For many people, gardening is simply a relaxing hobby to cultivate beautiful flowers, tasty vegetables, or lush landscaping around the home. But did you know that your green thumb could also be a path to earning some extra “green” by bringing in additional income? With some creativity and effort, gardening can be turned into a profitable side business or way to supplement your main income stream. Here are some ideas for ways gardening can pay off:
Selling Produce
If you have a vegetable or fruit garden, you may be able to sell any excess produce you grow. Offering fresh, local, and organic produce is extremely appealing to many consumers. You could set up a roadside stand, sell at a local farmers’ market, or even market produce boxes/subscriptions in your community. Herbs, microgreens, and niche crops can also bring a premium price.
Nursery/Plant Sales
With a greenhouse or cold frames, you could get an early start on seedlings and plant starts to sell in the spring. Perennials that can be easily propagated are another option. Or you could specialize in harder to find varieties of vegetables, flowers, or landscaping plants.
Cut Flowers
A flower garden can produce beautiful bouquets, arrangements, or individual flower stems to sell. Cut flowers are in high demand for weddings, events, gifts, and everyday decorating by households and businesses.
Gardening Services
Put your knowledge and skills to work by offering gardening services for pay. This could include landscape design and installation, maintenance and lawn care, garden coaching/consulting, or running a community garden.
Value-Added Products
Preserving or processing fruits/veggies from your garden allows you to sell value-added products like jams, pickles, sauces, or baked goods if you follow food safety regulations. Or get crafty and make garden-related goods like wreaths, potpourri, bath products, and more to sell.
Gardening Education
If you have gardening expertise, you could teach classes, lead workshops, give tours of your garden, create online courses or videos, author books or articles, or become a speaker on gardening topics.
With some smart planning, any passionate gardener can cultivate one or more income streams from their green-thumb abilities. So get planting – both seeds and the roots of a new income source!
