Beginning Your Small Urban Garden for Profit

As careers come to an end and factories close their doors, the unemployment rate continues to climb. Homes are lost due to lack of income, but for those who live a reasonable life, or are forced to change lifestyles, it is also a time to consider beginning a small business.

Home businesses have become lucrative for part-time income and even full-time income and they can help support families and even communities. Urban gardens also help to foster independence as people become their own support system without relying on big business and industry to provide for their income.

One of the fastest growing home businesses is the small urban garden for profit. It provides an income and a healthier lifestyle for the owner and all those the owner provides for. A small urban garden can be started and maintained by just about anyone, male or female, child or adult, young and old.

It is a great way to bring family together in a common effort and build a future that can be passed on from one member to the next. It can be a seasonal job, but is easy to move into year round product sales and service. With a low investment cost the yield is worth the work you'll put into it. Each year you can increase your urban garden in size and variety offered.

Begin by creating a space for growing your salable product. Prepare your ground in 4 x 8 sections for growing. Three of these section will take only a small amount of space in your yard or on land. Prepare your soil by turning it with a good compost and if you can add earth worms to your garden area it will help to promote a rich, dark, healthy producing earth.

Your first year as an urban gardener for profit will start small with only two variety of crops. In one bed plant early producing tomatoes. Be sure to start the tomato plants indoors about 2 to 3 weeks before transplanting to your garden bed. Early producing tomatoes will be ready to harvest between the middle of July and the beginning of August.

In the other two sections plant a hardy English Lavender. English Lavender produces a strong plant with a robust scent. It is the best choice for drying, oils, and potpourri's. Lavender is easy to grow and once dried will last through season after season if protected from the elements.

Water and care for your garden carefully because it is your income. Gardening as an income can be gone in an instant if you get a late freeze in the spring or an early freeze during the summer or fall. But the two plants chosen are hardy and will weather a lot of abuse.

To help protect your plants use an organic insect control and cover will chicken wire to protect from birds. In the evening cover your plants with a plastic sheeting to hold in warmth and keep out the cold.

Once your tomatoes are ready to harvest your can start by advertising to neighbors, family, friends and the community. If you are selling from home place a sign in your front yard advertising you have tomatoes available that are fresh from the vine and home grown.

Check with your local farmers market and rent a small stall. Be sure your have enough product to make it worth the rental cost. Early on the morning of the farmers market pick your crop and clean with a damp rag. Pack carefully in to a box or crate. Set your price and make a small sign so customers do not have to ask how much they will need to pay.

To help increase your sales type a one page introduction about your urban garden, the product your are selling and one recipe. Hand the one page information out with each sale. Be sure to include information on how to contact you and what your next product will be or other services you offer.

If you have left over tomatoes when you return home from the farmers market you can prepare them in slices and dry in a small dehydrator. Dried tomatoes will sale well to the right people and it helps to prevent waste and loss of profit for you.

When your lavender is ready to harvest purchase or check a book from your local library for proper handling and preparation. Dried lavender can be placed in small bunches and tied with a ribbon. Each bunch will sale for a set price. Lavender in this way will be purchased for decoration and for use by local crafters. Call local florist and offer fresh and dried lavender for delivery or pick up to be used as accents. At the end of your harvest if you have any lavender left over you can make wall swags or wreath for sale during the holiday season.

There are so many uses for the small products you offer you'll have orders before the season is over. Be friendly and price your items at a reasonable rate according to your local economy. Pricing too high will do no good if you can't move the product.

Once you learn if this is the right business for you then you can increase your products with a few more produce variety or choose to sale craft products you have made. Add gardening products to your business such as pots, gardening gloves, small containers of earth worms, and any other items that will help your business grow.

It does not take much land or area to start a small urban garden for profit. Go slowly, grow slowly and don't be afraid to approach customers or businesses and offer fresh produce. This business will always produce a family income. Food is something we cannot do without and the fresher it is the better your customer base will be in years to come.