Skip to: site menu | section menu | main content

Currently viewing: round river farms » home

Production Expectations

Tasty organic produce

The Season

The harvest season on RRF for a few years ran from early June through August, with an average of about 12 weekly deliveries to our customers. We relied upon student interns as our primary labor force here on the farm. As a result, our season in the past has been confined to the inter-school session. For the past few years we have had someone available to work for the full SC growing season. Therefore our deliveries this year will run from early May until late October, with an average of 20-24 weekly deliveries, depending on the weather.

The Unpredictable

Even though we will plant to provide a variety of vegetables each week, the variables in growing things are manifold and may result in more or less of a certain crop than was planned. If there is an abundance of a crop, sharers may preserve it or pass it along to a friend. A newsletter will keep shareholders posted of conditions on the farm.

Share Size

This year one full share of the vegetable harvest will provide several lbs. of produce per week for approximately 20-24 weeks. A full share will supplement the weekly needs of a family of four on a normal diet or one to two people eating a primarily vegetarian diet. Weekly deliveries may range from 5 pounds to (rarely) 15 pounds for a full share because several crops may ripen simultaneously. Those who may find a full share a bit much are encouraged to split a share with a partner. Under this arrangement, one full share is packaged and the partners divide the share.

Food Value

Making fresh organic produce financially accessible to people is important to us. Traditionally, prices for organic produce have been higher than conventionally grown supermarket produce and at times prohibitively high for some. It has troubled us that food grown without poisons and with care and attention to the natural order of things should become an exclusive item. In the experience of other CSA farms the five or ten pound weekly harvest has been calculated to be far less in cost than organic produce and slightly above supermarket prices. The low produce prices we have been accustomed to are a manifestation of an agriculture that looks at the earth as a high productive machine rather than a living thing, and government policy that encourages this view. This attitude actually exacts a higher price on the soil, water, our health and the quality of the food. The nature of growing things right, with care for the earth, her fruits, and ourselves necessarily involves sacrificing the economics of scale, the efficiency of mechanization, and the artificial surplus afforded by industrial fertilizers and poisons. After examining the real costs, we should be eager to financially support organic agriculture.

Harvest and Pick Up

Harvest will occur two times a week. One harvest will occur on Monday, the other on Thursday. Each shareholder will be assigned a harvest day, either Monday or Thursday, upon which they may pick up their weekly share. The harvest will be available for pick up in the latter part of the afternoon and delivered to designated sites that are convenient to the greatest number of shareholders in the Greenville, Lexington and Columbia areas. You will then be responsible to come to these sites and pick up your share. We suggest you find other shareholders in your area with whom to alternate pickups. If you so choose, arrangements can be made to pick up your share at Round River Farms. We do have limited cooler space for those who may be delayed for a pick up. Shares left at the farm for more than two days will be donated. If you foresee any problems with this harvest schedule, please call us to discuss possible options.

Our pick-up locations have to be negotiated each year, but the most recently used locations are:

  1. 14 Carrot Whole Foods
    5300 Sunset Blvd.
    Lexington, SC 29072
    803-359-2920

  2. Eastern States Serum Co Pet Supplies
    1727 Harden St
    Columbia, SC 29204
    803-254-4445

    3. Back to top