# List Of Value Added Garden Stuff To Sell?



## 45n5 (Jun 9, 2008)

I think it's cool to grow the world around you. I'm a city boy originally and learning slowly.

Grow a tree and make a walking stick out of it.

Grow herbs and make tea mixes.

Grow willow and make baskets.

And the list goes on. You can grow or forage stuff, do something to it, and then sell it for a profit.

*Is there a list of things that people sell like this, "value added garden stuff" or something?* So i can get some ideas or inspiration?

This seems like the PERFECT work at home business for a homesteader, sell this stuff online, grow it out in the country.

bonus, i'm guessing there is a lot less regulation selling a walking stick instead of selling a tree, (i looked at starting a small nursery and my head started spinning, insurance, inspections, interstate trade, etc)


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

greenhouse....sell starts...early and late salad greens perhaps if the regs are not to hard to follow.....

one thing I've never understood is how people sell garden stuffs and never have (or take) the time to preserve enough for their own use over the course of a year or two (lesson learned the year of tomato blight).....so you sell all those juicy tomatoes and have to feed your family store ones from a tin can.....it just doesn't add up.

Another personal example....we have dairy goats for personal homestead and I use surplus milk to raise sucker holst. calves for meat for our table....no hormones, no antibiotics....100% all natural and close to organic.
Anyway my butcher says to me " I don't know why you raise these animals...I'll sell you beef at $2 a pound" problem is he is getting cull animals that more than likely have been given meds and fed crap....
The point is value added should start right inside your own home.....


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## Halfway (Nov 22, 2010)

Grow specialty lettuce and greens for the local chef's around town. Organic is big, so take that into consideration. Hydroponics for speed and efficiency and organic as an option as well.

"Craft" is big (cheese, beer, bread, wine etc.). Those business are always looking for additional enhancements for their shops or product line accessories.


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## hengal (Mar 7, 2005)

Try growing gourds - they are very easy and come in many different sizes and shapes. You can paint them, make natural birdhouses, natural planters, vases,and even utensils (dippers, bowls) like they did thousands of years ago. It's definitely not a "_need to have_" item (i.e. food), but a fun thing for crafty people. I love them because of the diversity of the shapes and the endless possiblities for crafting something directly from nature. 
Plus, a walk through gourd arbor is easy to make and fun to have.


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

I look at things more from a crafter's point of veiw. We have milk goats, but I don't want to have to deal with government regs to sell milk or cheese, so instead will be trying to sell soaps and lotions. We have a lot of pine trees, so bail up the pine straw and sell it for mulch. I like the gourd idea, I'm always seeing them at crafts fairs. Also painted eggshells can be sold. Herbs for teas I would be hesitant because it's a food item and that carries too many regs for me, but plant starts for veggies as well as herbs should sell pretty good.


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## 45n5 (Jun 9, 2008)

@hengal, spot on the money, i'll look up gourds and see what I can do to them to add value, make them into bowls, bird houses, whatever, cool

@mpillow and @halfway, thanks for the replies, but I'm looking for more stuff like you harvest it, add value to it or do something to it, then sell it


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

Jam usually tops this list, depending upon local regs.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

I have plant sales only gets better with each year. This year I have a buyers list. Last month I got a call from a gf who bought last year asking if I would consider bartering a certain item for plants (canned pureed pumpkin). I also sell for cash.

This year I'm trying to get hubby motivated to make copies of a small bench he made for me to put just outside our back door. Perfect for having a seat to take off & put on my garden boots. The seat has a lid that opens to a compartment where I store garden gloves, bar of soap, ball of twine, scissors. He made it out of scrap wood pallets junk hardware. 

We also sell rain barrels & rabbit poop.


~~ pelenaka ~~
thirtyfivebyninety


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## 45n5 (Jun 9, 2008)

cool stuff all, there is no "list" anywhere though to browse for ideas?

@pelenake, do you make the rain barrells, salvage them, where do they come from?


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

I used to live next door to a swamp and built twig furniture. Always had fun with it, and never had a problem selling anything I cared to make!

Unfortunately, swamps are kinda hard to come by here in SWPA ...


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## 45n5 (Jun 9, 2008)

too cool willow girl, i just googled "willow furniture"

https://www.google.com/search?q=twig+furniture

i'll be looking into this for sure later, i don't have a swamp but 6 acres to grow stuff and willow practically grows itself,  here's a few baby weeping willows i just started from cuttings


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

45n5 said:


> cool stuff all, there is no "list" anywhere though to browse for ideas?
> 
> @pelenake, do you make the rain barrells, salvage them, where do they come from?



No list jus grab a paper & pen, make a list of things you can make for free or nearly for free. That's the ticket is to not have allot of $ tied up in your product. Another good point is a product that has shelf live which annual plants don't but my perennials do. They end up being re-potted in bigger containers for next years sale. Pots, hanging baskets, majority are either curb shopped or gifted to me. Plant markers I make out of Popsicle sticks, milk jugs, window blinds. 

Years ago when I bought my urban homestead I got a bit crazy & bought six gallon sized pots of Purple Coneflowers for $10 each. 12 years later I have almost recouped my original investment by selling much smaller pots of that perennial for $2 each. Now of course I don't buy plants (except fruit trees), instead I barter or start from seed (bought last fall for 15 cents each),but having these plant sales allows me to pay myself back & then some. 

Here's a link to my husband's blog post about making rainbarrels We get them from a cheese factory the next county over for $5. But even if we paid more that value of having a draw to our plant sales is worth it. 

Another good biz is bike repairs & sales. We have several in the hood who sell all manners of bikes, kids riding toys, & lawnmowers. In fact daughter just got a sweet ride for a trad eon her bike & $5. 


~~ pelenaka ~~


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## happychick (Sep 20, 2010)

Wow - there are so many great ideas here! Love the picture of the baby willows!
No, there is no 'list' - everyone does it a little different. I recommend you do a variety (not just one thing in case one idea works better then another), a variety of things you love doing. If you don't enjoy it, it won't be successful.

What we do:
bought a hoop house last year, and grow lights. Have experiemented with plants sales, and plan to take them a step farther.
we have chickens, and sell the eggs. people want organic eggs so much, once they know about you you have a waiting list!
we have opened 2 online shops, you would probably be interested in that as you mentioned selling online (see my signature links). The Etsy shop will soon have a selection of nature supplies in it for crafters (everything from pinecones, feathers, antlers, seed pods, etc etc). All just collected off the farm!

things we want to do in the future:
get bees. organic honey is very expensive, we would like to supply our own, as well as sell it.
get our plant sales really going, as well as can enough of what we grow that we decrease the grocery bill.
sell our horse manure.
get our online shops busier, with a wider selection of hand made goods.
If we can, harvest a bunch of willow from a neighbors lowland, and make and sell willow furniture.
hmmm....there's so much, seems like I'm forgetting some!

Remember - making money is just as important as saving money. What you can do to supply your own needs instead of buying is more money in your pocket. 

Hope you found this post helpful!


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