Gardening courses.

in_the_Cotswolds

Are there any courses available for lawn mowing gardening etc. Next year I intend to start a part time business, lawn mowing, hedge trimming, fence and shed painting and shed re-roofing.  I already have a van and have done costings for lawn mowers, hedge trimers and safety gear. Waste disposal and insurance.

Farway

Possibly a local further education college? Or loads on You Tube to watch over winter

Most gardening unless you're at Kew or suchlike is knowing what to leave & what to nurture, and to be honest by saying you do not know but will look into it, then quick swat up on the RHS web site

There will be lots of second hand books around in charity shops as well

in_the_Cotswolds

Thank you for your answer. I don't plan to go to deep into it just yet, just mowing, hedge trimming and fence painting. Looking for the easy option!

twopenny

Mowing should be straightforward. Just not when it's wet. And cleaning the mower each day. Perhaps get a strimmer and practice doing edging. You'll need a lawn edger too and sharpening stone.
Hedges is knowing the plants, how far you can cut back without damage. Also time of year to cut back.
Fence painting you need to know the difference between stain, presertive and colour paint. Get some brochures and read up on their sites. While the customer may know what they want you may have to purchase and collect it for them so look into accounts at builders merchants where you may get discount. Adds up over time. 
I don't think there would be enough demand for courses. Could you work alongside someone for a while to see how it goes?
Have you locked into liability insurance? Cover for your tools? Storage for ladders?
And remember that you could go weeks unable to work because of rain and short daylight hours.

in_the_Cotswolds

Thank you for your reply. I'm a postman and when I've been out on delivery I've been noting what people have been doing at different times of the year, how often and what equipment they have and are using. Normally I see people on average every 2 weeks for mowing and maybe monthly for a hedge trim.

With regards to insurance I have looked into and have got some quotes for both business insurance for the van including tool cover and personal liability insurance. The last thing I need is a stone to go through a window or patio door and have no insurance!

With courses it is just to have a basic knowledge. I have looked at various websites. Both for machinery and gardening knowledge.

twopenny

Sounds good. Though I've moved to an area of elderly people and they mostly do the hedge trim twice a year.

One type of  hedge I used to have needed every 2 months perhaps in summer but if you are watching the people in your area that's a good idea because of the different climates around the country.

Lawn mowing and edging, tidying beds is in demand. I guess a lot depends on the volume of people you have in your area. There are quite a few gardening and maintenance people operating here. Some of the good deals are keeping areas around some of the smaller buildings rented for parties or sport where you get regular work. Straight forward mowing and hedgetrimming.

They run large vans with logos so there must be the work.

Coffeekup

Mowing is easy plenty of vids on the tool tubes about it. If you wanna up your game for a nice looking lawn you'll need a scarifier, and some feed.
You can go one better and get a mower with mulching blades with a side discharge, so after you cut back the hedges (and lawn scarification) you can mow/mulch it all up into the side of a bed or center or into the lawn where the mulch clippings will break down and naturally feed the lawn, or beds and give epic results... And no carting off lawn waste win win imo.

If you do need to learn something it's cutting back trees and hedge's as they can differ when you need to trim them, for example trimming bushes before winter when wildlife eat the berries is a no no or when when wildlife are nesting in them in spring. As to where to learn thus?... I dunno.. RHS website is good as you come across different plants.. I always try to read 2-3 website's on something from the above before I decide how I move forward.

in_the_Cotswolds

Thank you for all your replies. Some interesting points especially about nesting birds and the berries.

I already have prospective customers just by talking to people when I'm on delivery. The houses range from £million plus to your ordinary semi. I'm looking for build a regular customer base. Nothing excessive to see how it goes and basically learn "on the job" the first year.

MysteryMe

Whilst I think you can learn a lot online via you tube etc  or reading books if you are wanting to go into business and want to be more than just a gardening handyman it might be worth investing some money on some proper training/learning. I am sure there will be several places where you are (which I assume is the Cotswolds) that offer a variety of courses. A quick google search brought this place up https://www.cotswoldgardeningschool.co.uk/about-the-cotswold-gardening-school  You could also go into local nurseries or garden centres and see if they know anywhere that runs courses.

One area I know from personal interest that might be worth looking into is pond maintenance. Loads of people installed ponds and water features during lockdown. I've had my pond for years, it's a medium sized resin pond and I pay someone £150 for an annual clean, Takes him a couple of hours / three at most. Depends on the type of pond and what it's made of but he just has a water vaccum to get the water out, waterproof waders/ long sleeve gloves, some nets to catch the fish etc and large containers to put the fish and a few tools to tidy the pond pants and clean the pump and a pressure washer to clean the sides and bottom of the pond so no huge amount of initial outlay but again health and safety is paramount as water and electricity don't go too well together!

Farway

One other thing you may need to investigate and make rules for is garden waste, hedge trimmings etc.

Round here the council require a trader, which you will be, to buy a licence to have access to the tip on pay per throw basis, may vary where you are

However just driving to the tip is time & fuel, so if you do opt to dispose of the waste make sure it's in the bill and not as a favour

Locally most do not remove the waste but there is a council run, and requires annual paying for, garden wheelie bin collection available for householders

theoretica

Also look into how far you can cut things back - long grass then chopped short results in bare stalks and can look bad, while a different grass regularly cut can take a short cut without bald patches.  Same with hedges - some need little and often, some will grow back after hard pruning and others won't.  You will want to know what the end result is likely to be of your work to help customer expectation.  And please be alert to hedge creep - where each time a hedge is trimmed just a little further out and ends up taking over the sidewalk and needing major surgery - some never recover from this!