Did you ever think about earning money by growing plants? If so, you’re not alone. Many people earn a hefty living by putting their green thumb to good use.
Are you longing for a change from your current career or looking for a new way to earn some extra cash? If so, you’ll be interested in knowing that starting your own planting business can be good for the environment and provide financial gains. Here’s how it works.
You’ll need first to decide what kind of plants you want to grow and the amount of space required.
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Grow a Plant for Profit
You can start small and have just a few planters to make beginning money, or you can fill your backyard with flowers. The choice is yours, but remember that you’ll need to have a place dedicated to your specialized business, and it must be one that you’re allowed to clamp or move about when needed.
The rule of thumb is to invest at least $100 in initial equipment and improvements and then make money as you go.
First, you need to determine whether you’ll be growing just one kind of plant or more than one. Decide whether you want to take advantage of seasonal opportunities or just grow what’s in season all the time. Lastly, decide how much space you’ll need and what kinds of growing supplies you’ll need to buy.
Tips for Growing Plants for Profit
Remember, saving money on supplies is important. Start by gathering all the materials you need to start growing from your local hardware store. These should include things like pots, potting soil, planting trays, stakes, and the like.
Avoid buying expensive seed packets. Instead, switch to seed balls. These are seed balls that have been cut into small pieces and wrapped in a nutritious coating that makes them easier to plant and grow. You can also purchase these at Walmart or Amazon for a fraction of the cost of seeds.
Now let’s talk about the actual plants that will put money in your pocket
Growing Sunflowers
Sunflowers are easy to grow, and it’s said that they require very little maintenance once they are planted. They are low-maintenance and take over an area very quickly. They are planted in rows which can be space for two feet apart so that you will need a lot of space.
It’s good to get them started as soon as the first frost is over. They like to have lots of water and rich soil. Sunflowers will produce seeds that you can sell or you can eat them yourself.
If you choose to sell the seeds, you can get around $1 per ounce for sunflower seeds that are already roasted. Another option is to press the seeds yourself and sell them as oil.
Growing Flowers
Growing flowers like tulips, poppies, and daffodils can also be very profitable. They are easier to grow than herbs and require less space. Make sure that you monitor your flowers daily and remove any dead blooms as they appear. You want to get them started as early in the season as possible.
If you’ve never grown flowers before, it’s best to learn from someone who has experience. There are lots of books on the subject, and it’s a good idea to talk to people at gardening stores and nursery shops about the business.
You may also want to join online forums that discuss growing flowers for profit. Most of the people who do this will share their “secrets” with you so that you can get started as soon as possible.
Growing Herbs
Growing herbs is one of the most profitable things you can grow for money. People are always looking for fresh herbs, and some of them will pay a premium price for them. You can even sell the fresh herbs or dry them and use them as ingredients in cooking.
You can start with just one or two plants and then expand. All you need to do is plant them in regular soil and keep water flowing all around them for the majority of the growing season. You don’t need to do any special fertilizing or anything else.
Grow Natives
You can also try growing natives like grasses, rushes, and water lilies. They’re easy to take care of and have an interesting look and feel once they mature. You can put these in your garden, or you can set them in pots and sell them locally.
You can also dry them and use them in crafts or decorations. The question is whether you want to start low and work your way up or whether you’d like to start at the top and move down.
Grow Fruits and Vegetables and Sell Them
What if you don’t want to grow flowers or herbs but would still like to make money with your green thumb? If that’s the case, then you should consider growing fruits and vegetables. You can either sell them for fresh eating or you can also dry them for storage.
People will pay top dollar for fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, but you’ll need lots of space. It’s a good idea to consider growing just one fruit or vegetable until you get used to it. Then, you can expand your operation once you know what you’re doing.
You Can Sell Seeds to Other Gardeners
You can grow your crop until it turns to seed and turn around and sell the seeds. Many new gardeners will pay a premium for good-quality seeds. In fact, many people will pay more for heirloom seeds that they can plant the following year.
You can also sell seeds to nurseries to attract customers who will come in and buy seeds. You might also want to consider setting up a stand at a local farmer’s market. It can be a bit of work, but you may have fun and get a lot of business.
Sell Fresh Cut Flowers
People like to take fresh cut flowers home and put them in a vase in their house. If you want to sell your flowers for this purpose, you need to make sure they are long-lasting. You’ll also need a way to get them from the garden to your customers.
A great way to make money doing this is to sell your flowers during holidays such as Mother’s Day. You can also sell them at craft shows, farmer’s markets, and other special events.
Make Dried Herbal Teas and Sell Them
If you have some extra room in your garden, then you might want to consider growing herbs to make dried herbal teas. These can make a great addition to any home, and you can usually charge more for them than for other herbs.
Herbal tea is popular among those who want to enjoy their health benefits or want something hot to drink that doesn’t contain caffeine. You can grow all sorts of herbs to make herbal tea, but you’ll want to be sure that they’re easy to use. The most popular ones are chamomile, rosemary, and thyme.
Turn Your Fruit Into Jams An Jellies And Sell Them
You can turn the fruit from your garden into preserves. There are many different types of jams that you can make from various fruits. You might also want to consider making jellies. You can make these by boiling the fruit with sugar. Then, you strain them to separate the pulp from the juice.
For your jams and jellies to be popular, you’ll want to make sure that they’re high quality. You can increase your chances of success by making a lot of them and canning them properly.
You can sell your jams at farmer’s markets, craft shows, and other similar events. You might also want to consider selling them online through an online store or Etsy shop.
Create Arrangements Out of Dried Flowers
You can create beautiful arrangements from dried flowers. You can use vines of various flowers to make these, or you can use various types of arrangements. You can sell these at craft fairs or online.
If you have some expertise, you can even make them to sell in local shops. You can choose your favorite flowers and arrange them the way that you like. Then, you’ll be able to sell them at a very high price.
Conclusion
These are just some of the things that you can do to make money selling a wide variety of plants. You can start small, or you can put your plants to work for you by creating things from them. You can sell them at various places and in multiple ways.
Turn your love of plants into cash by selling them online or locally. There are so many ways to profit with plants, and you can do it on your own schedule. Just make sure that you know what you’re getting into before branching out into new projects. You might have to spend a little more time and money, but you’ll get a lot more for your effort!
If you want to make money from your garden but do not have enough space to grow much, consider starting a container garden. These can be placed in the sunniest window in your home, and they can be beautiful as well as productive.
