Nicole's Quick Take: The most reliable way to build recurring income with a garden business is ongoing maintenance: regular visits, seasonal refreshes, and care after the install. Ashley Irene learned her business framework through Garden Coach Academy, Gardenary's online course and certification for starting a garden business, and grew Heirloom Potager into a full-service firm with a 9-month waitlist.

Meet Ashley Irene of Heirloom Potager

Before gardening became her business, Ashley was a marketing consultant with a master's degree. But she grew up on her grandparents' farm in Wisconsin and has always kept an edible garden everywhere she's lived since.

In 2020, a few months into lockdown, she was helping a neighbor with her garden when the neighbor asked if she could tell a few friends. Ashley laughed it off, thinking, "I don't know who would ever pay me to help them grow tomatoes, but sure."

Her neighbors became her first clients, and Heirloom Potager was born.

Now, Ashley Irene runs Heirloom Potager in Orange County, California, where her team designs edible gardens, orchards, and culinary landscapes across Southern California. You can see her gorgeous gardens on Instagram at @heirloompotager.

How Garden Coach Academy Gave Ashley Her Business Framework

Ashley had years of hands-on gardening experience, but she had never run a garden business. That's what led her to Garden Coach Academy.

She says the biggest benefit was having a "great framework" for approaching clients. Instead of building everything from scratch, she had a proven structure for what to offer, how to present it, and how to get started with confidence.

Today, Ashley gives back to the program that helped her start. Established garden coaches like Ashley Irene sometimes join Garden Coach Academy meetings as a special guest. Recently, she shared what she has learned with new and aspiring coaches. Through her years of experience, Ashley has gained insightful lessons about running a garden business.

Lessons 1–3: Getting Clients in the Door

1. Make Your Own Garden Your Best Marketing

Ashley and her husband turned their front yard into a potager so neighbors could see exactly what she does for a living. She did about 90% of the work herself, from removing grass to laying decomposed granite to figuring out the irrigation.

WHAT IT DID FOR HER BUSINESS:

• Hands-on experience: She learned every step of an install in her own yard.
• Free advertising: Her garden is featured on the neighborhood garden tour every other year.
• Press: It landed her on the cover of a local magazine.
• More showcases: She now has a second showcase garden at a local interior design firm, which brings in a steady stream of business.

2. Take Your Business Seriously From Day One

One of Ashley’s biggest turning points was her mindset. As she put it, the shift came when she decided to “take my business very seriously, rather than treating it like I owned a cute business.”

When she started treating Heirloom Potager like a professional firm, clients and partners started treating it that way, too.

3. Have the Money Conversation Up Front

Ashley now talks about budget and timeline on the very first call. It felt awkward at first, but it changed everything.

• Better-fit clients: People who understand that a garden is an investment are the ones who book.
• Paid consultations: Her consults are paid on their own, and she makes each one as valuable as possible, whether or not the client hires her.
• Clear expectations: Clients know her timeline before they commit, so there are no surprises later.

Inside Garden Coach Academy, you'll learn how to market your business, talk about money with confidence, and set up a client process that works for you.

Lessons 4–8: The Recurring Income Engine

This is where steady, predictable income comes from. Ashley's maintenance model turns one-time installs into clients who stay with her year after year.

4. Include Maintenance With Every Install

Every garden Ashley installs comes with a period of maintenance built in.

WHY IT WORKS:

• Clients succeed from day one: Their new garden thrives instead of struggling.
• Built-in teaching time: Clients who want to learn can work alongside her team.
• The value sells itself: After experiencing a gorgeous, cared-for garden, most clients want to keep going.

5. Visit Clients on a Set Schedule

Ashley's team visits maintenance clients on a consistent, recurring schedule that fits her climate. It keeps her calendar full and predictable, and clients always know when to expect her team. The right rhythm for your business depends on your clients and your climate.

6. Price Maintenance Simply

Ashley's maintenance clients know exactly what they'll pay before they sign up. A simple, clear price makes it easy for clients to say yes and easy for her team to manage. Garden Coach Academy walks you through how to price your own services with confidence.

7. Make It All-Inclusive

Ashley builds everything into her maintenance price, including replacement plants, organic compost, and nutrients. Clients love never getting a surprise bill, and her team never has to track small charges.

8. Offer Seasonal Refreshes and Add-On Services

Ahead of each planting season, Ashley checks in with current and past clients to see who wants a refresh. That way, she knows exactly what to grow and plan for.

• Custom planting plans: Maintenance clients get a new plan each season to approve before planting.
• Seasonal care add-ons: Orchards and edible landscapes get seasonal feeding, pruning, and trimming as an extra service.
• Refresh-only clients: Some clients skip regular maintenance and book seasonal refreshes instead.

Inside Garden Coach Academy, you'll learn how to set up maintenance services and pricing for your own business.

Like a Lawn Care Business, but for Kitchen Gardens

If you've ever looked into starting a lawn care business, you already understand the appeal of recurring clients. A garden maintenance business works the same way, with regular visits and repeat income, but you get to grow food, design beautiful spaces, and teach clients along the way. Garden Coach Academy shows you how to build that kind of business from the ground up.

Lessons 9–10: Building a Garden Business That Lasts

9. Stand Firm in Your Expertise

Ashley calls herself a recovering people pleaser. Early on, she said yes to every extra request, and profitable projects slowly became unprofitable. Now she holds firm on certain aspects to protect her time and the project's overall success.

• Protect the scope: If a client wants to add fruit trees to a garden project, she's happy to plan it, as its own project.
• Protect the timing: In her climate, she doesn't install gardens in the hottest months, because plants won't thrive.
• Put the client's success first: Saying no to bad timing means happier clients and healthier gardens.

10. Play the Long Game (There's Room for Everyone)

Around years four and five, something shifted. Landscape architects and other professionals in Orange County started partnering with her. When she asked one why they hadn't reached out sooner, they told her they needed to know she'd be in business for the long haul.

Those partnerships brought her into big projects early, filling her calendar months in advance. Ashley also believes there's no need to compete with other garden coaches.

"There's more than enough business for all of us."

She refers clients who aren't the right fit to other coaches in her area, and she's built friendships with gardeners across the country.

Start Building Your Own Garden Business With Garden Coach Academy

Ashley started by helping one neighbor. Six years later, she runs a full-service garden business with recurring maintenance clients, a nursery, and a waitlist. Every business like hers starts with the right foundation, and that's exactly what Garden Coach Academy gives you.

Garden Coach Academy is an online course and certification for gardeners who want to turn their love of gardening into a business. It walks you through every step, from setting up your business to pricing your services to landing your first clients.

WHAT YOU GET IN GARDEN COACH ACADEMY:

• A 12-week online course: Self-paced modules designed to get your business up and running.
• Live Q&A coaching calls: Get your questions answered, and hear from special guests, established coaches like Ashley Irene who share how they built their businesses.
• Ready-to-use business templates: Proposal, service agreement, invoice, and project estimator examples from real coaches, plus client handouts you can customize.
• Money tools: Pricing calculators, a profit tracker, and a money map to plan what to pay yourself.
• Gardenary client referrals: Certified coaches can receive referrals from people looking for a garden designer.
• Wholesale pricing: Coaches can buy Gardenary products at a discount for their clients.

There's no such thing as falling behind. You move at your own pace and keep access to the course.

Ready to build a garden business with recurring income?

Submit your application to Garden Coach Academy today.

Want to see what's possible? Explore Ashley's work at Heirloom Potager. For another coach story, read how Kate Corrigon built a successful garden coaching business after retirement, and check out my step-by-step guide to becoming a garden coach.