Looking for a side hustle to help boost your income? If you have a garden the answer to your enterprising dreams could be closer to home than you might think. From selling homegrown produce to exploiting business opportunities your space might open up, here are some of the best ways to make some extra money from your garden.
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What is waste to some could be a gold mine to others – a ‘black gold’ mine that is – because those old leaves, potato peels and other scraps left to decompose can become some of the richest fertiliser available.
When considering selling compost, start small, as when dealing with larger amounts, you will need to meet compost quality protocol and consider waste management regulations.
According to food waste experts at BusinessWaste.co.uk, to sell small quantities of homemade compost on sites like Facebook Marketplace you shouldn’t require any permit and can expect to make around £5 ($6.70) per small bag.
With a growing trend towards wellbeing and whole foods, you could turn a tidy profit selling herbs you've grown in the garden – growing experts GroCycle says that for 100 square feet (9.3sqm) of growing space you could make around £1,700 ($2,400) per year.
However, you will need to check licenses, particularly if using herbs in any kind of medicinal ways, which requires a traditional herbal registration in the UK, while in the US your business venture may fall under the Food and Drug Administration rules.
Using your outdoor space to grow and sell edible flowers could create a new revenue stream but before you embark on your new business, do your research and find out about which flowers are safe to be eaten. Next, you'll need to learn about the best ways to ensure quality control and what pesticides and other chemicals you need to avoid for safe consumption.
In the UK, if you grow plants in your garden and sell them, you will only be considered to be a professional operator if you do so with a view to making a regular profit. According to Hobby Farms, many growers sell nasturtiums at around 7p or 10 cents each. Certain restaurants might pay £1.50 each ($2).
Have you ever dreamed of keeping animals on your land? While you need a fair bit of space for larger livestock, such as sheep, goats, or even cows, chickens require much less space and can be relatively low maintenance.
That said, before you get ahead of yourself and start writing your ‘eggs for sale‘ signs, you'll need to register with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) in the UK, while in the US you'll need to check state regulations. We've seen boxes of six chicken eggs priced at £2 ($2.70).
If you have a particularly lovely – or large – garden, then you might want to consider hiring it out for parties. Our suggestion would be to stick to children's parties at first as you won't need an alcohol license, and parents are often looking for safe spaces to hold parties.
In terms of how much you could make, it depends on the local market – we found a lovely private garden in Suffolk, England, charging £150 ($200) for a 6.5-hour session, while in London, that's around the going hourly rate.
Another idea is to rent your garden out to travellers looking to pitch a tent – some homeowners go even further and consider putting up pre-erected tents or tipis themselves for more of a glamping vibe. In the UK, you can bypass planning permission by restricting the days offered to campers to 42 consecutive days, or a total of 60 days in every 12-month period.
Whichever style of camping you choose, there are lots of places where you can list your space, such as Campspace, where we found garden camping near central London, priced at £31 a night ($41) based on two people. Depending on the facilities, you could charge even more.
Love bees? Adore honey? Then you might want to think about investing in a hive and starting to make your own honey. However, before you do, check the rules and regulations.
In the UK, the British Beekeepers Association should be your first port of call, while in the US, check in with the American Beekeeping Federation. Prices vary, but local honey can sell for around £5 a jar ($6.70).
Green-fingered gardeners might wish to combine their love of growing with a new business venture, but this one will require time and patience to get everything established, not to mention a little trial and error to see which method works best for you.
If that's not put you off, though, check the UK government guidance on selling seedlings and seeds, while the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is your friend in the US. In the UK, if you do not plan to sell regularly, you will not be classed as a professional operator. Seedlings often sell for around £1 ($1.30) on Facebook Marketplace.
Fancy a bit of the good life by growing your own vegetables to sell? It can be a rewarding and worthy pursuit, but you will need to make sure you adhere to fruit and vegetable marketing standards, as set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in the UK.
In the US, check out the guidelines of the US Department of Agriculture before you start scoping out your local farmers' markets. Price points will vary depending on the type of produce and where you plan to sell, but tomatoes are a good starting point.
There has been a huge movement towards homegrown fruit and vegetables in recent years that has led to a surge in popularity for allotments, which means long waiting lists.
You can help do your bit for the local community and earn some pocket money in the process by opening your garden up as an allotment. AllotMe has a number of garden allotments available to rent. We spotted several priced at around £20 ($27) per month, but this would depend on the space available and on-site amenities.
If you have an especially big or impressive garden – perhaps a quintessential English cottage garden – then you could open it up to tours from members of the public for a fee.
There are always things to consider (insurance etc), but ultimately it’s a chance to share some of your wisdom about gardening, from the design elements of your outdoor space to your knowledge of plants to help inspire others to get their fingers green too. Depending on the size of your garden, you could charge around £5 ($6.70) to £10 ($13.20) per head.
Do you have an abundance of beautiful flowers and somewhere to sell them from – an old shed perhaps? Or maybe you'd rather leave freshly-cut flowers at the end of your lane with an honesty box or a suggested donation of around £5 ($6.70) per small bouquet or jar?
This can be a lovely way to make a little extra money and bring joy to others but it's worth noting that if it does become a regular thing, you may be subject to Plant Health Regulations.
Happen to have an orchard in your backyard or some blackberry or raspberry bushes? Well then you might want to start harvesting them and start selling them to neighbours or see if your local shop will stock them – you could even start making smoothies.
As with all food businesses, though, good hygiene practices must be followed and you will need to register with your local council and stay on top of food safety regulations. This advice from the Great British Farmers' Market is a great starting point.
Similar rules will apply if you want to turn your fruit into jams or chutneys but if you have a secret family recipe and are a whizz in the kitchen this could be your chance to earn a decent amount of extra money. We've seen jars of homemade jam on Facebook Marketplace selling for £3 ($4).
Plus, just think of all those village fêtes and local markets – if you are particularly good, you might even be able to pair up with a local deli but beware: in this corner of the market food labelling is tightly controlled.
Of course, there are other ways to use your outdoor space rather than just growing things, and holding craft workshops or teaching new skills like painting is just one of them.
You might like to advertise your workshops in local shops or through established groups such as the Women's Institute to ensure a regular client base. Expect to charge around £65 ($87) to £80 ($107) per person for a one-day painting workshop.
And how about a craft workshop that combines your outdoor space with some of the things found in your garden, such as wreath-making?
Not just for Christmas, wreaths can be made for all sorts of reasons – for table decorations, Halloween parties, spring celebrations – so if you want to unleash your creative side and encourage others in the process, this could be your chance. We've seen classes available for around £50 ($67).
According to HealthforAnimals, pet ownership is rising globally, especially among millennials, so you could utilise your garden to run an animal daycare business and capitalise on this trend.
Before you get too excited about welcoming all your new animal friends, though, remember that in the UK you will need a licence to run a doggy daycare business. In the US, licensing depends on state rules. Dog daycare in the UK typically costs between £20 ($26) and £40 ($54) per day.
Influencers impact our lives in so many ways, so why not turn your gardening knowledge and hobby into a business?
As with all social media marketing, you'll need to build a following, best achieved by creating useful and engaging content, but once you're up and running, there's no limit on what you can earn through ads, sponsorships and affiliate marketing, although this can vary significantly depending on experience, audience size and monetisation strategies (though obviously you will need to pay tax on a large chunk of it).
Have a picturesque garden or lots of vibrant, exotic plants? You may find these are valuable assets for photographers and filmmakers.
The first step is to register with a location company like Tutti, set your price, and then sit back and wait for the bookings to come rolling in. We've seen modest gardens listed for £85 ($113) per hour, while those with swimming pools can get over £180 ($240) an hour.
If you have a studio or room in your garden that's not being utilised as much as it could, consider renting it through companies like Airbnb, but do make sure you've considered all legal implications for your garden room first.
A well-equipped garden room can provide extra income, especially if located in a tourist-friendly area. Prices will vary, but we've seen properties from about £100 ($134) per night.
If you take pride in your garden then there's a good chance you have lots of tools and equipment that could be useful to others.
By listing your items such as lawnmowers, saws and hedge trimmers through companies like Dhan, you can earn money with very little outlay or even effort on your part. We've seen garden tools to rent from £2 ($2.70) per day. Just make sure you get your insurance in place first.
In the UK you can earn up to £1,000 ($1.3k) from a side hustle without having to declare it to HMRC, and if it's your main or only source of income, the first £12,570 ($16.7k) will be tax-free. And, according to Money Saving Expert, the side hustle amount will rise to £3,000 ($4k) in a few years.
In the US, the figure for side hustles is much lower – as soon as you earn £300 ($400) or more, you need to declare it to the IRS. While the tax-free amount for individuals is around £11,200 ($15k).
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