Professional Gardener – starting a professional gardening business

Professional gardening – when people think of their garden, they rarely think of it as a potential business. Many farmers aren't doing well these days, so how would being a professional gardener differ. Well these two aren’t exactly the same for many important reasons.

Professional gardeners take their love of growing fresh food to an entirely new level. Even if you don’t ordinarily have a green thumb, there is enough information around that few people will simply and completely fail in this endeavor.

Starting with the basics of economics, gardening starts providing income or its substitute right from the beginning with the smallest garden or a few pots on the patio. Ask just about any family, and other than the cost of housing and transportation, food consumes the next largest expense for any family. Families with kids and teens go through groceries at enormous rates. So even if you are only producing food for your family instead of buying it from the supermarket, aren’t you in effect making money? Of course.

Fresh vegetables are terribly expensive and canned or frozen ones aren’t far behind. Fresh vegetables are also much healthier than those that have been processed, so growing your own in your garden gives you several benefits that can be measured in economic terms. What you don’t spend at the supermarket buying commercially grown food has just as much value as that which you earn. In that respect alone, gardening is a great second income and one that not even Congress can tax you on.

Taking gardening one step further towards a paid second job just means going a few steps farther. Once you have grown all your family can and will eat for the year, the remainder of the crop can almost always be easily sold to neighbors and those who pass by.

One such man in Mathews NC who was told he only had a couple of years to live and decided to use it to grow and can veggies for his family, found that he had an abundance. He set up a cart by the road with an honor box and a scale, and was amazed to find he was sold out of his crops by 10 am every day. Growing more and more every year after that, he beat the doctor’s prognosis and realized that his new summer hobby was not only fun and therapeutic, he could easily turn an extra $20,000 in cash.

Professional gardening in a boom economy

When the economy is great, people often tend to buy the best they can find. Most realize that fresh organic veggies are far better for them than what they can buy at the local supermarket. Roadside stands run by professional gardeners may not make enough to get rich on, but they often produce a nice steady cash stream during the summer and fall months.

Professional gardening in a bust economy?

Professional gardeners still do very well even in the poorest of economies. People still buy food, and they try to get the best value for the dollar. Professional gardeners who keep their product slightly lower than the hothouse imported veggies found at the local supermarket will keep their following.

How much money can I make?

How much money you make as a professional gardener is obviously dependant upon your volume of crops, how much traffic you have passing by, and the look and appeal of your veggie stand. Veggie stands that look like a dump tend to not do as well, mostly because people associate quality with the way the product is presented.

It is not unheard of for professional gardeners to bring in an extra $20,000-$30,000 a year if they have the volume, the quality of food, and a nice presentation.

Competitors

Your primary competitors include the local supermarket. These are the places that have and will do the vast majority of the business. Don’t view them as competitors, but as businesses who provide an alternative product. Provide quality organic products and keep that image.

Farmers markets are also competitors. It’s hard to beat the variety they have, but the location isn’t always very convenient for people. Professional gardeners can run their stand every day and have more convenience for people just passing by.

Advertising your professional gardening business

If you have the location, just putting up a couple of signs advertising your products will get you going. Beyond that, count on word of mouth advertising to really make a difference.

License Requirements

Even roadside stands generally need a business license, but that’s about all. In-city limits locations might require a zoning variance. Contact your local county/parish for business rules and regulations

Financial Requirements

If you have the land to plant, gardening expenses go down quickly from there. Highly recommended purchases would include tilling equipment and a few hand tools. You will of course need to invest in seed or starter plants (with seed being the cheapest) and fertilizers. Costs and types depend on the products you intend to plant and whether to go organic or not.

What to do next

Start with a visit to your local nursery. You can take a soil sample in to have them test it and see what you are starting with. Explain what you intend to do and talk about crops that do well and what you need to do to prepare your soil.

Keywords: crops, veggies, vegetables, garden, gardening, gardener, soil, plants, fertilize, fertilizer, organic, chemical fertilizer, pesticide, natural, high growth,

Resources: