I’m amazed by how many people ask how they can turn their gardening hobby into a way to make money. As winter approaches, many of us find ourselves with extra time but little desire for a full-time job. A bit of extra money would be nice—if only to cover the cost of seeds and potting soil.

This season is the perfect time to explore possibilities and plan ahead. On the Celtic calendar, November 1 marks the beginning of winter, and as the days grow shorter and colder, we naturally spend more time indoors. Reading, researching and reflecting on your goals now can inspire what you plant in the spring.

Growing a large volume of vegetables to sell often requires expensive equipment like tractors and cold storage, which isn’t practical for most hobbyists. But herbs are a different story. 

Culinary herbs often require regular customers and weekly deliveries, but medicinal herbs and specialty plants face fewer food safety rules and can be dried and sold on your schedule. There’s money to be made: nationwide herbal supplement sales grew 4.4% in 2023. Direct sales through the internet, farmers markets and practitioners rose 5.3%. Bacopa sales jumped 71.7%, oats increased 57.7% and even dandelion grew 19.3%. 

There’s a real market for small-scale producers. Here are a few ways to get started:

SMALL-SCALE HERB FARMING

The most common way gardeners expand is by becoming small-scale farmers. You don’t need acres of land to grow herbs for sale—many people start in their own backyard. However, you’ll need to focus on plants with strong market value and grow more of them. 

Start with one plant you love that grows well in your local climate and doesn’t require complex equipment to harvest or process. Once you’ve turned that into a profitable “flagship” crop, you can branch out into other varieties.

While deciding what grows well on your property, also research your potential buyers. Which herbalists, tea makers or manufacturers might want your products? Could a trendy local cocktail bar use edible flowers or lemongrass? Thanks to online sales and shipping, you’re not limited to your region. Dried herbs are especially appealing because they store longer than fresh produce, which must be sold quickly and refrigerated.

Think about what kind of crop you’d enjoy growing and why. Then envision your market. Will you sell to a nearby herbalist, offer seedlings to home gardeners or package herbs for online sales? Your answers will guide everything from planting schedules to harvest timing and packaging decisions, whether you sell loose leaf, bundled, bagged or potted with soil.

MAKING HERBAL PRODUCTS

If you’re a creative type with a love for plants, making herbal products can be a fun and rewarding way to earn income. By cultivating an intimate relationship with the herbs you grow, inspiration comes and a whole array of product ideas emerge that showcase each plant’s healing properties, aromas, oils or pigments. 

You can start small right in your kitchen. Craft tea blends, salves, infused oils and syrups make nice gifts for friends and family—and they’re the perfect test market. Their feedback can help you refine your products and marketing before investing in things like certified kitchen space, labeling requirements or legal compliance. Once you’ve identified popular products, you can decide whether scaling up makes sense.

TEACHING AND SHARING

As more people question where their food comes from, there’s growing demand for garden educators and authors. Passionate teachers make the material come alive for students. They have a deep relationship with plants—understanding their life cycles, experimenting with new species and exploring their nutritional qualities. 

There’s a wide audience hungry to learn: urban homesteaders, people who grew up on processed food and those who simply want to grow something green in a digital world. You could offer free local classes or publish a short downloadable eBook. Others write full-length books focused on a single crop or region and find success marketing their expertise. Videos and online courses can also help you reach a broader audience, especially if you team up with someone who can handle filming and editing.

Teach what you know best and don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something. Promise to follow up with answers. The best teachers are lifelong students themselves.

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