However, the answer is yes you can! Here are ten things myself and friends do to sell our greenhouse produce;. You will save money and be happier and healthier anyway eating produce you know is organic and fresh from your own garden and greenhouse, but if you are really keen to make some money, this is another way.
Most garden centres don't grow the plants they sell. They buy them from huge wholesalers located in Holland, Spain and many of the eastern European countries. The plants are grown in soil conditions that are totally different to the soil in our gardens and transported for days before they reach the sellers.
Not good for the plants and certainly not good for the environment. This presents the opportunity to sell your own locally grown plants. Recent surveys by the Horticultural Trades Association found that gardeners would prefer to buy locally grown plants and are even prepared to pay a bit more for them. Several projects have sprung up with the aim of helping people gain an income off the land.
The bad news is that you're unlikely to make enough to give up the day job — but selling your surplus should make tending the veg plot more worthwhile. BigBarn and Crunchd are resources to help growers sell produce, the latter being a social network, with a website and app, which allows seasoned gardeners and novices to swap advice and trade produce.
Founder Tony Montague, an ex-City trader, says: "Growers can swap and sell produce, and if they want to sell on a bigger scale can meet up and pool their resources so they have enough produce to sell to restaurants, for example.
Individual sellers may find it easier to sell to a shop if they join BigBarn's Crop for the Shop initiative. BigBarn is a community interest company that connects customers with independent food retailers and producers you can also buy groceries on the site , while Crop for the Shop is designed to help you get involved.
It has an online local food map where you can search for independent retailers, advice on how to sell, and basic documents to download, such as an agreement between a grower and a retailer.
BigBarn founder Anthony Davison says: "Giving retail credit instead of cash helps boosts sales at independent retailers and keeps money in the local community. There are also new food markets that encourage individuals to sell, such as the recently opened Crystal Palace Food Market. People arrive with bin bags of spinach from the allotment, chilli plants they've grown indoors and handfuls of herbs and lettuces from their window boxes. If you want to get your pea shoots on to the specials board of your local restaurant, however, you need to start networking, says Matt Smee, co-founder of Cheshire-based growers Natural Veg Men.
Let them sample your produce before you ask them to put in an order," he says. Cafes, pubs and restaurants are often able to take small amounts of produce for their specials, so there's no pressure to supply huge, regular orders. Your state or county agricultural department should be able to provide you with guidance on selling produce from home safely. California, for example, offers suggestions for small farms:. Fraser Sherman has written about every aspect of business: how to start one, how to keep one in the black, the best business structure, the details of financial statements.
He's also run a couple of small businesses of his own. He lives in Durham NC with his awesome wife and two wonderful dogs. His website is frasersherman. Share It. Are you going to market your fruit as organic, local or naturally grown? Will you set up a stand at a farmers market?
Sell to customers coming by your house or drop off at theirs? Make deliveries to local restaurants? All of the above? Are you planning a small-scale container garden to bring in just a little extra income, or do you want to use most of your backyard to grow produce?
How much do you plan to sell, assuming there are plenty of buyers? Do you intend to sell across state lines? If you're growing food in agriculturally zoned, unincorporated areas, you can legally set up a farm stand. If it's temporary or smaller than square feet, you don't need a building permit.
To sell at a farmers market, you have to apply for state certification. The application requires identifying where you grow your food and identifying the food you intend to sell. Your property may have to undergo a state inspection. If you deliver your own produce to customers or have them pick it up from you, no license is needed to sell fruits and vegetables. You can ship produce to customers within California without a permit as long as you watch for quarantines banning shipments from pest-infected areas.
If you ship to other states, California wants to inspect your shipments. If you sell to local retailers or restaurants, your town or county may require you to take out a business license. To grow organic products, avoid prohibited growing methods, including genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge You have to work under the supervision of a USDA certifying agent.
Even if you sell less, you can't use the familiar organic label unless you're certified. You must keep detailed records of your organic farming.
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