Here’s a Business Idea Ready to Bloom

From Landscaping to “Foodscaping”, the modern idea of what a front yard should look like is changing. As people become increasingly interested in growing edibles, today’s landscapers will need to learn how to run a gardening business to stay on the leading edge of consumer interests.

Lawns are Lovely, but…

Typically, yards are mostly lawn. These are supported by money spent on lawn care services and products to the tune of $77 billion dollars. The landscaping and lawn care business has grown 3.5% between 2011 and 2016, with over 474,237 registered landscaping businesses employing nearly one million people.^[1]https://www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=1497^[2]https://www.landscapeprofessionals.org/nalp/nalp/media/landscape-industry-statistics.aspx

More people would grow their own food if they had the time and knowledge.

Many urbanites would love to be able to come home from work and walk into their back yard and pluck fresh vegetables and tasty blueberries. But of course gardening takes time that many two-income families don’t seem to have.

What if food gardening services became as common as lawn care services?

A 2017 US Survey indicates that 16% of US residents hired a professional gardener.^[3]https://www.statista.com/statistics/227419/number-of-gardeners-usa/

Landscapers who expand their services to offer the design, implementation and supplemental care of edible landscaping, will lead the way in their industry.

Edible Landscape Gardening

Landscape designers can offer to implement permaculture that includes a selection of salad gardens, and herb gardens with dwarf fruit trees, plus vegetables, such as a salsa garden with the most favorite summer options of fresh tomatoes and peppers. We predict that forward-thinking landscapers who begin to offer permaculture gardens as part of their services will be on the leading edge today, but perhaps more the norm in a few years.

This would also create an adjunct service of gardening consultation as homeowners need advice and help in cultivating their food-producing plants.

Landscapers can become Landscape Gardeners.. and gardeners can become permaculture landscapers.

Gardening Communities and Possibilities

There are entire communities and subdivisions that are being built around gardening instead of golfing! There are also share-cropping options, where someone who has the time and love of gardening, gardens on someone else’s land for free in exchange for sharing the bounty of the garden for both.

Families Chip in to Hire a Neighborhood Gardener

We know people who would be glad to pay someone to create a garden in their yard. In fact, we know of people in neighborhood situations, who’ve created a private community garden on land adjacent to each of them.

Together six families chipped in to pay for a full or part-time gardener, (I don’t recall which). But the garden was planned out to be large enough to feed six families, two-income couples, some with kids, who want to live closer to the land and grow their own organic food for food quality and security, but they just don’t have the time currently because of their work.

Next, we lay out a possible scenario for landscape gardener service business that includes the whole family!

Gardening Business

Gardener or Foodscaper — Business Premise

A family of four with healthy consumption patterns that include lots of fresh organic produce could easily spend $400 per month on just organic vegetables and fruits, (or things that can be made from that, such as pickles and vegetable broth).

Do you think it would be feasible for a “Landscape Gardener” or “Gardenscaper”, to tend a a permaculture garden for a middle or upper middle class family for $100 per week / $400 per month that would contribute a significant portion of fresh food requirements for a family of four? Sure, there would be soil amendments, seeds and other gardening materials to buy, but might that be done with an additional $100 per month?

That sounds like a lot more than the $150 monthly average the landscape company might charge to whiz by and cut and trim your grass. But let’s say that some families are glad to pay a little extra for the convenience and time-savings and tremendous benefit of being able to come home to a lovely and thriving garden after a hectic day at work.

 

Home Garden Sanctuary

Imagine your gardening businesses clients arriving home from a hectic day at work. They walk out into the peace and beauty of their own yard, designed to be visually pleasing and an inviting place to linger. It’s a garden sanctuary, with inviting places and spaces to enjoy a glass of fresh herbal tea, while surveying their oasis in the city or suburbs. They can pluck delicious fresh produce while strolling through their yard. Homegrown is most delicious and nutritious produce ever. From garden to palette.  

The freshest, most delicious and nutritious produce ever, from garden to palette.

Meet The Gardener Family (an idea inspired by true stories)

Now imagine someone who loves gardening, wishing they could quit their job and make their love of gardening their work. We’ve heard from many in the GardensAll community say the would love to be able to do that. So, let’s say “Joe the Gardenscaper” serves ten clients in “River Run” subdivision… all neighbors who—by word of mouth—are keeping Joe busy.

Now women can do this too, of course… so we could say it’s “Joy the Gardener”. In fact we rather like the concept of “The Gardener Family” doing this as a family business project. So, let’s say “The Gardener Family” is starting this with their three kids, aged 10-14. These kids have probably been gardening all their lives and they also help take care of the family homestead (or yard).

The Family Business

The Gardener Family starts with a couple families they know of: their doctor and her neighbor. Soon, word of mouth spreads as other neighbors see lovely permaculture yardscapes growing, that are also producing food.

Before long, The Gardener Family is up to 10 clients at $400 / month each (net). That’s $4,000 per month for Joe and Joy getting to do what they love, and which is a fun activity to do after their day job which—for Joe—entails sitting at a desk all day. They’re able to do outdoor gardening more than half the year in their zone 6-8 region. So for starters, that’s approximately $4k/month for six months, for approximately $24,000 additional income net.

In zones 7 and 8 they could probably be working on gardening March through November, for nine months of gardenscaping work.