How to Start a Restaurant Gardening Business

If making money growing vegetables sounds like a winning proposition, you're right. This easy home based business idea requires very little money for start up. With so much focus being placed on locally grown vegetables, it makes sense for restaurants to grow some or all of their own vegetables on rooftops and back parking lots. But chefs are busy, and don't always have the time to tend to gardens, which is where the opportunity lies for the industrious gardenpreneur.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Approach potential clients with your proposal, photos of gardens you've planted and sell local restaurants and chefs on the idea of growing their own produce. Cite the trends, even list a few restaurants that have been successful with their own gardens.

2. Don't let the lack of traditional gardening space be the deciding factor. Growing with vertical planters, patio planters, raised bed gardens and hanging planters can be visually attractive, space saving means of gardening. Bring attention to the fact that their innovation may just bring media attention and increase profits.

3. Once you've made the sale, talk to the chef at length about what to plant. Their menu and style of cooking will be reflected in the garden. It should be the chef's/owners decision as to what to plant.

4. Plant the gardens according to the specifications you have decided upon with the chef/owner, regularly care for, replant, mulch and compost.

5. It may be required for the restaurant to have a USDA certified grower's certificate. Offer to help them obtain that. They are really very easy to get, and require an application to be completed, followed by an inspection of the garden by a USDA inspector.

6. Once you have a few restaurant gardens begun, whether large or small, take photographs of them and ask the chef/owners for written testimonials that you can use in your marketing.

7. Keep good records. This is a business, and as such you will have profit and loss statements, taxes, and insurance requirements. Be sure to comply with all local, state and federal regulations.

Resources

• How to Build a Vertical Wall Planter
• Container Vegetable Gardening
• How to Grow a Garden Business

[skyedanzer]

on 6/24/2009 Great ideas and advice!

[gahazeleyes]

on 6/15/2009 Very informative. Thanks

[xrayness]

on 6/5/2009 Dear Julie: It's funny that you wrote this article about a restaurant gardening business. Just the other day I was asking my wife when we were going to start growing strawberries again. When we lived in New Jersey, we had strawberries right in the backyard for the kids to eat. This would be a great way to add to my different streams of income. Right now, I work full-time for the Federal Government, run a small moving company and write for eHow, Bukisa and Helium. Thanks for sharing this information...definitely 5 stars *****

[jenng]

on 5/27/2009 Great article on starting a restaurant gardening buisness 5*

[kristara]

on 5/24/2009 Great ideas and advice! There are so many that like gardening and could turn it into a nice money making business