Essential Reading If You've Ever Thought About Starting a Gardening Business

I have been in the garden business since 2015. I thought the industry was big back then, but man, oh man, it was just getting started.

After I started my own garden consulting business, I'd get two kinds of DMs whenever I'd show off the gardens I was installing for clients on Instagram. The first would say something like, "Nicole, do you know anyone who does what you do up here in Washington?" The second type of message would say, "I'm secretly stalking you because I want to have a garden business just like yours one day."

I got enough of these messages that I started thinking to myself, "Hmmm, there's something here. Beginner gardeners need what I'm offering, but I can only be in one place at a time. Meanwhile, there are plenty of gardeners who live near them who want to do what I'm doing." I realized there was a way I could essentially multiply myself so I could reach way more people—and that's by teaching others how to become a garden consultant like me.

So I launched the Gardenary Consultant Certification back in 2017, and it's been amazing to see all the businesses that our graduates have created over the past seven years.

Stats About These Garden Consulting Businesses

Many small businesses don't make it past the first year. If you can pass the 5-year hurdle, then you're in the top 5 percent of small businesses. I'm proud to say there are many garden consultants I trained back in 2017 and 2018 whose businesses have now passed the 5-year mark.

We've had students who started as accountants, nurses, flight attendants, teachers, business executives, etc., and then became garden consultants. Many of our students have earned enough as garden consultants to quit their full-time job and go all in with their business. Others work as much or as little as they want to fit their busy schedules.

You can learn more about what it means to work as a garden consultant, but I want to focus here on giving you some crazy stats about the industry itself. Here's what you need to know about the garden industry so you can judge for yourself whether or not it'd be worth it to start your own garden business right now.

Americans Will Spend $180 Billion on Landscaping & Gardening in 2024

Yes, that's billion with a capital B. It comes out to about $100 billion on landscaping services and about $80 billion on garden supplies. These numbers have gone up by $30 billion since 2020; spending in the garden industry is definitely on the rise.

We currently have about 330 million people living in the United States. Not everyone is spending money on mowing services or plants, but let's just break it down to about $500 per person. Let's say that's what the average American spends in this industry every year. Just take a second to think about that.

What portion of the country do you have living in your city or town? Let's say it's 1% of the total population. That's still about $1.8 billion dollars being spent in just your area! If your town only has 0.1% of the population, that's still $180 million. And even if your town has only 0.01% of the U.S. population, that's still $15 million.

No matter where you live, a ton of money is being spent in this industry. What if you could be earning just a fraction of what your town is already spending?

The Landscaping Industry Is Growing Faster Than the Economy

Over the last five years, the landscaping industry has been outpacing our economic growth. There's a growing desire to reconnect with nature in apartment complexes and business centers and nursing homes and hospitals and schools—you name it. The pandemic made us realize we want to be outside more, and when we're outside, we want more than cement and grass, you know?

And economists anticipate the landscaping industry will only continue to grow in the US over the next 5 years.

Two Growing Interests Are Native Plants & Edible Gardens

Industry trends show two growing areas of interest. The first is native plant spaces. I think we're all considering the climate more; I know I am after reading Doug Tallamy's book, Nature's Best Hope. There seems to be a growing understanding that native plants are critical to the health of our planet going forward. It's really exciting to see more and more people willing to spend money to make their landscaping better for the environment and local wildlife.

People are also interested in growing more of their own food. A recent survey found that 67% of adults are either already growing edible plants or would like to start. The number of households that grow at least a little bit of their own food has increased from 36 million to 42 million in the last 5 years. Some people are likely driven by concern over the supply chain shortages we've experienced in recent years, while others are inspired to reduce their food waste and food miles. I know many of my clients simply want to feel more connected to the food on their plate.

Whatever the motivation, as a kitchen gardener, it's also really exciting to see more people taking an interest in growing edible plants.

55% of Americans Say They Do a Little Bit of Gardening

Does this number feel accurate based on your experience? I have to say, I think most of these people consider weeding their flowers beds to be gardening. In most of the neighborhoods I've lived in, there weren't many others cultivating plants in a way I would consider gardening.

Even if more than half of Americans really do have gardens, that's still a ton of people who aren't gardening yet and who could become gardeners. Half of the population could join our gardening community. That's a huge opportunity to spread the joy of gardening.

20% of Americans Surveyed Say They'll Start a Garden Soon

One fifth of survey respondents said they'd start a garden soon. But here's the thing: Most of them probably won't, even though they know they should. The reality is they won't make the effort or justify the expense unless they're convinced that it's worth it.

And that's where you and I come in.

What if we all lived in a town where gardening was as normal as driving? Where if you have a house, you have a garden? If you have a kitchen, you have a garden. What would that be like?

Personally, I think it would be a better world to live in. Food would be less scarce. We'd all be healthier. We'd have more energy. We'd feel less depressed and anxious. We'd have plenty of things to talk about with our neighbors instead of scrolling our devices.

So how could you help convince those 20 percenters that it's time to start their garden?

How to Convince People to Start a Garden

One: Live a Garden-Centered Life

You don't have to go all in and become a homesteader or live off the grid. You just have to be known by your peers as a gardener. Just by making the garden part of your everyday life, you could be inspiring your neighbors or friends or coworkers to make the garden part of their reality, as well.

Two: Share the Garden with Others

Share the overflow of things you've harvested from your garden with others. Invite people to come see your garden. Let children visit and wander through the space. Host a harvest celebration to show off all the wonderful things you can grow and harvest in your town during that particular season.

Three: Become a Garden Coach

If you really want to share your love of gardening with others, consider becoming a garden coach. Coaching means teaching people how to do the things you do in your garden. People will absolutely pay you to give them that kind of advice.

Sure, you could keep giving away your knowledge and experience for free. But everything changes when you switch to a client-consultant relationship that involves you getting paid for your advice. I always like to say those who pay, pay attention.

If you can give someone who says they want to learn how to garden a step-by-step plan, they're way more likely to actually make their garden happen and find success this season. Plus, they'll feel way more confident instead of overwhelmed, which makes them less likely to quit. They'll have your help through whatever obstacles they encounter.

This is why garden consulting, at least in my opinion, is the best way to earn a living as a gardener.

What You Can Do as a Garden Consultant

There are all kinds of different things you can do as a garden consultant, but one of the big ones is garden coaching. Garden coaching is really just about sharing what works for you in your particular climate.

A garden coaching session involves you going to the client's space, assessing what is, and explaining what could be. By what could be, I mean your gardening principles and systems that work for you. You basically give your client a simple step-by-step plan to either make their garden happen or make their garden better. This type of service is absolutely worth it to every single person you can reach.

How You Can Become a Garden Consultant

I'm on a mission to get everybody to start a garden, and for that to happen, we need more garden consultants. Gardenary exists to help people like you become consultants so that you can help beginner gardeners in your town take the leap and see that the garden is worth it.

I hope this has convinced you that starting your own business in the garden industry is 100% worth it. Becoming a garden consultant changed my life. It has allowed me to share all the things I love most about gardening with clients all around my city. I get to spend time with my kids when they're off school because I can set my own schedule. I completely changed my family's financial situation. I really just made my whole life better by going for it and hoping it'd be worth my time and effort.

If you want to learn more about the growing garden consulting industry, make sure to sign up for our Side Hustle workshop below. Thanks for being here and helping to spread the joy of gardening.

SOURCES:

National Association of Landscape Professionals

Ibis World Market Research Reports

National Gardening Survey