They grew crops like wheat, barley and oats. They also had farming they would have cattle, swine and sheep farms. They mostly used the crops produced from personal use and did not sell most of them. With growing few crops and mostly investing in trade, Massachusetts did not have to invest in much expansion. Massachusetts mostly consisted of families with small farms used for personal use, and that was passed down through generations.
Virginia would use the crops that they had grown by selling them to other colonies and for personal use. Massachusetts was mostly a trade colony that would legally trade with British Isles and British West Indies, but they illegally sold to Spain, France, Portugal, Holland, other American colonies, and Africa. Because Massachusetts did not have a very good and stable climate they had a lack of the staple crops. So, they would buy them from other colonies and then in turn trade them with other countries for different and more valuable things. Virginia had many different kinds of workers for their large plantations. They had indentured servants who would sign a contract with