In general, commercial gardening is horticulture which is done on small plots of land where a commercial gardener used to produce fruits, vegetables, and ornamental crops. Whenever you go to a farmer’s market in the middle of a week, you will see fresh fruits and vegetables. The sellers of such fresh fruits and vegetables are market gardeners. These gardeners produce from small lands ranging from an acre to a few acres.
There is never too late to start market gardening because of the increasing demand for fresh organic produce. And when you know the use of modern tools and technology along with the help of the internet as a source of information, it is clear that you can become a market gardener.
So if your plan is to start this type of gardening to produce fresh fruits, vegetables, and ornamental crops, you should plan before throwing some seeds in the ground. Before you start planting, there are three key questions that need to be answered first to begin gardening in the right way.
How much money do you expect to get from your garden?
Whether it is a gardening business or some other kind of business, every real business begins with the idea of some revenue they plan to generate from the business. Are you planning to generate a small second income that can aid you to bear your expenses? Or are you planning to make the market gardening your main source of income?
It is necessary to answer these questions by yourself as it will determine your subsequent decisions and how much you want to get from your business. The answer to this question also determines the particular crops you can grow and how big your garden needs to be. It is highly recommended to set a target for sales, and after setting a target, answer the rest of the questions by keeping the target in mind.
How do you find your customers?
No business, whether it is a small or large business, can not get started without a good idea of who their customers will be. Without deciding your target audience, you can not start a business and never knows how someone gets the opportunity to buy from you when he doesn’t find your produce. This simply means you need a complete marketing plan in which you know how to find enough potential customers that are willing to buy enough of your products and meet your revenue target.
Let’s take an example. Suppose, you have set revenue of $10k that you want to generate from your market gardening, and you decide to sell your products in the market of local farmers. The local farmer’s market generally opens for twenty weeks in a year, which means you have to sell $500 per week to meet your target. But is one market is enough to hit your target? And have you noticed how much vendors are selling in the same market? Or do you need more than one market to sell your produce?
Ok, let’s take another example to clear your doubts and let you make a wise decision on how to target the right audience. Suppose, you plan a CSA which is a community-supported agriculture market garden. In CSA, customers used to subscribe to your farm for the whole session. These customers pay in advance to get a share of fresh fruits and vegetables every week. So your every customer will have to pay you $500 for their share.
Where to get money to start your business?
This type of commercial gardening is less expensive to start, but still, you will need some money to buy seeds, tools, and supplies. Initially, you need to estimate the start-up cost, including the cost of equipment and supplies you need. Plus, you have the option of renting the equipment rather than buying a new one.
These are important questions that need to be answered before you decide to start commercial gardening. You must figure out the answers to these questions in advance as it will ensure your business of market gardening is a success.
