Money Making Tips For Small-Scale Market Gardeners

There are a range of different ways to make money from your garden. One of the most common of these is to use the space to grow food that you can sell at local farmer's markets or to local shops or restaurants, or to the general public. If you do want to grow food for sale in your garden, here are some money making tips to help you generate a larger income from the space you have available:

Think About Time to Harvest & Yield When Choosing Crops To Grow

When deciding which edible crops to grow, it is important to think about how long each will take to reach harvest, and the yield that can be achieved in the space which you have available. Consider quick growing salad-type crops which can be harvested more than once during the growing season.

Consider Creating A Covered Growing Area

An investment in a polytunnel, fruit cages or other protection for growing areas in your garden can allow you to not only grow food more easily but also to diversify and grow a wider range of crops that it might not usually be possible/ practicable to grow.

Consider Growing More Exotic Items

The key to making money in your garden is to find something that few other gardeners are growing in your area, and to generate a market for it where you live. Unusual chillies, herbs, spices such as saffron, cumin, ginger, lemongrass etc... may all be possibilities. Rare-breed livestock could also be something to consider should you wish to go into meat or eggs.

Process Produce For Higher Returns

The more work you do with what you have grown, the more money you can raise from your efforts. For example, soft fruits can be sold by the punnet, but you may be able to make more if you process the fruits into jams, jellies or other preserves. Others have, for example, turned home-grown vegetables into soups or baby foods to increase their returns.

Consider Monetising Secondary Yields

While most market gardeners will focus on making money from the plants they grow, there are other garden yields that could also produce a source of income. Consider ways in which you may be able to make money from 'waste' materials that you generate as you garden. If you make compost, for example, could you make extra money selling liquid plant feeds, compost or biochar? Could you sell worms bred through your vermiculture practices? Think about how you can use all the outputs of your garden to make money at home.