I think that its all fair and well to follow your dreams but can you make a living out of it?
maybe an option would be to go part time and see how that goes. Of course its a big step but its a step plenty of other people take. Or look into a job in a gardening nursery or something.
Also what sort of gardening do you want to do? my brother in law is a gardener and he makes a living out of grass and hedge cuts but obviously you need the outlay to buy the tools.
At the end of the day if you can afford to give it a go why not! maybe speak to your work about a career break, or some unpaid holiday to see how it goes.
I know a girl who started off making clothes in her spare room who has just opened a shop so it can work
OK I know what you mean I'm writing down all the money I make in a twelve month period my plan of attack is to move away from the other gardener's I'm offering up the cottage/kitchen garden growing and selling organically grown plants creating herbaceous borders digging weeding composting hoeing starting gardens from the absolute basic removing all the rubbish creating either low or high maintenance gardens and my wacky sence of humour thrown in for free
Haha I was suggesting that to my brother in law a few weeks back he claimed there's not alot of money in it cause people dont understand the costs involved. I was say that with all the gardening programmes lots of people would like to get into gardening but dont have a clue how to go about starting so for someone to come in and set it up for them and give some pointers
These programmes make it look glamorous but they don't mention the hard graft that goes into it my hands show it with the soil ingrained into them my sister wants a instant garden I try to show her that it doesn't work that way only on ground force I'm grafting every day in our garden and allotment and it can still look like it needs work on it have you seen amateur gardening magazine there's lovely free foxgloves
Kevin, I'm just starting up working as a gardener too, I'm doing it very low key though & part time. (I've been a full time mum for the last 7 years so its a bit daunting going back to work!) I've put ads in all the local post offices & newsagents, and had one reply a day after I put them in. two of my friends are also gardeners and they seem to work pretty much full time, even turning business away now. Hope it works out, keep us posted!
Hi book fairy thank you for your interest I have customers at the moment and they want me to work every day I'm cormmited to it I will keep going if lots of my family and friends spreading the word I will keep you posted
Hi awb you are right it really is a labour of love unpaid holidays I can put up with I really enjoy working the land its far better than working for a moaning boss I'm putting everything into it when the time is right I will take that big step it started as a eighties teenager watching the good life
Hi book fairy I'm working on a huge garden at the moment plus if got another five weekly gardening jobs to bring in extra wonga and in between I'm that I'm working on our garden and taking vegetables up to the allotment and harvesting the crops and doing a distance gardening course with the Chelsea gardening school as they say in home and away never a dull moment !
Posts
I think that its all fair and well to follow your dreams but can you make a living out of it?
maybe an option would be to go part time and see how that goes. Of course its a big step but its a step plenty of other people take. Or look into a job in a gardening nursery or something.
Also what sort of gardening do you want to do? my brother in law is a gardener and he makes a living out of grass and hedge cuts but obviously you need the outlay to buy the tools.
At the end of the day if you can afford to give it a go why not! maybe speak to your work about a career break, or some unpaid holiday to see how it goes.
I know a girl who started off making clothes in her spare room who has just opened a shop so it can work
OK I know what you mean I'm writing down all the money I make in a twelve month period my plan of attack is to move away from the other gardener's I'm offering up the cottage/kitchen garden growing and selling organically grown plants creating herbaceous borders digging weeding composting hoeing starting gardens from the absolute basic removing all the rubbish creating either low or high maintenance gardens and my wacky sence of humour thrown in for free
Haha I was suggesting that to my brother in law a few weeks back he claimed there's not alot of money in it cause people dont understand the costs involved. I was say that with all the gardening programmes lots of people would like to get into gardening but dont have a clue how to go about starting so for someone to come in and set it up for them and give some pointers
These programmes make it look glamorous but they don't mention the hard graft that goes into it my hands show it with the soil ingrained into them my sister wants a instant garden I try to show her that it doesn't work that way only on ground force I'm grafting every day in our garden and allotment and it can still look like it needs work on it have you seen amateur gardening magazine there's lovely free foxgloves
Kevin, I'm just starting up working as a gardener too, I'm doing it very low key though & part time. (I've been a full time mum for the last 7 years so its a bit daunting going back to work!) I've put ads in all the local post offices & newsagents, and had one reply a day after I put them in. two of my friends are also gardeners and they seem to work pretty much full time, even turning business away now. Hope it works out, keep us posted!
You will never be rich money wise but that is not important if you are a happier and healthier person.
there are 30 chargeable hours in a week, 45 weeks in a year. At £15 per hour, gross £20 kpa vehicle costs, machinery etc etc.
Customers who commit to regular work, ie all year would expect to pay less, one off projects should pay more.
no holiday pay no sick pay, it is a labour of love.
Hi book fairy thank you for your interest I have customers at the moment and they want me to work every day I'm cormmited to it I will keep going if lots of my family and friends spreading the word I will keep you posted
Hi awb you are right it really is a labour of love unpaid holidays I can put up with I really enjoy working the land its far better than working for a moaning boss I'm putting everything into it when the time is right I will take that big step it started as a eighties teenager watching the good life
Hi book fairy I'm working on a huge garden at the moment plus if got another five weekly gardening jobs to bring in extra wonga and in between I'm that I'm working on our garden and taking vegetables up to the allotment and harvesting the crops and doing a distance gardening course with the Chelsea gardening school as they say in home and away never a dull moment !