Long Distance Gardening Anyone?

[lavendarJ]

Has anyone heard of this site before? www.myorganicacres.com (http://www.myorganicacres.com) There are several garden and membership options. You can lease a 240 square foot organic garden or a 120 square foot garden plot (the lease is pricey), and of course there would be shipping charges based on weight and distance I'm sure. A friend told me all about it; I've never heard of them before.

They also have a basic membership (5 different types all together). Here is a copy and past from one of their FAQs links:

Your 240 Square Foot Garden..

Includes ALL Memberships..

$599.95 for one year’s transferable lease agreement..
Only $299.95 for first 1,000 new garden leases - $300 rebate for the first 1,000 new garden orders ...

Actual First Year Lease cost = $0

Monthly Maintenance fee $99.95 a month for 12 months--

or Spend $100 monthly in the the General Store on products you would normally buy------and your Monthly Maintenance Fee is FREE! - General Store Membership is FREE!

Your 120 Square Foot Garden..

Includes ALL Memberships..

$349.95 for one year’s transferable lease agreement..
Only $199.95 for first 1,000 new garden leases $200 rebate for the first 1,000 new garden orders ...

Actual First Year Lease cost = $0

Monthly Maintenance fee $59.95 a month for 12 months----

or Spend $60 monthly in the General Store on products you would normally buy------and your Monthly Maintenance Fee is FREE! - General Store Membership is FREE!

Your Basic Membership..

$14.95 Monthly..

Includes; Access to our Farmers Market where you can purchase great organic products direct from our gardeners at fantastic prices because we eliminate the middle man (AKA supermarkets)!

Also Access to our Online Organic Community and our Live Meetings so you can talk and share recipes, products and ideas with others in the organic community!

Also Access to our powerful Affiliate Program with its 5 level payouts!

General Store Membership..

$49.95 start up..

Includes all that your Basic Membership includes..

Plus your General Store Membership gives you access to our General Store with discounts on hundreds of great products!

$49.95 monthly- month to month..
$40 will be placed on your General Store cash account every month you pay your membership fee!

This makes your General Store Membership only $9.95 monthly!

6 Month General Store Membership..

$49.95 start up..

$40 will be placed on your General Store cash account at start up!

$39.95 monthly- 6 month agreement...!
$35 will be placed on your General Store cash account every month.

This makes your 6 Month General Store Membership Only $4.95 monthly!

12 Month General Store Membership..

$49.95 start up..

$40 will be placed on your General Store cash account at start up!

$29.95 monthly- 12 month agreement...!
$27 will be placed on your General Store cash account monthly!

This makes your 12 Month General Store Membership Only $2.95 monthly

They also provide other incentives and opportunities to make money based on referrals, etc. Like I said I just found out about them and I'm checking them out.

I believe they are based out of oregon from what I read so far. Their claim is all organic so still checking that part out. I think this would be great for people who live in condos or places where they don't have the access to a garden or if they live in regions where co-ops are not around. My friend is going to try it out because she has a family and has estimated that even with shipping costs, she would probably come out better buying her produce through this system. I don't know?

If anyone is familiar with this, please provide some insight. Everyone else, help me brainstorm. I think I'll contact the sponsor (my friend's) and ask some questions. Are there other questions raw vegan friends that I should be thinking of. They also have general store that will begin selling a variety of items. They even has a "raw food" link but when I clicked on it, there was nothing available under that catergory.

[lavendarJ]

bumping cause i'm hoping to get some feedback amigos:)

[spicyfull]

Sounds like it would be easier and Cheaper to just go to the Store and buy Organic, although I know nothing about this and have never heard of it. Snake Oil is still a Big Business.

[lavendarJ]

Sounds like it would be easier and Cheaper to just go to the Store and buy Organic, although I know nothing about this and have never heard of it. Snake Oil is still a Big Business.

True Spicy True --
There is still a feeling and appreciation I receive from going to local markets, smelling fresh herbs, etc. that I wouldn't be able to experience this route. It sure does seem interesting. I was surprised that I hadn't heard of it either...you know between all the raw vegans on this and other sites, seems like this site would have popped up in communication.

I don't know how new it is; I became busy with some other priorities and moved on to something else after surfing around the site for a bit. So far, the sponsor person, I emailed and asked him a few questions and he just replied with a "welcome", I'll wait and see what kind of info he has to share. I'm going to sit back and watch what happens with this company and hope my friend's experiences doesn't end up being one that she'll regret. If it's legitimate, I might buy from her "garden" this year-- encouraging her to read the fine print though before she get's locked into something (don't think she committed to the garden thing yet but is a "basic member" right now). It's like I almost wish I had a friend or two in the Oregon area that this company is supposed to based out of who could go there and investigate:)

[kaybee]

yeah that would be great if someone could investigate..ive seen this pop up on a few other raw foods sites (gitmr i think, or maybe on our site before) but no real answers. i even tried looking at their website but my internet doesnt have the capacity to upload the videos...its pretty unclear to me how they are going to do this.. it looked like you could decide what you wanted planted, and then "buy and sell" youre stuff online, which is really interesting. i think its an interesting concept, but i dont really get how it works. also, can you go VISIT your garden? i doubt it. i wonder if they really have "your garden" sectioned off or if its just a huge farm growing loads of stuff... i wonder how it gets determined how much produce you end up with ie. does it REALLY come from your plot? what kind of guarantees are there in terms of germination rates, production, etc.

interesting, but i think a lot of questions remain to be answered :)

kaybee

[Shine]

interesting, but i think a lot of questions remain to be answered :)

I agree. It seems like you are expected to jump in blind. The website provides few answers to many of my questions. So I emailed them....we'll see what happens.

:)

[Revvell]

I joined the freebee end of it but have heard nothing since. That concerns me. On the surface it sounds good; they've put a lot of work into it yet... don't know where it's going at this point. Until I know more... not going to put funds into it.

You know you can join for free, yes?

[lavendarJ]

I joined the freebee end of it but have heard nothing since. That concerns me. On the surface it sounds good; they've put a lot of work into it yet... don't know where it's going at this point. Until I know more... not going to put funds into it.

You know you can join for free, yes?

Did the freebie thing and watched the videos. If my friend's "sponsor" guy would answer my questions or call back I could find out more. I'd like to find the exact location of this place and make a trip, just because I'm nosey like that....

Oh well, to be continued

[Shine]

This is a copy of my email answer (sorry for all the links Aleesha - delete them if need be) :) I haven't signed up for the free section so I don't know what happens then but really I have no need for the program based on where I live....just wanted to research it as I have seen this around...

Hello Kellie,

Thank you for your inquiry..

Q. Do I have to sign up for a plan to get pertinent information?

No..you can join as a free member..please see link below:

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=85

The gardens are located:

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=68

The Gardens are tended to by workers that will be hired to take care of the gardens. You will be assigned your personal gardener. You may also visit the farm and tend to your own if you'd like.

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=69

Shipments will not start until whatever you have planted in your garden is ready to be harvested. You will have the choices of what can be planted in your garden, we anticipate by mid to late February sometime...please see link below for more information:

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&category=26

Produce will be shipped in this manner:

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=72

From your Organic Acres backoffice, you also have access to movies, located on the left hand side of your homepage. If you click on the General Store link, there is a way to view the store..

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=127

Here is a link with several other q and a's regarding the General Store.

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&category=25

If you can't get the videos to work, please refer to the below link:

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=100

We officially launched Organic Acres on December 10th, please read the link below for more information.

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=125

Here is a link that explains what the Pioneer Positions are:

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=78

Here is a link regarding Marketing and how the commissions work:

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&category=23

What exactly do I get paid on Commission Wise?

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=99

Here is the breakdown for levels:

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=81

Free membership pays you 2.5% on one level.

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=85

Here are your membership options and maintenance fees/ membership dues cost:

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb&article=79

Let me send you to the full list of FAQ's regarding Organic Acres.

http://support.gpcoffice.com/desk/organicacres/index.php?action=kb

If you can make any of our live meetings, Jerry has pictures of the farm. He also holds a Q&A session at the end of the meeting for anyone who has questions.

Details on how to attend the live meetings can be found below.

NOTE: In order to attend the meetings, you'll need to be a member of Organic Acres. There's no cost to register and your a free member until you choose to upgrade.

I hope this helps.

If you need additional assistance, please feel free to let us know how we can further assist you.

Sincerely,
Naomi McCreary
Organic Acres Support
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[Revvell]

I don't need the program either as far as feeding me goes, living in SoCal BUT, I was looking at it from a potential business aspect.

Like Shine, I went directly to the folks there for my questions/answers. They sound good yet... one can be a dog online.

Skepticism is good when dealing with online stuffs methinks. I'm also wondering, and haven't really looked at this aspect... since so many are spreading the word, and so many "may" be buying into it... how many can they support? Will this be like the airlines when they overbook? Oh! So sorry, that seat (produce) is already gone.

[kaybee]

huh. that does seem like a positive thing if you are allowed to go and see or tend your own garden. that definitely makes it seem more legit. i wonder what happens if there is a "crop failure" in one area though... like maybe the carrot flies get your carrots but not someone elses or whatever... i would make sure there are some guarantees before i joined if i was going to join. i realize there are NO guarantees in gardening, but its different when you have control over your own actual garden in your backyard and are totally responsible for it, versus paying money and then having a stranger responsible for caring for it.