How To Make Money From Gardening?

[Imperialboy]

Hey HGers
Not sure where this thread would go. So mods move it if you will like please.

I'm looking to make some extra money from the side of gardening, plants, veggies, or what not. Does anyone have any links, ideas, or threads to share about how to get started? Where to sell, how to sell, what to grow, and how to grow.

Used to grow in 06 but not only care for few tomato plants. Which one only yielded around 30 of the "bite size" tomatoes this year. No idea why so little, maybe because roots did not extend beyond the container.

BTW, have a backyard. So containers and small square foot planting works best. Also heard about Mike and his "Japanese Maples", don't know if that's a scam or what.

Thanks!
Post in thread or PM me if you have an extremely good idea or on the same boat as me.

[Canadian Farmer Guy]

I'm planning sell organic veggies to the neighbours next year. It'll be the first year I've ever had a garden of my own.
Last summer my parents put in a very successful 15' by 20' garden.
After several hours of forced labor, I found that I actually enjoyed gardening.

So I started taking notes and studying books. This fall we expanded to 30' by 60'.
I'll be using about half of it. The other half will be for feeding the family.

Just need to wait for spring.

CFG

[Gary350]

I have my eye on 6 acres with a house about 2 miles from town. I think I will need a tractor. Plan is to grow a garden as usual but plant the whole 5 acres then advertise pick your own on Craigslist.

I do not want to pick it, haul it to farmers market, spend the day hanging out there, make change, bags, boxes, tables, scales, etc, then haul it home. That is too much work. I want people to come and pick it themself.

I will also need about 200 bird houses.

Just dreaming I think this will interfer with my retirement, camping , hiking, bicycling, traveling plans.

[digitS']

This is a good place to start:

https://attra.ncat.org/

I don't know if they have anything on growing in containers or square foot gardening, tho'.

I am not trying to put square foot gardening down. It is essentially what I do in a cutting garden and in the salad garden. And, it is what I did years ago while working in a commercial greenhouse, where every square foot had to count.

And yes, I do that "pick it, haul it to farmers market, . . ." etc. And, hopefully NOT "haul it home." And yes, it is too much work. By the way, you missed all the processing that is needed before hauling it anywhere.

Steve

[webmaster]

A friend with a backyard garden sells vegetables to a few of the local high end restaurants. Local and in-season organic produce is a selling point for restaurants and highly prized, very highly prized. Sometimes referred to as the [url=https://www.dailyfinance.com/story/real-estate/local-food-movement-gives-small-farms-a-big-boost/19627166/]Locavore movement[/url], this is a trend that [url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/13/60minutes/main4863738.shtml]started in Berkeley in the seventies[/url] and is now a worldwide trend.

[applestar]

CSA might relieve you of even more work.
I know of a place -- unfortunately a little too far away for me -- that does organic CSA and also offers pick your own of summer favorites like strawberries, etc. to members first, then to the public. Their membership sells out very fast and most of the time, the public offering is not made because the members are very active.

Do high-end markets like restaurants demand "perfect" designer produce?

When I was in high school, my French class went to dinner at a posh French restaurant. In the dim candle light, I noticed something moving around in my salad -- it turned out to be a ladybug. It took all my courage to call the waiter over and point it out. I didn't appreciate it then, but now I think I would be really happy to see a ladybug in my salad as evidence of organically grown greens.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Waiter, this salad tastes funny !
Then why aren't you laughing ?

Eric

[digitS']

HaHA!

I hope we are laughing with you, Applestar !

That ladybug does indicate something other than that the lettuce wasn't highly toxic. It also wasn't washed very well !

Washing lettuce for sale is very, very labor intensive! There may be someone that know a better way but for me it means repeated rinsing in clean water and looking at it closely. A salad mix, ready to eat, may be rinsed 4 times!!

You gotta wonder how . . . much . . . your . . . time . . . is . . . worth . . .

Still, lettuce and salad mixes represent just about the highest value crop you can grow. Oh yes, there are herbs and garlic but try paying your booth rent each week on those sales. It may be absolutely the most wonderful oregano but you could find yourself watching 200 people walk by before someone stops to pay you the $$ you were hoping to make on a bunch!

A small market has 500 customers on a marketday -- you've got 2 1/2 bunches sold .

Steve

[rainbowgardener]

Horticulture is not a way to make money without working! It might be away to make a marginal to decent living doing something you love to do, depending on how good you are on all the organizational/ marketing parts of running any business.

The CSA is a great idea, but it too takes a lot of work and organizing. I belong to a CSA that is just a 5 acre organic farm. MH and I have a half share of all the produce from that farm. There are 100 families with shares or half shares. Our half share is all the veggies we can eat all through the season + a bit to put buy. For that we pay $250 (total for the season) and contribute 15 hrs of labor (total for the season). The farm has a full time farmer running the place plus a part time assistant, plus a lot of volunteer help, not only everyone's labor hours in the fields, but treasurer doing all the accounting, a board of directors, membership coordinator, newsletter person, etc. This CSA is now well known and established and always has a waiting list of people hoping to become members. People come out to the farm each week to pick their shares up. But there's an incredible amount of planning to it, to be sure there will be 100 shares worth of produce every week (obviously a share is more pounds of food at peak season than at the beginning and end) and figure out what that means and how to divide everything up and how many pounds of potatoes to pick, vs leaving some in the ground for next week, etc etc.

[Susan W]

Ib, you didn't say where you are. Your climate makes a difference, also if in or near large town/city.

As mentioned, more restaurants are going farm-to-table. Going organic isn't necessary, but advertise without chemicals.
Farmers Markets (they are growing, literally). I have talked to a few growers at one market and they also peddle to restaurants.
Specialize, at least to some extent.

I am working into the herb business. Got a late and slow start this past spring, and have plans to jump start early this coming season. Ideally I will do one farmers market and pick up a couple of restaurants. Given that one cannot grow enough basil!! I am growing in containers, a few very large, and others down to 10". They can be moved as needed (sun/shade), and pampered.

Not a get-rich-quick scheme, and lots of trial and error. Fortunately I am used to living on low income, and lots of trial and error.

Hope this helps.

[Imperialboy]

So to clear things up. I have a small garden. Like patches of areas where I can plant. As well as perhaps removing and planting new things if this goes well. If not, containers and small area plants might work

All that information confused me a bit. Anyone want to add more or to simplify them all into bullet points?

I'm not looking to "get rich" or make a living off this. Just a few hundred- maybe if possible a thousand a month. Willing to work of course, but just gotta know what to plant and how to get started first.

Heard about the Japanese Maple selling.
Is it a scam or do Japanese Maples really go for that much?

[Halfway]

So to clear things up. I have a small garden. Like patches of areas where I can plant. As well as perhaps removing and planting new things if this goes well. If not, containers and small area plants might work

All that information confused me a bit. Anyone want to add more or to simplify them all into bullet points?

I'm not looking to "get rich" or make a living off this. Just a few hundred- maybe if possible a thousand a month. Willing to work of course, but just gotta know what to plant and how to get started first.

Heard about the Japanese Maple selling.
Is it a scam or do Japanese Maples really go for that much?

You have to determine the market before you can determine "what" they will go for.

1000 heads of lettuce a month wholesale is 1000 per month minus expenses. The little patch of ground may have to be examined carefully. Crunch the numbers every which way to determine if you will net a profit let alone the cost of your time.

[jal_ut]

I'm not looking to "get rich" or make a living off this. Just a few hundred- maybe if possible a thousand a month.

You want to make this much and all you have is a backyard with some raised beds?

I am sorry, you need to rethink this. It is not going to happen. Well...... maybe, if you raise pot.

[Imperialboy]

Anymore get started ideas?

[DoubleDogFarm]

I am sorry, you need to rethink this. It is not going to happen. Well...... maybe, if you raise pot.

When it becomes legal and taxed like alcohol, it won't make you rich either.

I'm going to second what jal_ut said. Have you seen my garden, jal_ut's and several others here. I have (25) 3ft wide by 20ft long raised beds. It takes a fairly large garden to gross a thousand dollars or more a month. Then you deduct, seed, soil, compost, fertilizer, gasoline, market booth rates, legal scale, licenses, boxes, totes, vegetable cleaning equipment, water, folding tables, canopy tent or picnic umbrella, paper, pencils, calculator, produce bags and all the other stuff I have forgotten.

Oh, you my want to pay someone to help. and a truck or van for delivery.

Anyway the list above is a few items you will need.

Not to discourage, just putting it into proper perspective.

Eric

[Imperialboy]

Was thinking 100-300 max. Just put it out to a broader range. Max at 'A' thousand.

The expenses you stated are for selling produce at farmers markets? So selling with other methods would be cheaper perhaps? And I wouldn't spend all that much. Just a sign stating a new seller comin in, then have a small table I already have at home. Get a used scale or borrow one. Then the farmers market I would go to would be 3min drive from my house.

If you guys have anymore questions that you might need clarified to give suggestions, please dHo post.

[cynthia_h]

If you are selling produce to the public, the county/state Dept. of Agriculture will be involved. There will be inspection fees, health certificates, etc., at least to get your enterprise off the ground.

It's possible that the Ag. Dept. (county) itself--or a local community college--sponsors classes on "market gardening" from the legal side of things.

What state are you in? Some have more developed market gardening communities than others; more/fewer CSAs, etc.

I might also suggest that, if reading the above posts thoroughly and carefully takes more of your time (re. your request for a "bullet-point summary") than you're willing to commit, then you will certainly not be interested in following through on the procedures required to sell produce to the public in a legal and safe fashion.

It is NOT an easy way, but it IS a rewarding way to make a living. Just ask the CSA operators and the market gardeners across North America who do it.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Imperialboy]

Thanks so getting into a business would need licenses and such?
What about CSA's? And if I only sell to neighbors and such?

I have read all the posts above, but there are still certain things I'm confused about as I haven't been back to gardening in awhile.


Also I'm in Zone 9b.

[Halfway]

Thanks so getting into a business would need licenses and such?
What about CSA's? And if I only sell to neighbors and such?

I have read all the posts above, but there are still certain things I'm confused about as I haven't been back to gardening in awhile.


Also I'm in Zone 9b.

You may want to spend 90% of your time in researching your county extension office, small business administrations, and better business bureau as opposed to a gardening forum. As I said, 1000 heads of lettuce will net you $1000 wholesale BEFORE expenses. Consider 45-55 days to mature and you can quickly see the amount of space required to continually produce for your customers. I am not sure you could sell 250 heads a week for a total of 1000 a month without storage issues etc.

The info gathering stage you are in requires hard data, figures, legal study, and financial viability.....not agreement or "ideas" from a forum.

As stated above, I (and many others) am not raining on your parade, just presenting some "no EDITED - PLEASE REPORT THIS POST" things to think about.

Farmers market is a good place to meet folks, socialize, sell your excess produce, market additional services or extended produce contracts (niche markets, restaurants, advertise crafts business etc.), but not as a means to make required money.

That's my $.02, well.0003 after taxes, fees, permits, inspections, handling fees, value added tax, tax on value added tax, tax because it appears I made some money etc.)

[rainbowgardener]

If you want to make money from your garden, think about "value added" garden products.... that is grow your herbs (I think, but without any personal experience as a vendor, that herbs are good for cash crop because high demand from restaurants and high per pound prices) and then make something with them. Putting your lavender into sachets, soaps, candles, herbal essences, lotions, etc etc makes it way more valuable than selling raw lavender.

Where I live, we have a big indoor flea market kind of place (Peddler's Mart) where you can get a small space for as little as $25 a month and they provide the cashiers etc so you don't have to be there to sell things (I imagine for a percent of the take, haven't asked about that). I'm considering getting a space and selling all of the above, plus nicely potted up started seedlings in the spring, envelopes of seeds in fall (I print up my own seed envelopes), framed flower photos, herbal tea mixes, bottled dried herbs with pretty labels, and whatever else I can come up with.

But this would be strictly a fun little side line, not something I would expect to live off of. The only way you could consider that I would be making any money is that I don't pay myself (i.e. I don't count my own time as a cost, because it's hobby stuff I like to do). All of the things I make are quite labor intensive and I'm not about to go into factory production mode. If I paid myself say $10/hr for my time in making things, I'm guessing it would be a money loser.

[thanrose]

About Mike and the Japanese maples:

I haven't done this, but have been somewhat interested in this for years. There is no scam that I can see. Mike has some good techniques, and some good suggestions. He also has a prime area for doing what he does. Ohio, residential/rural, new developments nearby, if I'm not mistaken.

I can almost guarantee that he makes a good portion of his money from the etail of his methods though. Plus it is hard work, both the etail and the actual propagating and marketing and selling from his driveway.

We would not be able to do the maples here in Central Florida. We have maples of course, but we have so much other stuff available, too. I'd have to pick some other easily propagated, non-grafted, ornamental tree that is expensive and highly desirable, as well as fairly fast growing. Not so fast growing, but I have sold Sago palms and coonties from my driveway before. Seedlings and pups that I nurtured over literally years: not cost effective but my intent was not to make money. Just growing them for the heck of it.

40-50 years ago, my grandfather had a small Christmas tree farm. Blue spruce. He just had the property, probably an acre, had a source for the seedlings, irrigated with a pump from the creek, sold on a "you cut" or "you dig" basis, all profits going to his small community church. And it still was a huge amount of work on his part. And in his more senior years, my brothers and cousins would dig out the stumps for him. I grew up with massive 6' wide and ceiling sweeping blue spruce Christmas trees and was shocked to see slim Douglas fir in my friends' homes. In a sense that was a niche market. We were too rural for city folk to drive for an hour to pay $100 bucks for a tree that they didn't know how to cut down. So my grandpop would let a poor family use his tools and take the tree for free, or let relatives take one for a small donation to the church. That was Zone 6b, I think.

Zone 9b is hard. Too much tropical and subtropical of all sorts. Lots of things people can grow up north need to be grafted to grow down here if they grow at all.

If you are in Florida, I'd suggest maybe Ilex cassine, a weeping form, for Mike's techniques. Acalypha wilkesiana for more shrubby but colorful foliage possibly. There are a couple of dark red crape myrtles, Lagerstromia indica, as in the leaves are dark red. Those are possibilities, too. Crape myrtles root easily, but I don't know if the red ones are grafted or hybridized, or if they are patented. But it does offer people new to this zone a more northern colorful foliage look they crave, especially for fall. All three of those suggestions would take to Mike's techniques for rooting cuttings.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Scales,

It can't be any run of the mill scale, it needs to be a Legal scale. If the Department for Weights and Measures shows up at your booth, you better be legal. Ours was about $200.

Value added,

Not sure what your Farmer's market, or State regulations are, but we need a certified kitchen, for edibles. Minimum here would be the use of a grange hall or church kitchen. Rates vary. You could have your own kitchen, seperate from your personel kitchen. Thousands of dollars.

Neighbors,

Even selling to friends and neighbors, you need to be careful. You might think about looking into Liability insurance.

I would take the 3min drive, and spend a Saturday or two at the market. Take your camera and a note pad. Ask the Market Manager, many questions. Get their Bylaws. Go around and look at what the other vendors are selling and prices. Take pictures. Is there a niche you could provide.

Top Sellers,

Eggs both chicken and duck. $5.00 - $6.00 dozen
Broccoli - Carrots - Beets - Garlic - Onions - Chard - Kale - Salad mix - Fruit - tomatoes.
Vegetable and Herb plant starts

Salad mix here is not considered value added.

Eric

[Imperialboy]

Thanks everyone. This actually seems more complicated than I realized with legals and everything. What would be a way to sell stuff without going through things like this?

Selling veggies and value added things going door to door, or from my driveway would be easier? Besides like liability insurances? Or just grow Japanese Maple like plants, selling them locally posting an ad on Craigslist or something like that.

I'm in Bay Area, California btw.

[digitS']

Bay Area?!?

Take a look at this: [url=https://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/farmersmkt.htm]Direct Marketing, UCDavis.[/url]



Steve

[DoubleDogFarm]

Here you may need a nursey or nuseryman's license. Minimum a business license. Pay taxes on income over a certain dollar amount.


People sell many things under the table all the time. This is fine and dandy until someone reports you. They get sick, or they feel cheated on some sale. Not paying your taxes, or what not.

If you go the nursery plant route, I would get your business and nursery license. Here it is just writing a check. Then go to a wholesale nursery and buy 1020 flats of small plants. Take these 18 plants and pot them up into 1 gallon pots. You now just double the value or more. The more you grow them out, the more they are worth. You might think about herbs. Fairly fast growing and almost everyone uses.

Eric

[Imperialboy]

Bay Area?!?

Take a look at this: [url=https://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/farmersmkt.htm]Direct Marketing, UCDavis.[/url]



Steve

Thanks Steve. Reading it all now

Here you may need a nursey or nuseryman's license. Minimum a business license. Pay taxes on income over a certain dollar amount.


People sell many things under the table all the time. This is fine and dandy until someone reports you. They get sick, or they feel cheated on some sale. Not paying your taxes, or what not.

If you go the nursery plant route, I would get your business and nursery license. Here it is just writing a check. Then go to a wholesale nursery and buy 1020 flats of small plants. Take these 18 plants and pot them up into 1 gallon pots. You now just double the value or more. The more you grow them out, the more they are worth. You might think about herbs. Fairly fast growing and almost everyone uses.

Eric

Can you explain a little more on the nursery way? I don't want to go through too much. Like legal issues, licenses and all that. But want to keep it simple and still be legal. So for the nursery way. Its just get a business/nursey license, then buy wholesale plants. Repot them and resell?

So thinking the Japanese Maple things or herbs might be the way to go. Sell potted Maples or Herbs, or added values with Herbs

-----

It seems the direct marketing guide shows how to sell to restaurants/retailers with a large supply and a farm? Would this route still be a good idea? Or find a restaurants that's more flexible in terms of getting veggies and such? (Getting it once every 2 weeks, once a month, etc)

[Susan W]

Licenses, fees etc vary state to state, and even within cities. Do your homework on that one. I looked up an agric type licensing for the herbs here and came up nadda. I did talk with a couple of people (organizers) from one of the farmers markets who want me. They said I was fine. Again where you are. I already have a business license with the yarn business so for now could roll herbs into that. As of now doing such small potatoes, or is that basil, going cash.
I have dealt with a couple of restaurants. They are willing to go cash basis, and do some shopping at the farmers markets in cash. For one I do write a little receipt with date that the owner can file (usually $10-12 so not a biggie!)

The 1st year is expensive. Acquiring containers, dirt etc. I look at 2nd year about 1/2 that expense as I add more containers and freshen soil. Of course any dumped soil goes into flower beds, so not a loss! Of course I may go overboard. A restaurant can easily want 1# basil/week, and that is alot of plants.

I suggest messing around with several things the 1st season. See what works for you. You can always give away excess to friends and neighbors and food banks. If you have a friend working a farmers market could add your stuff and help with booth.

It is not get rich quick, but get poor slowly.

Hope this helps.

[jal_ut]

I sold at our small local farmers market last season. When I say small I mean the customer base is small. The most we had wander through any day was 80. Most days it was from 0-40. Ya, one day there was no one show up. we met once a week on Wednesday evening. The most I made any one day was $50. The least I made any one day was $0.

Best sellers were green beans, and onions. I sold the following items: Squash, melons, turnips, kohlrabi, garlic, corn, cukes, arugula, lettuce, strawberries, carrots, plums, dill, pumpkins, beets and honey.

No doubt I could have done better if more buyers showed up. What I didn't sell went to charity. The foodbank.

It is one thing to grow produce, but quite another project to market it. If you really want to make some money, you will need to do both. You will also need to grow a lot of produce.

Oh, about the legality of selling, it will vary with your local govt. Here we got permission to sell on the corner of the town square, and there was no red tape. We didn't need a business license, nor did we have to collect sales tax. We did have a USDA inspector show up one day. He was no problem.

Another seller had a one acre garden on the main drag and he said he sold quite a lot just roadside.

My conclusion was that this was a fun thing to do. It was a good social event. I didn't make enough money to pay expenses. I certainly didn't make anything for my time. BTW, the area I garden is 7500 sq feet in veggie garden and about that much more in perrennial beds and orchard.

[jal_ut]

One other note. If you are going to sell by the pound, you need a tested and certified scale. We get around that by selling by the piece or by the bag full etc.

[soil]

i sell veggie starts every year and do pretty well. last year i made 200$ in a few hours. it helps to know EVERYTHING about your plants/soil there in. and have very healthy plants.

[rainbowgardener]

agree with soil... I sell veggie, herb, flower starts every spring for a fund raiser for my church. If you have nice looking, healthy starts, there is a good market for them. I sell mine for just one $ a piece, because I'm not really trying to make money off them. People get a nice, well started plant for a cheap price and I raise $200 - $250 each spring that way just off the extras from what I start for myself (I can't stand to throw seedlings away! ). But they mostly only sell if I am standing there, explaining to people what they are and what kind of care they need. I have tried having written materials there and it doesn't work very well. People don't want to read about it (even in my very educated, readerly congregation), they want you to tell them.

[Imperialboy]

agree with soil... I sell veggie, herb, flower starts every spring for a fund raiser for my church. If you have nice looking, healthy starts, there is a good market for them. I sell mine for just one $ a piece, because I'm not really trying to make money off them. People get a nice, well started plant for a cheap price and I raise $200 - $250 each spring that way just off the extras from what I start for myself (I can't stand to throw seedlings away! ). But they mostly only sell if I am standing there, explaining to people what they are and what kind of care they need. I have tried having written materials there and it doesn't work very well. People don't want to read about it (even in my very educated, readerly congregation), they want you to tell them.

And where do you go to sell these starts? Farmer's Market?
Again, don't want to go through legal issues, licenses and all that. Would seedlings like Japanese Maples or herbs need licenses? Having trouble looking up info for the Bay Area in California.

Or I might just sell by using my driveway and advertsiing. or going door to door to neighbors. Sell to friends and expan my word of mouth.

[farmerlon]

Anymore get started ideas?

Don't take this the wrong way, but you might just have to get started, in order to get started.
It sounds to me like you need to start growing and experimenting, and that might be the best way to figure out what direction you want to go in.
Start small, that way you can make all the mistakes that just about any "startup" will make, with minimal risk.

Money (the "bottom line") is always important in business. But, often, if you focus more on finding the growing and selling plan that you enjoy, and offer a top-quality product with top-quality service, the money will follow along naturally.

[Imperialboy]

Anymore get started ideas?

Don't take this the wrong way, but you might just have to get started, in order to get started.
It sounds to me like you need to start growing and experimenting, and that might be the best way to figure out what direction you want to go in.
Start small, that way you can make all the mistakes that just about any "startup" will make, with minimal risk.

Money (the "bottom line") is always important in business. But, often, if you focus more on finding the growing and selling plan that you enjoy, and offer a top-quality product with top-quality service, the money will follow along naturally.

I'll beginning that. Contacting local nurseries on what they have and such that I need. I'll start off with Japanese Maples and popular Herb types.

[cynthia_h]

agree with soil... I sell veggie, herb, flower starts every spring for a fund raiser for my church. If you have nice looking, healthy starts, there is a good market for them. I sell mine for just one $ a piece, because I'm not really trying to make money off them. People get a nice, well started plant for a cheap price and I raise $200 - $250 each spring that way just off the extras from what I start for myself (I can't stand to throw seedlings away! ). ...

And where do you go to sell these starts? Farmer's Market?
Again, don't want to go through legal issues, licenses and all that. Would seedlings like Japanese Maples or herbs need licenses? Having trouble looking up info for the Bay Area in California.

Or I might just sell by using my driveway and advertsiing. or going door to door to neighbors. Sell to friends and expan my word of mouth.

Rainbow sells the seedlings at a "fund raiser for [my] church." It's not a farmer's market; it's a church function. Churches operate under a different set of rules from farmer's markets, because churches are non-profit organizations where no individual benefits from the proceeds of sales.

There is no such place, unfortunately, as "the Bay Area" when looking up regulations. First check your county Agriculture Department and/or Department of Weights and Measures. The nine core Bay Area counties are:

Alameda
Contra Costa
Marin
Napa
San Francisco
San Mateo
Santa Clara
Solano
Sonoma

Then check city ordinances. Many regulations are available online these days, so a search based on criteria like

"farmer's market license selling" or "selling vegetables Contra Costa County"

will return information on the subject. Then, based on how many hits the search returns, narrow the search criteria.

I strongly recommend that you not try to do this under the table or in any "outside the confines of the law" method. I've lived in the Bay Area quite a while (much longer than I had ever planned to, to tell the truth) and been a "foodie" the whole time, mostly because I have to do lots of scratch cooking.

In that time, there have been shut-downs of restaurants where health certificates were found to be out of date, a shut-down of at least one restaurant where customers contracted disease from fresh salsa left on their table from previous customers b/c neither the management nor the staff knew any better: no food-handler training certificates at all. Some jail time was also involved.

The current food cart controversies in San Francisco have many roots, but again licenses are one of them.

Cynthia

[lily51]

Anything with agriculture takes work.
Speaking from experience to let you know what having more than just a garden is like.....
We had a small strawberry business for 8 years...1.25 acres. It was work, from planting, to weeding, to picking. The fun part was the selling to customers, taking orders, talking to people. I also grew 1/4 acre of statice that I started in small greenhouse, and sold as dried flowers to craft stores.

The quarter acre was do-able by myself; the 1.25 was not. We hired a couple teenagers each year to help out, plus had some pick-your-own.
The trouble with having the public come in to do so is that some don't know what they're doing, overlook good produce, don't care where they step, etc, etc.

Find your specialized niche and see what happens. Many ag business start small and grow and grow! You never know until you try.

[Imperialboy]

I can't even find information about legal issues and laws. I have emailed a couple different people though from the sites i did find.

I think I'll be getting into selling starts of herbs and different types of Japanese Maples.