Making cash from the veg plot

baggins11

Hi
I hope everyone is keeping safe and well.  I am self employed and my business has disappeared over night.  Unfortunately I am not able to get any financial assistance as I took a year off self employment last year.  I have a full tax year of earnings this year but sadly they are not counting that.

Any way it means I am in the position for the next few months that I am very cash poor and time rich.  I already grow my own and have a large veg plot (at least allotment size if not bigger) and I would like to grow some stuff to sell from my gate as every little helps.  

Has anyone got experience of doing this or advice on what would/wouldn't sell well.  I originally thought cut flowers as I grew too many for myself last year but I am guessing most people won't be in a position to pay for luxuries and veg might sell better.  I am wondering about salad stuff eg little gems, baby spinach but not sure how it would last left out on a table - I might need to cut to order.  Not sure how that would work.  Also with Covid-19 would people worry about buying veg that won't be cooked from some random house?  We have already had the virus so actually that side of things isn't a concern for me but the people buying won't know that.

Would it be better to look at bedding plants?  As people are not able to go to garden centres possibly there would be a local demand for it.  I was going to sell a few spare tomato plants as I did last year but I only sold a few last year.

Any advice very welcome.

Davesnave

Frankly, there's very little money in it. Last December, my wife took up a temporary full time position in the 3 week run-up to Christmas, which made her more £ than two years of gate sales here at home. We only sell at the gate because we enjoy it.

This year, there's no local market, so word has gone around on Faceache and I'm taking orders for tomato plants by 'phone. It seems to be working, but by the time materials are accounted-for, the time could possibly be better spent elsewhere. It's something I can do to help the local community, rather than money-making.

The other thing to think about is the security of money people pay if you go self-service. We're lucky, being in a place where honesty boxes still work, so we can provide a change facility without the fear of it walking off, but in many places that wouldn't work. Sometimes stock disappears; people see something they want, take it and pay later. Again, that's usually what happens for us, but in many locations the thought of paying later would soon become the deed!

Later in the season, tomatoes, courgettes and squash all keep and sell pretty well. We don't sell anything that would go limp after a day or so. Bear in mind that seed companies have been overwhelmed in the last few weeks by people hoping to grow their own, so the demand at that time will be an known unknown!

baggins11

Thanks Dave, I thought that might be the case.  An honesty box round here would be fine I should imagine.  I think the worst bit is being unable to judge the demand.  I don't want to spend time and money on something I can't sell.  I think I might just grow a few more courgette and squash etc and sell the surplus if I can.  Back to the drawing board..

Daisymaisy

If you have space for an extra row of runner/french beans that might be good too.  By the time your produce is ready, we may have a handle on the situation and testing for the wider population so worries about where produce comes from may not affect you.  If you have a local nextdoor.co.uk group you could 'advertise' on there to your local community and they can spread the word so people know that you have produce available.  If the lockdown is extended people will not be able to leave their homes except for certain reasons and where selling veg may be classed as ok, flowers and bedding plants would be unlikely to be seen as essential.  Selling some seedlings in recycled containers saving you the time and expense of potting them on might be an idea but again probably falls in the non-essential category.   Good luck, hope you can get back to work soon and that the worst that happens is that you end up with a glut of vegetables.

baggins11

Thanks Daisymaisy that is good advice.  Like you say hopefully I will be back to work soon.  At the end of the day it's only money.  We have had the virus already, it wasn't fun and I am almost back to full health after nearly 3 weeks. Every time I fret about money I look at the death toll and remember that others would be glad to have my worries.

Candyb101

I have actually just bought some strawberry plants through ebay from the next street to me, last year I bought thornless BlackBerry bushes from them .. at the moment I think people will be searching everywhere for local plants x

TheBanker

I have a neighbour who sells bedding plants from her gate. She's retired and does it to raise money for charity. She does not take much money at all (maybe more this year as the garden centres are closed). If you already have the seeds and enjoy growing then it is worth it, but you will not get rich from this. 

Kzedii_2

Depending on where you are you may be able to sell small plants instead of the produce. I sold excess tomato and cucumber plants on facebook, sold within 2 days and still had plenty of people messaging if i had some, as local shops were all out.  I also know local self-employed person who sells vegetable & flower plants was inundated with requests for vegetable plants for delivery. 

twopenny

It will make only a little but a little here and there can make a difference. Especially if you are doing nothing else.

For some reason my tomato and white brocolli  seeds aren't germinating, can't buy more seeds at the mo or the usual small plants sold normally outside local stores. I think the FB idea is a good one. Even though I grow stuff I still buy from the roadside when I see it.

Runner beans are popular, tomatoes of course and any surplus plants.  Cut flowers go well and I see them as essential :-) I'm in the house a lot now and anything that can cheer me up is good.

Candyb101

I sold some surplus plants over 2 days ... made £23 
May not be much but paid for some more growbags ...
One guy asked for 20 tomato plants ... 🤣🤣