Garden to make money?????

gavvallance

now that our veg garden is beginning to come to life, seedlings and plant pots are everywhere - it's a real satisfying sight!
Me and the wife were discussing how (touch wood ) great things were looking, and how few seeds we had actually used up. We wondered whether next year we should sow a few more to sell on - Our tomato plants have got to be worth 50p each they look great!.
Does anyone do this? car boot sales or school fairs or just at work or down the pub maybe?

is it viable ? is it legal ?

I reckon I could pay for all my own seed and compost by selling a few of my well loved plants! :beer:

looby-loo_2

I have done this for years. I grow a few extra for friends and family and sell a few too to cover seed costs. When I have had time I grow more for charity (the local children's hospice) I used to grow them for the school fete when the children went there
I've noticed more and more people selling at car boots now and prices are going down because places like B&Q sell them so cheaply now.
You will have to research which things make money

carole.uk

well i just bought small lettuces, beetroots and brocolli plants from ebay a pound each & two pound each postage for 10 to 20 very small plants. there is a market for it, i have tried and tried from seeds and they grow but then die on me so going to try from established plants now

MoJo

I think there will always be a market. Many people only want a plant or two, not a whole packet of seed

My mother used to sell flowers, usually asters, which she would bunch up in a morning and pop in buckets on a small card table inside the gate. This wouldd catch the eye of mothers walking their children to school. She had no view of a profit though, just wanted to cover the cost of her flower and veg seeds.

Sadly, I doubt the mothers caught in the traffic jam I witness every shoolday monring would stop to buy flowers - their loss

jennybridger

if i lived on a main road i'd certainly give i a go. there's a lady in my village who does and she sells so much. if there was a table top sale i might - been put off boot sales after a bad and scary experience (people literally climbing in the boot of the car as soon as we opened it to get stuff out!)

consumermonkey

A house a few miles away most years has dozens of pumpkins ready fro sale in the lead up to Halloween. OK, not plants, but the fruits of their labour and I would imagine make enough to cover their costs and some.

angelavdavis

I used to sell my excess plants to cover the cost of seeds and compost at the boot sales when I lived in London. They used to go very well.

I haven't done it since relocating as I haven't had the time, I just give them away on freecycle (I suspect to people who are intending to sell at the boot sales!) but I would definitely do it again.

Davesnave

There is very little money in it at the level you are talking about, but you'll probably not attract the attentions of 'Them' if you do boot sales or small, garden gate sales.

We went down this route initially, eventually turning it into a business which, at its peak, had a good turnover and a profit of about £9k per annum. Not bad for a back garden! But at that level you certainly can't sell from home, nor avoid things like insurances, and a stack of fees/equipment. On the plus side however, you can write stuff down (like the computer I'm typing on!) against tax. Basically, you make sure that, on paper at least, you never make a huge profit.....and you can claim tax credits too on the basis of a legit business + run a vehicle.

The trouble is, if you end up like us, you'll also become complete gardening nutters, with no summer holidays and very little spare time. Yes, I'd do it again, but at the point where the amateur diverges into professional I'd think carefully!

Suzy_M

You might find this old post interesting /useful

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=785533