Backyard Growers are gardeners who grow edibles in their backyard for their consumption and family. Sometimes Backyard Growers have excess produce for trade. They can use an Edible Exchange or use this site to sell it locally.
Local Growers are commercial or semi-commercial growers that are local to your area, not further than 50Km away from you.
Available on the Backyard Growers Network
Fresh Food Trade
Current Listings
A Backyard Growers Network is where the mum and pops sell, trade, and barter their homegrown food and vegetables.
Why a Backyard Growers Network?
How it works is
A backyard growers network is an online version of the good old town square markets we used to have. We connect backyard growers with local customers that are serious about healthy and honest food.
The idea is based upon Edible Exchange, dating back to 2008. A Town local set up the first Edible Exchange here in town.
What the Backyard Growers Network is designed to do is:
- Communicate with growers everywhere.
- Share growing related ideas and solve problems.
- Sell before you harvest, reducing waste, and ensuring freshness.
- Sell online, and make some money with your “hobby”.
- Meet offline after you make online connections.
An Edible Exchange essentially is an online replica of a farmers market. You can now sell your products from your backyard to the local community. You can barter, trade services or just plain old cash.
Do not re-invent. If there is already a REKO in your area, then use that. We aim not to re-invent the wheel (despite this website being the spoke in it). Local REKOs will only work if growers and the community come together.
Note: Using an existing REKO to exchange goods sold via another means like Facebook gets frowned upon and gets you kicked off as a vendor.
How does the Backyard Growers Network work?
We build upon the REKO system. REKO was born out of a need for commercial farmers to sell their produce outside the usual supply chain. We extend this to Backyard Growers because commercial farming is centralised and generally not located near local communities.
If something good exists, then why change it? Blueprint it, rinse and repeat. REKO is a “good something” using Facebook to connect vendors and customers. We do not want to replace REKO. The Trade Shack is REKO, and Edible Exchange combined, for EVERYBODY, not requiring Facebook or social media accounts. Opening up opportunities for everybody who does not want to be on Facebook or Social Media.
The Trade Shack is the conduit between you, the grower and the local community. Grow food, advertise it here, and the community members can contact you to purchase it before, during or just after harvest. The Edible Exchange is a fixed location where you and other growers can exchange sold vegetables or products.