And Thanks
01:01:28 Outro Sponsors Support
#RookieFarmerPodcast #MarketGardening #SmallFarm #FarmLife #BeginnerFarmer #OrganicFarming #FarmersMarket #CropCultureFarm #HillsideHarvestFarm #BootstrapFarm #GrowYourOwn #FarmingTips #SustainableAgriculture #MarketGarden #FarmBusiness #NewFarmer #FarmFinance #GarlicFarm #MicroGreens #SoilHealth #FarmTalk #AgriPodcast #FarmingLife #StartAFarm #CropPlanning
**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
