Oct 21 2008
How to Make Extra Money Out of Your Vegetable Garden
Certainly you can sell your extra vegetables and flowers at a Farmers Market or Saturday Market. You can even set up a produce booth along a busy road if you have permission from the land owner and get the proper permits. But, how else can you use your Vegetable garden to increase your income?
Always have your eyes open for opportunities and find a unique way of providing the service or product needed. If you are constantly looking for ways to expand your produce business, the ideas will come your way. It’s some kind of law of the universe.
Saving Heirloom Seeds
Save your own Heirloom (non-hybrid) seeds from the vegetable garden. Of course, you’ve already picked a catchy name for your business. Now, design a seed packet with your name on the computer. Print it off and cut it out. After gluing it together and adding the seeds you will have a new and professional product to sell along with your produce next year. Don’t make your packages too commercial, but more organic. Better yet if you can advertise that they are organic seeds along with your organic produce you will be ones step ahead of other produce vendors. Consider making the packets out of a tan or cream color paper with earth tone printing.
If you are talented in designing gardens. Try designing and printing off the design on your computer. Add the saved seed packets for the garden as well as all instructions on how to prep the soil, plant the seeds, etc. Then package them in a 9X9 inch white envelope with a catching design on the front.
Greenhouse Plants
Build or purchase a small greenhouse that will fit next to your garden area. The obvious benefit is that you will be able to start your seedlings earlier than you would ordinarily in the ground. This is almost a must for short growing season area. But, you can start plants to sell along with your produce. Of course, you will want tomato and bell pepper plants, but consider them in more unusual types such as purple, red and orange pepper plants as well as cherry and Roma tomatoes. Start some flower plants and herb plants. Think of putting together herb pots with 5 to 7 different herbs in one container.
Add Flowers and Herbs to Your Garden
By adding flowers and herbs to your regular vegetable garden you will be able to offer cut flowers and fresh herb bunches (tie with a rubber band) to your produce booth/stand. Grow flowers that will give your bunches a wild flower look and advertise them as such. You can not only offer fresh herbs, but dry the ones that don’t sell for the day so that you can offer them in a zip lock bag with a stick-on label or cardstock folded at the top with your printed information. Herbs can also be fashioned into wreaths and garlic can be made into braids.
Cookbooks
Produce your own small cookbooks with your business name and contact information. Make sure the recipes you choose to include use the fruits and vegetables you sell. These only need to be small booklets with cardstock covers. Be creative and make them look organic just like your seed packets.
Garden Ornamentation
Walking stones are pretty easy to make. Consider concrete and/or mosaic garden walking stones. Use old pottery or dishes for the mosaics. If you don’t have any, scout garage sales for bright but inexpensive tiles, ceramics or dishes. Concrete does not have to be just the dull grey color, you can purchase coloring to make it more interesting. Look around for what you can use to make impressions in the concrete to make a design. Bird houses and bird feeders are popular as well. But, look for a unique idea. The “different” item will always sell better than the ordinary one. If you have an artist in the family, try painting clay pots. They are inexpensive and can make a bold statement with a little artistry.
Have fun and be creative while finding ways to make extra money out of your vegetable garden.
