How to Start a Gardening Service Business

Providing gardening services in your neighbourhood is a quick way to make some money. How about turning gardening into a full-time business plan? 

Gardening and landscaping are business options that have a fast-paced market growth. Whether it is a gardening service for a vegetable patch or herb garden, or simply a flower garden, it is the best way to turn your passion into your profession. Gardening service is a small business idea with huge prospects.

Full-time Gardening Service Business

Starting a gardening service business doesn’t require any experience. You just need to have a passion for gardening. It is a business that requires your time, honesty, and reliability. You can always develop the skills and knowledge of gardening over time.

Homeowners struggle every day to maintain their gardens after their busy day jobs. If you show dedication towards developing their gardens, you can have a continuous flow of business from these people. The work becomes more permanent if you reside in a region with frequent seasonal changes. 

Turning your gardening service into a full-time business will eventually require hiring workers for cleanup service (snow removal if you stay in an area where it snows). Suppose you wish to provide assistance for greenhouse development or step gardening in offices. In that case, you need to hire expert gardeners with knowledge of vegetables and flowers, their seasons, and maintenance. 

Considering you have a mixed client base with varied gardening and occasional cleanup requirements, The Bureau of Labour Statistics say that you can earn around $18-$20 per hour from your customers. If you are not sure where you hire gardening support from, look for online gardener resources with the American Horticultural Society or National Gardening Association.

Difference Between a Gardener and landscaping Architect

Landscape architecture requires more skills than gardening. If you provide landscaping services, you can earn more than what you make from gardening. While gardening includes basic works like maintaining a garden, vegetable patches, pruning plants, etc., Landscape architecture requires you to build rock sculptures, fountains, or ponds in a garden. It is the art of beautifying gardens and often requires a Diploma or Degree in landscape architecture. 

Both landscaping and gardening promise a bright future for entrepreneurs. But work opportunity is higher for gardening service providers has it involves aiding homeowners with basic garden maintenance work. Work opportunities for landscape architecture are limited to affluent families who have huge gardens and landscapes for beautification.

Advantages of Starting Gardening Services

If you are wondering why you should start a gardening service company, here are the advantages of running the business-

• Every neighbourhood nowadays has a high demand for professional gardeners as most garden owners are clueless about gardening and its maintenance or don’t have enough time to take care of a garden.
• It is a profitable business opportunity as there is no establishment cost and equipment are not expensive.
• Business expansion is easy by partnering with landscapers.
• There is a chance of cross-business earning by teaming up with gardening or flower shops.
• You have a scope of exploring different genres of expertise like organic gardening, native plantation, natural fertilizers, etc.
• You can offer to teach gardening along with your maintenance service.
• The initial investment is low.
• The business offers you flexibility and doesn’t require high expertise.

Disadvantages of Starting a Gardening Service Company

A gardening service business is not without disadvantages. Before you start the business, it is better to understand the cons and prepare for them.

• It has a high market competition
• You may need to master a need to face your competition
• Even if you don’t need a degree, you need experience and knowledge of plants, pesticides, organic materials, and gardening to become successful.
• It is not possible to operate a business without a license. If you wish to operate with licenses, you can work as a freelance gardener.
• Seasons, climate, and natural disasters often slow down the business.

Points to Consider before Choosing a Gardening Service for your Business

Do you think you have what it takes to provide gardening services in your neighbourhood? Before starting your small-scale business, here are some points you would want to remember-

• A gardening business requires you to experience extended sun exposure. It exposes you to health risks like dehydration or skin cancer. Safe gardening business requires investment in purchasing protective clothes.
• Focus on your health for gardening. Prolonged bending and squatting during gardening can lead to joint or back problems.
• Your income and business flow are weather dependent. To run a full-time business, consider extending your business services to snow removal or cleanup services to meet the seasonal requirements.

Final thoughts on Gardening as a Business

Gardening service is an easy business option for people with a passion for gardening. It doesn’t require high investment to start the business. However, the entrepreneur needs considerable knowledge of plants, flowers, seasonal maintenance, pesticides, and gardening to survive in the market. You also need to ensure that you have the proper physical health to cope with the daily exertions. Finally, a gardening business gains popularity with a word-of-mouth marketing strategy. Hence, deliver outstanding work for your initial customers to gain their faith and spread the word.